u/the_yamaza

Was recently at a community tabling event standing alongside a representative from our speed camera contractor to do community outreach, which our county requires we do as a part of our speed camera installation process. Frankly, this was not one of my projects, but I was asked to be there anyways since I did some work for it here and there, so I obliged.

I have a little bit of experience handed down to me by my bosses around how to pitch certain solutions such as pedestrianization and traffic calming projects to the general public: emphasize "freedom", focus on empowerment, and overall stuff that plays into American individualism. I also try not to get too in the weeds about the minutiae of the work unless I'm prompted to (quantitative justification, traffic studies, etc).

However, I noticed that the representative (who I later learned had a sales background) was selling the speed cameras as though they were a product to be bought rather than something that was already guaranteed to be installed. They got into the details of the speed cameras, their legality, and even how they worked. At first I thought this would backfire in their face, since I thought they were throwing too much at the public, but between when I pitched the cameras and they did, the majority of those we talked to took the project well.

My question to the community is not which one of us pitched the product better, but how we all go about doing it in the first place. I would like to hear the projects you all had to present to the public, the positions you took regarding them (explain, defend, justify), and how you fared in terms of public reaction. I'm curious to see what your takes on this are!

For those unaware, Too Good To Go is an app which allows restaurants and stores to package their unsold stock at the end of the day in bulk, using "surprise bags." Users don't really get to choose what's inside their bags, but typically, stores are pretty generous.

I've lucked out with stores like Whole Foods Greenwich and Westover Pizza, but unfortunately, not a lot of stores in Stamford and the surrounding area use it. I've had to go all the way down to Portchester sometimes because they're the only city which participates heavily. All I'm saying is it's a really great app that prevents food waste, and I think more stores and restaurants should start using it.

April's NYC show on Saturday directly overlaps with Game 5 of the NBA Finals, which the Knicks are 1 game away from winning it all. For context I am a diehard Knicks fan who missed Game 4 for reasons that were out of my control, so the fomo is definitely contributing to this decision. I love underscores, but the idea of missing the biggest sporting event of my entire my life is just something I can't face.

This is the biggest aura gamble of my entire life. This one goes out to April. I love you queen, but it's Knicks in 5.

Little bit of a rant, but the Board of Ed last night passed their $350 million budget last night which included the end of the free-meals-for-all program. After the pandemic, lunches were supplemented to SPS students via the Community Eligibility Provision, which connected the district to the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs.

This move to end free-meals-for-all ultimately saved the district $1 million while pushing this costs onto families who don't meet the free or reduced lunch requirements, which is 46.3% of all students (7,105), according to data from CT Edsight. This would mean an additional $140 per student not eligible for free-reduced lunch for the 2026-27 academic year.

Please believe me when I say having lunch be free matters. The requirements for free-reduced lunch specifically cater to low-income children who are basically on the brink, failing to account for middle class families who, on paper, look like they're doing well, but are actually balancing on tightropes.

As someone who attended SPS and graduated during the free-lunch era, having to not worry about if I had debt on my lunch account made my school experience miles better than when I was in the fifth grade. I want you to imagine what it's like to be told every day that I had lunch debt because my parents couldn't afford to put anything on my account that month, and having my classmates hear that.

They should've just taken the $1 million on the chin, or at least found somewhere else to cut. This is dumb and my heart goes out to the kids who now have to face the same thing I did.