Hamden Mayor – HQ Press

Are pot holes here to stay on Hamden roadways?

Pot holes and cracked streets are of frustration for Quinnipiac students and Hamden residents.

Mayor of Hamden, Curt Leng said in a statement, “my team has worked hard paving the streets and fixing our sidewalks. I am proud of the progress we’ve made over these few years, but there’s much more to do and we need to keep this important investment into our neighborhoods going.”

The Hamden Legislative Council authorized $250,000 in the Local Improvement Program (LoCIP). This money will be used towards fixing sidewalks and curbs across Hamden.

For some students, they won’t believe the repairs to Hamden roadways until they see the work being done.

“Yeah, they’re allocating the money, but they can allocate whatever they want,” senior, Sean Raggio said. “Until I see a paved road it’s just talk.”

Mount Carmel Avenue has recently been repaved. This was one of the many streets in Hamden that has caused frustration for residents and their cars.

Currently, there is not a date set for when construction will begin.

Protestors confront Hamden Mayor nearly two weeks after officer-involved shooting

By Caitlin Fish

Protesters left the streets of Hamden on Monday and marched into Mayor Curt Balzano Leng’s, office demanding that Hamden’s police commission conduct an independent investigation of a police-involved shooting that happened two weeks prior.

Demonstrators are still requesting that Devin Eaton, the Hamden Police Department officer involved in the shooting of an unarmed couple, be fired immediately.

Mayor Leng said that he does not have the power to fire Eaton although he agrees with what the protestors are requesting.

“I have seen enough to say that I don’t think that Officer Eaton should be a Hamden police officer any longer,” Leng said.

Although Hamden PD cannot head the criminal investigation, the department’s ethics and integrity unit will also conduct its own local investigation, according to Mayor Leng.

The two officers involved are on paid leave while the investigation remains underway.

Kiesha Greene, the mother of the unarmed driver involved in the shooting, Paul Witherspoon III, addressed the media Monday and said she agrees that the officers should be fired.

Greene said that she believes the shooting does not only concern her son and Stephanie Washington, the woman who was shot, but that it’s about the community and its entirety.

“Next week it could be somebody else’s child, and I don’t want to see this happen to anyone’s kid,” Greene said.

She voiced her disappointment in not being contacted by the ministers who held the prayer service Sunday in New Haven at the Varick Memorial Church in wake of the shooting.

“How do you have that type of meeting and not have the victims there or the victim’s parents there, because aren’t you talking about the situation that happened,” she said. “Wouldn’t you want to be able to speak to us and have our voices be heard?”

The service was called Hope for Healing and community leaders joined law enforcement officials to focus on finding healing and helping to build trust between the community and law enforcement.

Jacob Schmidt, a 22-year-old Yale student from Richmond, Michigan, decided to go to the service after participating in two of the protests that happened near his school.

“It was so powerful to see everyone come together, leave their apprehensions at the door and commit to a peaceful service,” Schmidt said. “I think this is something that the community should continue to aspire to.”

Pastor of the service, Kelcy G.I Steele, said he believes religious leaders must play a part in improving the community’s policing.

“We are committed to building bridges between police and community and we understand that policing in America is facing a crisis of legitimacy and purpose,” Steele said, according to WFSB.

Connecticut State Police have yet to come to a conclusion on the investigation. During a press conference last Tuesday, the latest information on the investigation and Officer Eaton’s body cam footage from the incident were released.

The state’s public safety commissioner, James Rovella, conducted the press conference. He noted that the release of the footage marked a difference in operation procedures.

“Before we used to not show any of this until the conclusion of the investigation,” Rovella said.

Rovella said that state police do not have footage from the Yale officer Terrence Pollock because his body cam was not turned on during the time of the incident.

“In a perfect world, he would have turned on his camera sooner, but the officer was facing many stressors at the time,” he said.

Rovella revealed that the communication between Hamden PD and New Haven during the night of the shooting may have contributed to how the incident played out.

“Hamden tells New Haven that, in fact, they’ve had an armed robbery involving a firearm. They did not tell New Haven that Hamden was actually entering their city,” Rovella said.

He stated that the officers involved will not be charged until the investigation is completed. Information from officers about what was going on in their heads during the shooting is still lacking because the officers have been on leave, according to the commissioner.

“I have concerns about many different aspects of how this case was handled.”

Hamden Democrats face changes as winds of change blow

State Representative Michael D'Agostino addresses the committee — State Representative Michael D’Agostino addresses the committee

By Rob McGreevy

The Hamden Democratic Town Committee met on Tuesday night in Hamden Public Library’s senior center to begin its spring session and to welcome newly elected committee members.

According to the chairman of the Hamden Democratic Town Committee, Lew Panzo, the committee welcomed 23 newly elected members. Some incumbent members said that number was even higher.

Whether it was 23 or more than half of the 63 members as some suggested, this is an unusually high turnover for the committee.

“Our body here was an older body of people who served here for 25-30 years and it was time for a change for some of them,” Panzo said.

The meeting was full of young people, and the loudest and most active voices in the crowd all belonged to newly elected members.

The committee didn’t reach a quorum and therefore was unable to conduct official business, but there were still plenty of opportunities for members to ask questions and voice opinions.

Connecticut state senator Martin Looney attended and briefed the room on the party’s status in the town, as well as the state.

He spoke about the senate’s general agenda and how it was going to act on certain matters, as well as what the Hamden Democratic Town Committee could do to help.

After Looney spoke, Panzo allowed a number of speakers who were either running for elected office, or had opened an exploratory committee to do so, to speak to the room. The group included Connecticut state representative Michael D’Agostino, who is running for attorney general.

The group also included two prominent Connecticut democrats — both vying for the same elected office.

Susan Bysiewicz announced she had opened an exploratory committee to run for governor. Her political resume includes 12 years as secretary of state. She spoke at length on major Connecticut issues, including establishing a pay equity law, infrastructure and especially tolls.

The other candidate for Governor was young Hartford mayor Luke Bronin.

Bronin is a former aide to maligned Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy. He lasered in on fixing Connecticut’s budget issues, while also brushing upon the base Connecticut Democratic issues that his opponent did – taxes, tolls, infrastructure, etc.

The HDTC gives these candidates a platform to reach Democrats in places they may not have been able to otherwise.

“Especially in an election year we have so many candidates running they will generally invite candidates to attend town committee meetings so they can present their case,” Looney said.

The HDTC did not have enough members to conduct its affairs, but going forward the newly elected members will be officially members at the committees next meeting on March 12.

Panzo seemed hopeful toward the new and exciting future of the Hamden Democratic Town Committee.

“It’s good to see this new influx of young people,” said Panzo, “that’s what this party needs, it needs to be revitalized.”

Looking ahead Panzo says that Hamden has always followed along with the state’s Democratic platform, “but there’s talk about us writing our own platform” — something that Panzo said will probably take place this year.

What will that platform look like?

“God only knows,” Panzo said.

Hamden establishes first animal control facility gift fund

By Mary Rose Bevins

According to Hamden Mayor Curt Balzano Leng, the Hamden Legislative Council recently approved the town’s first “Animal Control Facility Gift Fund.” The fund is the foundation for a new Hamden or regional facility and was established as a reaction to the community wanting a secure shelter.

“We would like to do a little better with animals than we are doing with them now,” Leng said.

Authorizing this fund shows the commitment to create a new animal control facility and allows those interested in helping the town and shelters make this goal a reality. According to the Town of Hamden’s Facebook page, any donation made to the gift fund must follow the town’s procurement process and solely be used for the purpose of a new facility.

While Hamden’s Gimme Shelter Animal Rescue and Where The Love is Animal Rescue are excited to hear this news, their main priority is to tend to their animals needs. Co-founder of Where the Love Is Animal Rescue, Christina Hackett, said all of the animals that arrive are examined by a veterinarian and given any treatment needed.

“Before [the dogs] leave and go to their forever homes they are microchipped, vaccinated and are either spayed or neutered,” Hackett said.

With the help of donations from pet stores like Pet Valu, grants and fundraising events, Where The Love Is is able to cover medical bills with that money. This year, they spent about $80,000 in vet bills and were able to use all of the adoption fees received and money donated/fundraised to help cover the cost.

To shelter their animals, they rent out two places.

“We have a garage and a kennel,” Hackett said.

The garage holds six 5-by-5 cages and the kennel holds four 5-by-5 cages with 20 dogs and two cats to care for. Hackett is happy where the animals are sheltered, but is also hopeful the gift fund allows all of the animals to be housed together soon.

While the animal rescue shelters continue to raise money to help support the animals they rescue, they also do what they can to raise money for a new facility. According to Leng, Hamden’s biggest contributor to help raise money for the shelter is Gimme Shelter Animal Rescue.

“[Last year] we held a small blue collar fundraiser that inspired the town to make an animal shelter fund,” Gimme Shelter volunteer Lenny Young said.

Gimme Shelter Animal Rescue has continuously held events to fundraise money for their animals, but their next big event will be a fundraiser to help establish a Hamden or regional animal shelter. On Feb. 15, JaSa Asian Cuisine will donate 20 percent of each pre-tax bill to the Hamden Animal Shelter Gift Fund. Young and other Gimme volunteers are excited for this event.

“We chose the day after Valentine’s Day because it’s the Chinese New Year, which is the year of the dog,” Young said.

The purpose of this fundraiser is to bring the animal shelter issue out of obscurity.

“We are trying to get people to support it, not necessarily help out. We just need people to spread the word,” Young said.

To get 20 percent of your bill donated, go to Gimme Shelter Animal Rescue’s website, print out the flier and bring it with you to the restaurant.

“Every penny goes to the animal shelter gift fund,” Young said.

According to the Where The Love Is Facebook page, the shelter has been doing more adoption events than fundraising events. On Feb. 9-10, volunteers went to various Pet Valu stores in Connecticut. At these events they bring along a few furry friends to interact with possible families who want to adopt a rescued animal.

They have yet to release any upcoming events, but are more than happy to have volunteers come in and help in any way possible, Hackett stated.

With the foundation of the gift fund under way, our furry friends in Hamden will hopefully be housed together in their new animal shelter very soon.

To donate to the Animal Control Facility Fund or adopt an animal visit either shelters website: http://abandonedanimals.org/ and http://www.wheretheloveis.org/

Hamden mayoral candidates: What do they think?

By Lindsay Pytel and Dorah Labatte

Hamden and QU’s relationship

The 2017 Hamden mayoral race between current mayor Curt Leng and underdog republican candidate Salman Hamid is coming to a close on November, 7, and the results could potentially impact Quinnipiac’s relationship with the town. Since being elected in 2015, Leng says that the relationship between the town and Quinnipiac University has greatly improved and that he regularly communicates with QU’s president John Lahey.

“We meet, we talk, we text,” he said. “We have a regular communication now and that’s really nine tenths of the whole game, because if you’re communicating then you can say ‘hey I have a problem with this and this’ or ‘hey can you help me out with this or this’ and (it’s) going both ways.”

Leng said he has seen this growing communication in other areas of the town as well. For example, he mentioned better communication this past year between the Hamden police and Quinnipiac’s public safety.

Created by Lindsay Pytel. Data accessed 10/30 at http://seec.ct.gov — Created by Lindsay Pytel. Data accessed 10/30 at **http://seec.ct.gov**

The expansion of the student body and increasing amount of student housing, however, is still an issue between Leng and Lahey, but Leng says they have been finding the balance between the town of Hamden and QU.

“It’s a balance of trying to figure out how you can have rules that are appropriate and legal that kind of incentivize locations that make more sense for student development period,” Leng said. “So it’s a matter of trying to plan these things out and the more that you work, I think, with the neighbors, university, town (and) students together, which we haven’t perfected yet.”

Hamid says if he is elected as mayor he will improve Hamden’s relationship with Quinnipiac by discussing housing with the incoming president.

“They should never have been barred from enjoying the benefits Hamden has to offer.”

He added that he will invite QU students back into Hamden for shopping and dining.

“…By working (with) the president of the university to smooth over the issues that have caused division such as student housing. We will use QU security to help ease tensions between neighbors.”

Money

Leng says that throughout his time as mayor, town financing has always held a major role.

“…We really focus on (it) a lot and we’ve been able to strengthen the town’s finances quite a bit,” Leng said.

He says that in regards of improvements in town financing, there is a lot for everyone to be proud of.

“Our bond rating has been upheld,” Leng said. “We had the first budget without a tax increase in ten years this past year, so that took a lot of work and spent a lot of time with our delegation making sure that our our state funding is fingers crossed still coming through.”

As for Hamid, key issues include high taxes, energy efficiency, animal shelter construction, equality in education and resident participation in spending for local government.

“You probably heard over and over of residents complaining about Quinnipiac student housing and so on and so forth,” he said. “That situation wouldn’t have happened if taxes were sustainable in town, because people have either foreclosed on their property or they rent it out to students because there is no other option because they can’t sell their homes.”

One can clearly see the difference in numbers and that on certain issues the two candidates don’t see eye to eye. All will be decided next week on Election Day Nov. 7. Who will you vote for?