New Haven Independent

DeStefano, New Haven’s mayor, turned his City Hall into a mid-day rock concert hall for a lively formal declaration of his candidacy for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, complete with the dj/preacher-like emceeing of Alderman Charles Blango and the blaring of U2 from powerful speakers by the stage.

If you wanted to catch up with city employees for any reason, you could find a whole lot of them in the sun-streaked atrium. “I took the day off,” noted one mayoral appointee, for the record. Said another: “I’m officially on my lunch break.”

DeStefano has been running for governor for more than a year, of course. The event was intended less to announce that fact than to present, in one festive, coherent address, who he is and what his candidacy is all about.

It’s all about “aiming high,” DeStefano said.

“Too many middle class and working families are being squeezed. My campaign is about creating economic growth, jobs and financial security for all people. Gov. [Jodi] Rell has not done that. But I will.”

He promised to make Connecticut the first state to pass universal health care — an “affordable, portable and prevention-based… system that will provide coverage to everyone and lower the cost of business.”

He promised to propel Connecticut from dead last to among the top 10 of states in job creation within five years.

He promised to “create the nation’s best educated workforce” through smaller class sizes, more pre-school, and tax breaks for college savings accounts.

And he distinguished himself from both Republican Rell and fellow Democrat Dannel Malloy, by opposing either eliminating (Rell’s idea) or cutting back (Malloy’s stand) on the estate tax. ” I believe it’s a fair and progressive tax, one that affects only the top 2 percent of Connecticut’s wage earners,” DeStefano said. “Rather than giving another tax break to the wealthiest of Americans — as President Bush has been doing for six years — let’s use those resources to support Connecticut’s families.”

(Click here to read the official text of DeStefano’s remarks.)

Besides that one indirect reference to Malloy, DeStefano focused on Rell. He made a point of of lumping her together with disgraced former Republican Gov. John Rowland, whom she served as lieutenant governor until he had to resign and go to jail on corruption charges.

“Over the past 12 years,” he declared, “Connecticut’s Republican governors have not sought the idea. They’ve not reached for the stars. And even more grievously and more disastrously for our families, they’ve suffered the sin of low aim.”

Latinos, especially elected Latinos, were sparse at the New Haven event; exceptions included Alderman Sergio Rodriguez and organizers of a drive to unionize New Haven janitors (pictured). The big Latino political push in the state is for DeStefano’s Democratic opponent, Dannel Malloy, whom Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez endorsed on Monday.

More visible in the New Haven City Hall crowd were local union activists, who are counting on him to deliver a fair solution to the ongoing impasse over Yale-New Haven Hospital’s proposed new $430 million cancer center.

Later in the day, the Malloy campaign shot back at DeStefano for his remarks about the estate tax.

Malloy spokesman Chris Cooney accused Destefano of “intentionally misrepresenting Dan Malloy’s position on the estate tax. Dan is not for repealing the estate tax — and he’s never made that proposal.”

That’s true. DeStefano was correct, however, in noting that he differs from Rell and Malloy on the issue. Malloy does support cutting the estate tax, and letting the estates of more of the state’s top millionaires avoid paying taxes. Malloy says that will create jobs. DeStefano says that’s hogwash. Click here to read the details on where they stand.