We need to step it up and make the Advocate's Letters to the Editor a more exciting place. There's some decent gossip in there, but overall, it doesn't deliver on its potential as a repository for all of our hopes and dreams for this city.
Some letters are about national issues (boring! that's not why I read the Advocate!), some about school funding (I don't have kids), and some about political figures (I don't like politics). Where is the juicy gossip? There are two interesting letters this week, one about firestation conflicts and mistrust and one about the mayor not being upfront about expenditures.
However, I want more. I want more local drama, more local opinions. I've done my part; I got a letter published a couple of months ago. Now it's time for you to do your part. I challenge you: submit a letter to the editor. It's so easy! Just email it! I'll post it here when it gets published.
My suggested topics: I don't know, I can't think of anything. Be creative. Write about the movie theater at the mall. Write about class wars in Stamford.
Don't write about parking. That's boring. I don't recommend talking about your Toter; that subject is pretty old unless you have a funny story about how it knocked you over. I don't recommend criticizing the Advocate; there have been several recent letters criticizing their coverage and/or proofreading. Don't talk about that priest that got arrested recently; I skip over those letters.
Good luck. I know there is something in your life related to Stamford that will make for a witty, passionate letter. Take advantage of the opportunity to express your opinion to a wider audience... it's fun.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Stamford's Opinions: YOUR Turn!
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My daughter wrote a letter about how angry she was that she had pay $100 to be in her school play, and she thought it wasn't fair to students who couldn't afford it. I promptly got a call from the guidance counselor when it was published about how she "misunderstood" what $100 meant. She didn't agree. However, it was read by many and she was promised a donation from the Garden Homes Management owner which I thought was cool.
I saw that letter last week! That's great she got a positive response to the letter. I tell ya, it pays to speak up in more ways than one.
StamfordTalk --
I noticed you commented on Mr. GrumpySnob Stamford's blog about Brennan's. If you haven't been there, you should definitely check it out!
It's down on Iriquois Rd. in the Shippan Point area, just a tiny little pub at the end of a residential street near the water. Unless you're a native Stamforder, you probably don't even know it's there. I haven't been there in a while, but they used to always have live jazz on the weekends, and they have good pub food. It's just a really small, friendly, quaint neighborhood bar, literally in a neighborhood where there is nothing but houses everywhere. Very cool.
I have written numerous letters to the editor at the Advocate and so far have only had one published, on school financing and redistricting.
I cannot exactly figure out the criteria they use to determine what gets published. It does piss me off that on Saturday (I think) the do run editorials from other newspapers, as if Stamford is not writing enough opinions. What a waste.
There is not enough investigative reporting here in town, but that is probably a whole other post.
I think I may have looked at a house to rent near Brennan's. I think the landlord may have mentioned they do a block party once or twice a year?
Jeff, were all your letters about redistricting or did you submit for other topics? I'm curious how many submissions they get per week.
Actually, when I visit the Ed. Letter Page, I'm surprised by how rarely new ones are published. I think we can guess that quite a few letters get submitted. It's the web, so there's plenty of room... then again, their format-- a 5 foot long scroll of one letter after another-- makes reading the letters kind of hard- having more published in that same format would be ridiculous! They need to sort it by category.
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