Courage, Conviction and Conscience

Hey, it has to start somewhere, right? 

The Manchester Board of Directors had been considering a landlord registration proposal by the Republican majority since November.  The proposal, part of the ultra-complicated, undeliverable, and now changed “Covenant with Manchester Taxpayer,” would require all absentee landlords (those who own property with residential rental units who don’t actually live in the building) to register with the town.  The intention, according to Director Pelletier (the brains behind this time-bomb), is to allow the town a means of identifying and fining landlords that fail to properly care for their property.

Seems reasonable enough, correct?  Every town, from time to time, has an issue with a particular parcel that they deem ”blighted” or an absentee landlord that refuses to pay property taxes.  This proposal undoubtedly provides a workable solution to the ubiquitous conundrum.  However, the proposal lacks a funding mechanism and/or allocation of new or additional staff to oversee the program, which will force taxpayers to bear the burden (conservatively estimated at $50,000) and further strain the already valuable time of town staff.

On Tuesday the Board of Directors took up Ms. Pelletier’s proposal and the results were disastrous.  Minority Leader Zingler did attempt to reinstate the $25 fee for filing and $10 fee for any change of address, but that vote failed along party lines.  Director Sheridan then astutely requested that an annual report be conducted to determine the overall success of the program, compliance rates, landlord contacts, the cumulative amount of fines collected and the estimated amount of staff hours required to maintain the registry.  Sheridan’s suggestion was rebuffed by the Republican majority, claiming instead that Sheridan’s proposal was “too specific”.  Uh, isn’t this the same party that promised “results-based accounting,” which they claimed will streamline operating efficiency and provide specific data on programs overseen by town staff?  Seems to me like Sheridan’s suggestion parallels that which the Republicans campaigned on, and yet they stood in opposition to it…strange.

The proposal ultimately passed 7-1, with Director O’Neill admirably abstaining. (O’Neill claimed that it was a conflict of interest for a property owner, which she is, to vote on a proposed ordinance that would directly affect them personally.  Interestingly, Directors Pelletier and Tweedie, who both admitted to being landlords themselves, determined that it was not a conflict of interest since they would be “burdened” by the ordinance.  Perhaps they need a simple refresher in what a conflict of interest* really is.)  Now, by my calculations, that would have required two Democratic Directors to buckle and vote with the Republican majority – and, in fact, that is what occurred.  Minority Leader Zinger and Director John Topping both withered and voted in favor of the proposal, presumably because they didn’t want to appear to be “supportive” of blighted properties.  One Director, however, stood firm in his position that, if this program were to be instituted, a funding mechanism must be included so as to not further burden the taxpayers. 

In speaking with Director Sheridan recently, he noted that the fee was a deal-breaker.  He argued that leaving $50-$75k in revenue on the table and then leaving the town responsible for the $50,000 bill was counter intuitive, especially since the Republicans have scaled back the immensely successful Teen Night, refused to spend $24,000 to evaluate the renovation needs at Verplanck School, and have stalled expanding youth programing at the East Side Rec. Center once Bennett comes back on-line.  It seems to me that the Republicans have their priorities misplaced and are intent on appearing to bring about change instead of actually doing it.

Kudos to Director Sheridan for standing firm in his convictions and Director O’Neill for doing what she perceived was right.

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*see the part that specifically references that a conflict of interest exists even if no improper or unethical acts occur because of it.

A Campaign For Change

It has been many weeks since my last authentic post.  Since January 2 I have spent many, many hours working on Kenny Curran’s campaign in the 32nd District.  For those of you who don’t read a paper, watch the news or have any connection whatsoever to the outside world, Kenny ran as the endorsed Democrat for the seat vacated by the now-disgraced Lou DeLuca, who resigned after a witless decision to consort with a man, James Galante, who is presumed to have ties to the mob, to threaten his granddaughter’s husband. 

Though we were unsuccessful in our bid to win the seat, which has been under Republican control for as long as anyone can remember, we did manage to win two towns in the ten town district and accumulate 40% of the vote — far better than any Democrat has done, ever.  Kenny’s message of changing how things are done in Hartford resonated throughout the district.  As I was chatting with AFSCME Council 15 Executive Director Jimmy Howell yesterday outside of the Middlebury polling place, a woman approached me and said, “I hope Kenny wins.  His message of hope and change really inspired me to come out and vote today.  He’s right, things need to change and he’s the right guy for the job.”

There is no greater sense of purpose than to have your intuition proven correct, and I must say that working with Kenny and the many loyal Democrats in the 32nd District was an honor and a privilege.  I have no doubt that had we run this campaign during a normal election season the results would have leaned in our favor.  I don’t say this out of blind ideology and sheepish loyalty, but rather because of the hundreds of people who I spoke to throughout the two weeks (Democrats and Republicans alike) who were moved by our message of change and returning government to the people.  We needn’t look any further than the results in Southbury, which is represented by all Republican legislators in Hartford, were the margin was negligible.

I’ll spend some time tomorrow posting about a variety of things, including the Presidential primaries, the ineptitude and disingenuous governance of the Manchester GOP, the strength of one Democratic Director to not desert his convictions, and the possibility of a Lamont campaign for state Senate.