Norwalk political notes: Kudos to Norwalk; Jim Himes

NORWALK, Conn. — Some Norwalk political notes for you:

• Norwalk named great place to live
• Himes lauded
• Himes bashed

We’re 29th!

As some residents decry what they see as a declining quality of life in their home city, outsiders crown Norwalk as one of the best places to live in the country.

Fortune Magazine analyzed nearly 1,900 American cities, scoring them on assets like health care, education, and resources for seniors and for the first time chose one city per state. Guess which city scored tops in Connecticut? Right, the one you’re sitting in.

Norwalk was ranked 29, as a “coastal gem” that “delivers the best of beach life without sacrificing closeness to major metros.” The text also notes museums and SoNo restaurants.

“This ranking focused on multigenerational families, many of whom are shouldering the responsibilities of raising their own children while caring for aging parents,” Fortune wrote, explaining the methodology overall. “… Fortune eliminated locales with home sale prices that were more than twice as high as the state median and/or more than 2.75 times higher than the national median.”

Simultaneously, Livability.com listed Norwalk as one of the 100 best places to live in the U.S. this year, with a score of 761 out of 1,000.  

‘Just your friendly neighborhood Congressman’

On Monday, a Greenwich woman took to social media to praise U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (D-Greenwich).

Sue Princiotto wrote on NextDoor:

“I was stuck yesterday morning on Bible Street with a blow out in a dangerous spot. My husband was luckily on his morning walk with the dogs, passed by and started to empty the trunk to reach the spare and the jack. Many cars passed us by. A young man on his morning jog stopped and basically did the whole things. On Father’s Day no less!! It took at least an hour of his time to reach out and help an older couple in distress. In a pile of sweat and road dirt we shook hands and exchanged names. It was none other than Congressman Jim Himes that took the time to help us out. You’re mother raised you right sir. You have my vote.”

Himes Campaign Manager Francesca Capodilupo alerted NancyOnNorwalk to the post, with the words, “Just your friendly neighborhood Congressman.”  

‘Himes doesn’t represent even the basic rights and interests of his constituents’

Also on Tuesday, Bob MacGuffie, a Republican hoping to challenge Himes next year, released a campaign update seeking to inspire donations to his cause. It said:

“In January, news leaked from the Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commissioner, Rich Trumka that banning residential home gas stoves was under consideration. Jim Himes made one of his patented dismissive gratuitous statements at the time, that such a notion was all a part of a ‘conspiracy theory’ and nothing of the sort was under consideration. In recent years, so much of what’s labeled ‘conspiracy theories’ are simply time-release news stories, validated just a few months later…or even sooner.

“On May 2^nd, NY Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law a ban preventing gas stoves from being installed in new residential buildings, validating the January concerns. 

“As a result of the NY law and similar actions in other states, Republican congressional leadership proposed H.R.1640 Save Our Gas Stoves Act The Bill is an effort to prevent the Secretary of Energy from enacting any federal regulations prohibiting or impairing the use of residential gas stoves. And yes – Jim Himes voted AGAINST it!”  

MacGuffie urged supporters to donate because “We do not have to put up with this insanity!”    

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