Perez Confirmed As Banking Commish

"Jorge Perez is a New Haven institution," New Haven State Sen. Gary Winfield stated in a press release hailing Wednesday's confirmation vote.

Nice Guy,But Jorge Perez is a Career professional politician just like the rest of the Career professional politicians in this state.Career Politicians are like the slimy sludge found at water treatment plants.They will sale the people out to the machine in a heart beat.Who sold the street to yale? Who took away the parks workers medical retirement benefits? Jorge Perez will still carry out the work of the machine like the rest of the Judas Goat Career professional politicians.

State Senate President Marty Looney predicted Perez "will be a champion for community-based banking" in his new role.

He will also be the enemy of community-based credit unions.God help you credit unions

My Bad.I forgot.

Taken bets.He will return to run for mayor.

Kaching! A fat pension lies ahead.

Alder Jorge Perez has been a tremendous asset to the Ward he serves, the community he lives in and the City of New Haven. His commitment and leadership has been appreciated by those he has worked with and for. I look forward to his continuing commitment as a member of the Hill Management Team and to the City as a citizen knowledgeable about municipal. Thanks Jorge.

Just for the record, this is not about skill or banking expertise. It's about political payback. That's all.

Threefifths:

Your critical posts on the NHI site are sometimes on target.

Yet your predictably extreme cynicism is corrosive. Here, you overreach in adding fuel to the already powerful fire of popular bitterness toward elected officials.

I don't know Jorge Perez and have nothing personally to gain from his work in the banking sector. Still, my impression is that – in a virtually volunteer role over many years (alders receive only a couple of thousand dollars annually) – he has devoted thousands of hours to helping govern our city. I'm not aware that he has been tainted by scandal (though certainly his and any other officials' votes/positions on issues are fair game for scrutiny).

It's hard enough to encourage people to enter public service. Then observers like you broadly characterize "career politicians" as "slimy sludge." Perhaps some are, but most are not.

There is benefit in balancing the freshness of new voices with the knowledge of accumulated experience in public life. No population would be well-served by a government of pure novices.

Yes, some individuals enter politics to advance their own financial interests or those of their affiliates. A vigorous press and citizenry should hold such individuals to account.

But it doesn't help government or civic life to run down everyone who gives of his or her time to serve his or her community. A continuous stream of bilious comments will be tuned out. Dyspepsia is not discussion.

Let's reserve our vitriol for the truly corrupt – the Rowlands, Ganims, Giordanos, Newtons, Wilson-Foleys – who tarnish our state and its politics.

Otherwise, let's advocate for greater, more immediate transparency in campaign financing and try to counter the "legal corruption" that does occur when conflicts of interest permeate politics.

For example, Connecticut should be wary of attempts to centralize control of the authorities overseeing ethics, elections, and freedom of information in our state.

@Josiah Brown
Career Politicians along with the Two party system are part of the problem,not part of the solution.In fact both parties and 99% of Politicians under the two party system are self serving worthless B.S.Artist.They do not represent the people.They do as the machine demands.I dislike both parties.I agree with Noteworthy this is political payback. This is why I am for the system of Proportional Representation along with IRV Voting and TERM LIMITS.Sounds to me like you are a party loyalist.Wake up and smell the mackerel.