Rodriguez Challenges Dillon

Alderman Rodriguez needs to know, how he votes on the Mayor's budget could have a huge bearing on his sucess or failure in trying to unseat Rep. Dillion--"Just Say No" Sergio!

Are you for the people or are you for the Mayor and his Empire?

I'm incredibly excited to see Rodriguez jump into this race. He's a great Alderman and I think he'd make a great State Rep.

Here's what I don't understand--it seems like the peanut gallery has already started to say that Rodriguez is on the hook if he doesn't vote against the budget, but Dillon gets off scot-free no matter what since she doesn't have to vote on the budget and can freely say that she opposes it without having to offer any constructive alternatives of her own.

This is, I think, a fundamentally incorrect way to view things. It's not as though Dillon has no capacity to affect New Haven taxpayers' pocketbooks. From her perch in Hartford, it seems that there is a good amount that she could be doing to help out--for example, securing state funding for services that New Haven provides that benefit the entire state (e.g. absorbing the reentry population, housing halfway homes and mental health institutions, etc.).

More to the point, it seems fair to ask what Dillon would be doing if she were an Alderwoman, and what Rodriguez would be doing if he were a State Rep in addition to asking what they're doing in their current capacities.

I'll freely admit that I'm more of a Rodriguez fan than I am a Dillon fan, but that's not really the point. The point is that judging the relative fitness of candidates on the basis of one's handling of a single hot-potato issue that the other doesn't have to deal with is not a particularly good way to go about judging candidates.

I look forward to a spirited race and intelligent debate about the relative merits of each candidate.

Thanks Professor!

My point is, this is an opportunity for Sergio to take a strong stand on the issues that effect all residents of New Haven. If he would ignore the effect of the increased tax burdens imposed by Mayor DeStefano then I would support his candidacy if he stands strong he gets my vote and those who think just like me!!

1,000 signatures on petitions delivered to the Finance Committee Wednesday evening say he needs to pay attention to what side of the budget issue he stands. Pat Dillon doesn't have to vote on the JD's budget but Sergio has a vote.

If he votes with the people then he has the edge if he dares to vote with the Mayor she will drive him out of the park!

Hope he is listening!

Sergio is a very enthusiastic alderman; he really seems to love the job.

But he has not been an independent voice -- like most of the other alders, he simply rubber-stamps whatever the mayor wants. He's DeStefano's next-door neighbor in Westville, for heaven's sake -- he is hardly ever going to oppose him.

And that is very unfortunate. Mayor DeStefano answers to no one in this city. It is a city with no viable political opposition, and the consequence is that the mayor knows he can and will do whatever he wants -- and thus can realistically propose the terrible budget he has put forward this year, with its absolutely awful proposal to sell the city's parking meter revenue for the next 25 years -- thus burdening FUTURE mayors, and future taxpayers, but not himself; and its insufferable tax increases; and its refusal to even consider budget cuts during tough economic times, when private companies have been making cuts all over the place, and people (other than city employees) have been needing to agree to wage and salary reductions all over the place. Occasionally the mayor does have some agitated primary election opposition, but he still wins those contests 2-1.

All this has made him a thin-skinned, vengeful, petty dictator, who makes odious alliances with the likes of Boise Kimber, who wreaks retaliation against anyone who opposes him, and who blithely rewards himself and his top officials with off-the-budget pay increases. Theoretically, he does answer to voters, but, as we all know, not realistically. And theoretically he does answer to the Board of Aldermen, but again, not realistically.

If ever there was a time for Sergio to show some backbone, and speak for his constituents rather than for the mayor, it is during this budget season. But I predict that he will not -- he will loyally vote for the mayor's budget, and thus will automatically preclude my even considering him for State Representative against Pat Dillon, who has been an excellent officeholder over the years.

Just read Sergio's letter of announcement -- it is full of generalities and platitudes. This is not an original or independent thinker. He is a very nice man -- I like him very much. But he really does not belong in his alderman job, with its conflict of interest regarding his neighbor, and he really doesn't merit a promotion. Originally, he ran for alderman as the insurgent in a Democratic primary, against the party machine candidate. And, on that basis, he won. I voted for him. But then he became what he had defeated. I hope he doesn't manage to do the same thing a second time, at Pat Dillon's expense.

There are other individuals in the district who are thinking about running for State Representative, so you may have a three, four person race. Americans are tire of
professional politician who protect special interest over human needs. I close by saying it is time for real change.

How many times has Sergio raised my taxes here in the City? Pat is an independant State Representative not afraid to vote against her own Democratic leadership