New Haven Independent

Posted by: cedarhillresident | February 9, 2008 10:41 AM

This is great that we actually have a race along with ward 25. All the candidates are great people. I am excited that we again are making a bit of New Haven history here by this race being the first one in over a decade. That in it self speaks volumes. Most people are not aware of this election because it is such a small position in politics. But it should not be over looked as any less important. Concidering that most of our ward and most of the city is Democrat this committee has a much greater function than a split party ward.
This is a link to the by laws and the function of the co chairs and there appointed committee members.
http://newhaven.dems.info/towncommittee/bylaws/

Posted by: Semi Semi-Dikoko | February 9, 2008 3:35 PM

FYI:

The Co-Chairs: http://newhaven.dems.info/towncommittee/cochairs/
The By-Laws: http://newhaven.dems.info/towncommittee/bylaws/

Posted by: cedarhillresident | February 10, 2008 9:33 AM

thanks dikoko

I would link to link this back to the ward 25 article for people to read Tim's last comment.
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2008/02/westville_has_a.php

Posted by: Andy Ross | February 10, 2008 11:16 AM

The is no doubt about it, the residents of this city need to get up and out of their comfort zone and challenge the machine that runs this city. It will start with positions on ward committees and will grow straight through the Aldermanic board and finally to the top. The apathy on the part of citizens to get involved in New Haven politics is because it seems like an impenetrable and impossible task to take on. We are talking about indivuals that have become powerhouses due to time in office.

There is a brace choking off democracy in this city that needs to be broken. This can come from within the Democratic Party or from another. The party affiliation should not matter. What does matter is that we have people that have their hearts in the right place, and keep their wallets closed.

Good for all of you that will try to break the brace!

Posted by: Michael | February 10, 2008 6:46 PM

This is really nice to see two city firefighters that are New Haven residents looking to make thier community better and safer for the the residents of the East Rock area. I believe that growing up in the neighborhood,Ray Saracco & Kevin Donohue are highly motivated to get more people involved with local politics.

Posted by: stu71 | February 10, 2008 7:42 PM

Good Luck to Saracco and Donahue. It's time to see some change in New Haven politics. They would be a great asset to the ward!!

Posted by: J.E.D. | February 11, 2008 1:59 PM

The Hooker School legal nightmare (and more) resulted from the Democratic Ward Committee in Ward 10 putting Ed Mattison up for re-election after he had bungled the initial process of guiding school site selection during his first term as alderman. He was clearly not meeting the needs of all the ward residents. Ed Mattison's position throughout his period of time in office consistently appeared to be based upon whatever City Hall wanted him to do, and never acted against City Hall to protect the ward.

Raise property taxes on East Rock homeowners, rather than reduce patronage jobs in City Hall, the schools, the Department of Public Works, and the Parks Department? Sure. Ignore zoning guidelines to put a school illegally into a nonconforming neighborhood? Sure. Ignore the fundamental obligation to ensure we get city services throughout the ward? Sure.

The Ward 10 Democratic Ward Committee put him right up for re-election after his first term, despite the abysmal job he was doing, because he was meeting the needs of City Hall.

Ed Mattison was ultimately cast out by the voters in Ward 10 after his second term because they recognized that he was, although perhaps a nice guy, incompetent at the tasks required for an alderman. The people who enabled him to take that position in the first place, the Ward 10 Democratic Ward Committee chairs, documented their incompetence for Democrats in the ward when they put him up the second time without seeking alternative candidates in the ward, and they compounded it last year by continuing to support his candidacy, when it was clear he was failing, and failing again.

I call upon the voters in East Rock to cast out Bruno and Hauser and to get new people in. If Donohue and Saracco don't work out better for our ward, cast them out, too. Results count, and the track record of Bruno and Hauser (see Ed Mattison) speaks for itself.

Posted by: PowerToThePeople | February 11, 2008 10:04 PM

I'm happy that this wards 10 and 25 have more than 2 people vying for the position. I wonder, however, why in wards 3, 6, 16, 25 and 30 one of the cochairs is the sitting alderperson. If the main role of this committee is to endorse the alder then isn't there at least the appearance of impropriety having the alder as a cochair? Are they saying that out of all the people in the ward they can't find 2 who are willing to serve? I call that poor politics. I read the bylaws and there is nothing in there on this conflict. I think the whole town committee is a joke in the way we do it here.

Posted by: Carole | February 12, 2008 11:25 AM

PowertothePeople,

A correction: Neither of the current Ward 25 co-chairs is on the Board of Aldermen.

Posted by: The Goatvillian | February 12, 2008 10:55 PM

ollowing this interesting development in the 10th ward, and reading the commentary on the record of former Alderman Ed Mattison, I'd say that either the Bruno-Hauser leadership couldn't get the job done to keep a Democrat in office, or they turned their backs on Mattison, feeling they could continue to represent the ward without actually being elected. "Alders by Proxy." You can't have it both ways.

By the way, is this Ms. Bruno the same person, who for a number of years now, organizes the absentee ballots for the DeStefano machine?

Posted by: PowertothePeople | February 13, 2008 12:43 PM

Whoops, I meant ward 23.

Posted by: outcast | February 13, 2008 1:50 PM

Get rid of all of those rubber stamps!

Posted by: ericaholahan | February 17, 2008 12:28 AM

Andy,

Well said.

Whatever has happened in the past with politics in Ward 10, the bigger picture is that if more people spoke up and acted up, the machine would be challenged and this could only be a good thing.

Sometimes when I talk to outsiders about politics in New Haven, I feel as though I am describing a child's game gone awry, like Jumangi. Do people really take themselves so seriously and think so much of themselves? They do.

This is not a game, it is our lives, the lives of the citizens of this great town. Until more people realize that they can affect change, and get involved (especially with less-than glamorous posts like ward co-chair), we will be caught in a suffocating cycle of ego and regression-or worse- condoning the status quo.

Thank you to the candidates challenging in these ward elections. Your efforts make this city healthier, win or lose.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | February 17, 2008 2:29 PM

Erica I agree, Win or lose this is a great thing for the city. It shows that change is possible but sometimes you have to start at an entry level area. I have heard that several other wards are having races as well. I believe in term limits at all levels of government. Without some kind of change the system cannot work the way it was set up to. Weather the challengers win or lose in these races, one thing has happened the education of these positions (which many did not know about) and the education of there purpose. As we all gloat about our dem. presidential candidates (no matter which one it is) the people want a change in how government is working. And we as a people can not go out and preach for this change for our presidental candidate without living it in our own lives. The change can be with new people or it can be with the same people and there way of doing things, but there must be a change.

Posted by: evst1 | February 19, 2008 10:02 AM

Ms. Hauser and Ms. Bruno (or the DeStefano machine downtown) must be really worried, judging by the number of signs around the ward. Hmm...poor city services, high taxes, lots of new bricks for schools without increases in performance...I'm voting for the firemen.

Posted by: ISR | February 27, 2008 12:11 AM

Does either slate have a position on Hooker on Everit? Ed Mattison aside, I--and many others--would not vote for a slate opposed to Hooker on Everit.

JED: The legal nightmare was wholly the fault of the plaintiffs who believe that Everit is a gated community and not part of the City of New Haven.Thanks to these selfish, self-interested few, we the taxpayers will bear the brunt of millions in legal fees and construction delays.

Mattison wholly supported Hooker on Everit. Isn't that the basis of your criticism? Brison was less than 100 percent supportive. His position was more ore less, "Why can't we all get along?"

Posted by: evst1 | February 27, 2008 1:50 PM

ISR: Why would either slate be stupid enough to take a position re. "Hooker on Everit" (by the way, it's on Whitney)? Last I observed, it's a done deal.

Furthermore, the "selfish, self-interested few" pay some of the highest property taxes in the city, thus sharing the same burden as you.

Posted by: oxman | March 1, 2008 5:28 PM

I had a chance to meet Kevin and Ray for the first time this afternoon, and let me just say this:

THE FIREMEN ARE FOR REAL.

It's time we New Haven Democrats start standing up to our candidates, to our Party, and to each and every functionary claiming to represent us. Electing these two guys as co-chairs would be a thunderous opening salvo. And surely not the last.

Just so I'm not hallucinating here: it's been 12 YEARS since the last election?!? That's some some serious FDR-style incumbency right there. All that one did was reverse the depression, create social security, pass the Wagner Act, electrify the south, bring back booze, and....oh yeah, defeat Hitler. What can our current Ward 10 Co-Chairs claim for their last dozen years in office, I wonder.

Give the Firemen a Turn!

MARCH 4--GOTV