Progressive Dems Rout In Hamden

They say a picture speaks a thousand words.

Regardless of the political leanings of specific candidates, it seems clear that the victorious slates appealed to Democrats of all types. That is because the issues they ran on – more accountability, more transparency, etc. – are not "progressive" or "moderate." They're universal. Residents recognize that we simply must change the way we do business in this town given the challenges we face. The next opportunity to put this into practice is the upcoming budget season, during which we all need to work together to do better than we have in the past – more information, more analysis, a greater willingness to confront difficult choices.

I'm embarrassed to say that my husband and I didn't vite yesterday because we couldn't figure out what district we are in or where we were supposed to vote . This was after us both trying to find out information on the Hamden website and Hamden Facebook page. We are going to contact the Mayor's office to complain!

I would say this election had less to do with "progressive" politics and more to do with the mayor's handling of the town finances. We have over a billion dollars in debt and are on the verge of a state (MARB) take-over. Borrowing more money and over-projecting revenues is not going to cut it. What is the plan???

Progressive by any other name is a socialist.

Republicans take note. Organize now, take out the spend and spend and spend politicians at next vote.

BREWSKI nailed it! After parents living in Hamden for 40 years they are now fearing being forced out due to taxes and mishandling of finances. As a member of a slightly younger generation it has come to a point where BOE isnt being held accountable to adequately treat and prepare all students, where services are shoddy, where the young adults are no longer tolerant of being told to just pay knowing they arent getting any more because it is all going to the towns past debts that they had nothing to do with. The fear of STATE take over is overwhelming because there is a very general misconception and perception from years gone by that this is a wealthy town filled with a higher ratio of homeowners. The burdens on this town are very similar to is largest neighbor. We have a university that as absorbed quite a large bit of real estate that has left the tax roles and now uses significantly more town resources than it contributes towards without the state properly crediting (PILOT). It has a very diverse school population with more needs. Hopefully this group will be more fiscally conservative and willing to make cuts ,say no and stop rubbing each others backs

@Brewski, I agree. I think this election was not about progressive politics, but rather, about the importance of fiscal responsibility. It is ironic to find some progressive candidates on the side of fiscal constraint. But these politics are local; they are not about socialist policies at the national level.

Hamden is the new New Haven

What do these results mean to those who have not been following town politics under the microscope for the past 20 years?

Here's my take on some of the people who lost. The names that I recognize are those of people who have been, for the most part, deeply entrenched in the running of the Town for a decade and more.

Steve Mongillo, Bill Lavelle and Karen Kleinerman have been active in the Fourth District since I first became involved in local politics in 1999. Valerie Horsley is the member of the Legislative Council for the district.

The results from the Sixth District astonished me. The losers include Arturo Perez-Cabello (Chair of the Board of Education), Kath Schomaker (the Town's Energy Efficiency Projects Manager, and member of the Legislative Council since 2005), Myron Hul (most recently Interim Finance Director, present Secretary of the Board of Education, previously member of the Legislative Council and the Police Commission) and Curt Leng (THE MAYOR!).

The losers in the the Seventh District include Michael Colaiacovo (long-time and present member of the Legislative Council).

The losers in the Eighth District include James Pascarella (long-time member and past President of the Legislative Council) John DeRosa (at-large member of the Legislative Council) and Michael Dolan (local attorney).

The losers in the Ninth District are again astonishing. Betsy Gorman (long-time member of the Town Committee), Joseph McDonagh (everything and anything to do with the Party since, at least, 1999, including many terms as Chair of the HDTC and of the Planning and Zoning Commission; he was the one who inflicted Carl Amento on the Town, when the rot began), Berita Rowe-Lewis (long-time member of the Legislative Council) and Walter Morton IV (Chair of the Finance Committee of the Board of Education, Director Of Legislative Affairs receiving a salary of $72,000 from the Mayor).

I hope the Council will now eliminate all the unnecessary positions in the mayor's office!

towns like hamden(and west haven and some others) benefited greatly from post war prosperity and corporations like SNET and Conrail were hiring halls for connected families of employees and most hiring done at the Irish and Italian American club. City hiring the same way..rinks, public works, inefficient neighborhood schools provided tons of jobs as janitors, maintenance, administrative with pay, benefits OT. Fire Depts are staffed as if there no sprinklers or building codes with 120 firemen, all nepotism but nobody cared. Now there is little private sector like SNET, Conrail, Pratt etc to pay for this, and there have not been for 25 years, but municipal pay goes on unabated and Hamden school has many 100k teachers and 150 admins and costs 20k per pupil without even counting pensions. New Haven worse but has Yale to hit up constantly and some employment base but Hamden/West Haven have nothing but early pensioners with large amounts due bankrupting the town. Sad