New Haven Independent

Posted by: what a joke | May 7, 2007 10:43 AM

The mayor has openly proven he does not practice any open governance. He takes the job, but leaves city hall to people that couldn't run it. He forces special treatment for developers and contributors. He appoints numerous high paying jobs to people that have no experience, bt did work on his gov. [campaign]. He let the city fall to fiscal ruin. I urge everyone to vote against him. Even if a new mayor does poorly with the mess he made, at least he is out and we can start to fix the problem he and his cronies created over the past years. The vote this time simply needs to be agianst him and for change. he will continue unless the voters make the change. I left working for the city because of the corruption you would have to be a part of to stay working for him. He did spend untold effort to get the BOA as yes people. He did misuse funds from the lease of land to the Parking Authority (what happened to that supposed BOA investigation?) Carl...any answer?

Posted by: cedarhillresident | May 7, 2007 12:56 PM

Unless the mayor is able to

1- lessen the tax hike more which means that some of the new positions that were filled with over payed people need to be ended "last hired first fired" more cuts to the airport and fire department. A pay freeze and a hiring freeze.

2- make a noticable difference in the summer crime in ALL communities!!

He may have a tough race ahead of him. I think that the mind set that"what a joke" said above has become alot of peoples feelings. Anyone is better than "Johnny" attitude. But we all know at voting time if none of the canidates are not qualifed or at least have proven they are qualified he may win.

Posted by: dana b | May 7, 2007 1:15 PM

I'm glad the article mentioned some of the reasons that citizens have become dissatisfied with Mayor Destefano despite his administration's many accomplishments.

Basically, this city is run by an effective (and in parts corrupt) administration. The mayor brooks no opposition, however principled or heart-felt. You oppose him on an issue, and you end up becoming an enemy or a target for ousting in the next election. The Democratic Committee is in his pocket and assists him in this. The Board of Aldermen is powerless. There's no loyal opposition because the mayor considers that an oxymoron. His own talented team tend follow their leader and fritter away their ethics as they pursue the mayor's agenda. That's one way to run a city, but not one that consistently brings the best people or the best ideas forward. Instead, it often turns creative people into toadies and political hacks.

Mayor Destefano's call for "good politics" shows him, at best, blind to his own short-comings, and at worst, cynical about citizens' ability to differentiate between truth and lies.

Posted by: In case you forgot | May 7, 2007 1:16 PM

This is an excerpt from the Register article. It says everything about how the mayor thinks about good politics. Do what I say...or you will be on the outside. Why does anyone think he went after Perez and Paolillo?

"I wasn't surprised that there was more information," Jackson-Brooks said.

Perez said corporation counsel appointments and their justification are up to the mayor. "That's his call," Perez said, before adding that he would not have eliminated any findings, were it his decision.

"Based on what I've seen (in the FOI records), I'm surprised how much the executive branch influenced the report. It's the mayor's prerogative to accept the recommendations or not. I would've said that I agree or disagree and why," Perez said.

Paolillo said public officials have an obligation of full disclosure to taxpayers and each other. "I'm disappointed we had to do the FOI request in the first place. It was the only thing and the right thing to do if you believe full disclosure is paramount. The public has a right to know," he said.

Get this guy out of office.

Posted by: Ken Krayeske | May 7, 2007 1:32 PM

Being open to new ideas? LOL. Please, stop, Mr. Mayor. My stomach hurts from laughing too much.

This openness is coming from the same candidate who threatened to withdraw from the gubernatorial debates in New London if the Green Party candidate was included? Hahahahaha. It's a joke right?

Too funny, Mayor, too funny. Rather than go for re-election, you ought to consider a gig writing for the Daily Show.

Maybe your first segment with John Stewart can be called "The Hilarity of Hypocrisy."

Posted by: Gary Doyens | May 7, 2007 3:17 PM

Mayor Feel Good and Board of Feel Betters: It sounds good, but will anything change? Will the mayor change his free spending ways? Will the NH BOA grow backbone and hear the pleas of the people they are supposed to represent? Will they provide tax relief for anybody but the elderly who are making $50K or less?

For weeks now, many of us told the NH BOA, it's department heads and Mayor DeStefano that we wanted fiscal restraint -- that we did not want the tax bills of others laid at the doorstep of our families; that we wanted a serious reduction in costs that would amount to a 10% decrease in expenditures. This would help our families and seniors -- all struggling to pay large and ever growing city taxes.

What we got so far from the NH BOA Finance Committee, the full BOA and the mayor, was a tax freeze for the elderly that pushed their bills, $1.5 - 2.0 million of them onto our families.

The Finance Committee reduced city tax rates by 1 mil in property taxes, and then promptly offset that by an increase in fees and other assessments. Net: A decrease of less than $2 million in a budget of $445 million, less than 1% -- but $30 million in new expenditures and a budget stuffed with new programs and new employees.

The final budget agreement goes to a vote on May 29th to the full NH BOA. Let's see if the honorees -- Goldfield, Silverman, and guest speaker DeStefano himself -- have really been listening and are being open to new ideas to reduce costs or whether all that talk about good politics is just the beginning of an election campaign long on rhetoric, and short on action.

Posted by: another tidbit | May 7, 2007 3:42 PM

From The New Haven Advocate. The mayor doesn't think anyone cares

Maybe after 13 years of being New Haven's big fish, Mayor John DeStefano and his supporters have become uninterested in how things look to the rest of us.

Sure, it looks bad that Democratic Party Chair Susie Voigt beat Dixwell's Democratic Ward Committee to the endorsement punch, giving her personal stamp of approval to aldermanic candidate Gregory Morehead without their vote.

Sure, it looked even worse when DeStefano swore in Morehead the day before the Democratic State Central Committee convened a hearing in Hartford to decide if Voigt violated party rules. With 13 years of political consolidation beneath your belt, maybe one can afford to brush off the criticism.

Posted by: pinkbicycle | May 7, 2007 7:54 PM

Vote! You can always vote the Mayor out. Just look at your lineup of folks who want the job--Willie Green, Jim Newton. Yeah this ought to change your tune. Say whatever you want about Mayor John, New Haven ain't looking like Bridgeport, or Hartford or Newark, NJ. John has done a great job even inspite of working with that ship of fools called the BOA! Now there's where you want to see some changes. Oh that's right it's easier logging on here and bitching than it is to work on a campaign of someone you beleive in. Forgive me, my bad. This is about inaction, sitting on your couch and whining about the big mean Mayor of New Haven who kept this City from going to hell after John Daniels imcompetence. But I digress. This is after all a democracy. So VOTE for change.

Posted by: Daniel Sumrall | May 8, 2007 12:09 AM

I agree with all the above comments. But I would rather see people actually do something--like vote for someone else, someone better or run for office. Best way to make the Board of Alders the governing body it should be is by regularly electing new people, by voting in the form of opposition. Unfortunately for most people it's easier to complain than vote or serve.

Posted by: Evan | May 8, 2007 2:08 AM

Ken Krayeske: Stick to being our free speech hero. It comes off much better than the somewhat petty (and sort of bizarre / out of place) post above.

Posted by: Wjay | May 8, 2007 12:13 PM

," DeStefano said. "Good politics is about discussion, and engagement, and challenging one another and being open to ideas... It's OK to disagree. It's OK to challenge one another. What's not OK," he said, is politics based on "race, income, neighborhood."

I beg the differ Mr. Mayor, politics in New Haven is; and has been about race, income, neighborhood.
By pitting the various groups against each others interest,

ie: THE ID card for illegals.
ie: The elderly tax freeze for 70yrs. and older, with ten yrs. residency in the city.
ie: the steam rolling of the 22nd ward nommination for Greg Morehead, followed by his indoctrination.

ie:race baiting with the NAACP over a no bid $10,000 contract you you let out, then complained you were "being shaken down".

One more good politics: during your second debate with Gov. Rell, you stated that "you cut taxes in New Haven by.30%". Good politics, WTF......

Posted by: guest | May 8, 2007 6:16 PM

I think it is very interesting how desperately he slammed ACLU rep/NAACP before the NAACP sponsored community meeting on Billy White/police problems. Anything to keep inquiring members of the public from scratching at this Billy White thing too much.

I think it is darned interesting who he chose for a board to oversee an expensive - $130K - study of the PD. Everything he has said and done indicates he wants to dodge accountability and suppress true discovery of the roots of how a guy like that stayed in charge for so long. Don't expect truth from this handpicked commission.

Maybe the money would be better spent studying his office.

In my opinion, the mayor is just the bully on the block who took over.

Posted by: Cobra1 | May 9, 2007 2:10 AM

If we had a real 2 party system in the city, then
we would have choices. One party for over 50 years is a dictectorship.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | May 9, 2007 12:51 PM

PB I plan on jumping in the problem is ...I still do not know much about who is running. I stood by John for years even when things where getting a little shakey but no I have to question of he is good for the city. When first in office he was the son of a cop a man that understood the little man and worked hard for us and our familys. But like many good men I am starting to feel like I feel about Joe Lib. John has changed he is plastic I wish he could find that man that we all voted for in years past because we really need him now.

Now as for helping some one that is running against him we has 3 that I know of Newton is out the window for me. Green well to honest I have no clue who he is. And Ralph has some good ideas but would need a great staff to help him pull it off. Right now there is just not enough info on who is running to commit to anyone and work on any campaine.
Paul can you help us with that??

Posted by: Paul Bass | May 9, 2007 3:52 PM

Cedar Hill Resident: We plan on covering the campaigns in depth! Meanwhile, please keep those posts coming. I'm hoping others posters will follow your example and steer away from some of the nastiness that's polluted some of our discussion threads this week...

Posted by: pinkbicycle | May 9, 2007 5:18 PM

Everybody wants someone else, this is clear, But nobody wants to be that somebody else. You have to have people willing to form a party or get the republicans to run a serious candidate. We know what we don't want, but no one has the guts to walk out on faith and conviction to run to be that someone that everyone might want. You have to be a bully and savvy and willing to raise money and willing to sacrifice a lot to run for office. You have to be aggressive, you have to be bold and you have to want to win almost at all costs, by any mean necessary. And for many this is distasteful and yet we want change, we want someone else. But our action and our votes don't reflect what we say we want.

Posted by: Nancy Drew | May 9, 2007 11:22 PM

Wow if only we could multiply the wisdom of the preceding commentors into the number of votes needed to vote Destefano out of office!

If you polled former employees and department heads the consensus would agree with What A Joke.

It's OK to disagree?!! John DeStefano is one of the most vindictive politicians in New Haven history. If you openly disagree you better have another job lined up. What's not OK-Politics based on race, income & neighborhoods. Exactly his consistant strategy.

Ask that cop who successfully sued for civil rights violations (A 5 million winner)over the arrest of the politically connected ministers who were disturbing the peace by broadcasting church services in Fair Haven, what he thinks of Johnny's declarations.

Posted by: guest | May 10, 2007 8:10 PM

re the nasty comments paul is referring to. I see a lot of cynical comments from people who are totally fed up and not open to what they have come to know, one way or the other, to be a lot of disingenuous talk from the mayor, the machine and so on.

Are these the comments you are referring to, Paul?

Because I think those comments are fair game. DeStefano IS vindictive.

I hope you are referring to comments so heinous that you pulled them off the board.