Letter: Rep. Patricia Billie Miller Endorses Tong for Mayor

On the heels of the Stamford Democratic City Committee denouncing Gov. Dannel Malloy's endorsement of Rep. William Tong as the next mayor for the city and not the DCC backed candidate David Martin, Deputy Speaker of the House and state Rep. Patricia Billie Miller (145, Stamford) today announced her endorsement for Tong. The following is a release regarding her endorsement: 

"I have worked closely with William and I have the highest confidence that he is the best candidate for Mayor," she said in a release. "I grew up in Stamford and raised my family here, and I know that William’s leadership and his Stamford 2020 vision is what Stamford needs right now to regain its momentum and become the great city for families that it can be.

I am endorsing William because I trust him and I have seen first-hand how hard he works for Stamford.  I know he has the highest commitment to serving my constituents and the communities I represent.

For example, in the midst of the housing and foreclosure crisis, William wrote and secured passage of several pieces of legislation that help Stamford homeowners avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes while they are trying to negotiate a settlement with their bank. The new laws create tough new penalties for banks that do not act in good faith and provide emergency mortgage assistance to Stamford families so they can make mortgage payments when they get behind.  I worked with William to help churches and religious organizations facing foreclosure, and he made sure that these new laws help them protect their buildings and houses of worship.

I’ve worked side-by-side with William to make major investments in UCONN Stamford to transform it into a leading research university, to focus hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding to affordable and low-income housing, and to make sure our immigrant communities have access to driver’s licenses.  As Mayor, William is the candidate who can leverage his knowledge, relationships and experience in state government to secure the state and federal funding that Stamford needs.  I look forward to continuing to work with William, as his partner in Hartford, to make sure we do all we can for our community here at home."

State Representative Patricia Billie Miller, a Stamford native, was first elected to the Connecticut General Assembly in 2008 to represent Stamford’s 145th Assembly District. She is now serving her third term in the House. Patricia was appointed to serve as Deputy Speaker of the House in April 2013. She also serves as a member of the Appropriations Committee, the Education Committee, and Government Administration and Elections committees. Prior to her election to the legislature, Patricia worked at the Stamford Housing Authority for over 25 years and served on the Stamford Board of Representatives. Patricia is the proud mother of two daughters and two grandchildren. Patricia and her husband, Bobby, live in the Westside neighborhood.