New Haven Independent

Posted by: TrueBlueCT | October 8, 2007 1:42 PM

Looks like its up to Rick Elser! (to collect the two hundred $25 contributions and thereby make this the first publicly financed municipal election in CT.)

For the record, resulting from the death of State Rep. Richard Belden, tomorrow's special election in Shelton, pitting Jason Perillo-R vs. James Orazietti-D, will be the first at the state level.

Posted by: bugupit | October 8, 2007 3:19 PM

If either fifty Ferrucci supporters had been waiting for him at the Anchor, or if John Edwards had been ten minutes late to an Omni or Yale Law event, neither would have warrented a comment about tardiness.

That said, this challenge race has been disappointing in how far it has fallen short of expectations. I continually try to determine whether Ferrucci is serious about his candidacy. He says he ran from a bar stool last time and got 15%. But this time, he has a paid manager and may do much worse.

Talk in small groups about who wants what City Hall job should he be elected, while valid mocking of the machine in power, is distasteful talk to occur during his few campaign meetings.

The candidate and his manager alternate in being focused and being distracted from the tasks at hand. If they synch up, they might get more than single digit turnout at events.

For citizens to donate $25, Ferrucci owes them an up front plan on how he would spend the public funds. Buy a TV ad and then donate most of it, possibly after a party, is too loosey goosey.

NHI will naturally follow Ferrucci's campaign. With four weeks go to, twice each week Ferrucci should either release a sensible policy statement and ask to be interviewed, or be seen and heard among voters and talking about issues. That's potentially eight positive reports in NHI which may lead to two positive reports in NHR... from which he might actually return to 15% of the vote!

Posted by: elmcityguy | October 8, 2007 6:05 PM

I would love to support Ralph's campaign. I've hung out with him and find many of his ideas interesting. But this is the second fund raiser I've known nothing about until I read about it after the fact, I can't find a website on him and even signed up for the Green Party mailing list and never heard about this.

Posted by: Bill Saunders | October 8, 2007 8:53 PM

The only reason Ralph got 15% in 2003 is because he ran unopposed. The real point of that campaign was not any particular policy issue, but rather a funny joke in the voting booth, where voters faced the choice between a Democratic and a Guilty candidate. That year, 15% of the electorate voted Guilty.

Four years, and four Green Party campaigns later, Ralph appears less and less capable of mounting any serious campaign challenge, though he does appear to enjoy the attention his perennial candidacies bring him. If he is thinking about firing his campaign manager at this late stage in the game, perhaps he should recuse himself from the public arena as well.

If Mr. Ferrucci was really serious about changing the face of local politics, his energy would have been much better served organizing a full slate of progressive alderman for this election, rather than having his sights on the brass ring.

Ralph's best move at this point (imo) would be to find some common ground with Mr. Elser, withdraw his Green Party nomination, and cross endorse the more capable (Republican) candidate.

Aside from being great news, it would show Independents and Democrats alike that it is okay to cross that Rubicon.

This year, Elser has my money, and my support.

Posted by: True New Havener | October 9, 2007 11:05 AM

Not an endorsement by any means . . .

But because Elm City Guy asked about a Ferrucci website -- here's what I found.

http://www.politicalgateway.com/cand.php?id=522&page=cand

Not bad at all on facts and issues but, I'm thinking that having the word "Ferrucci" in the name of the site might be a really good idea. (No need to pay me for that consultancy Ralph -- consider it for the good of democracy.) At least google would be able to find it. (Second piece of free advice -- google is pretty important these days.)

Posted by: elmcityguy | October 9, 2007 3:48 PM

Thanks True New Havener.

Posted by: Waste Of Money | October 9, 2007 4:45 PM

Ralph,
If nothing else you had a reporter's ear and still failed to elaborate on what you would do for the city...pour judgment.
You don't need 25,000 to gain this audience, and yet you still fail to deliver a message.

Posted by: Disgruntled Democrat | October 9, 2007 6:56 PM

Bill Saunders has it right. Elser is the only viable candidate to replace/challenge John DeStefano. I also am fed up with the current administration and the choices the mayor has made and have pledged my support for a new voice for New Haven residents. Elser, like Ferrucci, also needs support for the Democracy Fund. I believe that he will have great ideas on how to use the money run a good campaign. Contributions can be made at www.elserfornewhaven.com Only 200 persons donating $25 each will give him a chance to level the playing field.

Almost without fail, each time I read the NHI, bloggers are posting about either their alderman or the mayor. IMO this is the year that actual change can be affected if people are willing to disregard party lines and vote for change.

Posted by: Shaumpishuh | October 9, 2007 9:07 PM

The easy name for the website is www.voteferrucci.org. And a Google search for "ralph ferrucci mayor new haven" leads right to it. It includes an opportunity to donate online through PayPal. If you want to see some healthy opposition to Mayor DeStefano, it's well worth donating to Ferrucci's campaign and Elsner's too, so they can each tap into $25,000 and raise some dissenting views.

As for a slate of alders, Ralph is affiliated with two Green Party candidates for Alder, Daniel Sumrall in Ward 7 and Allan Brison in Ward 10.

Posted by: elmcityguy | October 10, 2007 11:06 AM

I don't know how I didn't find the voteferrucci site before this, I know I've searched google for him. Thanks for the link, I'll check out the site later today when I have lunch.

Posted by: TrueBlueCT | October 10, 2007 4:46 PM

Will someone please ask Rick Elser why he's a Republican? What is it that attracts him to the GOP?

Is it their foreign policy? Their use of race and religion to divide America? Their stone-walling of universal health coverage? Their attempt to outlaw a woman right to choose? Their environmental policy?

Certainly Elser isn't a Republican because of their treatment of gays, which is out and out deplorable...

Maybe Rick just thinks the rich in America have a bum deal, and are paying too much in taxes?

In any case, before I consider voting for him, I'd like Mr. Elser to explain why he remains in the party of George Bush!

Posted by: Bill Saunders | October 10, 2007 5:13 PM

Shaumpishuh,

2 Green Candidates amongst a field of 29 alderman does not qualify as a 'full slate' of alders.

There is no choice in most wards, and the low voter turnout (under 20% in many cases) echoes that reality.

Look at the voter turnouts for the 2004 Presidential Election (65%), or the 2006 Governors Election (48%), and its pretty apparent that the poor voter turnout stems more from a lack of legitimate local choices than from any pervasive, political apathy.

Posted by: Chris Gray | October 11, 2007 2:46 AM

I know that I'm hopelessly outdated, but the stuff about URL and HTML tags on this page really mean nothing to me.

I have to agree with Bill Saunders that Elser is the only logical protest vote this election cycle. As to why he might be a Repubican in this one party town, how about that it is the only real option.

The Greens and Ralph, especially, seem to have given up on any semblance of a real campaign. I also agree with Disgruntled Democrat that he'd need to have a transparent plan for any funds donated, no matter where they come from before I'd recommend giving him any money.

Don't you get the impression that they have given up on programs, platform, issues, etc. It doesn't feel like they issue press releases, hold attention getting events, support other community organizations.

The current Greens are recycling (mostly old ideas), but they don't really seem to be organizing. I wasn't particularly good at that in my independent write-in campaign, but the Green Party of the '80s; we weren't just joking around like members of the Yale Political Union.

Disappointed as I am in the Advocate for misleading me about printing it, included below is a letter I submitted to them. It refers to Ralph's running mate, Daniel Sumerall.

I'm taking a page from my own playbook, from years back. The Register slaughtered a letter I sent them, editing it such that my point was lost. So I sent one to the Advocate which explained both that fact and what my point had actually been.

To the editor,

Not long back, I heard a report that San Francisco was the first city in the country to ban plastic bags and I was angry. For the city of Hamden.

Back in the late '80s, the success of Hamden activists inspired the NH Recycling Coalition, led by elements of the Green Party, to force New Haven to ban them as well.

It is not hard to recall when Joe Galasso, the Asst. General Manager of the now-defunct Yale Co-op and my boss, came to my station in the mid-'90s crowing that the ban had been repealed by the Board of Alders the night before.

Since the Greens of that era had disbanded, there was no force to resist business leaders eager to use their bags. The Co-op had, literally, hundreds of thousands in its warehouse then and even upon its demise about half a decade later.

Advice Daniel Sumrall and Greens might heed is, to sustain this new proposed ban they must be prepared to stay organized and vigilant or the huge mounds of plastic already purchased by stores, when they were cheap, will suffocate and bury it.

As you point out, they had the same problem with Chen that we had with Toni Harp. To be fair to Harp, though, she ran as both a Democrat and a Green as part of the Progressive Alliance headed by Walter Brooks (for whom the Housing Authority Service Center at 360 Orange Street is named) in her first election victory in the 2nd Ward.

Chen had no such divided loyalty. Hers was only to her career aspirations, just like Joe Lieberman.

Come to think of it, that is the real reason Al Gore lost and will never run again; bad judgment in picking a running mate.

So, there's some advice that Democrats in the national primary might heed as well. Anyone remember Vice President Eagleton?

Chris Gray
New Haven

Posted by: Bill Saunders | October 11, 2007 3:16 PM

Why are we bandying around this idea of 'protest vote'? Doesn't that play right into notions of apathy & defeatism?

A vote for change is a vote for change. After Nov. 7th, the local pundits can characterize voting trends anyway they want. To do so ahead of time plays right into the hands of power!

Posted by: Disgruntled Democrat | October 11, 2007 9:31 PM

Mr. Saunders is right again. It should not be considered a "protest" to vote for change. Elser to me is the best choice at this time. That does not mean that he deserves multiple terms, but change is needed.

This is a local election, not national, and TrueBlue and other hard core dems should consider the taxes that all people in New Haven are forced to pay prior to having to leave their homes when their money runs out. I know of three families in the 25th ward that have put their homes up for sale because they can no longer afford the ever-increasing property taxes. Persons that are leaving the city only because of the tax increase, nothing more.

I have considered all options and since the current administration has no desire to change or help the middle class, then the middle class needs to elect someone who will.

Posted by: Mean Green | October 12, 2007 12:11 PM

Thank You Shaumpishuh for doing a little research before throwing poo.

bugupit:
"Talk in small groups about who wants what City Hall job should he be elected, while valid mocking of the machine in power, is distasteful talk to occur during his few campaign meetings."

This is taken out of context, a comment made after hours of drinking between friends, with no legitimacy intended.

"The candidate and his manager alternate in being focused and being distracted from the tasks at hand. If they synch up, they might get more than single digit turnout at events."
The two are at the function together what more synchronization would be needed. That particular fundraiser was meant to be social, not formal, it said so right on the meal ticket. Plus, hours of preparation were shared between the two.

True new havener:
I realize this has been posted, but I have to stress how simple the site is to find, so simple that it almost implies one may not have even tried before crying...
the site is
"www.VoteFerrucci.com" OR "www.VoteFerrucci.org"
If you google Ferrucci, Mayoral Election New Haven or Green Party New Haven he is in the top three posts. The Website is also printed on the many flyers Ralphs Campaign has been distributing widely across New Haven.

Waste of money:
Ralph has been interviewed multiple times so far this race by The NHI. Go back a few days to the coverage of the debate, and within it are links to previous interviews. as far as future interviews, the Vote Ferrucci has Embedded reporters. Also A. Bromage will be "Riding Along" with Ralph for a full work day and a post work experience this week.

Bill Saunders:
When Ralph ran a Senatorial Campaign, there was a full slate of Greens. This term, there is not. You cannot blame a Candidate for not having people willing to run in a specific neighborhood. (Qualifying for Aldermanic Candidacy requires you to live in your ward). Although the Green Party would applaud a full slate for new haven, Desire does not make it Reality.
Ralph has many ties to existing Alderman. Almost all city officials know him by name. If he was elected, he would have no problem rallying the existing and newly elected alders into a vocal voting board. Ralphs campaign goes into neighborhoods and revitalizes the connection between community and alder.

As far as spending the money from the Democracy Fund, the reason the campaign had no clear plans on how to spend the money is because He and the rest of the campaign have accepted the fact that they will not qualify. If in some miraculous form they did, it would be spent on commercials, which run upwards of 15 dollars for 30 seconds (Quoted from Comcast August 25th, 2007) each slot. Airtime would be 20'000 dollars just to cover the weeks closest to election day. Any money left after would be donated to the development of New Haven, via the campaign. No money would be wasted, or mismanaged.

Bill I will agree with you that in no way is a Vote for Ralph (or Elser) a Protest Vote. Voting for change is democracy. Voting for Destefano is a vote for Protest, protesting change.

Here is a slogan for Everyone:
Elect Destefano to Mayor
Elect Destefano to Governor
Elect Destefano to Immigration Identification and Control
Elect Ralph Ferrucci to Mayor.

Posted by: Ralph Ferrucci | October 12, 2007 1:31 PM

Thank You for your comments.

Lets first start by saying that If I receive the Democracy Fund, there will be no way to spend it all , nor would I even try.

I run campaigns for very little money. Any money left when the campaign is over must be donated, putting funds into your pocket is a violation of campaign laws.

We are not spending time trying to reach the Democracy Fund when door to door in the Hill, Dixwell, Fair Haven, East Shore and Westville are more important than qualifying for the D.F.

Next someone made a joke about what job would you like unfortunately the reporter does not have any sense of humor.

I do have a list of people who will be key Members of my staff but will not publish any list till I talk to them first.

As for firing my campaign manager it went more like this, The reporter said my only a few people came to which my response was maybe i'll will need to fire my campaign manager.

My advice to to Thomas is to get a sense of humor before you interview anyone else. Eventually no one will want to talk to you.

This is any issue oriented campaign, to see the issues go to Voteferrucci.org

If you have any questions feel free to email me at voteferrucci@sbcglobal.net
Ralph Ferrucci

Posted by: Bill Saunders | October 12, 2007 6:06 PM

Ralph,

Don't go blaming the reporter.
I thought it was pretty decent coverage for a non-event.

Posted by: Chris Gray | October 15, 2007 4:25 AM

Bill Saunders and Disgruntled Democrat want to call it a "vote for change". I prefer to be realistic and call it a "protest vote". There's nothing defeatist about being realistic.

Whomever I vote for will not become Mayor of New Haven.

As my letter to the editor points to, however, our old Green ten percent vote totals gave us enough clout to pressure the mainstream to change.

The plastic bag ban may have lapsed, but I still recall that day at Hillhouse High when we first kicked off the city-wide recycling program for which Mayor Daniels quite literally gave me a pat on the back, though I only represented one of thousands of community activists who had worked to see it happen.

I had shouted loud enough for the Mayor to identify the cause with me. Ten percent of the electorate is a powerful amplifier.

Ralph, you refer me to your website for your "issues". You had me, right here, but failed to use the forum to tell me what they were.

The first thing I wrote up there was about how outdated I am and that URLs and HTML means nothing to me. So do websites.

Every time you write about your candidacy those issues should be at the forefront. Ditzing about, arguing with the press about coverage, discussing the workings of your campaign; all of that is bush league (and, boy, does that phrase have new currency).

Just keep telling people why they should elect you and that should be because of the issues you represent.

In my day, it was the recycling program, banning plastic bags, the needle exchange program, race relations and, the big one, taxing Yale. We were always submitting proposals, writing letters to editors, testifying at public hearings, participating in the civic and cultural life of the city. Sitting on a bar stool at Rudy's or the Anchor came later.

Instead allowing your spokesperson to make vague claims about the familiarity city officials have with you and glib promises about the ease with which you could, hypothetically, organize alders, you should illustrate it by pushing some proposal through the Board, such as the program we did to establish cablecasting of the bi-monthly Board meetings, a task through which I truly did become known and influential among that Board. Not that I crowed about it at the time.

Posted by: Bill Saunders | October 18, 2007 1:13 PM

TrueBlueCT,

I sent Rick Elser an email last week (I included your post above) asking his reasons for being a Republican.

Answer follows:

Bill,

I owe you an apology. Work, and some other issues, got me off track for the last week.

I am a Republican because I genuinely believe in a smaller, less intrusive, federal government. I think government should provide the foundation for a solid education so individuals are prepared to take personal responsibility for their lives. It saddens me that a party that once welcomed a broader range of ideas than the other party has closed its ears to new ideas. It frustrates that my party, which I think stands for small government and individual responsibility, has presided over the biggest increase in the federal government - ever, and now spends ever more resources telling us what we can and cannot
do.

If thoughtful Republicans - and thoughtful Democrats - do not speak out, both our parties will be hijacked by their extremes. I welcome the reasonable debate in the middle, among people who are prepared to listen to each other, not just talk at each other.

-Richter Elser

Posted by: robn | October 19, 2007 1:28 PM

Rick Elsers party has abandoned the core of its former philosophy and yet he continues to run under its banner. How does one take that seriously? Mr. Elser, please directly, publically disavow George W Bush and his crony war profiteers and maybe you'll convince some voters. At least we'll be able to have an honest debate about the shallowness of the Republican Party's old philosophy; i.e. Republicans make their money in a vacuum with no debt or social responsibility to the society which enabled them.