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Politicians Break The News

by Paul Bass | Oct 14, 2009 11:21 am

(18) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author

Posted to: Media/ Books, Politics

When mayoral candidates squared off in a debate Tuesday night, the first news reports and punditry came not from reporters—but from elected officials.

News reporters posed questions to Mayor John DeStefano and challengers Angela Watley, Ralph Ferrucci, and Henri Sumner Tuesday night before an overflow crowd at Gateway Community College.

Meanwhile, State Rep. Gary Holder-Winfield and Beaver Hills Alderman Moti Sandman watched the action live—and posted reports to their networks of politically engaged “friends” on Facebook.

And at the dais, Mayor DeStefano checked his text messages from staff in between answering questions, as he crafted his debate-closing remarks based on real-time breaking news.

The Alderman-Reporter & The Activist-Reader

The debate—which was sponsored by the Democracy Fund, La Voz Hispana, and the New Haven Independent—began a few minutes after 8 p.m.

Using his BlackBerry, Alderman Sandman (pictured) posted his first live report at 8:10, and kept going. His posts have a circulation of 180 “friends” and politically engaged people in New Haven.

At first he declared it “embarrassing” to hear DeStefano’s challengers fumble to answer questions.

But by 8:26, Sandman, a mayoral ally, reported that challenger Angela Watley was “finding her legs. She has a few points she was preped on and did OK.”

That prompted an instant response from reader Rebecca Angeletti Turcio, a critic of the mayor. Like Moti Sandman, Turcio (aka “Cedar Hill Resident” to readers of Independent comment threads) was an early adopter of the web as a tool for political organizing and communication.

“you know they worked her hard for tonight,” Turcio posted on Sandman’s report. “She must be so nervous. But I just can’t seeing someone so green sitting as mayor in a city with so many problems and with the economy the way it is. But glad she is not the same ol same ol.

After Sandman declared the debate “great comedy” at 8:31, Turcio checked in again, reporting that she couldn’t find the debate on TV. Sandman conveyed information that had been announced in the room: That CTV plans to televise the debate later. (It is scheduled to air on Channel 96 Mondays at 9 p.m., Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m., Thursdays at 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 6 a.m. and noon through Sunday Nov. 1.)

Sandman reported teletype style at 8:41 a.m. on a quote from challenger Sumner: “mr Henri’s answer about the towing policies ‘... I don’t drive’”. He returned to pundit mode at 9:03 when the candidates discussed whether New Haven should switch from an appointed to an elected Board of Ed. “elected BOE y/n? I say NO way!” Sandman typed, siding with DeSetfano and against the three challengers.

Sandman’s wife Miriam weighed in at 9:07: “is it almost over?”

First Pundit

State Rep. Holder-Winfield (pictured) weighed in as soon as he got home from the debate.

In the immediate aftermath of national debates, journalists convene chosen pundits to spin the significance of what just happened.

Holder-Winfield went directly on his own to the extensive network of followers he began building on Facebook and Twitter when he ran for office last year. He has continued cultivating that audience in office, filing real-time reports on breaking developments at the Capitol. He learned how to produce videos and mastered web media techniqueseven before he won office.

Tuesday night, Holder-Winfield not only offered a nuanced instant political anlysis. He sparked a virtual panel discussion.

He began by summarizing the debate with punctuation: “???”

One Facebook friend asked Holder-Winfield if he’d “won” the debate. He responded that he’d been watching, not participating: “noone won tonight. It was, in a word, sad”

Tom Ficklin, one of New Haven’s most active and followed new-media content-creators, offered an expanded analysis of the event which he’d just attended, too: “comedy, drama, tragedy or pathos.”

Holder-Winfield Facebook friend Khalilah L. Brown-Dean asked for more details about the event. Holder-Winfield summarized the challengers’ performances: “The Challengers responses: Ferrucci- Yale is bad, Summer-Never answered a question, Watley-I don’t know but it’s bad and we should do something about it. (Probably why the details were so sparse)”

Then he offered an analysis of this debate’s significance to New Haven’s fledgling democracy. To Holder-Winfield, it showed the wrong way to take on established power. He spoke from firsthand experience: He beat the DeStefano political machine in 2008; he supported an aldermanic challenger to the machine in last month’s primary. At the same time, he is more of an independent political actor, able to work with coalitions to pass legislation, rather than a political outsider or reflexive opponent.

“Here’s a clue to people who don’t like Destefano… so what,” Holder-Winfield wrote.

“Get over it. These things just make him look better or like a bully beating up on weak kids. Neither will topple him. It is time that people got a clue. Running against Destefano because he is not nice is dumb and it shows.

“A vision is not articulating the problem (especially if you have to read it as you do the work of articulating it). I know that people clap for that kind of thing but even they know you have no idea what to do about it. It’s called a policy prescription. If you don’t have a single one for any issue you probably should not be in the race. I don’t know is an honest response - hell, used sparingly it is refreshing - but this is a debate for the title of mayor and when I don’t know is used like the hook to a song ...

“YOU ARE NOT READY!

“There needs be a challenge but it should come from someone who understands that wether you like the Mayor or not the bigger issue is that all reigns end and he is getting long in the tooth so a legitimate challenger is needed if for no other reason that the passage of time dictates that the notion of succession planning become a reality in New Haven.

“In other words like him or not there necessarily must be a legitimate challenger.”

Mayor/ Reporter

Onstage, the mayor had an eye on text messages in between participating in the debate.

Tuesday night a vote with more national implications was taking place in New Haven: the teachers union was deciding whether to ratify a groundbreaking contract that would open the door to school reform, Mayor DeStefano’s number-one campaign issue this year.

That vote took place between 5 and 7 p.m. It was believed that tallying the votes would take more than an hour—past the time when the mayoral debate at Gateway was scheduled to start. So DeStefano (pictured at the top of the story before the debate with Henri Sumner) asked a staffer to text him the final tally. He wanted to report the numbers in his closing remakrs.

As it turned out, union officials finished the counting just as DeStefano arrived at Gateway prior to the debate. Teachers union President David Cicarella phoned DeStefano to report the overwhelming 842-39 tally in favor of the contract.

Still, DeStefano was toying with a different closing statement. During the debate, he reported later, he and staffers exchanged text messages about an alternate closing statement.

In the end, he focused on the contract vote—and broke the news.

Comments

posted by: Claudia Herrera on October 14, 2009 11:53am

OMG Qualified contender to run for mayor, seriously!
And still a question why DeStefano �is doing the job�?

posted by: jeffreykerekes on October 14, 2009 12:00pm

I was disappointed I was unable to be there last night. I must say that I really agree with the comments of Rep. Holder-Winfield from above. Simply disliking DeStefano is not a sufficient platform (I may make a shirt or four—shameless plug—for those who dislike him, but dislike is not a vision for the city). The City budget is about $650 Million. It takes a lot of thought out ideas, vision, and experience to run any $650 Million endeavor.

I have never heard of Mr. Summer before, and while I have heard of the other challengers, I have not seen of or heard from their campaigns. I strongly recommend any of these challengers who are serious about being mayor, to continue their efforts for the next two years. The Mayor has many years of exposure and name recognition (heck, he even had his name stamped in sidewalks) and it will take any of these challengers a long time to build a base of support and recognition. If there are any other potential future challengers, start laying the foundation now. There are many knowledgeable people in the City that can help a potential candidate understand any functional area of City governance.

posted by: cedarhillresident on October 14, 2009 12:13pm

Nice take on the story Paul…..but yet again my candidate (yes who is not a registered candidate at town hall) and there for was not invited to the debate is the only real choice this year.

He may be just and idea or statement but he believes that the one thing that he does stand for is echoed through every community in the city…“Wewant Change”. We want a qualified contender to run for mayor. So this year “wewant change” is running a protest campaign. Write-in votes for me do not count but what bigger statement can you make…if a large group of people write Wewant Change on their ballots!!

For more info go to his web site:
http://www.tripod.lycos.com/ ”

posted by: Leave Paul Bass Alone!!! on October 14, 2009 12:37pm

Great story, Paul. But no video? I wanna see them candidates tangle!

posted by: abg2 on October 14, 2009 12:42pm

Paul, this story is way too ‘meta’... I mean I love social media as much as the next guy but shouldn’t the story here be about what the candidates actually said, rather than what someone tweeted about what someone wrote on facebook about what the candidates said?

posted by: cedarhillresident on October 14, 2009 12:55pm

Sorry bad link here is a good one
http://wewantchange.tripod.com

posted by: Walt on October 14, 2009 1:49pm

Paul

While I was a bit surprised when the NHAdvocate “outed” Cedar Hill Resident, I was more surprised when in the above posting, the Independent did so again.

I would think that you have some obligation to posters who choose to use a pseudonym, as you permit, not to publish their true identity unless required by law to do so.

Cedar Hill does not seem upset that you have outed her, but others of us might be P.O.‘d if given the same treatment.

What is your policy?

[Bass responds: Our policy is not to out people. A long time ago we checked with CHR, and she was comfortable being “outed.”]

posted by: JB on October 14, 2009 2:09pm

I’m not completely up on my facebook etiquette, but isn’t is tacky to use information you gained as a “friend” in a published news article? (Unless it was done with permission, of course.)

[Editor’s response: Great question! Thanks. We just discussed it at length at our editorial meeting. We didn’t resolve the big questions—such as, what about when it’s a politician knowingly posting material to a broad network of people, not just “friends”; when to use and not to use names. In this case, I did check with the people involved for a head’s up and to find out if they wanted anything left out. They were comfortable being open.]

posted by: NHI Bias on October 14, 2009 2:18pm

I was wondering how Paul would get around writing the obvious story: that the other three candidates have no plans, no ideas and no knowledge of what it takes to be Mayor. I guess we know now. Very creative way to not write anything positive about Mayor DeStefano.

posted by: James on October 14, 2009 2:28pm

Walt, I seem to remember her identifying herself on several occasions over the years. That’s why I was not taken aback when she was named.

posted by: cedarhillresident on October 14, 2009 2:33pm

Paul is correct Walt. For those who regularly read the NHI I do not mind them knowing who I am. Most do anyway. :) And NHI did ask me and so did the Advo. I do the fact name for those who just pass through the site, it makes me feel like a super hero with a secret identity!!
Speaking of super hero’s to save the day….

...... VOTE FOR “Wewant Change”!!!!!!! Write-in candidate for Mayor :) sorry had to :)

and thanks for the shivery :) Big Hugs

posted by: James on October 14, 2009 6:12pm

CEDARHILL, I’d rather vote for a real candidate who is qualified to run the city. You got any of those? I don’t think Johnny gets “messages.”

posted by: cedarhillresident on October 14, 2009 8:18pm

James I tried! I asked everyone I felt was qualified more than once…..and if they are reading this they are saying yes she did. But I do feel that we may have one for the next go around. :)

In the mean time…Don’t vote for Micky Mouse, don’t vote for Teletubbie’s vote for “Wewant Change”!!!! :)

http://s607.photobucket.com/albums/tt158/wewantchange/?action=view&current=zpick.jpg

posted by: Chris Mc on October 14, 2009 8:36pm

I found this piece extraordinary. Meta, yes, but not just that. Put it out to my facebook network for comment - it’ll be interesting to see if anybody responds.

Great work Paul.

posted by: strangerthanfiction on October 15, 2009 3:56pm

The debate was a sad commentary on the state of democracy in New Haven. I know the Mayor will use his power to keep any serious challengers from getting into the ring with him. But this was a comedy skit not a serious mayoral debate. Having pathetic candidates up against the Mayor doesn’t help the City and doesn’t challenge him to be a better Mayor. Really pathetic.

posted by: Willie on October 15, 2009 7:01pm

It was not embarassing for any of the challengers. Although I did find Henri amusing and light-hearted at times. Henri has more history of New Haven than all of the challengers combined and that includes Mayor DeStefano. Secondly Henri ran a very successful business for over 35 years.

Angela Watley was a pleasant surprise and yes while she appeared nervous at first she did find her bearings shortly into the debate. She also provided many answers with pure substance to the questions being asked.

Ralph bought to the debate a common mans theme and in many cases addressed questions that are important to the little guy. When you listen to him you can hear that he loves this city.

Lastly one should not be surprised that Mayor DeStefano has a greater sense of government and how it works. Mayor DeStefano has spent the better part of his life working for the City of New Haven. I first encountered Mayor DeStefano when he was interning in Kennedy Mitchells office. He went on to hold a number of different positions in the DeLieto administration.

Therefore while the mayor is considerably more knowledgable about city politics(and should be) than the rest I applaud each and everyone of them for having the courage to step forward and run.

posted by: strangerthanfiction on October 15, 2009 8:50pm

I don’t question the sincerity or decency of the challengers. And I admire their courage and tenacity in stepping up to run. But none of them come close to projecting the experience or knowledge base that would be necessary to step in and be Mayor, which is a very, very difficult job. So, the Mayor will win by default. That’s not good for the city.

posted by: Willie D. Greene on October 18, 2009 4:02am

TO:STRANGERTHANFICTION:Yes you are absolutely correct. And in no way am I remotely suggesting that you are questioning the integrity of the opponets. However until the citizens of New Haven decide to truly come out and participate in the elections the outcome will always continue to be the same. With all due respect Mayor DeStefano has done a tremendous job with the development of downtown. Although I do disagree with the some of the decisions by putting not-for-profits on prime realty in downtown New Haven.

However until the people of New Haven decide to make a change all that I can humbly suggest that we support the mayor and be more aggressive in making him and the New Haven Board of Aldermen and all city departments much more accountable than we have in the past. Also please allow me to say this the mayor does not win by default. He wins because of all those running he his indeed the most qualified. Again all those involved in the debate did an admirable job and I commend them all.

I am rather disappointed by our State Rep comments and he should remember that his one man show at the Elks Club was a disaster and the Sandman lost not because he was a bad Alderman. He failed to established a true network of communication with the less affluent part of his ward. I speak from experince because I lost contact with a major part of my ward which resulted in my loss to Alderwoman Jones.

Lesson Learned.

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