New Haven Independent

Posted by: East Rocker | April 8, 2009 3:38 PM

First piece of original legislation? I didn't realize that! And its a non-biinding resolution? Brison is a wasted opportunity, I'm listening to Roland this time and going with Justin Elicker! Go Justin go!

Posted by: Change the Change | April 8, 2009 3:43 PM

It has become clear to all of us that Allan Brison was more of a temporary placeholder than a real representative. Decent guy, but horrible at being an alderman Its embarrassing that our Ward 10 democratic co-chairs are thinking of voting for this guy. I say bring on the big red, Justin Elicker. He and Lemar should be great for us.

Posted by: Willow Street Resident | April 8, 2009 3:52 PM

Good for Mr.Brison- he needs to do more stuff like this. From what I read, he made a big mistake in joining the council and then aligning himself with those who are not known for getting things done. other alders in this neighborhood can push legislation, pick good fights and get things done for us. Its not to late Mr. Brison, you could fix this campaign, we believe in you! Maybe you should run as a ticket with Mr. Sharkey or Mr. Lemar? They are really popular in my neighborhood and typically support green ideas - maybe they will support a Green alder?

Posted by: lance | April 8, 2009 6:31 PM

I doubt it will reduce noise from the ramp and 91, and you'd still will have the noise from st state street. Plus the thing would probably get spray painted with some gang stuff the first week. Pus it will make the corner look ghetto, spray paint or no spray paint.

As an aside, I've found some cool old stuff with a metal metector in that neighborhood.

a bit of neighborhood trivia....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Basserman

Posted by: Ben | April 8, 2009 6:38 PM

I created a SeeClickFix clicket for this:
http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/4264

Click on the link and add your name to the vote for a sound barrier by clicking "I Want This Fixed Too"

I sent the issue to Mr. Looney so that he will be notified about interest in the issue as well.

These sound barriers are needed down the stretch of State Street to downtown.

Posted by: webblog1 | April 8, 2009 7:24 PM

"This year, one vocal neighborhood activist, Rebecca Turcio, has switched her support from Brison to Elicker. Another vocal Cedar Hill activist, Betty Thompson, questioned what Brison has done for the neighborhood and announced her support for Elicker, too".

Shame on you Becky, and you too Betty Thompson, switching your support to another Destefano crony is just plain stupid and is against what you have been advocating for the past two years.
Both of you need to pay closer attention to Brisons votes on the board, which is very consistent, rather than criticizing a meaningless proposal to the state, which will not be funding these type of proposals in the next two years anyway.

Pooh...on you two!

Posted by: Sally Joughin | April 8, 2009 7:59 PM

I live in the East Rock neighborhood and it sounds like a good idea to build a sound & pollution barrier for Cedar Hill, specifically Warren St. The same kind of non-binding resolution produced a successful barrier for the residents of Farnham Court housing in Fair Haven. The political process is complex, and some people seem not to understand what an alderman does. Constituents call when something needs fixing, and the alderman may be in a position to get things done; everyone in the city may not hear about all the things a particular alderman takes care of for constituents.

The other part of the job is to vote for not only what is good for the ward but also what is good for the city as a whole, which effects people in all the wards. Often an alderman knows that legislation is going to be proposed by a colleague and is already prepared to sign onto it. The evaluation of a good alderman is not based on how many pieces of legislation he or she proposed but rather what good reforms were supported or bad ideas opposed, according to one's point of view.

I support diversity of viewpoints on the Board of Alderman, and do not like when everyone is expected to tow the line; so I am in favor of independent Democrats, Green Party, and other diversity. If Green alderman Brison cannot attend the party caucus, well neither can the lone Republican. Does that mean they have no voice? Although I am a Democrat, I am really not in favor of 100% one-party government. I like the job my Green alderman is doing and intend to vote for him again.

Posted by: jeffreykerekes | April 8, 2009 8:26 PM

I like Melissa Bailey and her reporting. I do have to say that the treatment of Allan Brison seems a bit harsh in this article. I think this city desperately needs aldermen independent of the political machine and I believe Allan to be an independent spokesperson for the people in this City. I think if anyone in his ward has concerns, they should bring them to his attention and I am sure he will work on them. Most of the alders are not producing legislation. That is one part of their job responsibility. Equally important is not being a rubber stamper. We have too many of them already.

Posted by: MonaB | April 8, 2009 9:12 PM

Those of us living in neighborhoods bounded by I-91 are more than familiar with the increasing noise and pollution levels brought upon us by the ever increasing traffic on I-91. I've lived in such a neighborhood for years and the impact of the highway has increased exponentially. We are well aware these barriers, although less than perfect, are the only avenue we have to help mitigate some the negative impact the highway has on our quality of life. Senator Looney has supported us in our fight in the past and we hope he will continue to do so. Sure, the state moves slowly, but if there are no requests, there will certainly never be action.

Posted by: lauraa | April 8, 2009 9:37 PM

I'm a newly registered voter and I'm glad that this exciting race will be one of my first (albeit I'm a bit disappointed I missed this year's national election!). I think this sort of competition is just what this city needs. When people are in office for too long, they become complacent, *ahemDestefanoahem*. I think Allan has done a reasonably good job with the power given to him and all the aldermen.

BTW- I looked up the requirements for running for mayor, but one needs to be 35. It was quite difficult to find, I might add. This information should be accessible through that new public financing thing if not directly on the city's website. Someone else run already! Perhaps former east rock alderman Ed Mattison?

One thing I'd like to see Brison do: fulfill his promise to fight for an elected school board. If you at least get something done on this you'll have my vote.

Posted by: Anon | April 9, 2009 2:04 AM

I hope we don't measure the effectiveness of our elected officials by how many new laws they sponsor! God knows we have plenty enough already. We don't want representatives who think grandstanding and making new laws corresponds to improving life for their constituents. The question should be is an official effective in getting things done, voicing the concerns and improving the quality of life for their constituents. Someone who speaks their mind and is an independent voice is a valuable commodity in a one party town like New Haven. Brison's been in for one year. I understand that he's an embarrassment to the Dem machine but he deserves to be cut some slack.

Posted by: Streever | April 9, 2009 9:00 AM

I like Brison, but I'm choosing to support Elicker. I've seen his work & been a part of it for a year now.
A DeStefano crony? Please. Spend 5 minutes talking to the man, "Webblog". He's devoted to the neighborhood, the park, & the residents. He's organized a large variety of events & donated countless hours of work to the neighborhood.

Rebecca & Betty are supporting Elicker because he's done quite a bit of real work, that they've seen. I think Brison does support his constituents, but I think he took being an independent voice a little too far, and alienated other independents who are effective. I think he has a hard time getting anyone to support him at City Hall because he took a more black & white approach.

Do people really think that their are that many alders who would "shill" for the City for 2000 a year? Look, we're talking 2000 dollars a year. I think we all can be realistic and acknowledge that snap judging someone based on being a democrat or supporting x legislation doesn't automatically mean they are a corrupt & worthless "shill".

I've even seen what, to me, was unthinkable--a local alder secured the Mayor's support on a traffic calming issue, and was accused by a State Rep of "shilling" for him when asking the Rep for their support on the issue. Despite this being part of the Alder's platform for election.

Don't let hatred blind you. Some people actually have their own original ideas, and manage to convince others of the value of these ideas. Some people keep an open mind & are convinced of the value of others ideas. Nothing is ever so simple as "good vs evil".

Posted by: Rhetoric | April 9, 2009 10:02 AM

Hey Jeffrey K - Who, specifically, on the BOA do you think is a rubber stamper? Everyone who claims that the BOa has a bunch of rubber stampers never outlines what it means to be a rubber stamper and who they are..... they just say meaningless things without specifics... give me a list of names, inthis space, of who you are accusing of being rubber stampers? Do smart people who disagree with you become rubber stampers just because they vote differrently than you would? Do you honselty think Carl Goldfield is a mindless rubber stamper? Have you met the guy? He's an exceptionally well-regarded attorney who has won numerous awards across the state... you think that is a charectaristic of a mindless rubber stamper? Give me names Jeff.

Posted by: Two2Three | April 9, 2009 10:23 AM

Sound barriers may be a short-term fix.

Our neighborhoods and city officials, however, should also be looking at a further horizon.

The decisions made in the 1940's and '50's to slice up the city with superhighways created a disaster for our community. Some U.S. cities, and many European ones, managed to stop such crude surgery at the city borders. Let's talk about livable cities that don't cater to GM and Exxon's vision for our country.

I-91 and I-95 cutting itself into the center of New Haven are themselves abominations. Community organizers and activists in the 1960's managed to prevent inner and outer ring roads and a giant Rte 34 to Derby, although the initial scars are visible. Cantonizing and polluting New Haven's residents, especially those in the inner city, wasn't on city planners' radar.

Shouldn't the residents of Cedar Hill and the rest of the city be looking at converting I-91 and its on/off ramps into something humane, green and energy efficient? What long-term plans has anyone developed for terminating I-91 at the city line?

Cedar Hill could be neighbored not only by East Rock but also a beautiful linear park.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | April 9, 2009 11:06 AM

lance
like that bit of history :) I am the one that put it there. :) Cedarhills history is buried in the history library. But one of these days I will get back there... it was packed away in the 50's

webblog1
hmmm you called me Becky I must know you. This was not an easy choose because we care about Allan , but this an elected position. We vote every 2 years to choose a person the most represent the majority of the community. The person that will take the time to represent the community and its needs NOT just his votes downtown, but the things that need to be done in WARD 10!! this is where he dropped the ball. This choose is not because we don't like Allan because we do. It is because he was to busy with his committees and boards to have time to help the community (all of ward 10 not just our small corner!). We voted Allan in because we wanted a fighter. He just had to little time to fight for us. There are other reasons but because we do care about him we really do not want to go in that direction. This is not personal it is political. We really need to sometimes separate the two.

It seems that we are trying to sell Justin as a mayors man here. The machine....... a thing that we do not want. But my question is what makes Justin part of the machine ??? In any of your eyes?? Really we know screaming MACHINE makes most of us more liberals vote against a person (scare tactics). But I have known Justin long enough to know that the statement is very far from the truth. And if you got to see him in action you would agree. His Energy level and skills at making things happen is truly impressive. I really do feel that he will get alot done for Ward 10. And as far as Votes in town hall...which is what all you non-ward 10 people are concern with....don't be Justin's commitment level to the city and community far out way impressing the machine!

And again Allan is a fantastic person. This was not something we decide in a day.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | April 9, 2009 11:30 AM

PS Lance if you know any of Cedarhills history place add it to the wiki page.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_Hill_(New_Haven)

Posted by: lance | April 9, 2009 11:41 AM

cedar hill did u ever here of a houses being moved from the area of rice field to ridge street? I was curious about that as it was something I was told.

this is a funny memory I have.... when I was a little kid the fish truck used to come by and sell fish. It was like an ice cream truck, you know, with the counter cut out in the side of the truck, and the guy sold raw fish out of it.

funny that you put that info on wiki...nice job..and a small world! I'll ask my grandma for info about the hood and if I can substantiate it and it's noteworthy i'll figure out how to throw it up there. thanks!

Posted by: jawbone | April 9, 2009 12:09 PM

The comments above seem to suggest that people know much more than I do about Mr. Brison's busy schedule and his relationship to the dem's machine in city hall.
That said, I believe he deserves a second term so he himself can prove to his consitituents (of which I am one in Ward 10) whether he is fit or unfit to represent us. One term isn't enough. Lets have some patience and see what he does. Brison strikes me as thoughtful and not eager to rush into judgement. But, again, I have no insiders knowledge.
Remember, we had Mattison FOR YEARS and saw very little for it, in my opinion. Brison's victory was justly celebrated as a win for an independent voice on the BOA and now a relatively short time later the very same voters are kicking in their stalls again. Give it some time...
Just a thought.

Posted by: City Hall Watch | April 9, 2009 12:14 PM

Streever:
Do people really think that their are that many alders who would "shill" for the City for 2000 a year? Short answer is yes. But it's not about the money. It's about the power and being close to it and being part of the "team." Can you name the last time an issue, supported by the mayor including spending money we don't have and have not budgeted, that was turned down by any committee or a full vote of the NH BOA?

Rhetoric:
Can you answer the same question? That's what a rubberstamper is. Mallet-heads that simply agree with the mayor's position consistently, unerringly and reliably. It's not that these folks simply disagree with others like myself. It's that they carry the water, they deliver the votes, they sit in the room and decide how they're going to vote; they hold public hearings that mean next to nothing simply because it's required. At the end of the day, the fix is already in. The vote is secure. That's not to say rubberstampers don't sometimes make noises of opposition, posture and preen for public consumption. But, they never vote no.

To answer your other question, "mindless and rubbertamper" do not have to be linked. Members of the NH BOA are not mindless by a long shot. Too many of them are followers though and rubberstamp the mayor's position far too often. We are in dire straits because of it.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | April 9, 2009 1:24 PM

lance
I have the pic of the house it is miss betty house

Posted by: BoA Watch | April 9, 2009 2:14 PM

Interesting. But what's really mindless is grandstanding with a non-binding resolution asking the state, not the city, to erect a sound barrier.

Then to raise the resolution only after the governor has released her budget and democratic leadership has released theirs. What is this guy trying to do put the blame on Marty Looney? Shift all the responsibility to Marty after all appropriation requests have been submitted and a budget produced? what wanton hubris is this?

As for rubber stamps check your facts Mr. Kerekes. Carl Goldfield has voted more times against the mayor then Jorge Perez. Guess that means that Jorge Perez is the rubberstamp you are referring to, right?

Posted by: lance | April 9, 2009 5:43 PM

ch res, could you possibly forward the pic to my e-mail, I wondering if its the house i'm thinking of....one I've slept in many a night growing up.

cobalttest@aol.com

Posted by: FacChek | April 9, 2009 6:32 PM

Rebecca, your reasoning nor your argument for Justin and against Brison make and FACTUAL sense.
In 2007 you were fervently against Mattison and for Brison 200%. Now you believe that Brison does nothing for ward 10. How naive you sound. You know full well if an Alder votes his conscience and supports his constituents views, city hall withholds services from that area in order to get the people of the ward to react just the way you are now. Instead you would rather elect another freshmen alder who supports Destefano and is rewarded for his vote, the leftovers Goldfield and fellow rubber stampers throw his way.
Who are the Rubber Stampers you ask, BOA Watch??

Goldfield, Sandman, Silverman, Shah, Blango, Jones, Sepulveda, Sturgis Pascale, S. Rodriquez, Lehtonen, Morehead, Plattus. Calder, Clark. Lemar,Rhodeen, and now, Justin, will have to stand in the water line and wait until he's called.
If Goldfield has voted against the mayor more than Perez... He simply would not be President... Just like Perez......
OUCH!

Posted by: Anon | April 9, 2009 11:37 PM

BOA Watch - An example of "wanton hubris"? Where do you get this stuff? As I understand it, getting the entire BOA on record supporting the noise barrier strengthens Looney's hand to get money from the state DOT for the barrier. It's what Looney needs and the best shot for this getting done. In the article, Looney's spokesman says "If this is something residents want, then the Senate Majority Leader will support it and bring his constituents' concerns to DOT." If you're going to "Watch", please get your facts straight.

Posted by: City Hall Watch | April 10, 2009 9:32 AM

Thank you Facchek. I forgot to add the list of malletheads. It's accurate.

Posted by: Ward10Neighbor | April 10, 2009 1:03 PM

As an actual Ward 10 resident I want to echo some of the previous posts. Allen is an ineffective alderman. A good politician has the ability to get things done, not just cause a stink. What can Allen actually point to that he has accomplished - not opposed, not complained about, but accomplished. This non-binding resolution is a great first step but did it really take 1 1/2 years for him to figure out how to submit legislation? Did it really take him that long to figure out the noise barrier was needed? Did it really take him that long to model a resolution after one that was passed MONTHS ago for another point of town? It took a challenger and frankly its too little too late. Especially since for him to make a true difference in Hartford he would have had to help establish this as a priority months ago.

And freshman smeshman. Some of the most effective alders on the board Lemar, Sandman, Sturgis Pasquale only have one year more of service than Allen (they were all elected in special elections in 06) and they were proposing legislation and getting things done before Allen even took office.

Since Cedar Hill says she's too busy to run my vote's with Elicker.

Posted by: Ward10 Oldtimer | April 10, 2009 2:57 PM

If Melissa Bailey is going to write campaign literature for City Hall--either swooning over Elicker's hat in the ring announcement last time, or using her best Maureen Dowd imitation to dis Brison's accomplishments this time out--she should at least label these articles "opinion columns", which is what they are.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | April 10, 2009 3:12 PM

FacChek
First you are always filled with more info than most so I totally respect you!
But Why would you call Justin a rubber stamper?? Do you know him?? Have you worked with him?? It is totally inaccurate.
And yes I helped Allan get in. And now I am going to try to help Justin. Not sure but I thought that was what democracy was?? As stated above I am not going to comment on some of my reasons for making this choose because we do care about allan and I am not going to go down that dirty campaign trail on this one.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | April 10, 2009 3:18 PM

FacChek
reminder the reason we wanted Ed out of office was because of the lack of time that he put into our community, and some really off key comments he made. And he was claiming to have done things in our community (things that the block watch did)to make it look like he had helped us. I took it personally (as a community activist). We asked Allan to run because we needed change from a 7 year incumbent. And gave it a year to see what he could do for his WARD not just downtown.

Posted by: Anon | April 10, 2009 9:31 PM

The powers that be give nothing to new alders they want to see beaten. Now if they get re-elected and show they're going nowhere, then the powers that be know they have to deal with that alder. So if you're going to judge an opponent of the administration on how he does in one year then don't even bother. You're just setting them up for a bruising. Also, I don't understand why there's such fierce attachment to getting credit -the block watch did this, the management team did this -- how do you sort out who gets credit? Does it really matter as long as the community benefits? How do you know what the alderperson has done behind the scenes? Also, there's a lot of mention of reasons for dispatching Brison that are unmentionable. But the innuendo is even more damaging. If there are charges to be made bring them out into the open. Fair is fair.

Posted by: City Hall Watch | April 10, 2009 9:59 PM

Ward 10:
You think Lemar, Sandman, Sturgis Pasquale are really effective? They are. They have voted for monster spending and taxing increases every year since they were elected. Other than complain about traffic calming which is a myth, what has Sturgis Pasquale done?

Justin pays not one dime in property taxes. Not one dime. No car. No real estate. I wouldn't vote for somebody who parachutes in, picks up a little garbage and hangs out with the right people and doesn't understand the pain of writing a check. Sorry.

Posted by: fedupwithliberals | April 11, 2009 6:18 AM

LANCE

Just read your entry reminiscing about the local fisherman. You're right. That was Mr. Consiglio, and he lived in the house next to Archie Moore's where the garage was his warehouse. Used to come around in his green truck on Wednesdays and Thursdays and yell out over a megaphone "oooh pesce... fresh feesh!" Housewives would stream out of their apartments to buy the baccala. Those were the days!

Posted by: Chris O | April 11, 2009 8:34 AM

Rubber stampers and mallet heads said the......
Give me your real name and tell me what you have done to try and make this city better and then maybe I'll listen. Anyone can complain and identify real or imaginary problems but only a few engage in crafting and executing solutions. I take my hat off to all those listed in these blogs including Perez. We need good debate on ideas and policy. A welcome relief from apathy and cynicism.

Posted by: JOSIAHBROWNFORMAYOR | April 11, 2009 11:39 AM

I have met both Brison and Elicker; they both seem like nice people. I think CityHall makes a good point in raising the issue of Justin's ties (or lack thereof) to the community. It's not that I don't appreciate his enthusiasm and volunteerism, I just feel like a grad student renter who has recently hopped from Ward 9 to 10 (very well could be a coincidence) is a bit of an unknown quantity. He (Justin) also admits that there will be a learning curve- I am not quite sure why we want to start at year zero with a learning curve. I also think the contrast between Brison and Lemar is disingenuous. I have only heard good things about the Lamar, but his ties to City Hall are hardly a secret. I would be interested to know specific examples as to why people (who supported him last time) are unhappy with Allan's performance.

Posted by: lance | April 11, 2009 9:59 PM

thanks for the info fed up. I was 4 or 5 at the time.. but I remember it...even the smell !

Posted by: fedupwithliberals | April 12, 2009 6:07 AM

Not to mention all those glassy eyed fish heads staring up at the sky!

Posted by: JOSIAHBROWNFORMAYOR | April 12, 2009 9:04 AM

This is just to say, CHANGE I am unsure why you think the Ward 10 Co-Chair is an embarrassment. I have not heard Kevin or Ray definitively endorse one candidate over the other, additionally they have stated in no uncertain terms that the endorsement lies with the committee; even though they could simply make the decision themselves.

I am not quite sure what Allan has done to alienate the Cedar Hill constituency (or at least its leadership). It seems somewhat cryptic. "We dont want to say because we care"? Seems as though the speculation could be more damaging than the facts.

Paul, Independent etal be sure and let us know if and when these candidates (and anyone else who wants to mix it up) will be appearing together.

Posted by: robn | April 12, 2009 9:36 AM

FUWL,

Here's something we can agree upon...baccalau rules! I've often lamented that #1 fish isn't in the New Haven center and I wonder why econ development can't go out with small incentive packages to recruit small successful businesses that would benefit our neighborhood.

Posted by: Ralph Ferrucci | April 13, 2009 11:41 PM

To LAURAA

To run for Mayor of New Haven there is 2 requirements, they are you need to live in New Haven when elected (you can live elsewhere while running but cannot take office if you do not live her) and be registered to vote (no younger than 18)

Ralph Ferrucci
Candidate for Mayor 2003(Guilty Party), 2007(Green Party)

Posted by: Bruce | April 14, 2009 11:14 AM

Please don't vote for a candidate you don't agree with, but before going to the polls just consider that this is what the current board of aldermen looks like:

D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D G R

Most of these candidates run unopposed after approval of a handful of politically connected ward committee members. This is not healthy democracy at work. New Haven desperately needs some competition and that takes time to build.

Lauraa: An elected school board must be addressed during Charter Revision. Every ten years the charter undergoes a revision process by an appointed committee and then the general public gets to vote on the revisions. Last time around, the only Green alder (Joyce Chen) tried to get the rest of the committee to include elected BOE members but was totally shut down by pressure from the city (and the corporation counsel's flimsy argument that there were legal roadblocks). She couldn't even get them to agree to a single non-voting member. This is what happens when the executive branch controls the legislative branch and this is exactly why there needs to be stronger competition in city elections.

Posted by: JOSIAHBROWNFOR MAYOR | April 15, 2009 5:56 AM

Bruce, your point is well taken. I am a registered Democrat and I am quite pleased to see that the Cove votes its mind and gives the BOA its lone Republican. I was similarly impressed when we here in East Rock had two/three grass-roots candidates defeat long standing (or should it be sitting?) officials with upsets in the Aldermanic race and the Democratic Ward Committee Co-Chair.

I am still not hearing anyone providing substantive reasons for voting for Justin over Allan. Many contributors claim Allan has been ineffective without citing examples of either what it means to be an effective Alder or what their expectations of Allan had been that were not met.

I also find it interesting that this and past Indy articles cite that Justin is a "green-minded" Dem. If your thing is green issues, why not Just vote Green?