Mike Pavia! You were just elected Mayor of Stamford! Next, are you going to Disney World? Nope! The Stamford Land Conservation Trust.

It seems that the SLCT wanted to ensure the mayor elect was available to speak at their annual meeting on Nov. 17, no matter who it turned out to be. So, in a ballsy move, they extended an invitation to both Republican Michael Pavia and Democrat David Martin. And both, in turn, accepted on the condition that only one of them would be attending.

SLCT Board Secretary Judy Liebeskind says the idea for extending the dual invitation was the brainchild of fellow board member Harry Day, who, along with serving as the SLCT's vice president, represents Stamford's 13th District on the city's Board of Representatives. He also chairs the Board of Reps' Land Use/Urban Redevelopment Committee and was also appointed by outgoing Mayor Dannel Malloy to a bipartisan task force charged with monitoring the cleanup of toxins in Scofieldtown Park. So obviously, both politics and SLCT's aim of protecting open space were on his mind.

In the past, the mayor's office has been instrumental in helping the SLCT acquire land that was seized for non-payment of taxes so that it could convert it into protected open space. "If there was ever a controversy about that, the mayor usually supported our point of view," says Liebeskind. The SLCT and Malloy also collaborated on the Mill River Corridor, a massive park project that will add 19 acres of new open space to Stamford's downtown.

Development of the Mill River area is generally regarded as a centerpiece of Malloy's local political legacy. The question is whether or not Mayor Pavia will consider it as high a priority. "We certainly hope so!" Liebeskind states. "It's very important for the politicians to push it forward. They can encourage developers and builders to set aside land of protected open space by making it an issue that's on everyone's mind."

No word on how David Martin will be spending the 17th. Maybe out actually enjoying some of that open space?