New Haven Independent

Posted by: facChek | May 2, 2008 12:46 PM

Glad you threw away that old illegal license plate, by the way who empties your compost Heap??

Overall though, Good investigative reporting Paul.

Posted by: christine | May 2, 2008 1:42 PM

LOL on the Register breaking the stories. And great job at getting local officials to look at two important issues.
Keep up the great work Paul.

Posted by: nfjanette | May 3, 2008 10:11 PM

NHI did some great reporting on these topics, but let's keep some perspective too. For example, rather than stating the city will boot/claw your vehicle until you "pay them a lot of money", it would be more accurate and fair to state until you "pay them the fines you haven't paid". While it's bad that WPA used foreclosure was a tool to collect delinquent fees, let's not forget that without the ability to collect such fees, no government can function. Working sewers are a good thing.

Posted by: Darnell | May 4, 2008 1:16 PM

Paul,

What's up? The city raises taxes to the point where people can't pay their bills, and then they come in with this "plan of action" to knock on doors and tell people they better get help soon. A real plan would be to reduce taxes. My family pays nearly $400 a month in taxes on our home. Another $100 or so on our two cars. State income taxes, sales taxes, federal income taxes that add up to another $500 or $600 per month. Fees for water, sewer, taxes on electricity, gas phone, another $100 or so a month. Parking fees so that I can go downtown and pay those taxes. Give me a break. How is the city going to help? Are they going to raise my taxes so that they can give me a small percentage back, and then claim to HELP me? All the while, the streets are a mess (have you driven or ridden your bike down Whitney Ave lately), youth are dropping out of school at an alarming rate, test scores are next to last in the state, burglaries and home invasions are up.

Cut spending and taxes, let me keep my money, then I'll have enough to pay my own bills without the HELP of the city.

Posted by: Chris Gray | May 5, 2008 3:25 AM

That your reporting was picked up by the other media is clearly why it had the impact it had, though I understand your anger at the Register since I imagine they stiffed you on acknowledgement. Maybe, since they all took a piece of it, some of the changes will have longevity with them watching as well.

You definitely found an issue to which out-of-towners can relate. That is no doubt why the more draconian towing tactic is now reserved for tax delinquent residents or property owners and why the whiff of political favoritism brought such swift administration response.

When it affects their pocketbooks or wallets, suburbanites actually care about how New Haven is run. Otherwise, they'd just as soon let us wallow in our poverty, corruption, crime and violence as they run over us on the way home. At least, that's the way their state legislators treat us.

As far as the foreclosure program, you already said it. "Good luck with that."