nothin Morehead Defends Attendance Record | New Haven Independent

Morehead Defends Attendance Record

moreheadatyale.pngVote09_logo_02.jpgAs Dixwell’s aldermanic race hit high-gear, the topic turned to attendance.

Lisa Hopkins, a candidate in Tuesday’s Democratic primary in Ward 22, is blasting incumbent Alderman Greg Morehead for missing aldermanic meetings. Morehead gave a reason — a longstanding commitment to his church.

His defense came at a candidate forum Thursday night at Yale’s Timothy Dwight College. Morehead and challenger Hopkins spoke to a crowd of about two dozen undergraduate students and a handful of Dixwell neighbors in a comfy lounge.

Cordelia Thorpe is also seeking the Ward 22 Democratic nomination then. The primary takes place at the Wexler-Grant School at 55 Foote St. Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Katie Harrison, a Yale student and one-time aldermanic hopeful in Ward 1, popped the question to Morehead during a question and answer session. She said she’d heard he had a poor attendance record. She asked how that affects his ability to govern.

Morehead said she must be referring to a fact sheet written up by Hopkin’s campaign giving the alderman an F” for attendance.

That was committee meetings,” Morehead replied.

Morehead sits on three aldermanic committees: human services, youth, and public safety, where he’s the vice-chair. Hopkins’ campaign staff combed through Morehead’s attendance records during a seven-month period from January to July of this year.
They concluded he made one out of every five committee meetings.

The fact sheet didn’t include seven other committee meetings during that period, which would bring his attendance to 3 out of 21 meetings, or 14 percent.

Why did he miss so many?

Morehead said a religious commitment has posed a scheduling conflict. Two of his committees, youth and public safety, meet on Wednesday nights.

I’m a deeply religious person,” Morehead said. Wednesday nights are my church nights and Bible study nights.”

Even though he often can’t attend the committee meetings, Morehead said he stays in the loop. I’m still informed of what goes on,” he said, because I stay in contact with” the committee chairs.

I still remain engaged with what goes on, even though I can’t be there because of church,” he said.

hopkinsatyale.pngMorehead’s absenteeism has been a main talking point for his opponent’s campaign. Hopkins (pictured) made a couple of references to the issue Thursday, saying the neighborhood has gone too long without a voice in City Hall.

After the forum, Morehead elaborated on the topic.

He was asked why he missed other meetings that didn’t fall on his Bible study night. The Human Services Committee meets only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Human Services teamed up with the Community Development Committee in joint hearings to oversee the important process of doling out Community Development Block Grant money. Out of a total of 11 meetings this year, he attended only one.

I wasn’t aware of the meetings,” Morehead said.

He said they used to be on Wednesdays, when he was unable to attend, and he didn’t know the schedule changed. He said he asked both the public safety and youth committee chairs to change the meeting day, but that didn’t work as a long-term solution. Morehead hoped they could find a night he’s able to attend.

I’m definitely going to sit down with them again,” he said, because I would like to be present in the meetings.”

Morehead stressed that when an issue came up that he’s passionate about — for example, the need to have cameras to review cops’ use of Taser stun-guns — he let his pastor know, and skipped Bible study to attend the meeting.

Hopkins’ fact sheet, which campaign volunteers use as talking-points, but do not distribute, on door-knocking routes, also points out that he missed one key full board meeting.

Most aldermen took a stand“ when the mayor unilaterally” gave pay raises to 41 of his executive staff on the heels of making layoffs, the campaign flyer reads. Greg wasn’t there.”

Morehead said he would have joined his colleagues in opposing the raises, but he had another event to tend to: the birth of his fourth son. He was in the hospital with his wife, watching the meeting on TV, he said.

He noted that his attendance at the full board meetings has been strong. He attended 11 of the 15 full BOA meetings this year, or 73 percent.

Morehead said his attendance record is even stronger where it counts, in his neighborhood.

I’ve been 100 percent involved in my ward,” he said.

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