New Haven Independent

Tuesday night’s meeting of the 14th Ward Democratic Ward Committee drew an impressive 40 out of 50 members to the Fair Haven Library to vote for the ward’s choices for alderman, clerk, and mayor.

Alderwoman Erin Sturgis-Pascale and ward co-chairs Rafael Ramos and Joan Forte (pictured) hoped to use the occasion to introduce a system for choosing candidates, instant run-off voting (IRV), in the choice for mayor.

In IRV voting, Sturgis-Pascale explained, you vote for a first, second, and third choice for each position. Or if you want only one candidate, you can enter his or her name three times, as all your choices. If someone doesn’t get a majority, 51 percent, in the first round, the second choices are then tallied, and then the third, if necessary, until someone wins by majority.

“IRV eliminates to a great extent,” she said, “the spoiler effect, of the kind, for example, that some people said [Ralph] Nader exercised in the Gore vs. Bush election of 2000.”

“Closer to home,” said Forte, “Erin was very concerned that the elections be as democratic as possible because of what happened at the last election here in the ward.”

In that tussle, in November, Sturgis-Pascale was running against Evelyn Vargas and a third candidate, Stephanie Bauer, to fill the seat of Alderman Joe Jolly, who had resigned to go to law school.

“Many people,” explained Sturgis-Pascale, “were concerned that Evelyn, who did not have a lot of support in the committee, might win if Stephanie and I split the vote. That is, one of us would be the spoiler.

“So one of us had to drop out. I almost did it. But Stephanie was the one. With IRV, all comers can run and stay in the election and people can really vote their values and candidate and not be worried about this spoiler thing. It’s just fairer.”

Rafael Ramos said that with three candidates running for mayor as Democrats, John DeStefano, Willie Greene, and Jim Newton, IRV could nicely kick in. Before the explanation could proceed, however, Heather Findlay (pictured) said she did not know much about Greene and Newton and would like to learn more before she voted. Julia Suggs, sitting over her right shoulder, also asked if her candidate, Gary Jenkins, who ran for mayor two years ago and apparently may run again, could address the committee before the vote.

“The problem,” replied Ramos, “is that we need to vote today, Friday at the latest, in order to get our recommendations to the full Democratic Town Committee that meets next week.”

“But you all didn’t tell me that,” said Suggs, who was recruited to join the committee by Forte. “It’s not right.”

“Also,” said Findlay, “I just got notice of this meeting two days ago.”

“Look,” replied Ramos, who was supported in this position by Sturgis-Pascale and others, “if Gary Jenkins or Willie Greene or Jim Newton wanted to be here, like the mayor is going to be here, all they had to do was call me or Joan. They know us. We’re the votes. It’s up to them to take the initiative to come here.”

“The mayor called me,” said Sturgis Pascale, “and asked if he could address you.”

Then there was extended discussion about the committee members having insufficient notice of the meeting. Forte had done her mailings, she said, in sufficient time, and notice of the afternoon’s meeting was printed in the Register.

“Look, folks,” said longtime committee member Fran Goekler-Morneau (shown signing in here with Matthew Long), “people who join this committee should take some initiative to educate themselves about candidates and the process.”

“Oh no,” said Suggs, “Joan never told me when I called that the town meeting was coming up so soon. Had she, I would have called Gary. He wants to run as an independent. He would have come. She should have told me that’s the way it works. I’ll know, next time.”

As the conversation grew more fractious and frustrating, though never uncivil, Crystal Manning implored participants to take a vote on whether they should take a vote.

“Anyway, ” said Ramos, “as you know, the votes we take here are, technically, not binding. It’s your recommendation. “

Heather Findlay said she’d still like to have time to learn more about Greene and Newton. Just as she was saying so, as if on dramatic cue, the mayor entered.

He made his usual informed stump performance. He spoke of how 95 percent of city kids are doing well, 1,000 high school graduated, and the city’s focus on the 5 percent of kids, increasingly young, African-American, and already involved with the justice system, who are causing the most violence. He gave special emphasis to Fair Haven issues, praising the new incoming principal at Fair Haven Middle School, who taught the mayor’s own kids at Nathan Hale School in Morris Cove. He outlined his youth anti-crime initiatives, the newly launched Street Outreach Workers program, and said he was particularly concerned with the eight out of ten captain jobs, and the ten of 21 lieutenant positions unfilled in the NHPD.

“In addition to all the other things we are doing, and the recruiting of new officers, I’m really focusing on mid-level management; that, along with all we’re doing with families and parents will turn this problem around.”

He briefly talked about traffic calming, mentioning Quinnipiac Avenue and the new speed problems being addressed at River Street. Crystal Manning said in the light of an accident at Maltby and Chatham, she feels she can hardly let her daughter walk outside on the front yard alone.

“We’re doing what we can,” replied the mayor. “Back in 2000 we had four traffic fatalities on Frontage Road. We redesigned that intersection; it looks odd, but it works. So design can do something. I’m also a fan of cameras, ” he said. “Believe me, it’d be a good thing if we put cameras at, say, the corner of Ferry and Grand. But then it becomes a state issue because we can’t use the information, for privacy reasons, in prosecution. We need to work with the state on this, and also longer sentences for gun possession, and on more numerous and more vigorous prosecutions. We’re working on all fronts. Things will get better, not overnight, because the problems didn’t start over night. But it will happen.

“If we don’t take these steps both in tough community policing and reaching out to these 200 kids who are committing crimes and running stop signs and hurting people,” he said ominously, “younger criminals, post-parole criminals will turn into the organized gangs that we had. We’re not there, fortunately.”

It appeared that Sturgis-Pascale was so upset with the bickering among committee members about, in her phrase, “why we are here,” that she didn’t pursue another topic she had hoped to raise in front of the mayor — her traffic-calming crusade. She wanted to raise it, she said, out of frustration with an inadequate municipal response in Fair Haven on this issue.

After the mayor left, Manning’s motion to vote on whether to vote passed by voice vote. What with departures from the meeting before the ballots were cast, only 21 votes were cast. It turned out that the next steps, IRV-wise, did not have to be taken because DeStefano took a majority in the first round. The tally was 17 first choices for DeStefano, one for Newton and Greene each, and two for Gary Jenkins. Newton, DeStefano, and Greene each got one vote as second and third choices as well.

Suggs said she was a little upset, but still pleased she was involved in the process. turgis-Pascale said, “We didn’t need IRV because John won on the first go-round, but I couldn’t even explain IRV. We always get bogged down here in these kinds of things.”

And Crystal Manning seemed to sum up: “Look, this is all so poorly managed. Yes, the voting is for a recommendation only. But look at the timing. Why do they have to do this right before the town meeting? People walked out of here and were angry and didn’t vote. But I will. What’s important about this group is that it builds community, or it should, regardless of the candidates. That’s what’s important. You don’t want people feeling disenfranchised from the process.”

At Thursday’s Democratic convention, 60 people, the two representatives from each of the 30 wards, will nominate a mayoral and city clerk candidate based on such non-binding “recommendations” as Fair Haven’s. Unopposed, Sturgis Pascale will apparently be the Democratic candidate for the 14th ward. Whether IRV will win out is still undecided.

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