New Haven Independent

Posted by: Deport Em | September 11, 2008 1:11 PM

Why is the city taking money from groups that have an obvious agenda for the illegals?? People that are breaking American law do not deserve any type of recognition, just a quick boot out of our country.

Posted by: Paul Wessel | September 11, 2008 2:09 PM

It's refreshing to see a member of the executive branch of government take responsibility for a screw-up. Might Administrator Matos' behavior set an example for others, say, at the CT D.O.T., the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, or the U.S. Interior Department?

Posted by: Heightz | September 11, 2008 2:21 PM

Paul Wessel, before you set the tone higher for state departments how bout we start with other LOCAL departments first!!!

Posted by: Heightz | September 11, 2008 2:24 PM

Also.. speaking of "conflicts" isn't a conflict when an alder attends a meeting with a New Haven Parking Authority uniform on?

Posted by: Alphonse Credenza | September 11, 2008 4:36 PM

A municipality accepting private funds to pay for a public program?

How much more shameful can New Haven get?

Isn't there a state or municipal anti-lobbying provision which would deny the city the ability to accept funds under these circumstances?

Posted by: -fairhavener- | September 11, 2008 4:57 PM

I completely changed my mind regarding the uselessness of the Elm City ID. Now that I have the ID card I can register my cars out of state to avoid taxes and go to Lighthouse Point Park without having to pay the $10 fee - just show my card. I can also take things to the city dump with out of state license plates for free now that I have the card. There are probably many more uses that I will happily stumble upon. Lighthouse Point and out of state plates are good enough though. Saves me about $1000 a year!

Posted by: iwasthere | September 11, 2008 6:40 PM

So how is the id being funded NOW. If the money is not in the budget. How can it the id office operate. Sir Destefano and Madame Matos have something up thier sleeves. What is the full funding of program? The program is costing the city more than $150,000 as it was brought up in other articles. State should seize city hall. To audit city records and finance. To put a hault to the city id. Now that CWP is appealing the FOI. How much more money will the city spend on protecting the illegal immigrants. Will it take a San Francisco incident and to have 3 people murdered. Their would be an out cry.
They are in communication with San Francisco for helping them organize there program. Now that San Fran is waiting for the verdict on the appeal brought forth by Community Watchdog Project. Let's drop the issue an close the id program. This would save the taxpayers grief and money. For the future court cases the city has to spend to defend their program. The city can Shift money in other programs would be better money spent.

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | September 11, 2008 7:20 PM

Fairhavener
You should keep that information to your self about register your car out of state to avoid taxes,Due to the fact i heard that New Haven can do like West Haven and that is ask for your W-2
tax statement or check to see where you are register to vote at.

Posted by: -fairhavener- | September 11, 2008 10:01 PM

Thanks threefifths, it's nice to see someone who cares. It would be really ^%()(*&^$ if the city tried to track me down by my IP address (because fairhavener isn't really my real name after all (what if I use a proxy?)).

Anyway, it would be much easier for the tax collectors to locate all the cars with Pennsylvania license plates that reside here in New Haven and much more profitable as well. My opinion, leave all of our cars alone. Need more tax money? Find a way to tax commuters that come in to the city to work. Or create a new property tax on underwear. A new underwear tax could definitely generate enough revenue to pay for the ID card program. Although a toilet paper tax would be more fitting.

Posted by: Gary Doyen | September 12, 2008 7:17 AM

I Was There:

The city id program has a budget this year of 220K. These grants total $150K. The alders agreed to continue offering the program provided grants or outside funding pays for it. There is a $70K deficit in funding this year. In the past, Ms. Matos said this was going to be covered in part by the small fees generated by the cards. That math is fuzzy and she has not fully explained how these fees amount to $70K.

Posted by: JMS | September 12, 2008 8:01 AM

"I was out of the country and just returned," Matos said. "I was under the understanding that [the meeting] was covered by someone else from CSA."

Sounds like somebody at CSA is going to get 20 lashes for missing the meeting while Matos was away.

JMS

Posted by: Tim | September 12, 2008 9:38 AM

Does the city pay the salary for Matos? If so doesnt that already mean there are tax payer dollars being used to fund the ID program? To me it seems all she does is work for the city in regards to the ID program. I really do hope the city gets audited to see how much tax payer money is really used to fund this program.

Posted by: sarah28 | September 12, 2008 10:34 AM

fairhavener,
There is no honor, pride or credit in being fraudulent like, (clearly), you are. There is only shame.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | September 12, 2008 12:57 PM

Not commenting on the ID card but I will comment on the fact that these alders did the right thing! Slightly amazed and bewildered :0 they could of said well this is the mayors baby and no one votes against him so lets just put it through. Lets hope when the budget gets underway they have the same mind set.

Posted by: -fairhavener- | September 12, 2008 5:13 PM

"There is no honor, pride or credit in being fraudulent like, (clearly), you are." sarah28

Oh, you mean like illegally coming in to a country to live and work? Or do you mean illegally registering your car out of state? Or do you mean not paying taxes on your car? Or working for cash and not paying taxes at all? Or do you mean driving without a license and insurance? I do most of those things (except the first and last), but I'm not sure what you're getting at.

In my opinion there is no honor in celebrating yourself as a hero when the only person you serve is yourself. It's not nice to pretend to help others either.

Posted by: dede | September 12, 2008 6:25 PM

Only hispanics that are alders and Matos all city workers want the ID cards...how in god's name can a philantropies from Burmuda give money for these ID cards ...and also i won't be buying nothing with the Welch grape on it no longer..Matos works for the city if you remember her husband Henry Fernandez was the Mayor's right hand man....it's time for a change from city hall down...start with the Mayor for creating such a mess...yes immigrants are welcomed but not illegals...

Posted by: iwasthere | September 13, 2008 10:25 PM

How can you say DeDe that all the alders are for the id. If this was the case they would have passed it. The 150,000 is short. Even if they collect 6500 at $10 ids the money goes to the taxpayers. So if the money becomes the taxpayers. Then they can't touch the money that they collect. They can't transfer the money to the id. This is why the id can't function any longer. This is just a ploy for alders to agree to allow this to take place. We have alot of smart alders. They just need to be pointed to the right direction. We need to put the heat on the alders call from now till next hearing. I love everyone who opposes the id to write ther alders. I have talked to other people on the street. The locals they know the id is for the illegals. This is the pet project of Matos, Junta, Yale, and Destefano. Not all legal hispanics are for illegal immigration or for this id program. The id gives the illegals a false security. They have used FALSE documents to obtain this id. Like the person arrested at Sikorsky. This is why the id program should be stopped. People at city hall don't have proper training in finding fake documentations. They are holding the city at risk. As before if Osama Bin Laden was here he would be able to get an id using fake papers.

Posted by: anon | September 14, 2008 5:30 PM

this whole thing was a wishner/yale idea. I'd love a follow up on whether any of his detainees from the raid have been lost in the cracks. the poster who mentioned matos's salary as partly going to this project makes a very good point.

The id card is not a bad idea, it helps to eliminate secrecy and crime in an otherwise undocumented population during one of the toughest times for immigration in american history. i don't mind Matos working on it. it is a crime prevention tool. how much crime prevention for the buck though is a giant question - less than other programs I would guess. Of course there is a big dose of immigration policy behind the card, or else no one would have zeroed in on the crime provention issue to begin with. I would be curious to know how much of matos energies go to it, considering the other pressing priorities of her office.