Looney proposes parking reform, new stadium

New Haven's most competitive Democratic mayoral primary in recent years heated up again on Tues., Mar. 27, as state senator Martin Looney rolled out his proposed economic development plan for the city. Looney, widely considered incumbent John DeStefano, Jr.'s most viable challenger, spoke to a small audience in Linsly-Chittenden Hall that included both Yale students and members of the New Haven community.

Looney's speech, co-sponsored by the Yale Entrepreneurial Society (YES) and the Yale College Student Union, highlighted parking developments, the construction of a new stadium, and increased regional cooperation as ways to rejuvenate greater New Haven's economy. Looney punctuated his address with criticisms of DeStefano, whom he accused of "failing to capitalize on the best seven years our economy has seen."

ERIN I. LEWIS/YH Mayoral candidate Martin Looney spoke to students on Tues., Mar. 27 about his vision for the city of New Haven.

Looney's proposed parking improvements include a free first hour of parking, a debit-card system of payment, and renovation of the Temple Street garage, all in an effort to entice more people to visit the commercial areas of New Haven. To circumvent the problems caused by parking meters downtown, he proposed training parking attendants to use hand-held computers that would monitor the amount of time a car stays in a spot. "We will do away with the hassles that drive people from downtown," he said.

Looney proposed the establishment of a new downtown stadium that could host the New Haven Ravens baseball team, local soccer teams, high school sporting events, and concerts. He cited Akron, Syracuse, and Bridgeport as examples of cities that benefited economically after adding new stadiums.

"We need a downtown anchor," he said. "A stadium with easy access off I-91 would bring thousands of people downtown and create increased revenue for city merchants."

Looney focused on New Haven's coastal location as a jumping-off point for new forms of economic growth, calling attention to the financial opportunities presented by New Haven's status as a natural harbor. "We must begin to develop our harbor as an engine of growth and encourage more shipping through New Haven," he said, adding, "We must also pursue the potential recreational water uses of Long Wharf."

Looney also emphasized the need for an office of cultural affairs in New Haven to transform the city into "a cultural tourist destination." Silencing detractors who have accused him of waffling on the issue, he pushed for higher city funding for the Shubert Theater.

"DeStefano has not made arts a priority in New Haven, despite lip service," he said.

Noting that Connecticut is composed of 169 separate municipalities, all of which have historically competed with one another economically, Looney promoted a policy of regional cooperation. Under his proposed program of regional tax-based sharing, the profits derived from any particular economic entity would be placed into a pool for all the participating communities to draw on.

"Regions need to join together, rather than each municipality marketing itself independently," he said. "DeStefano will not succeed in doing this."

Looney singled out small businesses as the future of the regional economy and proposed neighborhood summits to encourage their growth and stability.

"We are no longer a city of manufacturers," he said. "We need to look to small businesses as engines of economic growth."

At various points during his speech, Looney called attention to the initiatives he has helped promote and implement during his tenure as a state senator. "We have reduced corporate income taxes, making Connecticut more competitive in the global economy, and we have encouraged companies to form research and development bonds with universities to bring continuing revenues to the state," he said.

One-on-one after the speech, Looney shared his thoughts about the ongoing Broadway renovations, which have placed local businesses side-by-side with national chain stores such as Barnes & Noble and Urban Outfitters.

"Right now, it seems as though the chain stores are doing their job of attracting people to local businesses," he said. "But there is always the danger of local stores being overpowered. I hope Yale University Properties will continue to maintain a favorable balance of national and local businesses."

Asked how he thought New Haven's public schools might be rejuvenated, he said, "Teacher salaries in New Haven are some of the lowest anywhere, so we're not attracting the most qualified candidates. We need to be willing to use more of our economic resources to attract outstanding teachers at every level, from pre-K on."

YES President David Pozen, TC '02, was encouraged by Looney's assertion that New Haven needs some creative business solutions to its economic problems. "He emphasized that New Haven needs to encourage entrepreneurship, not just by for-profits but also by nonprofits and even the city government," Pozen said.

He acknowledged, however, that Looney's stance on this matter is not unique. "All three of the candidates for mayor—DeStefano, Looney, and Joel Schiavone, SM '58—have reached out to [the entrepreneurial community] in an extremely positive way," he said.

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