2023 Election Guide

I think it needs to be said that not ALL Democrats fully support the Charter Revisions. There are many residents of this city who think we should vote NO to the Charter Revision question that will be on the ballot because we believe they should NOT have been bundled all 10 of the proposed changes and put ONE question on the ballot to vote yes to all the proposed changes but not listing the changes.

This is not a party thing … this is a transparency thing, this is a ‘not giving the voters the opportunity to vote separately on each change’ thing. This is a ‘the Alders think it needs to be simplified for the voters’ thing.

Democrats have not come out fully in support. Some have … but MANY DEMOCRATS DO NOT SUPPORT ALL THE PROPOSED CHANGES AND WILL VOTE NO!!! AND MANY DEMOCRATS WANT YOU TO VOTE NO ON THE BALLOT!!!

Thank you. I hope the NHI will includeward breakdowns for mayor, alder, and on the charter revision question...

VOTE NO ON CHARTER REVISION. NO endless RAISES, NO 4 year terms

Vote “NO” on the intellectually dishonest charter question.

Citizens should have the ability to boot a bad alderperson out of office, not wait for a four-year term to expire.

I was surprised to read that "Democrats have come out fully in support" of the charter revision. I think a correction is in order as it would be more accurate to say, "the Democrat political establishment has come out fully in support" of the charter revision, which would surprise no one. I have encountered very few Democrat voters (non-politicians) who support this approach, and I will be shocked if this passes. The entire charter revision process is self-serving and was setup for failure when all the questions/issues were lumped into a "Yes or No" choice. The issue of 4 year terms for the Mayor and Alders was joined at the hip -- almost guaranteeing it will fail. I think it is fair to say that the New Haven electorate views this issue as important, but not one to be held hostage over. Had these questions been separated so that a voter could decide on each, I think the overwhelming sense of people who were in this process -- or following it closely -- is that the Mayor would get a 4 year term, and Alders would remain at two, and there would be no stipend raises. But now since it is framed as as "all-or-nothing" choice, not only will terms remain the same, all the good government stuff that is also part of this charter revision vote will go down the toilet as well. I find it interesting but certainly not a coincidence that reducing the size of the BOA -- an issue NHI readers have no shortage of opinions over -- is not on the ballot? It was intentionally kept off the ballot, hence, the question isn't even posed to voters. Self-serving. I could be wrong, but my sense is that New Haven voters would vote to reduce the BOA by half in a heartbeat -- and the Alders know that. I find it hard to believe that any political body would willingly choose to reduce its size, so until questions about the BOA are put directly to voters without being sanitized (approved) first by the BOA, things won't change. I'll vote "No" because "Hell No" won't be a ballot choice.

I agree that although the machine/those in power clearly support the ballot measure, it cannot be said that Democrats by and large support the ballot measure. From regularly speaking with a wide variety of Democrats across town (not science, I know, but the best I can offer), I suspect that the majority of Democrats oppose extending alder terms to 4 years, support extending the mayoral term to 4 years, and overall oppose the ballot measure.

Of all the many ways the charter could have been amended to improve the lives of New Haveners, it is unfortunate that those in power used this opportunity mainly to transparently attempt to increase their own power. This is a moral issue, but not a partisan one.

Please. vote "NO" on the Charter Revision question on this Tuesday's ballot. It is in your own best interest to do so by voting no we are able to hold these politicians to a closer accountability standard and that is a right you should never want to give up.

VOTE NO ON Charter revision.
The clearest, simplest, most sussinct and logical reason for opposing this charter revision as proposed was given by Rev. Samuel T. Ross-Lee:
"I will never vote "Yes" for something I agree with if it means also voting "Yes" for something with which I do not.
I was a member of the Charter Review Committee 20 years ago. I was against Four-year terms for Alders then; I am against it now.
I am also ashamed of a government that attempts to force my vote and disrespects my intelligence. The Charter revision suggests several (if not many) changes. The fact that we don't get to vote separately on each suggestion is the least democratic thing this so-called push for a better democracy can do."
As the proposal stands as it is written, as it is not clearly delineated and explained on the BALLOT, and as it fails to provide RESIDENTS with the right to choose or reject certain parts of a multi-part revision of our Charter, I cannot vote in favor of the referendum.
MANY RESIDENTS DO NOT WANT 4 YEAR TERMS FOR ALDERMEN. PERIOD. EXCLAMATION POINT.
This is not a partisan position. It is not a Republican position. It is a democratic position of free choice, fairness and transparency in our electoral process!

Should I vote for Yale School of Management or McKinsey & Company?

So many choices in New Haven.

I hope that voters mpay close attention to WHICH ALDERS support this power grab. My alder is a hack supporter.... that says it all.... he is fighting other charges so this is a nice way to stay in power longer....

Another lifelong progressive Democrat voting NO on charter revisions. The listening sessions/hearings were pretty contrived and not separating the issues is a big red flag against democracy for me. Let people decide!

George Carlin on Voting

Now there’s one thing you might have noticed i don’t complain about: politicians. everybody complains about politicians. Everybody says they suck. Well where do people think these politicians come from? They don’t fall out of the sky. They don’t pass through a membrane from “another reality”. They come from American parents, and American families, American homes, American schools, American churches, American businesses, and American universities. And they’re elected by American citizens. This is the best we can do folks. This is what we have to offer. It’s what our system produces: Garbage in. Garbage out.So I have solved this little political dilemma for myself in a very simple way: on election-day, I-STAY-HOME. I don’t vote. Fuck ’em. FUCK THEM. I don’t vote. Two reasons. Two reasons I don’t vote: first of all, it’s meaningless. This country was bought and sold and paid for a long time ago. The shit they shuffle around every four years doesn’t mean a fuckin’ thing. And secondly, I don’t vote ’cause I believe if you vote, you have no right to complain. People like to twist that around. I know, they say, they say: “well if you don’t vote you have no right to complain”. But where’s the logic in that? If you vote, and you elect dishonest, incompetent people, and they get into office and screw everything up, well you are responsible for what they have done, YOU caused the problem, you voted them in, you have no right to complain. I on the other hand, who did not vote, WHO DID NOT VOTE. Who in fact did not even leave the house on election-day, am in no way responsible for what these people have done, and have every RIGHT to complain as loud as I want, about the mess YOU created, that I had nothing to do with.

Adding my voice to livelong progressives that will be voting NO on the charter revision. Citizens are smart enough to have the issues separated out. The bundle is undemocratic and shady in my opinion.

Three-fifths is always at the top of my NHI commenter power rankings.

Lifelong Democrat here who will vote NO today. Give me the “Do you want to see smaller city council and higher pay for those alders?”

And for god’s sake. Itemize the revisions, alders. Shame on you.

18th WARD VOTE FOR LISA MILONE WARD CHAIR AND ANTHONY ACRI FOR CITY CLERK!!

VOTE NO ON THE CHARTER QUESTION!

I would've voted YES on Alder raises. I would've voted YES on a 4 year Mayor's term. I would've voted YES on stopping lifetime appointments.

But I will vote NO on extending Alder terms, especially as folded into all of these other issues. Especially given the total lack of clarity on the ballot.

The average New Haven family makes $42,000 a year but Facebook trolls masquerading as activists who claim that Black lives really matter to them have no problem jacking the taxes up 50% on the poor people in this town. The same people who somehow afford to live in East Rock but never name their financial benefactors have no problem asking for a lifetime term for their idealized candidate who is so unrepentant that his only offering to us is to ask that we don't make him earn the job. Has New Haven gotten better by electing a heavy handed mayor who is promising things that we don't need to the people who don't hear gunshots every night? We want our tax dollars going to keeping people from being shot in the streets.That's it aside from maybe actually filing some pot holes. We don't want a mayor who wants to appease the mob in comment sections by civilizing the nice parts of town. If working people commented all day they would lose their jobs which is why most of these arguments are being lobbed by people who can afford not to have full time jobs. Why would working people want to knock down houses so they can build shoddy "luxury" condos? The worker doesn't want homeless people shooting up in the park while they play soccer with their families because we all know that to be the cause of the gentleman politico. The modern left has disdain for the working class which is why they don't mind if middle class kids come here to defecate in the river while the guy who cuts their lawn tries to have a picnic with his family.