New Haven Independent

DeStefano Team Defends Election Complaint

by Melissa Bailey | July 17, 2007 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Responding to a complaint filed with the State Elections Enforcement Commission by contender Willie Greene, Mayor John DeStefano’s campaign denied allegations it had used city park facilities without paying or solicited department heads to take part in the campaign.

Greene, a Democrat seeking to prevent the mayor from winning an eighth term in office, sent this complaint to the State Elections Commission Saturday, focusing on the mayor’s May 9 reelection kickoff at Lighthouse Point Park. In this campaign finance report filed July 10, the mayor’s team did not report having paid to rent the park pavilion.

“We caught this omission,” responded DeStefano’s campaign manager, Adriana Arreola Monday. “It was a clerical error.” The campaign paid to rent the pavilion, but simply forgot to add the receipt to the report, Arreola said. She said the Committee to Re-elect the Mayor had since produced and filed an amendment to the financial report to include the receipt — a total $41 to rent the pavilion, she said.

How about — as some Indy readers have asked— the city golf carts used to shuttle campaign donors to and from the pavilion?

The golf carts were included in the fee, Arreola said: “It’s something that parks and rec would do for anyone that pays to rent the pavilion.”

Greene: Department Heads Called To Campaign

Greene’s complaint alleges that many city department heads — many of whom were spotted at the pavilion that day — were “actively involved in promoting the event, including the solicitation of ticket sales, during working hours.”

Arreola brushed off the charges: “The campaign in no way solicited city employees or department heads to sell any tickets,” she said. The event was advertised only through a mailing sent to past donors, she said.

Any participation in the mayor’s campaign was purely voluntary, Arreola maintained: “A lot of these people have worked for the mayor for many years, and feel a sense of admiration and loyalty to the mayor, so they attended his event.”

Asked about the department-head allegation at an unrelated Tuesday press conference, DeStefano responded, “That’s just untrue and inaccurate. I am going to focus on the issues” in the campaign, like public safety.

Joan M. Andrews, director of the Legal Affairs and Enforcement Unit at the State Elections Enforcement Commission, acknowledged she had received an e-mailed complaint from Greene Saturday, but declined to comment on the specifics of the case because it had not been submitted officially. Andrews said she advised Greene to resubmit the complaint under oath, at which point it would trigger an investigation by her office.

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Comments

Posted by: Observer | July 17, 2007 4:28 PM

$41 to rent the Pavilion with golf carts included? I better get the same deal when I go inquire about renting the Pavlion. Something tells me I won't.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | July 17, 2007 7:12 PM

$41 with golf carts??? Wow I know were my next party is going to be! I hope we get the same rate!!

With that said..

Here we go New Haven the race has begun!! I am voting for the one that does not talk bad about the other people!! But talks about how to lower my dang taxes, gets crime out of the city and the drug dealer off of my end of state street!!! And I want there plans not some half ass promise!! Some rehersed bull-ongni.

This is petty crap please give me a break. I want the issues not games.
I am sure if any of the candiadates ask to use the park they would of wavied the fee.

Posted by: Frank Iezzi | July 17, 2007 8:40 PM

You'd might as well add the $235,000 that was supposedly donated for the ID cards for illegals program. Nothing more than a stunt to get the hispanic vote.

Posted by: The Trix Rabbit | July 17, 2007 8:50 PM

Actually, they would have to pay rent--which at lighthouse park is clearly $41. And dido to everything else.

Posted by: darnell | July 18, 2007 6:52 PM

Come on, does anyone actually believe that renting the pavilion at Lighthouse park, with golf carts, only amounted to $41? That wouldn't even cover the cost of the gas for the carts (if they are not electric). This is not a petty issue, this goes to the heart of the discontent in the community, that some folks get sweetheart deals, while others pay through the nose. How many folks know someone whose was lucky enough to get all their children into magnet schools, while some of us can't get any slots? Why can some people manage to get the garbage cleaned from their streets, why others (like me) can complain for months to no avail? We all pay the same percentage in taxes, but some get more for theuir buck than others.

Cedar, don't believe for a minute that the fee would have been waived, and why should it. They all, including the Mayor's campaign, should contribute equally, maybe then I could pay less.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | July 19, 2007 10:10 AM

here we go PDF Form
http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/Parks/ParksInformation/media/PavilionRequest.pdf
it is $41 dollar says nothing about golf carts??

darnell I agree with all of what you said! But remember the mayor is one in a whole town hall. We can not lose sight that changing the mayor will not change anything. We need to change the alderman that are approving the spending!!! We need to change how the dept. of this city our runned!! And then maybe just maybe we can pay less.

DeStefano Team Defends Election Complaint

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