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Is All Forgiven?
by Jessica Cole | Sep 16, 2010 7:53 am
(5) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author
Posted to: Politics, Campaign 2010
A portion of New Haven’s Democratic Party organization claimed it was ready to kiss and make up with Dan Malloy—and promised to work to help a fellow “city” politician get elected governor of Connecticut.
Close to 40 members of the the city’s 60-member Democratic Town Committee showed up for a general election kick-off rally at Wilbur Cross High School Wednesday night. They promised to help gubernatorial candidate Malloy and other Democratic hopefuls win the November elections. They gathered on a day when a new Quinnipiac poll showed Malloy leading Republican Tom Foley by nine points.
“We may be nine points ahead,” said comptroller candidate Kevin Lembo, “but we’ve got to run like we’re nine points behind.”
Malloy addressed the crowd on what has not been friendly turf.
Malloy won New Haven in last month’s gubernatorial primary. But the party machine worked for his opponent, Ned Lamont. Malloy openly courted critics of the party machine in the primary campaign and promised they’d be his go-to people in New Haven if he wins the election. All but two of New Haven’s 81 votes at the May Democratic convention went to Lamont, the largest bloc of state delegates. Malloy squared off against New Haven Mayor John DeStefano in a bitter gubernatorial primary in 2006, from which wounds continue to fester.
None of that was mentioned as Malloy, the former mayor of Stamford, addressed some 50 people in total in Wilbur Cross’s cafeteria Wednesday night. He was hailed as a fellow urban advocate, a theme he picked up in his remarks.
“You want a governor who understands urban issues,” Malloy said.
Participants reminded one another again and again of the importance of finally, after 24 years, electing a Democrat to the state’s top office.
“This is the opportunity when the sun and the moon and the planets align” to elect the entire Democratic ticket, said Malloy. “The road is never going to be any clearer than it is today.”
Other candidates took the stage after Malloy to continue drumming up enthusiasm. They handed out pamphlets, signs, and pot holders to the crowd, a campaign tchochke introduced in the 1970s and ‘80s in Connecticut by former Norwalk State Rep. Bill Collins and picked up more recently by New Haven State Sen. Martin Looney and State Rep. Cam Staples.
That was the campaign swag of choice of Democratic attorney general hopeful George Jepsen. He ran around the room tossing the cooking gear out to everyone in sight. “You won’t get burned with Jepsen!” he boomed as he shook their hands.
Most attendees opted for the more traditional lawn sign instead.
Over and over again Wednesday night, the speakers touched on a common theme: nostalgia for the days of 2008. Barack Obama’s presidential victory gave members of the town committee a taste for high turnout that has not been repeated since, and they want to draw upon the voting power from that campaign when this November rolls around.
According to Democratic Town Committee Chairwoman Susie Voigt, about 30,000 people in New Haven voted in 2008. This year she hopes 20-25,000 people show up. “I think that number is eminently doable,” she said.
Earlier in the evening, committee members began to discuss their strategy for achieving exactly that. “A lot of us are getting old!” Vanessa Burns, campaign manager for State Sen. Toni Harp, reminded the group. She asked about plans to engage young people. Meanwhile, another member of the group gave instructions on how to collect absentee ballots in New Haven’s various neighborhoods. According to the committee, the city has more than 40 different facilities for either assisted living or elderly housing within the city where such ballots might be in demand.
As the evening drew to a close, one more guest strode through the door: Mayor John DeStefano. DeStefano arrived almost immediately after Malloy’s departure. He said that he had passed the candidate on his way in.
“Any disagreements we may have had in the primary were ... very small,” he told committee members during brief remarks. (Malloy ran an infamous last-minute ad in 2006 portraying DeStefano in a dress.) “He’ll do a good job.”
Then DeStefano, too, took a seat at one of the cafeteria tables positioned throughout the room and chatted with neighbors.
Malloy, meanwhile, headed to the Hill neighborhood to address a gathering of the city police union about rank-and-file opposition to DeStefano’s newly appointed police chief.
After the meeting was officially adjourned, downtown Alderwoman Frances “Bitsie” Clark and Fair Haven Heights Alderwoman Maureen O’Sullivan lingered in conversation. Clark, who said that she has both supported Malloy and traditionally supported the mayor, said she was convinced that by now, both interest groups had merged in the city.
“That’s one thing politicians are good at: coming together after the primary,” she said. “They’re stupid if they don’t.”
And the committee members themselves, most of whom were not supporting Malloy until after his recent victory?
Clark shook her head in response to the suggestion of conflict. “I think people are not dwelling on a month ago.”
She looked again at the candidates tricking out of the door. “People really want to win.”
Tags: Dan Malloy
Post a Comment
Comments
posted by: streever on September 16, 2010 8:18am
I’m glad to see other New Haven voters coalescing around Malloy—something I had hoped we’d be able to do early on, but as usual, the Mayor’s personal problems came first.
posted by: Observer on September 16, 2010 10:54am
Love it when politicans eat humble pie. And DeStefano’s entrance was as expected for someone who is not gracious in victory or defeat. Let’s see if Malloy screws those who have supported him when he is Governor and abandons them for the same machine that worked so hard to make sure he didn’t get elected?
posted by: pat on September 16, 2010 2:42pm
Once again the voters are faced with limited choices and a winner take all outcome.
How does one vote “None of the ABove”?
If there are 3 choices, why aren’t we allowed preferential voting, an innovation that avoids the so-called “spoiler” effect?
The present system breeds apathy because it doesn’t allow for fine-tuning when we vote.
If the incumbents really wanted to increase voter participation, then let them change the vote process to allow for innovations and true choices, not the limited 2 party or rich person’s game that keeps new ideas out.
posted by: Threefifths on September 16, 2010 3:24pm
Is All Forgiven.All they did was go into the back room and start hand out what jobs there will get if either foley or Malloy wins.People wake up.Here is the real deal.
posted by: Threefifths on September 16, 2010 5:22pm
posted by: pat on September 16, 2010 2:42pm
The present system breeds apathy because it doesn’t allow for fine-tuning when we vote.
If the incumbents really wanted to increase voter participation, then let them change the vote process to allow for innovations and true choices, not the limited 2 party or rich person’s game that keeps new ideas out.
Now this is what I am talking about.You would agree that we need proportional representation with term limits.
