When the other side got around to calling voters this week about the upcoming mayoral election, “city corruption” was on the agenda. Whatever that means.
The issue arose as part of a telephone poll carried out by ADG Research. The independent mayoral campaign of Justin Elicker hired the firm to call New Haven voters this week.
It’s quick poll. Question #1: If the election were held “tomorrow,” would you vote for Elicker or Toni Harp? Elicker and Harp, the Democratic candidate in the race, face off at the polls on Nov. 5 for the chance to succeed retiring 20-year incumbent Mayor John DeStefano.
The polls has only one other question: What issue matters most to the voter.
The caller lists a series of issues, including public safety, “slumlords” (an apparent reference to allegations about how Harp’s family runs its real-estate business; read about that here); education, jobs, and “city corruption.”
A reporter receiving the call Wednesday evening asked the caller what was meant by “city corruption.”
“I think it would be crime. But I’m not sure,” she replied.
Wouldn’t crime be covered under “public safety”?
“It can be, sir,” she politely replied.
The caller said she was phoning from Florida. The company itself is based in D.C., according to Elicker campaign manager Kyle Buda.
Buda said the survey is more of an “ID call” than a poll. “It’s helping us identify as many voters as possible,” he said.
Harp’s campaign is conducting its own telephone survey this week, a “benchmark” poll that makes negative statements about each candidate to measure the resonance of both sides’ attack lines. Click here to read a story about that.
Harp campaign spokesman Patrick Scully released this statement Thursday afternoon about Elicker’s poll:
“It’s disingenuous of Mr. Elicker to get indignant about a poll that asks about each candidates’ possible negatives when his campaign is asking negative questions about Sen. Harp.
“As to the question of Elicker’s association with the Bush administration, Elicker claims [to the Register] that he is ‘a passionate Democrat.’ A ‘passionate Democrat’ doesn’t bolt the party as soon as he loses a Democratic primary. The facts are: he worked for George W. Bush’s state department and has now tossed away his Democratic Party affiliation to run as an independent. Voters can decide for themselves what, if anything, that means.”
Elicker’s poll “never mentioned Sen. Harp,” Elicker said.
Question: Are there actually ever going to be any mayoral debates between the two? We're only a month away and it seems like there'd be at least 3 of them.(Harp wanted 3, Elicker wanted more, so I'm assuming we'll have 3 or 4, if they ever actually happen)
[Editor: The candidates are debating at Gateway Community College on Oct. 22 starting at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. Suggestion: Come a little early and bring a photo ID for security.]