nothin Joyner, Torre Speak Up For Paca | New Haven Independent

Joyner, Torre Speak Up For Paca

School board President Ed Joyner, who has been a visible supporter of Marcus Paca’s mayoral campaign, issued a statement Sunday night explaining why.

So did longtime board member Carlos Torre (a former board president as well). The releases came as Paca prepares to square off against Mayor Toni Harp in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.

Ed Joyner’s Statement

I have been a New Haven resident for the past 49 years and have been a Democrat all my life. I have been fortunate enough to observe first hand the impact of leadership in City Hall on the quality of life in my beloved city and believe that Marcus Paca is the best option for the citizens of our city in our 2017 mayoral election.

Marcus Paca is a young man who grew up in New Haven and graduated from its public schools. He has a practical approach to leadership that our city needs, especially in a time of fiscal uncertainty. His extensive service on boards and commissions is indicative of his great concern for the residents of the community. His willingness to listen to people’s problems is commendable. His management experience in small businesses, community development, and major corporations has prepared him to lead and manage our city government. His boundless energy and effusive personality will serve him well as he continues to reach out to constituents throughout New Haven.

Mr. Paca is well read, articulate, and charismatic; yet humble enough to know that he does not have all the answers. He dares to tell New Haven residents the unpleasant truths that we must face if we are to improve life in our city. He is accessible and personable enough to go to the people when they need him, rather than go to the people when he needs them. He has the social skills and respect for others that will allow him to pool the collective wisdom of this community and beyond to solve the increasingly complex problems we face in the areas of public safety, job growth, elderly services, housing, capital improvements, and education.

His belief in public education and his understanding of the needs of children and families has positioned him to work collaboratively with the school board, parents, educators, and members of the broader community. Mr. Paca credits (along with his family and mentors) our schools for his education, ethics, and devotion to social justice. Mr. Paca will be a godsend to the children and families in our community because he knows firsthand what public education has done for him. He has walked in the shoes, and on the same streets of many of our students, and is a living example of perseverance, devotion to duty, and civic responsibility. He is one of our own.

New Haven needs a leader who is willing to govern by employing experts in their field in all departments and be willing to work collaboratively with each department. The following analogy comes to mind: Mr. Paca will be a leader who can direct the orchestra and not believe that he can play every instrument in the band”. We need someone who will govern compassionately with a keen eye on how we deploy increasingly limited resources for core services. City government cannot solve all our problems, but I believe that Paca’s style of leadership will allow the broader community to participate in deciding the most prudent path forward given limited resources.

I am pledging my allegiance and support to Marcus Paca and his campaign. I will vote for Marcus because I believe he has the intellectual and personal assets that are required for our city to move forward in these challenging times. 

Carlos Torre’s Statement

I am a longtime member of the New Haven Board of Education. As a result of my experience, I agree with Marcus Paca’s plans to improve educational opportunities for our children. Paca’s emphasis on building and strengthening student skills demonstrates his understanding that academic skills are vital to student success, both in high school and in post-secondary endeavors. I also applaud Mr. Paca’s belief that there should be more sharing of knowledge about best practices among teachers. He is clearly on the right track when he advocates more collaboration within the New Haven school system to improve student achievement.

I believe that Marcus Paca’s experience in the non-profit sector, where he focused on community development, job preparation and energy initiatives, make him an ideal candidate for mayor. His invaluable experience with community development efforts and workforce initiatives with Action for Bridgeport, as a member of the New Haven Development Commission, and board member of the Greater Dwight Development Corporation have helped him to understand the importance of neighborhood improvement efforts and to be a more compassionate individual. Furthermore, Marcus understands the need to build the skills of unemployed New Haven residents and to retrain workers affected by automation and globalization. As mayor, he will promote a Hire One” campaign, encouraging employers to hire at least one New Haven resident within a year. He also intends to reach out to business leaders in an effort to create a Business Innovation Consortium. I am also impressed with Paca’s ideas about regional cooperation, especially on transportation projects and efforts to secure grants for governments in New Haven County.

Finally, I believe that as mayor, Marcus Paca will be very careful with the taxpayers’ money. He will rein in excessive spending of some departments, such as the Corporation Counsel, who has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars hiring lawyers to defend the indefensible. He will hold his top officials accountable as they attempt to control spending and reduce waste. Above all, I am convinced that Mr. Paca will respect our hard working and dedicated city employees

Marcus Paca has the potential to be an outstanding mayor. I endorse his candidacy, enthusiastically, and urge you to vote for him on primary day, Tuesday, September 12.

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