Connecticut politicians up close and personal

Governor John Rowland

FILE PHOTO

On Mon., Jan. 4, 1999, John G. Rowland was sworn in for his second term as Governor of Connecticut. At 41, he is the youngest governor in the U.S. and the first to be re-elected in Connecticut in half a century. His victory over Democrat Barbara Kennelley tightened Republican control of the Governor's mansion, controlled by Democrats for most of the previous four decades.

A former member of the Connecticut State Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives, Rowland rose to victory with his promise to gradually repeal the state income tax. Last year, he attempted to bring the New England Patriots to Connecticut, proposing to build them a stadium as part of a revitalization plan for downtown Hartford. Though he signed a tentative $380 million contract with Patriots owner Bob Kraft, the deal fell through in May of 1999 when the Massachusetts legislature drew up a plan that persuaded Kraft to keep the football team in Foxborough, Mass.

In the past year, Rowland called for an overhaul of the state police's hiring practices, and has worked to finalize plans on the controversial Long Wharf Mall. He has recently taken flack recently from environmentalists, who oppose both the mall and Connecticut's relatively lenient industrial pollution standards.

U.S. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro

FILE PHOTO

Democratic Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro began her fifth term representing Connecticut's third district last January. DeLauro has deep roots in New Haven. Born and raised in the city's Wooster Square, her father was a longtime alderman, and her mother is currently the longest-serving member on the Board of Aldermen.

DeLauro has fought against cuts in the national defense budget that would have hurt Connecticut's defense industry, including proposed cuts that targeted the Sikorsky plant, which produces Comanche helicopters for the Army. She also helped author a transportation bill that aims to bring 100,000 jobs to Connecticut over a period of six years.

Prior to her election to Congress, DeLauro was the executive director of Emily's List, a national organization committed to increasing the representation of women in politics. From 1981-87, she served as chief of staff to U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.).

DeLauro has also supported the assault weapons ban, promoted laws against domestic violence, and expanded middle-class student loan programs, health care reform, and job training for the unemployed.

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Mayor John DeStefano, Jr.

A life-long resident of New Haven and recently elected to his fourth term as mayor, John DeStefano, Jr. has developed a visionary plan to improve the city with which he is so familiar. He believes cutting property taxes is the key to improving the city's economy, as, according to the Democratic mayor, property taxes deter middle-class families from buying property in urban areas. He also has worked to improve the quality of city buildings by fining delinquent landlords for each day a city-mandated repair remains uncompleted. In addition, the mayor has fought to create new jobs—the recent opening of Shaw's Supermarket on Whalley Avenue, for example, provided the city with more than 200 of them. DeStefano's major ongoing projects concern building a shopping mall on Long Wharf and the Livable City Initiative, a plan to reduce urban blight in residential areas.

Though some criticize his unforgiving attitude towards city workers, DeStefano has seen New Haven garner several awards during his tenure. In June of 1998, the city was among 10 cities to be named an "All-American City" by the National Civic League. The Police Department recently won two awards, while the city's School Construction Pro-gram won the U.S. Conference of Mayors' City Livability Award last August.

KATHERINE ALDRICH/YH City Hall is located on Church Street off the Green.

New Haven was also recently named an Empowerment Zone by the federal department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The designation gives the City access to $100 million in social services block grants and $130 million in tax credits in order to encourage economic development in distressed urban neighborhoods.

The Mayor has since outlined a new $1.5 billion agenda to revitalize the city by building on its existing downtown strengths and rebuilding its transportation infrastructure. After bringing Amtrak's high-speed Acela through New Haven, he is currently working to build a new downtown train station, improve the bus system, and connect the downtown to the harbor.

Ward One Alder Julio Gonzalez, CC '99

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In November of 1997, Julio Gonzalez, CC '99, was elected to serve on the New Haven Board of Aldermen. Gonzalez defeated Republican challenger and fellow Yalie Bob Kokta, BK '00, to continue the Democratic Party's dominance of the Ward One spot on the Board. While an undergraduate at Yale, Gonzalez majored in political science and women's studies and spent much of his time involved in social service projects through Dwight Hall.

Gonzalez claims that his overall goal during his term has been to create a "pragmatic policy for the downtown region." He has worked to help break up the taxi system monopoly in New Haven, focusing on rate and service regulation and improved conditions for drivers. This January, Gonzalez was elected vice-chair of the board's Black and Hispanic Caucus, promising to push for a strong minority subcontracting ordinance in the months to come.

The New Haven Board of Aldermen consists of 30 representatives, one from each of the 30 wards in New Haven. Since Ward One contains most of the Yale campus, the post has traditionally been held by Yalies. Ward One encompasses Old Campus and all the residential colleges except Davenport, Pierson, Ezra Stiles, and Morse. Those four colleges are contained in Ward Three, under the leadership of Alderman Esther Armmand.

—Albert Chen, Jason Heller, Liz Oliner, and Elisabeth Marshall

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