Perez and James: Harrison supports crucial development
Perez and James: Harrison supports crucial development
Friday, April 10, 2009
While it is unusual for aldermen outside Ward 1 to weigh in on the district’s selection of a Democratic nominee, the two of us feel compelled to weigh in as longtime aldermen and leaders in the minority community here in New Haven. The desperate times our constituents in the Hill — and communities of color across the city — are facing require strong leaders on the Board who will rise to meet the challenges we face in this moment of economic crisis.
Only one candidate in the Ward 1 race stands out to us as that kind of leader: Katie Harrison ’11.
After reading all the candidates’ platforms and watching the debates online, Harrison has stood out not only for her unique grasp of the depth of the problems we face in the city, but also for her strong commitment to using city government, and the Board in particular, to find our way out of this crisis.
Harrison’s attention to the long-term roots of economic inequality and instability in the city is incredibly important to us. Having served many terms on the Board, we know that the challenges we now face are not entirely new: Long-term and chronic underemployment and a lack of good jobs have devastated our communities. At the same time, the high cost of housing and other basic needs has placed a crushing burden on families who are forced to choose between their basic necessities. The economic crisis has only worsened these problems, and our city is now contemplating cuts in basic and essential services.
We must maintain the services city residents need, but we can’t settle for that if we want the economic situation of the city to improve down the road. Harrison understands that we must make long-term investments for a strong economic foundation for New Haven.
In 2004, the Board committed to make sure all major development projects in New Haven were responsible by encouraging developers to enter into community benefits agreements (CBAs) with organized community groups. Harrison’s promise to ensure that the Board continues to follow through on that commitment is particularly important to us, since we have been leaders on the Board in this area. We are eager for another partner who understands that CBAs can bring great benefits not only to the community, but to developers as well. This is an important and concrete long-term solution we must continue to pursue if we are to address the challenges of providing good jobs, housing and a strong tax base, and we applaud Harrison’s commitment to making this issue a focus of hers while she is on the Board. That commitment from the Ward 1 alderwoman is particularly important given that Yale has been and will continue to be one of the city’s largest developers.
In addition, we fail to see how Mike Jones’s ’11 priorities — an Office of Civic Engagement and a Legislative Aide program open only to Yale students — will be of any real benefit to our constituents. We are extremely concerned, moreover, that Jones has not recognized the central role that economic development must play in the city’s economic recovery. And while Minh Tran ’09 has recognized this fact, his prioritization of small business development over larger projects seems misguided given the current economic climate in the nation and the major projects underway in our city. Ultimately, neither of these candidates seem to grasp that the magnitude of the challenges facing our constituents demands bold and progressive responses from the Board.
Only Harrison has demonstrated a clear understanding of how the Board’s specific functions of responsibility and oversight can be leveraged to the benefit of not just Ward 1 residents, but of the city as a whole.
Moreover, Harrison has reminded us of the common stake that all of us in the city have in ensuring the economic growth and vitality of New Haven — whether we are rich or poor; black, white or Latino; long-time residents or recently arrived students.
She has made clear that a stronger New Haven means a safer city for everyone that is a better place to live, work and study. We are proud to endorse her vision.
Jorge Perez is the Ward 5 alderman, and Jacqueline James is Ward 3 alderwoman. They are the chair and vice-chair of the Black and Hispanic Caucus of the Board of Aldermen.
Comments
None 2 years, 10 months ago
What a joke! These two claiming support for economic development? Perez and James opposed the sale of the Shartenberg lot claiming the City gave away the property. Luckily they lost and now a large residential/retail project which will provide significant tax revenue, and contains affordable housing, is rapidly being constructed on the site at State and Chapel.
The CBA almost killed the construction of the Yale Cancer Center.
If Harrison is elected and joins with these two, economic development in the City faces some serious obstacles.
None 2 years, 10 months ago
The endorsement of these two clowns hardly speaks well of Harrison. New Haven doesn't need more barriers to development. It needs fewer barriers to the right kinds of development. We need to grow our tax base so that we can better serve our communities. Harrison, James and Perez just don't get it. The private sector is not our enemy. Most Yalies get that and hopefully they'll vote accordingly.
None 2 years, 10 months ago
does this mean that she's going to be part of the opposition on the board and get nothing done?
None 2 years, 10 months ago
She chooses these two to write her endorsement letter? This clearly evidences herself as a union hack who doesn't really understand development or how to get things done! If she wanted us to take her seriously, there are much more respected members of the BOA to ask for a letter. I'd have gone with Clark or Lemar.
None 2 years, 10 months ago
Wow, what a powerful endorsement.
None 2 years, 10 months ago
OMG,
I don't think she chose them to write — I think they decided on their own to write it. It touched on a lot of points that I think will make Katie look like an even better candidate in the eyes of her peers.
I also think Katie is smart enough to know that choosing "factions" on the board is counterproductive. I have complete confidence that Katie will work great with Clark, Lemar, Goldfield, and whomever else you think has power on the aldermanic board.
In fact, that she will also work well with Perez and James is wonderful news — maybe she can work on projects that actually have support from all sides.
(And no, I'm not on Katie's staff — I'm not even registered to vote in New Haven.)
None 2 years, 10 months ago
Perez is the strongest and most consistent high-ranking opponent of LGBQT rights in town. He killed same-sex union measures at the board of aldermen not once but twice. James is one of the least effective alders on the board. They think they will sway things in our ward?
None 2 years, 10 months ago
Working together, the fact that you are not registered here is clear from your trenchant analysis of New Haven politics (read sarcastically). Perez and James do not care about economic development. They only care about beating the administration no matter what. Harrison is in bed with these two and no campaign or candidate worth its salt allows two sitting alderman to write something without consulting the campaign. I agree with #3. She will get nothing done because she wont work with the board and Minh will get nothing done because he'll never be here.
None 2 years, 10 months ago
Katie is proud to have earned the endorsement of Alders Perez and James. As her policy director, I’d like to briefly respond to the above reactions to that endorsement.
First, responsible development is in no way anti-development. Rather, responsible development efforts uphold the overwhelming potential of development to improve conditions in the city. Both the Shartenberg and Cancer Center projects have gone forward with expanded community benefits because of, not despite, the hard work of alders like Perez and James. Alderman Perez worked up to the moment of the final vote on the Shartenberg project to make the development deal more beneficial to the city. Ultimately he, along with 17 other alders, voted to approve the deal for the benefits it did contain. Throughout this campaign, Katie has applauded the city’s negotiations process with Becker and Becker. The Board of Aldermen can and should always push for additional benefits, but at the end of the day accept projects that on a whole will make New Haven a better, stronger city.
Second, the goal of responsible development is one shared by a broad swath of the Board, as reflected by the Cancer Center negotiations. As a result of the Board-supported community benefits agreement, the Cancer Center development has directly resulted in funding for youth services, affordable housing and asthma advocacy and the end to hospital-generated liens on homes in New Haven. In the midst of the Cancer Center negotiations, the Board of Aldermen unanimously passed a resolution upholding CBAs as a desired component of development deals in the city going forward. In calling for responsible development, Katie is joining forces with a strong coalition on the Board of Aldermen devoted to making development work for New Haven residents.
As alderwoman, Katie looks forward to working with the entire Board to realize the promise of development to its fullest extent.
None 2 years, 10 months ago
She definitely asked them to write.
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