New Haven Independent

Murphy Makes a Promise

by Allan Appel | March 13, 2008 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

The Green Party’s one elected official may be in line for a favor from City Hall.

Allan Brison (pictured) secured a commitment from City Hall’s economic development chief, Kelly Murphy, after Murphy watched the freshman lawmaker leave a two-hour meeting famished — even though close to 40 uneaten sandwiches were staring him in the face (and stomach).

The occasion for the promise was Tuesday night’s two-hour economic development update which Murphy’s staff gave for city aldermen. Brison was one of only four aldermen who showed up. Murphy’s staff had made sure there was food enough for all 30, just in case.

(Update: A fifth member of the Board, Arlene DePino, attended, too, but had to leave early.)

What they didn’t count on was a longtime vegan alderman — namely, Brison.

After the two-hour meeting concluded, it was time to eat a sandwich together. Brison was hungry. The meeting had been long and detailed. He was very hungry.

Brison gingerly made his way over to the table in the corner, piled high with wraps. There were at least three dozen of them, enough for Murphy to feed at least a third of the full board seconds if they all showed up. Since only a handful of alders had shown up — Dolores Colon, Carl Goldfield, and Ina Silverman in addition to Brison — many sandwiches remained.

Brison, a lean and serious man, eyed what was left. He sighed. He had listened carefully to Murphy and her colleagues’ long list of of promising projects from Union Station to the Upper State Street business association. He had built up quite an appetite, but when he began to go through all the sandwiches, peeling back a wrapper here, eyeing some exotic and suspicious ingredient there, a growing sense of disappointment seemed to engulf him. He had found ham, turkey, and tuna. Not an unadorned vegetable in sight.

“There’s nothing here for me to eat,” Brison finally said to Murphy in a voice of whispered urgency. “Absolutely nothing!”

nhiecda%20002.JPG Murphy, who had been hovering and had been pleased with the alderman’s interest in her presentation, was suddenly alarmed herself. Would this success now be undermined?

“I’m a vegetarian,” Brison repeated slowly, but his strength was waning.

Murphy rifled through the sandwiches hoping against hope to find a grilled vegetable ciabbata, but it was not to be.

So she tried another tactic: She told him she felt his pain. She, too, was a vegetarian for many years, she revealed. She had fallen off the vegetable wagon only recently.

“My last boyfriend,” she explained to Brison. “He couldn’t handle the vegetarianism. He was a meat-eater, and so I had to compromise.”

“That’s too bad,” Brison was heard to mumble.

A reporter nearby tried to cheer up the alder. “Are you sure you couldn’t go for the tuna? It’s very tasty.”

“Me eat tuna?” said Brison.

“I have friends who are vegetarians, sort of vegetarians,” the reporter persisted. “One says she doesn’t eat things that can look you in the eye. A tuna’s eyes are on the sides of its head, doesn’t look you in the eye. Here, this one’s got a lot of red pepper in it.”

Murphy came to the rescue. “I absolutely promise,” she said to Brison, “that the next time my department schedules a public event, there will be something for you and all the vegetarians of New Haven to eat.”

Brison was seen to nod in the affirmative. But he said nothing, saving his energy for the journey home.

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Comments

Posted by: king james v | March 13, 2008 12:38 PM

speaking as a flesh eating, big white boy with a vegitarian girlfriend who is a pain in the you-know-what to go out to eat together with friends, i have to side with city hall. most of us eat some kind of meat or meat by-product. weather it's cheese, eggs fish or raw buffalo meat. if my girlfriend and i are invited to a bbq, cookout or out to dine in new haven, she either comes prepared to eat french fries, or bring her own. folks who chose thier diet based on beliefs rather than medical necessity shouldn't complain because they choose to not partake in a certain type of meal. it drives me crazy, and now this guy is only adding to the leftist-egalitarian evviro-pious stereotype a lot of north east greens are grouped into. let him bring his own lunch , he's starting to sound like a bunch of bella vista residents who don't want to heat their free dinner. pooh pooh i say.

Posted by: LevelHeadedAndObjective | March 13, 2008 12:47 PM

What is unfortunate here is that only 4 aldermen showed up. Kelly Murphy and her staff are doing a great job in moving the city forward creating jobs and taxes. I might be missing something but this is the only city department that does that. It is dissappointing to see so little support from the aldermen. They (the alders) are however, the first ones, to spend whatever this department can bring in. When oh when will
capitalism ever return to this town. Keep up the good work Ms. Murphy. There are not many of us left out here. But we are rooting for you!

ps. is it really important to know the Green Party guy is a vegetarian. Of course he is that is why he is a member of the 'green' party. Happy organic food to all

Posted by: Wesley | March 13, 2008 1:19 PM

Its unbelievable that only four of thirty aldermen thought that economic development was a subject worthy of their time. Where were the other 26, taking courses at clown school? How do they think the revenue is generated that pays for all their pet projects.

Posted by: Allan Brison | March 13, 2008 2:04 PM

Since my daughters made a vegan (no diary or eggs in addition to no meat) out of me I have learned not to expect food in public gatherings, unless I have had the chance to talk about my preferences beforehand. My namesake (we not only have the same first name but we also spell it the same way - rare for an "Allan") didn't realize that my hunger was soon to be dispelled by the delicious and filling snacks that I always have in my knapsack.

Posted by: Inside city hall | March 13, 2008 2:16 PM

Um... don't blame the aldermen for not showing up to the briefing - The economic Development team cancelled this meeting three times before finally holding it right in the middle of the Budget and CDBG hearing schedule. Poor timing and repeat cancellations sunk their presentation, not lack of interest.

Posted by: david streever | March 13, 2008 9:29 PM

this was a kind of silly article, I think? ;-)

Posted by: jellydonuts and jolt | March 13, 2008 10:13 PM

Two hour meeting then food? What, no Skittles? How about two hour meeting then thank you very much and go home. Sorry, but the daze of this kind of show of appreciation should be over. Brown Bag It, Staff, Alders and Public alike. See, this way, dietary restrictions of the Alders need not be the concern of the Economic Development Administrator.

Murphy Makes a Promise

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