Issues/Platform

The Board of Education building at 60 Putnam Avenue

It is important for us, as citizens and neighbors, to feel we can approach our representatives and count on them to act in the best interest of our diverse District and Town. This truth lies at the core of our republican form of government, and must be implemented by anyone involved in public service.

Likewise, we must realize the limitations of our legislators. Even the best elected official can only accomplish so much in his/her limited time, particularly when faced with problems that have accrued over many years.

I am blessed to have the time, energy and commitment to be able to serve our community, but it is a difficult job. I chose to address only a few of our community’s issues here, but if you have a question, concern or idea, please feel free to contact me and I will do my best to respond to you on my campaign journal.

Five general sub-categories of my platform statement:

Quality of Life

“Quality of life” is a broad term used to describe the general environment, living conditions and appeal of a community. And, although a “good” quality of life can be incredibly difficult to quantify, it is very easy to describe, and even more so to recognize where it needs improvement.

In recent years, the quality of life in the 5th District has not improved. Indeed in many quarters it has declined dramatically. And, of even greater concern, there are indications that the trend may continue downward. Traffic through our neighborhoods has increased dramatically; we have discovered a major area of environmental contamination in Newhall; we have lost one of our community’s anchor institutions (Hamden Middle School); our infrastructure (e.g., curbs and sidewalks) is literally crumbling; trees are disappearing without replacement; and the “village” character of Whitneyville hangs in the balance.

Return to the top of this page

Problem: Zoning violations, blight and litter, oh my!

The landscape of the 5th District is becoming more ragged with each passing year. Nearly every block in the District has one or more homes where trash abounds, vehicles are illegally stored, grass is overgrown, etc. Under law there is recourse for these situations. However, the Planning Department currently has only one zoning enforcement officer, who is incredibly overworked, and as a result, many complaints go unanswered, fines go unlevied and blighted properties fail to be improved.

Blighted conditions communicate to residents and visitors that quality of life laws simply cannot be enforced, and therefore the neighborhood is “open for business” to all those who would commit “minor” infractions. And with any neighborhood there is a “tipping point,” past which blight becomes the norm.

Solution: Enforcement

As a Legislative Councilperson I will always support the hiring and retention of adequate Zoning Enforcement Officers. The fact that the current Council has cut back in this area is scandalous.

In addition, a few months ago I had an epiphany: if the Legislative Council continues to short-change zoning enforcement, why not empower concerned citizens to help the Planning Department deal with zoning violations? Of course, nothing is ever that simple, but don’t be dismayed. At the heart of this cycle, is the fact that a zoning enforcement officer can only address and visit so many properties in a work week, in addition to his/her other duties, and those that pose health and environmental hazards must take precedence over unsightliness. Why, then, can’t the Town appoint individuals to “investigate” some of the hundreds of additional complaints on a volunteer basis? These volunteers might not issue citations or levy fines, but could serve as extra bodies to document alleged zoning infractions. Their efforts would cost the Town nothing and would potentially bring in thousands of dollars in fines annually. I’m happy to report that the Clean & Green Commission is currently pursuing this possibility with the Planning Department.

It may also be possible under Connecticut law to appoint one or more volunteer “Constables” for Southern Hamden, whose office would carry with it the power to write citations and levy fines. In addition, a Constable may be able to enforce parking violations.

Clearly, not all trash is a direct result of the property owner, some is simply tossed on the streets or dumped on a remote property. Hamden’s police department has the ability to issue tickets for littering, and it seems reasonable that, with a little diligence from concerned citizens, we could increase the number of tickets issued and deter those who might litter. Likewise, posting signs informing of the fines applicable to littering often goes a long way toward curbing this activity.

Return to the top of this page

Problem: Newhall Contamination

Sometimes the blight which plagues a neighborhood is unseen, lying literally under our feet. Such is the case in the Newhall neighborhood, where residential contamination is the result of industrial dumping. I have been a long-time supporter of our community’s desire for justice through the remediation of neighborhood properties. Its saddens me greatly that our citizens had to sue the Town and, in essence, themselves, because their elected politicians failed to listen, recognize the injustice and consider the overall well-being of their constituents.

We have also seen indifference, racism and classism at play within the movement to relocate the Hamden Middle School. While bitterness remains, we must realize that the school is gone; and we must focus our attention and passion upon the task of assuring that the Middle School site remains a positive anchor within the community.

Solution: Remediation

I am in favor of seeing the Middle School property and the surrounding homes remediated and creatively renovated to become a real asset for our community. I absolutely do not support extending the Hamden Industrial Park further into the Newhall neighborhood. And I will continue to oppose any dumping or storage of excavated, contaminated soil on the Middle School site, or anywhere else within our neighborhood.

Return to the top of this page

Problem: Crumbling Curbs & Buckling Sidewalks

Unfortunately, in Hamden the replacement and repair of curbing and sidewalks is the responsibility of the individual homeowner (unless the damage is due to a Town tree). And, understandably, most homeowners defer or ignore these important areas of property maintenance. As a result, our sidewalks have become increasingly more difficult to navigate, and the aesthetics and functionality of our streetscapes have steadily declined as the years have passed.

From an aesthetic perspective, problems are often exacerbated even when individual homeowners make repairs to their curbing and/or sidewalks. There is often no coordination or attempt at consistency in material or quality from job to job, creating something of a “crazy quilt” streetscape.

Solution: Cooperative Action/Town Participation

The only way to address this problem is through a combination of cooperative action and Town participation. Individual blocks, or entire neighborhoods should procure new curbs and/or sidewalks from a single contractor who will provide a product which is uniform in appearance, and cheaper than that which could be obtained through individual contracts with single homeowners. A Town contribution to each job could be negotiated (based on the total tree damage on the affected block/neighborhood), and grant monies should be actively sought.

Return to the top of this page

Problem: Where have all the street trees gone?

The Town of Hamden is effectively out of the street tree business. Purportedly due to liability issues and maintenance costs, its policy is to take street trees down and not replace them. The effect of such a policy has become particularly acute in recent years, as many of the predominant maples have reached the end of their life span due to root girdling, disease, etc.

Trees increase home values, help keep energy costs down, clean the air, provide safe harbor for beneficial insects and birds, and they’re just plain beautiful!

Solution: Commitment and Creative Financing

We must find ways to afford new, healthy and mature trees to “jump start” our dwindling greenbelts. Private and public grants are available for these purposes. I will encourage Town officials and neighborhood associations to pursue this money.

I also plan to put my money where my mouth is. I pledge to donate my council person’s stipend ($1250/year), and any excess campaign donations, to the Whitneyville & New Beginnings For Southern Hamden Civic Associations to purchase trees & other supplies for beautification within the 5th District.

For a list of recommended trees and shrubs for your tree lawn and/or yard, pick up one of the Clean & Green Commission’s brochures at the Miller Library or Government Center.

Return to the top of this page

Problem: Traffic—It’s not just about cars anymore.

Gas-powered vehicle pollution is the number one contributor to poor outdoor air quality, which is directly linked to health problems ranging from childhood asthma to various cancers. Far too many large trucks are using our local, residential streets as shortcuts between Whitney and Dixwell Avenues, rather than traveling the extra mile to reach the official, newly widened connector: Skiff St. The increased amount of truck travel on our local roads adversely affects our health, our homes (which often shake with the passing of each large vehicle) and certainly our roads – as our narrow residential streets and crumbling curbs were not constructed to bear the weight of such vehicles and degrade far more quickly because of their presence.

This problem, along with rampant speeding, rank among the top threats to Southern Hamden’s quality of life. The often frenzied flow of traffic also impedes the socially-beneficial use of bicycles for commuting and recreation in addition to endangering pedestrians.

As one of the Whitneyville Civic Association Traffic Committee’s founding members, I have been concerned with the health, safety and use of our roadways for several years. Although there are numerous methods to mediate the negative effects of traffic in residential neighborhoods, the Town has failed to implement these in any consistent and effective manner. To protect our neighborhoods, homes and families, we need this to happen.

For more information on the problem of diesel pollution in Connecticut visit http://www.cfenv.org/air/Diesel/diesel.htm.

Solution: Organic Solutions & Other Peoples’ Money

We cannot trust the Town or the State DOT to understand our traffic problems and their effect on our fragile urban residential environments. The best solutions will spring organically from the residents. As Chair of the Whitneyville Civic Association’s Traffic Committee, I am presiding over just such an initiative.

Our Traffic Committee is first developing guiding principles (e.g. traffic calming, etc.), then creating task forces to study specific problematic intersections or stretches of road. We will then be working with professional traffic engineers to develop a specific traffic plan for these problem areas. A separate task force is studying possible sources for funding of the suggested improvements.

The most likely community initiatives will address—through creative traffic calming tools—speed, volume and truck traffic on our principal East-West roadways: Armory, Augur, Goodrich, Mather, Morse, Putnam, and Treadwell. We must also provide for safer bicycling by, among other things, designating bike lanes or other passages down Whitney Avenue and fascilitate safe access to the Farmington Canal Trail along Goodrich, Putnam and Treadwell for bicyclists and pedestrians alike.

Return to the top of this page

Problem: Where do all the tax dollars go?

There is little chance that Hamden’s property taxes will decrease in the foreseeable future. However, that sobering fact might be more palatable if more of those tax dollars were invested in Southern Hamden. The South end of Town—particularly the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Districts—is densely populated, and represents a far greater proportion of Hamden’s taxpayers than the central of northern sections. Yet, we do not see that same proportional reinvestment of our property tax dollars in the form of services and infrastructure improvements.

Solution: Invest in Southern Hamden Real Estate

I would like to see the Town, which seems particularly concerned with open space, make reclaiming “urban open space” a priority. It’s true that there is little open space currently available in Southern Hamden, and we will never be able to obtain the amount of open space that exists in the more rural areas of Town. However, a single acre of business or abandoned residential property, reclaimed and converted into usable, urban open space, makes much more of a difference in the quality of life of the surrounding communities than another acre of forest in a largely rural area.

The Town’s planned purchase of the Dadio Farm at the west end of Putnam Avenue for a fire and/or police headquarters presents a golden opportunity for our community. If this development were to include a kid-friendly park and a small community center, in addition to its primary functionality as a station, it would turn a simple government facility into a wonderfully functional asset to the general community.

I will also urge the Town to finally acquire the jewel that is “Five Ponds Park,” formerly the Olin Powder Farm. Although menacingly fenced in by Olin, 5th District residents have been surreptitiously recreating here for decades. The Town should conclude the deal with Olin, render this Putnam Avenue property clean and safe, and then provide a “soft trail” spur off of the Farmington Canal Trail through the Park.

The Town should also make sure—through direct funding or conditioning of adjacent development—that the north side Putnam Avenue sidewalk is completed from the Dunbar-Davenport Residence to Newhall Street so that all residents can safely walk the entire length of Putnam Avenue.

Return to the top of this page

Problem: Lack of planning

Few people recognize that not too long ago, Hamden was “Our Town,” the picturesque village described in Thornton Wilder’s famous play. Hamden was once a series of small villages: self-sufficient communities, connected by land, resources and people. Over time some of this was lost because development and growth came when Hamden did not have a consistent and detailed Town Plan.

Solution: Reclaim the Villages

It is not too late to revitalize our “urban villages.” The new Town Plan (particularly the plan developed for Whitneyville’s Center by its residents) is an amazing preview of Hamden’s possibilities. The grant for sidewalk renovations and plantings on Putnam Avenue, as well as the potential National Historic District designation for “The Cedars” area, will improve our neighborhoods and provide us a great protection from certain kinds of growth that may further erode our quality of life.

In the coming months, Hamden will be reviewing its general zoning regulations. This is a rare opportunity for the community to reshape the law to encourage the preservation of our neighborhoods and restore important aspects of our quality of life. We must be relentless in our insistence on progressive changes for the 5th District. Among those changes should be the establishment of one or more “village districts” under the authority of Section 8-2j of the Connecticut General Statutes. Regulations can be adopted to “protect the distinctive character, landscape and historic structures within such districts.” By adopting village district regulations, the town can consider the design, relationship and compatibility of structures, plantings, signs, roadways, street hardware and other objects in public view.

Return to the top of this page

The Budget and our Tax Burden

A budget is a moral document. In our stressed fiscal climate we need to be creative and resourceful in the ways we look to save and allocate money, without sacrificing crucial municipal services. We need to work hard to improve the quality of life for all our residents. And we must always assess the long-term consequences of our choices.

Further, as a Legislative Councilperson from the 5th District, I will work tirelessly to make sure that the budget fairly addresses the needs of Southern Hamden.

There are many ways to cut costs, increase revenue and maximize the leverage of tax dollars for a municipality – some ultimately beneficial and some not so. What follows is brief discussion of some of the concepts that I have been exploring.

Return to the top of this page

Problem: Unfocused Economic Development

Too many municipalities fall victim to the “myths of job creation”; and Hamden is no exception. There are sound uses for tax breaks and other incentives for local business development. However, the Town’s Economic Development budget must be deployed in an enlightened manner which considers the long-term contributions that different sizes and types of development can offer to Hamden.

Solution: Support sustainable business growth

Hamden should focus its Economic Development budget on small to mid-sized business entities. We must also protect existing local businesses which have formed the backbone of our economy for decades, and are an important part of the Town’s social fabric. We should cut back the indiscriminate doling out of tax breaks/business incentives for many large-scale businesses, e.g. “big box” retail chains. These retailers base their location decisions upon a baseline of demographics, and a municipality’s meager incentives are rarely, if ever, an important factor in their calculus of whether the business is viable in a given location.

Hamden is an increasingly desirable community for business investment, and we can become more so in ways that also invest in our quality of life. Most large companies seek out communities that possess a solid infrastructure and a well-educated workforce. And these are the areas where our “economic development” dollars are best spent. Ironically, by avoiding taxes, these outside businesses then begin to degrade the very factors which brought them to a community in the first place. Once the damage is done, many pick up and move on to another town to start the cycle again. Add to that the fact that profits of chain retailers are usually siphoned out of our local economy and sent to corporate headquarters, and you have the makings of an even greater problem. Support for local businesses keeps the rewards of our labor circulating in the local economy.

As a further tool for enlightened business development, we should explore the creative use of our planning and zoning regulations. For example, those regulations could provide a square footage “cap” for single retail stores, subject, of course, to variance. This sort of standard could have numerous beneficial effects, from increasing retail diversity and buyer choice to helping our local small businesses compete with large national and multinational entities.

Return to the top of this page

Problem: Increasing Taxes with No Clear Budgeting Solutions

Our mill rate has increased every year I’ve been a resident of Hamden. Many of these increases were inevitable due to the postponement and deferral of important maintenance and other expenses by previous administrations. Such deferrals have resulted in a compounding of many problems (such as school repair and road maintenance) for Hamden’s current residents.

The recent inability of our local government to deal with Town finances in a constructive and enlightened manner is attributable to numerous factors, chief among them being internal Democratic Party disputes, and structural impediments imposed by our Charter.

Solution: Keeping Politics out of Town Finances

The next Legislative Council must move away from the in-fighting that has plagued its work in recent years. For the sake of the Town, the stalemate that has developed due to grudges, mistrust and selfishness must cease immediately. As a fresh, independent voice on the Council, I intend to be an agent of reconciliation and constructive engagement. I am not beholden to any “camp” within the major parties. I believe that such independence will serve our District well in its relationship with the greater Town government.

The Council must also take a serious look at reforming the Town Charter. The world has changed dramatically in the 20 years since key provisions of Hamden’s Charter were enacted; and recent events and controversies have exposed the limitations of some of the Charter’s provisions relating to the Town’s finances. Hamden is a city, and we can no longer govern ourselves as though we are a small town. The existing Charter renders most Department Heads (e.g. Public Works Director, Finance Director, Park & Recreation Director, Town Planner and Tax Collector) political appointees, making their job security dependent on the current administration’s fancy. This is likely to deter many high-quality administrators and professionals from applying for these positions. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that we elect our Mayors for terms of only two years, resulting in very little job security for Department Heads. Is it any wonder that the dedication and competence of the people drawn to these positions is often very poor?

The most striking example of this phenomenon is the Town’s experience with Finance Directors. The Town Charter, Sec. 15-1, describes the duties of the Finance Director as follows:

The Director of Finance shall be responsible for the keeping of accounts and financial records, the assessment and collection of taxes, special assessments and other revenues, the custody and disbursement of Town funds and money, the control over expenditures, and such other powers and duties as may be required by ordinance or resolution of the Council.

The scope of the job requires a professional with substantial financial and administrative skills and experience. Those same qualities are marketable in many lucrative private sector contexts. So what can we realistically expect for the Department of Finance in view of the skills required and the opportunities available in private industry? Why would any truly qualified financial professional apply for a position with perhaps only two years job security?

The Finance Director should be freed of political concern and coercion. If elected to the Legislative Council, I will work to establish a Commission (under Section 7-190 of the Connecticut General Statutes) to study and make recommendations to amend the Town Charter to terminate the political appointee status of the Finance Director, among other Department Heads.

Return to the top of this page

Problem: Increasingly Excempt Tax Base

More and more of the Town’s Grand List is becoming tax exempt through the increasing conversion of private properties from religious and educational use. Of particular concern is the rapid expansion of Quinnipiac University and its affiliated enterprises.

Solution: Negotiation of Contributions in Lieu of Taxes

The Town shoudl use its leverage to negotiate with Quinnipiac University a contribution in lieu of taxes, along the lines of that which Yale pays to the City of New Haven. Many of the same considerations and incentives present in the Yale-New Haven relationship are also at play in the Quinnipiac University-Hamden relationship. Such a “good faith” gesture on the part of Quinnipiac would also go a long way toward reducing tensions with the Town.

Return to the top of this page

Public Education

As an educator, I observe firsthand some of the principal obstacles to our children’s academic success. Many of these impediments are not unique to Hamden’s schools (e.g., lack of student discipline or preparation for class). The responsibility for such problems is most often with parents and our general culture. Still, other problems—high student-teacher ratios, decreased availability of special programs, etc.—are attributable to the school system’s lack of resources. Finally, the unique legal and political structure of Hamden’s Board of Education (BoE) contributes to the challenges we face in our schools.

Support for our Families

Families today are under assault on a variety of fronts. The relative lack of discipline, respect and responsibility of today’s children results from sources larger than any of us. Plainly, not all of these forces are within the control or influence of the Hamden Legislative Council or the BoE. Reversing this trend in our culture will require the very best efforts of each of us and all of our institutions, from civil government to faith-based organizations.

To the extent that the Legislative Council can play a role, I will support any enlightened measures that hold promise to support the family unit and instill discipline, pride and self-respect in our youth.

Resources for our Schools

The Legislative Council has little direct control over what goes on in our schools. That is the job of the BoE. However, the Legislative Council does control the BoE’s lifeblood – cash. The Legislative Council votes the BoE budget up or down; there is no “line item veto” available.

Finding more money for Hamden’s schools will be a challenging task. I believe that there are, however, some avenues that can be pursued.

First, it is important to note that property taxes are a poor way to fund our schools. And the Connecticut Supreme Court has determined that the State must help Towns such as Hamden through Education Cost-Sharing (ECS) grants. However, for years now Hamden has not been receiving a constitutionally sufficient ECS grant. Because the State has not been meeting its obligations, it is high time to force it to do so. I applaud Hamden’s participation in the Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding (CCJEF), and I support that organization’s current legal strategy. At some point, Hamden may reap a significant windfall from that effort.

In addition, the Council could approve funding for an additional grant writer to seek out private donations of technology that directly benefit our children and supplement our educational funding.

Also of note, purchasing for our schools is done separately from other Town departments. We may be able to save money by combining and bulk-purchasing items, such as paper goods, for the various Town and Educational departments. Likewise, we may be able to affect some cost savings by consolidating the BoE’s health insurance risks and costs with the Town’s other risks and policies. (I certainly do not profess to understand the world of private health insurance, but the BoE’s health insurance costs take up a large portion of the educational budget, and it seems that by redistributing the risks across the entire population of Town employees, we might be able to obtain a better rate or decrease these costs.)

In addition, our educational facilities are currently maintained separately from other Town buildings, and their costs are included in the education budget. This obligation takes the attention of the Superintendent and BoE members away from their fundamental jobs – insuring a quality education for Hamden’s students. I would suggest that all of the Town buildings be maintained by a single facilities department in Public Works.

Structural Reforms

An elective body such as the Legislative Council owes a duty to taxpayers to stay informed of the deliberations of other governmental entities such as the BoE. There are ex officio Council representatives assigned to many of the Town’s commissions, yet it appears that there is no similar liaison between the Council and the BoE, and it is very rare to see any Council member at a BoE meeting. As a result, the Council often has no idea what is currently on the BoE’s agenda, nor any background knowledge on items that may be important components of the BoE’s proposed budget.

The recent controversy surrounding the Superintendent of Schools has exposed a general weakness and lack of accountability in the BoE. Some of these problems stem from the election structure for BoE members. Under the existing Town Charter there are nine (9) BoE members serving four-year terms. However, they are elected in two groups in alternating municipal election years. Six (6) members will be elected for four-year terms in 2005, and an additional set of three (3) members will be elected to four-year terms in 2007. Not only is this election scheme confusing, it gives the voter varying amounts of clout at the ballot box depending on the particular election year.

Furthermore, we do not have a member on the BoE from every District. In other words, we have no assurance that there will be a BoE member from every District, and in theory, all nine could reside in a single District. There should be a BoE member accountable to the constituents of each and every District – a neighbor, who is directly accountable and available to hear the concerns of parents and other citizens. If elected to the Legislative Council, I will work to reform the Town Charter to provide for the election of BoE members by District in the same manner as Legislative Council members.

Return to the top of this page

Safeguarding our Natural Resources, Protecting our Health & Ensuring a Sustainable future for Hamden

As a District and as a Town, we can no longer afford to ignore environmental realities. We live almost entirely within an important regional watershed, yet we are a nearly fully-developed, urban community. Thus solid waste and potential contamination issues loom large. And unfortunately, we lie at a convenient crossroads for much of the Town’s traffic. We also share with every other community in America the urgency of controlling the quality and amount of our energy use. The following initiatives are but a sample of the tools we can employ to wrestle our relationship with the natural world back into balance.

Environmentally-related technology is quickly improving, providing us with many more options to protect our community’s environment. By joining with other towns to court a new recycling company to Connecticut, we could decrease our waste costs and increase our recycling collections and reuse.

By regulating residential pesticide use, we could improve the health of our families and pets. We need to do this, maybe now more than ever, because we are getting our drinking water from our own backyards: the watersheds of Lake Whitney. I’m pleased to announce that the Clean & Green Commission recently received a grant from Integrated Pest Management to assist in educating the community about organic pest control and land care.

By joining the “20% by 2010” campaign for clean energy, and creating the Climate Change and Energy Use Commission, the Legislative Council and Mayor took positive steps towards dealing with the energy crisis. The “20% by 2010” program, offered through local utilities, allows individual power customers to select clean energy generation options. As more power customers enroll in the program, the Town is rewarded with free photovoltaic solar energy panels for use on Town buildings and other facilities. This program will be a golden opportunity to educate our children about clean energy. Although getting 20% of the Town’s energy consumption from clean energy will be a great accomplishment, there is so much more that we can do.

By enacting a “No Idling” ordinance for all trucks and commercial vehicles, we can greatly improve our air quality in congested areas, helping to alleviate childhood asthma and other ailments resulting from diesel pollution. Fines for non-compliance would provide additional revenue for the Town.

By further regulating the installation of impermeable surfaces, such as asphalt parking lots, we can control the amount of contaminated runoff that eventually seeps into our soil. I would like to see the Town become so wise as to require permeable surfaces in certain locations, as well as provide incentives for installing environmentally-friendly, energy-efficient, “green roofs.”

We are blessed in the 5th District to have some areas of nearly pristine natural beauty. However, the recent massacre of a family of Canadian geese by a motorist on Waite Street should remind us of the responsibility we hold to live in harmony with wildlife. By designating several “Wildlife Preservation Areas” in Hamden, we could protect several species of migratory birds and their nesting areas, and ensure the longevity of the natural beauty surrounding many of our neighborhoods.

Return to the top of this page

The Values that will Shape my Service

My commitment to serving the Town stems from grass-roots activism. Who knows what’s best for a community better than the folks themselves? Through my appointment to the Clean & Green Commission, I saw the opportunity to influence a small aspect of my community and take direct action. To revitalize our government and community, we need new faces; to join commissions, run for office and become more informed and involved.

The infighting present in the dominant political party is unnecessary, and does grave damage to our Town. Petty politics consumes some of our legislators and makes it impossible for them to effectively represent their constituents. Our quality of life has suffered and will continue to decline as long as we fail to hold our governing officials accountable by demanding that their focus be on the long-term best interests of the town, not on short-run political gain. We need to empower other voices in the Town: third parties, unaffiliated voters, non-partisan community groups and underrepresented communities.

I promise to reveal and oppose the political shenanigans of partisans on the Legislative Council and Administration, as I believe that true democracy cannot flourish without constant accountability and observation.

Winning the constant struggle to maintain an effective governing body, in spite of the “politicians,” depends on progressive ideas and intelligent reform. For example, both the Democratic and Republican Town Committee Chairs agree that the position of Town Clerk should be non-elected and non-partisan. I couldn’t agree more, especially in light of Clerk Morrison’s recent persecution by her own political party for accepting a not uncommon cross-endorsement from the other major party. If elected to the Legislative Council, I will urge the Council to include within its Charter reform initiative a study of the possibility, under Section 9-185 of the Connecticut General Statutes, of transforming the office of Town Clerk to a non-elected, non-partisan, civil service position.

Return to the top of this page