nothin Greens Endorse Paca | New Haven Independent

Greens Endorse Paca

Michelle Liu Photo

Paca at ah-Beetz after the primary polls closed.

Marcus Paca is running Green — and Sarah Ganong is running double-clean, to the extent that she’s running.”

Those were the latest developments in the New Haven mayoral race.

Yes, even though the Democratic primary is over, Mayor Toni Harp still faces two opponents whose names will appear on the general election ballot: Paca (running as an independent) and Working Families Party candidate Ganong.

On Monday the New Haven Green Party announced that it is endorsing Paca, who lost to Harp 3 – 1 in last week’s Democratic primary.

Green Chair Patricia Kane stated in a release that the party decided to endorse Paca because of his vision for the city” and his commitment to specific steps to improve the economy and quality of life for New Haven residents.”

• His confirmation of New Haven as a sanctuary city;

” • The restoration of an Ethics Committee, a reduction in police overtime, (currently $100,000 per week! ) and reduced cronyism in government;

” • Transparency in government, especially in the budget process and the schools;

” • A focus on job creation with the Green Market Challenge to award start up resources and tax incentives to entrepreneurs heading businesses that expand New Haven’s Green economy and could increase green collar jobs for residents. Focus areas would include clean power, renewable energy, weatherization, energy efficient retrofitting and solar installations;

• His Hire One” Campaign to host a local job fair and ask local businesses to commit to hiring one New Haven resident;

” • The establishment of a School to Jobs Pipeline to partner with business to train New Haven residents for jobs of the future, along with the expansion of apprenticeship programs and the enhancement of technical school programs.”

Paca stated after last week’s primary that he is leaning” toward continuing his campaign this fall for the general election. Asked Monday if he has made a decision whether to pursue the campaign, he stated that he will release my decision to the voters directly, very soon.”

He issued a statement that he’s thrilled” with the Green endorsement. He stated that it speaks directly to my commitment to grow our green economy and partnerships with businesses, residents and students; provide more ethical transparent and inclusive government and maintain a focus on the neediest amongst us, namely our homeless.”

According to the Registrar of Voters office, 63 active New Haven voters are registered as Greens. That compares to over 38,000 Democrats, 2,365 Republicans, and 14,557 unaffiliated voters.

Clean & Clenaer

Paul Bass Photo

Ganong filing petitions last month to qualify for the mayoral ballot.

Ganong, meanwhile, has filed an affidavit with the Democracy Fund, which administers New Haven’s public-financing system, that she plans to abide by the program’s rules for fundraising: She won’t accept individual contributions above $370, or any contributions at all from business entities” or political-action committees.

Mayoral candidates need to do that to qualify for grants from the Democracy Fund. Paca has already qualified for the Fund; Harp is not participating in the system. New Haven created the fund to enable more people to run for office, even if they lack special-interest backing or the fundraising advantages of an incumbent.

In fact, Ganong said Monday, I’m not going be accepting any campaign contributions whatsoever.” She does not plan to seek any grants from the Democracy Fund. She has her name on the ballot, she said, in the hopes of winning 1 percent of the vote — thus guaranteeing the Working Families Party a position on future municipal ballots so it can endorse progressive Democrats. Working Families already has ballot lines in Hartford, Bridgeport, Norwalk, Danbury, Windham, Meriden, Bethel, and New Britain. The party is organizing a New Haven chapter.

Why did Ganong file the form for the Democracy Fund about abiding by fundraising rules if she’s not raising funds?


I wanted to make sure we’re on record. Working Families is incredibly supportive of public financing for campaigns,” Ganong said.

Ganong serves as state political director of the party. In that capacity, she sent out a statewide email Monday urging people to contact Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to call on him to veto the Republican version of the state budget that passed the legislature this weekend. (Malloy reaffirmed Monday that he plans to veto it.) Ganong described the Republican budget as a direct assault on working-poor families across Connecticut.

It corrupts our democracy, raises taxes on those who can least afford it, bankrupts Hartford jeopardizing the health of our state, decimates education, guts public services, undermines collective bargaining rights, and sets us up for future deficits in years to come,” she said.

In a conversation Monday she spoke with alarm about the defunding in that budget of the statewide public-financing system. She said if that defunding comes to pass, it would return Connecticut, which has one of the strongest clean-money systems in the nation, back into the dark money” ages.

New Haven mayoral candidates who accept Democracy Fund money are expected to participate in a candidates’ debate. Ganong will be invited to a debate, but is under no enforceable obligation to participate unless she requests funds,” noted Democracy Fund Administrator Alyson Heimer.

Asked if she’ll participate in a mayoral campaign debate this fall, Ganong Monday replied that she’ll make the decision if and when the invitation comes before us.”

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