[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 17, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S9528]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          MAYOR DANNEL MALLOY

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, it gives me great pleasure to 
congratulate the great city of Stamford, Connecticut, and Mayor Dannel 
Malloy, for having been ranked on the Children's Environmental Index as 
one of the most ``kid-friendly'' cities in the United States. Normally 
we consider the number 13 to be an unlucky number, but Stamford ranked 
number 13 of 219 cities in the nation on the quality of life for its 
children. Stamford was also ranked second in the nation in the 
education category which included student-teacher ratio and drop-out 
rate. This index, measured by the organization Zero Population Growth 
(ZPG), is the sixth in a series of bi-annual studies used to focus 
attention on the quality of life in the nation's largest cities. It is 
the third index which directly addresses the social and physical 
environment of children, measuring such areas as infant mortality, teen 
pregnancy, childhood poverty, high school drop-out rates, air quality, 
and crime rates.
  Mr. President, I was recently appointed by Minority Leader Tom 
Daschle to chair the Senate Democratic Strike Force for Kids named 
``Right Start 2000''. The purpose of this strike force is to develop 
constructive ways for us in Washington to best address the educational, 
health, and safety needs of America's children in the first six years 
of life. It is very clear from this index that we have much to learn 
from many of our Nation's cities. Clearly Stamford and other cities are 
taking bold and innovative steps to nurture our Nation's children.
  The children of today are the leaders of the next millennium. As 
such, it is critical that we ensure they grow up in surroundings which 
protect, nurture, educate, and care for them. Stamford has shown its 
willingness to invest the resources necessary to produce the next 
generation of leaders. We can only hope that this index will give the 
impetus to other cities to focus upon what is really critical for our 
future, healthy and happy children today.
  The road toward a better future for our kids will be a collective 
effort on the part of parents, schools, religious institutions, 
community, State, and national leaders. But this effort will be made 
easier in an environment where groups and individuals work in 
partnership with one another. I am delighted to know that this work is 
going on in my home State of Connecticut, and I particularly 
congratulate Mayor Malloy and all of the people of Stamford for their 
achievements on behalf of Stamford's children.

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