Local leaders voice varied opinions on DeStefano

Nancy Ahern, Board of Aldermen Republican Minority Leader, represents the 25th Ward, which includes the area around the Yale Bowl.

COURTESY BOARD OF ALDERMEN Ward 25 Alder Nancy Ahern

My ward has not been helped by any initiatives started by Mayor DeStefano. The community-based policing concept is focused on 10 police substations around the city getting to know their neighborhoods. While the concept is a good one, the problems are enormous. The substation in my ward has the largest geographical area in the city to cover. Even the police chief said that it should be made into two districts; the most unstable districts get less policing as a result. There hasn't been a measurable decrease in crime [in my ward]. In fact, it has been hit by serial burglars--last summer there were two cases. I can't blame [Mayor DeStefano] for that, but crime is still a major problem.

I think that when the residents of a neighborhood say over and over again the same things, such as there is drug dealing on this corner or prostitution in this particular building, police ought to respond in a more active, intense way and should clean it up. There is no situaton where the police don't know exactly what's going on; they just seem to not be able to take that step and clean it up. I could even give you the addresses [of these sites] and the police could too, but it doesn't seem to make enough of a difference.

I think that when we identify a high-crime neighborhood house we ought to be able to clean it up. It might be that with strong pressure from the Mayor's office and close monitoring by the administration and the police department, we might be able to get the courts to sentence criminals to longer sentences.

YHHAP Co-Coordinator Deborah Dinner, CC '99. YHHAP has lobbied for the creation of a Homeless Advisory Commission for several years.

COURTESY DEBORAH DINNER Deborah Dinner, CC '99

The relationship between YHHAP and City Hall has been cooperative, but vexed on the creation of a Homeless Advisory Commission within City Hall. They don't have a strong enough commitment to moving [the commission] forward. It seems stuck in a morass of bureaucracy.

Another issue is the Crown Street overflow shelter. The city had promised the community that they would have a new site chosen by November 1. However, they didn't hire a person responsible for the project until October 22. The shelter only got running in mid-December, way past the deadline. The Mayor's Office didn't prioritize it. They should have been working hard on it since mid-July. That month and a half meant a lot to the homeless people. Also, the Livable City Initiative has razed several abandoned buildings which were used by homeless people as shelter. This caused some problems. They should have been more sensitive to [the homeless].

University Secretary Linda Lorimer, LAW '77

From a global perspective, Mayor DeStefano has boldly helped reposition the city both in its neighborhoods and downtown. He is the first mayor in my time in New Haven who has heralded the opportunities to style New Haven as a college town. In his time, he has brought a four-star hotel to New Haven and worked to recreate the Ninth Square on the other side of the Green.

DeStefano has ambitious plans in his third term for helping New Haven neighborhoods, children, and downtown business districts. He has made community policing a reality in New Haven and a standard for the rest of the country. He has also brought state funding and federal funding for housing in New Haven, resulting in New Haven's being of the nation's largest recipients of HUD funding.

DeStefano also helped to be a mediator for the labor negotiations at Yale last year and attracted new business to New Haven. In his third term, the best thing that could happen is for him to revitalize the city, which would help Yale's image.

Robert Schmalz, Democratic alderman from the 10th Ward in charge of community development

COURTESY BOARD OF ALDERMEN Ward 10 Alder Robert Schmalz

Mayor DeStefano is a catalyst, a very energetic mayor with a great deal of confidence, lots of ideas and lots of push. He used to work in the comptroller's office, and knows how to work the different levels of government. He has real ability, and has been a prime mover in selling the city, in making this a receptive city to sound business development. I believe it is through DeStefano's outstanding role in development that Yale has taken on a more active role in the city.

Compiled by Ben Gray, Sheela V. Pai, and Sangeetha Ramaswamy.

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