Yale Daily News

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.

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.

does this mean that she's going to be part of the opposition on the board and get nothing done?

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.

Wow, what a powerful endorsement.

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.)

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?

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.

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.

She definitely asked them to write.