Stratford Forward

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Stratford Forward

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    • Home
    • Who We Are
      • Our History
      • Our Mission & Vision
      • Our Team
    • What We Do
      • Our Programs
      • Our Impact
    • Get Involved
      • Events
      • Donate
      • Contact Us
  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Our History
    • Our Mission & Vision
    • Our Team
  • What We Do
    • Our Programs
    • Our Impact
  • Get Involved
    • Events
    • Donate
    • Contact Us

About the stratford Crier

Our Community News - Hyper Local

 Stratford Forward is a non profit organization created to bring people together to create a sustainable and resilient community in Stratford. Under the Stratford Forward umbrella, many incentives, projects and programs for community change have been born.


One of these initiatives is the Stratford Crier, a weekly, independent, digital newspaper. The Stratford Crier was created in 2020 to restore local journalism to our community, following the closure of Stratford’s last print news publication in 2018, after more than 24 years in business. 


Our goal at the Stratford Crier is to educate and inform the residents of Stratford, CT, about local issues, enabling effective participation in the community and our democracy.


We cover Local Government, Politics,  Education, Environment, Arts and Culture, Health, Business, Town Events, and we share ideas through Letters to the Editor and Opinion Articles. We cover school sports, poetry and transportation.


We believe that exchanging ideas in a non-threatening environment is the only way to reach civility and mutual understanding, it is a key ingredient for a healthy community.

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Next Generation Community Journalism  Model

Support the News

In this digital age, it is a challenge to get people to pay for information. According to our survey, most small, community-based journalism organizations rely on foundations to support their mission. This support has steadily increased since funders started making major gifts aimed at combating ‘fake news’, boosting news literacy, and restoring trust in the media. The Connecticut Mirror, New Haven Independent and other non profits receive most of their funding from foundations.


In order to create a sustainable model the reliance on foundation funding alone is insufficient. It is critical to have multiple streams of income as well as  control costs and deploy resources smartly. We have envisioned a blended model,  with a full time editor/reporter and 1 part time reporter working virtually with a dedicated group of volunteers and board members who assume the roles of contributors and coeditors.

Volunteer Today

 We currently have volunteers in the roles of  Copy Editor, Arts and Leisure Editor,  Education Editor and Health Editor. We are recruiting for an Environment/Resilience (we are located on the Long Island Sound) Editor, a Sports Editor and a Government Services editor.   We have been in continuous publication for four years, never missing a week. We send out mid week news blasts.Community-based journalism is exactly where we fit in. We are a voice for the community, and all who want reliable information.  

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Our Editorial Focus

The Stratford Crier prides itself on providing you important news focused on:

  • Town Government: The Crier has highlighted many issues of policy and planning. Driving transparency and action on many initiatives regarding land use, our schools and environment.
  • Local Land Use: In a series of articles from July, 2021 – January 2023 the Stratford Crier documented the Town of Stratford’s proposal to demolish a neighborhood school in a historic district, to build condos/apartments under the Transit Oriented District (TOD). The Crier published letters to the editors, research and publication on developers bidding on the property, and covering meetings called by both non-profits and citizen groups.  To date Center School has not moved forward. The Crier has played a key role in informing and updating residents regarding affordable housing, and transit-oriented districts (TOD). We will continue to focus on key issues important to the growth and sustainability of our community, and be a safe place for intelligent discourse. In addition, we will highlight different points of view and educate on best practices around our nation. We use the Stratford Crier to drive innovation and thoughtful policy, insisting on governmental transparency and communication with the electorate. 

  • A series of articles from December 2021 – May 2022, Time For A Comprehensive Environmental Strategy, resulting in not only saving the original old growth trees in Longbrook Park, but a change in tree removal policy for the Town of Stratford.
  • The Stratford Coastal Resiliency Plan: Stratford has 9 miles of shoreline. A 250 page resiliency plan was completed in 2016. The Crier has run a series of articles highlighting the imminent threats of storms and flooding and the plans that were recommended to mitigate some of the risk. The Crier has reached out to the Town leadership to catalyze program development. They have recently had several grants funded which will begin the process of making our community safer.
  • The Crier has written and documented how Stratford’s Citizen Scientistshave worked to save our Great Meadows marsh, beaches, as well as other environmentally fragile areas in town.  Publicizing their work of 20 years to bring to light the endangered Horseshoe Crab.  Articles, letters, and interviews contributed to H.B. 6484: An Act Concerning Certain Harvesting of Horseshoe Crabs into law.

  • The Crier has highlighted numerous articles on our public schools. These range from staffing issues, loss of specialty programming, budget cuts  and new education initiatives. Our education system is considered distressed by the State of Connecticut.
  • The Crier, has also as part of Stratford Forward spearheaded “The Stratford Volunteer Corps”  a community based volunteer service with a primary focus of providing Mentors and Tutors to children in our public schools.  We touch children from kindergarten to twelfth grade. The goal is to help lift all of our children. The adage “no child left behind” is our goal.
  • Mentoring High School Students on Journalism: The Stratford Crier has worked with the Journalism class taught by Andreas Marangos at Stratford High School to encourage and enlighten Journalism students on reporting and writing articles.  Students in the class regularly submitted articles of interest to them, which were published in The Crier including Letters to the Editor, Sports, and Opinion pieces

  • The American Shakespeare Theater: The historic and cultural landmark in Stratford, Connecticut, the American Shakespeare Theater burned to the ground January 13, 2019.  The Stratford Crier has since 2020  been a forum for thoughts and debate regarding the future use of the property. It has recently documented proposals for rebuilding the park.  Reporting on the Shakespeare Property Task Force continues.
  • Numerous local art events are highlighted.
  • Saving Historic Home and Highlighting an Early Suffragist: Raising awareness through articles and petitions to save the historic Lillie Devereux Blake House, a house listed on the National Register of Historic Places that was scheduled for demolition. Brought to light Lillie Devereux Blake, a noted woman suffragist, reformer, and writer, who played a prominent part in the National Woman’s Suffrage Association.
  • Poetry Corner by Norah Pollard: Weekly, a poem is highlighted, shared and discussed by our Poet in Residence, Norah Pollard, long time Stratford Resident and author of four books of poetry, “Leaning In”, Death and Rapture in Animal Kingdom, Reports from the Banana Hospital, Lizard Season and Animalian. 
  • Historian David Wright: Stratford, founded in 1639 has many “Stories to Tell.  Town Historian. David Wright tells our stories, bringing the people, their lives and times back to us with humor, grace  and humility.
  • Community Conversations Column by Greg Reilly: Greg hosts community meetings monthly to bring people together and foster communication and new ideas. He continues these community based discussions in the Crier. Recently from his conversations a new night safety program was started providing free armbands to residents to wear at night while on the street.

Stratford Forward

P.O. Box 37, Stratford, CT 06614

(203) 936-9284

Copyright © 2026 Stratford Forward - All Rights Reserved.

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