Markeshia Ricks
Harp heading into her Orange Street command center Friday.
Red is the color of power, determination, and fire.
Mayor Toni Harp invoked all three qualities in her dress and in a speech to the faithful at the opening of her 165 Orange St. campaign office.
Supporters packed the office and lined the street Friday evening to hear from Harp talk about the power of working together, her determination to win a third two-year term as mayor and the fire of facts-based leadership.
Supports on the sidewalk.
“The first thing I want to say is that we have accomplished a lot together,” she said. “Crime is down in our city across every single measure.”
“Facts!” City Plan Commissioner Audrey Tyson called out.
“Facts,” she echoed, which drew a chuckle from the crowd.
Pictures in front of headquarters were a must.
Harp touted her hiring of more than 155 police officers since she’s been in office. She said that Shot Spotter, a gun shot detection software which has had expanded used under Harp’s administration, shows that the number of shots fired in the city have dropped 62 percent over five years. (They dropped 32. 9 percent in the first six months of this year compared to the first six months of last year, according to the police department.)
The crush at the office opening.
Harp’s opponent for the Democratic Party nomination, Marcus Paca, has challenged her record on crime, arguing that official statistics don’t tell the whole story. (Click here to read about that.)
Former HANH Deputy Directory Sheila Allen-Bell was in the house …
Harp emphasized not just a drop in crime, but new economic development in town, and credited people in the room with helping her govern.
… as was Farnam Courts Tenant Resident Council President Brenda Harris.
She even shouted out the Board of Alders, whose leaders have accused her administration of ignoring their authority and which earlier in the week overrode her veto of their policy amendments on new fiscal year city budget budget. About half a dozen alders were on hand to show their support including board President Tyisha Walker, who urged the crowd to be ready to knock doors to get Harp reelected.
Harp speaks with a supporter and his daughter.
Harp pointed to the success of her YouthStat program, which brings teachers together with school administrators and cops and probation workers to figure out how to help the most troubled kids stay out of trouble. She also cited progress students are making on English, math and science.
“We came up with that together,” she said of YouthStat. “We take care of the kids of the highest performance through [the New Haven] Promise [scholarship program], and we make sure that those that other people have discarded that we keep them and say that we see value in you. That’s what we have done together.”
She said that the city’s ninth graders are on track for four-year graduation at a rate that is closer to the state rate, and nearly 64 percent of students are enrolled in a two- or four-year college.
“These are facts,” she said. “We know that good schools equal a good life for our children. We know that great schools equal a great city.”
Harp called New Haven a great city that increasingly more people of all ages want to make their home. She pointed to 1,200 new market rate apartments that have come to the city during her tenure, and 2,000 more in the planning stage. She also touted the programs that her administration has started to assist small businesses, to teach financial literacy and a program targeted to low-level drug abusers and street prostitutes called Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD). (At their first joint public campaign appearance, Harp and Paca offered starkly different portraits of the state of the city.)
“We’ve attracted, old people like me,” Harp said, drawing chuckles, “the Baby Boomers and young millennials who want to live downtown, who want to walk, who want to bike and be part of communities. And we are an innovation city, we’ve gotten $2 million for the next three years to build our innovation economy. We plan, we implement in a smart strategic way and we get things done together.”
The countdown to Election Day is on.
“Facts,” the crowd yelled.
The Harp campaign also unveiled its new website at Friday’s event.
Click the play button to see some of Harp’s speech to supporters and volunteers.
Lots of facts to refer to. I imagine the comments will refer to a lot of facts, i.e. Esserman, Harries, Bartlett, Jefferson...
Facts you say?
"Moody's assessment was based on $530 million in outstanding general obligation funds owned by the city. Clerkin said the city issued $48.4 million in new borrowing for the 2016-17 fiscal year, with $73.4 million to re-fund debt previously issued at a higher interest."
http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20160802/new-haven-officials-perplexed-after-moody-downgrades-bond-credit
https://www.moodys.com/credit-ratings/New-Haven-City-of-CT-credit-rating-546300