Coffey Not Seeking Elective Office in 2007
Councilman Michael W. Coffey
June 30, 2007

"I am announcing that I will not be seeking elective office in 2007. I am making this decision so that I can spend more time with my wonderful wife, Kathleen, and our beautiful children Flynn, Griffin, Riley and Cassidy.

During the past 18 months I have been privileged to be elected unanimously for two consecutive terms as the President of the Norwalk Common Council. It has been an exciting and rewarding experience.

Throughout the past term, this council has been uncommon. We have accomplished many things, including enacting an overhaul of the city's ethics code, passing a living wage ordinance that protect's our poorest workers, passing eminent domain restrictions that will afford city resident's more protections against seizures of private property, forever preserving 10 acres of open space at the Hart Peninsula, starting the nonpartisan meetings to spur discussion on new issues among the common council, and continuously encouraged transparency and public participation. These accomplishments were achieved by working in an environment that was characterized by bipartisanship and collegiality, which put progress above partisanship, and most importantly, the city's interests above political interests.

On the fiscal side, we have made our mark and have set a bar that will be a benchmark upon which future council's will be measured. We have worked in a bipartisan team approach with the Mayor and Board of Estimate to maintain the city's elite AAA bond rating. We have also worked in a bipartisan team approach to keep tax increases at 3.6 and 3.4 percent over the past two years, which are among the lowest in the state. This fiscally conservative approach to municipal budgeting has been one of the primary reasons that Norwalk is one of the most attractive home ownership locations and business destination in the state.

I have enjoyed serving the residents in the city since I was first elected to the Council in November 2003. While I will tremendously miss serving the community, I look forward spending many more evenings with my family. It has been an honor to work as an advocate for the city and its many residents. It has been an honor to have worked with 15 dedicated council members who dedicate time from their lives to public service.

I look forward to serving the remainder of my term."

Michael W. Coffey
(914) 462-2542 cell

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