New Haven Independent

“The things I stand for -— honest, effective, open, and inclusive government -— Mayor Malloy believes in too, and that’s why I’m supporting Dan Malloy for governor,” Daniels said in a release issued Sunday. He plans to appear with Malloy at an endorsement event outside New Haven City Hall on Monday afternoon. Daniels became mayor in 1989 by beating John DeStefano in a primary; he retired four years later, and DeStefano succeeded him.

Jorge Perez and Juan Candelaria were among the 24 members of the Connecticut Hispanic Democratic Caucus (CHDC) who voted to endorse Malloy for governor at a Saturday meeting at The Corner Restaurant in Bridgeport. The statewide group formed last year “to promote political empowerment for the Latino community throughout the state.”

The vote was 24-1. The New Haveners voting for Malloy included Perez, president of the Board of Aldermen’s Black and Hispanic Caucus; Candelaria, who represents the Hill neighborhood in the state legislature; and Alderwoman Migdalia Castro. The only vote in favor of DeStefano came from Paul Nunez, who works for him in City Hall.

Other people voting came from communities including Bridgeport, Hartford, Manchester, and Waterbury.

Both DeStefano and Malloy showed up to make presentations to the group. Then the group’s members debated the issue. People present say that speakers repeatedly cited this month’s election for presidency of the New Haven Board of Aldermen, in which Perez, the incumbent, lost to a candidate backed by DeStefano. Speakers argued that that showed a lack of support for the Latino community.

Perez declined to discuss the vote, referring questions to Yolando Castillo, the Hartford-based co-founder and chair of the statewide caucus.

“Even though a lot of people had concerns about [the Perez board presidency race], at the end of the day the interviews [with the candidates] did it,” Castillo claimed in a conversation Sunday night. She claimed Malloy was “more precise” in his answers to the group’s questions. DeStefano “went around in circles” in answering some questions, according to Castillo. Which questions? “Affordable housing.” And? “I think it may have been property tax reform.”

Castillo, vice-chair of the Hartford Democratic Town Committee, was among the out-of-town speakers who rallied in support of Perez’s reelection as board president at an event on New Haven’s City Hall steps.

DeStefano gubernatorial campaign manager Shonu Ghandhi (in picture) downplayed the Saturday endorsement.

“Yesterday only was about a small number of elected officials and their friends,” Gandhi said Sunday. “They have a right to their opinion. It in no way represented the opinion of most Latino leaders and voters… John DeStefano has overwhelmingly won the Latino vote in every election he has had in the past 12 years.”

Juan Candelaria said he wrestled with his vote before the meeting.

“It was hard, being from New Haven,” he said. He said he ultimately decided to respond to the “discontent” he sensed in the Hispanic community in New Haven of people feeling “betrayed” by DeStefano in the board presidency race.

“I would assume there are going to be repercussions,” Candelaria said. “But you know what? I stand with my community. It’s not about Juan. It was a way of the community saying, ‘Don’t take us for granted anymore.”

Malloy, who is mayor of Stamford, has made a point of seeking to pick up votes in New Haven from people disaffected with DeStefano because of local political fights like the board presidency race. He showed up last week (at right in photo) at the head of the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial “Love March” through the East Rock neighborhood.

The CHDC release quoted Malloy as saying, “Long before I decided to run for governor I committed myself to improving opportunities for the Hispanic community in Stamford. Their concerns are all of our concerns and it all boils down to opportunity. Be it a secure job, a safe place to raise a family, access to affordable health care, housing and a quality education, the Hispanic community deserves and I will always be committed to fighting for these same opportunities.”