New Haven Independent

There was a hush in the aldermanic chambers, then DeStefano strode in, accompanied by an honor guard of alderpersons to the applause of officials and regular folks.

He began by introducing the two remaining evacuee families from Hurricane Katrina who have kids in New Haven’s public schools. He had just presented them with $2,400 each — collected from local school kids and teachers — to help with expenses since the federal government is terminating their rent subsidies at the end of the month.

Zulema Zuniga (in photo with her son, Angel, a senior at Hillhouse High School) said she appreciated the help. She’s already moved her family four times this school year. “It’s not easy,” she said, “moving and trying to get stability. And that’s what we want — stability.”

In his address, DeStefano said his three goals for the year are reducing crime, increasing affordable housing, and getting the city on the best possible financial footing, considering that state and federal aid has dropped by several million dollars in real terms since 2001.

(Click here to read the entire speech.)

On the crime front, he plans to reinvigorate community policing by increasing block watches, adding a new class of 20 officers, and forming a new street crime unit that would not be neighborhood-based but instead be deployed wherever there’s a jump in crime.

Alderman Jorge Perez, who’s served on the Board for 18 years, the last six as president until last month’s election, said he’s willing to give the mayor’s ideas a try. But, he added, “We’ve tried those special units in the past and it hasn’t worked as well. I’m a firm believer in walking beats. What’s worked in the past is, you have a problem with crime, you put a walking beat officer there, and something magical happens.”

“And even though he stated we’re going to be adding 20 more officers,” Perez added, “we’re not increasing the number of sworn officers. What we’re doing is making up for the attrition that’s happened.”

Alderman Ed Mattison said, “The mayor’s goals are wonderful. I just hope we can find the money to carry them out. What he really was saying was, we’re being abandoned by the state and the feds and left to our own devices, and it’s true.” He said New Haven is the state’s last solvent city. “All the rest of them are just creatures of the state. They’re not in charge of their own affairs. And I don’t want to see us join them. And he’s doing his damnedest, despite the fact that he’s running for governor.”

DeStefano said one of his other priorities is to maintain housing affordability and add more units to keep up with population growth, despite the fact that the city already has by far the highest level of subsidized housing in the region, at 30 percent, which is 11 percent of the state total.

At the end of his speech he called for compromise from both sides on Yale New Haven Hospital’s bid to build a cancer center, saying either it would be a win-win for the hospital and the community, or everybody would lose.