Candidates Lining up to be Hamden's Next Mayor

We know that Hamden Mayor Scott Jackson will begin his new job with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s Office of Policy and Management on April 17.

What we don’t know is who will be the next mayor and how many people will be running for the seat.

Jackson’s Chief Administrative Officer, and former councilman, Curt Balzano Leng has confirmed that he will run for mayor in a special election and Jackson’s 2013 Republican opponent, retired Hamden firefighter Bob Anthony, has also expressed an interest in running for the seat, according to Kate Ramunni of the New Haven Register.

While Leng is the only Democrat to officially declare his candidacy, Ramunni reports that several have expressed interest.

Legislative Council President James Pascarella will become acting mayor once Jackson’s resignation becomes official.

Ramunni reports that the town charter calls for a special election to take place within 45 days of the mayor’s resignation. Each party will nominate a candidate, but it’s also possible that if there are others interested in running they can secure signatures to petition for a spot on the ballot.

The town could be facing three elections for the mayor’s seat before the year is out — a special election (most likely at the beginning of June) to finish out Jackson’s term, a primary election in August and then the November municipal election, according to Ramunni.

Read the full story at the New Haven Register.

Social Media - The Ruination of the World?

Trying to use my blog to talk more about what's going on, express some observations and solicit some feedback. I know this is usually done through the lens of social media in modern day, and I have Facebook and Twitter and InstaGram (though I couldn't recall my password for some time), but I sometimes question if these platforms - particularly Facebook - is good or bad for society. 

So, here I blog. 

I acknowledge that I am blogging after reviewing my twitter feed (I had a couple minutes while my son was getting his hair cut) and doing some retweets - so I know I am part of this social media beast - but the Facebook society is something I've become more and more uncomfortable with.

Now, because I crave readers and like to stir discussion, it is not out of the realm of possibility that I will post a link to this blog on social media. Social media is not all bad, it has many good and interesting qualities. I criticize it because I'm afraid it's becoming more like the old (or possibly still used) "2nd Life", where people created a new online life, often different from their real one. Now I'm not against escapism and I enjoy the likes of say the Star Wars universe as much as the next guy, but Facebook seems to me to have become, at least for some, a "2nd Life" situation, but not one of escapism or plain fun - one of competition and needing to "keep up with the Jones". 

Some feeds seem to look more like a reality tv show. Do people have to show everyone everything they do every moment of every day? Does this make others, who may not have the means, or the same interesting situation that day or the "you fill in the blank", feel like they need to do more or post more or make up more stuff in order to post more?  Perhaps it's making people lose their minds?

This blog is a ramble and a rant - I'm still forming these opinions. But I know there's something that I don't like about it and I see example after example from people across all walks of life that seem to get as many headaches from Facebook as they do enjoyment. I wonder what this will mean in a decade ....

Veteran's Day

While we should remember to do this everyday, today we give special honor and praise to the US Veterans who have served their Country and allow us the freedoms we enjoy every day as Americans. Thank you.

Hamden Sells Blighted Property to Improve Neighborhood

The following is an article from the NH Register about a blighted property we were successful in acquiring and selling to buyer set to clean-up the land! By Ebony Walmsley, New Haven Register HAMDEN >> After more than a decade, a severely blighted property on Wintergreen Avenue will receive a makeover after the Legislative Council approved its sale early this month. The 831 Wintergreen Ave. property has been an eyesore in its community for several years, but new owner Brack Poitier plans to build a new home, according to town documents. Poitier, who works in construction and serves as chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission, was not available for comment Tuesday. Poitier purchased the property from the town for $24,900. He must complete necessary blight improvements within 30 days after the closing of the sale and finish “overall improvements” within six months of the sale closing date. In a letter to the Legislative Council, Mayor Scott Jackson said “there will be great improvements to the physical home, the overall property and the surrounding neighborhood.” James Pascarella, legislative council president, said he’s “pleased the property sold.” “We’re happy someone can proceed and turn the property into a nice home,” Pascarella said. But Helen Demorro, of 810 Wintergreen Ave, was hopeful nobody would purchase the property. Her house sits diagonal across from the sold house. “We have a great view of East Rock Park. I was hoping the town would just let it be,” Demorro said. “Selling this blighted home and getting it cleaned up this season will be a visible benefit to the neighborhood surrounding it. Attacking blighted properties, with the force of law and serious determination, through citations, fines, liens and if needed foreclosure and sale, is something we take seriously and are committed to accomplishing,” said Curt Leng, chief administrative officer, in a prepared statement. Last year, the town initiated a sale to a potential buyer for $20,000, but that fell through because of “circumstances beyond the town’s control,” according to town documents. With a number of maintenance and anti-blight violations, the property is run down and needs a lot of work. Maintenance citations began on the Wintergreen Avenue property as early as 2002, according to Leng. Such violations include a lack of maintenance of the exterior structure, water entering the house, neglect of removal trash and inoperative appliances and lack of pruning of the property’s lawn and hedges. The property was also issued anti-blight violations for, creating substantial interference with the reasonable and lawful use and enjoyment of other space within the building or of other premises within the neighborhood, having missing or boarded windows, collapsing or missing walls, and overgrown plants in the front yard, among other things. The town enforced foreclosure actions on the property in 2010. While Pascarella wasn’t clear on why it took the property so long to sell, he did acknowledge its structure deterioration. “I think it might need to be razed and reconstructed,” Pascarella said. According to www.visionapprasial.com, the blighted house and property was appraised at $168,200 last year. Leslie Creane, town planner, said she’s happy to see the property return to the tax rolls. “It’s one more property that’s been remediated,” Creane said.

Mayor's Proposed Budget 2014-2015

HAMDEN >> Mayor Scott Jackson left a proposed $207 million budget in the hands of members of the Legislative Council Tuesday night.

Jackson presented his 2014-15 fiscal budget — a $7 million increase over the current budget — to the council, citing pension, medical and additional employment needs as having an effect on the proposed tax increase. If approved, the tax rate would increase by 1.25 mills, from 38.94 to 40.19 mills.

“This is an active budget,” Jackson said.

Dedicated funds for the town’s retirement benefit could see an increase from $13.5 to $18.8 million. Incorporated into the $18.8 million is an interest-only payment of $3.4 million for the town’s pension obligation bonds.

The pension crisis is a result of the pension fund never having been properly funded, Curt Leng, chief administrative officer, has said.

“My friends, we have caught the tail of this beast and we will tame it,” Jackson said.

Leng said funding the town’s pension is 81 percent of the budget’s increase.

Medical costs could increase from $33.8 to $34.5 million.

With work left to do, Jackson tipped his hat to the town’s financial accomplishments.

“We’ve turned a $9 million deficit in the medical self-insurance fund into a surplus. We’ve established a plan to repair our broken pension fund over time without massive tax increases to what sometimes feels like an endangered species — the middle class taxpayer,” Jackson said.

Added town jobs could include a blight officer, program specialist and a new Department of Information and Technology.

While not a financial change, Jackson also proposed moving the Board of Education into Government Center at 2750 Dixwell Ave.

“I propose to you that the singular job of the Board’s Central Office is to educate children. Nothing else,” Jackson said.

Leng said the conversation of the school board and the town has been discussed for approximately a decade.

“If the town wasn’t addressing the pension crisis with the comprehensive pension reform plan implemented last year, the mayor’s proposed budget inclusive of important small increases to police and fire could have been increased without raising taxes at all,” Leng said.

Legislative Council President James Pascarella said Jackson’s presentation was “well done.”

“Now we have to do our due diligence and review the budget line by line. Some numbers will mature over the next six weeks. Some projections may change, but we will come up with a fair and balanced budget,” Pascarella said.

Call Ebony Walmsley at 203-789-5734. Have questions, feedback or ideas about our news coverage? Connect directly with the editors of the New Haven Register at AskTheRegister.com.

Jackson for Hamden

Proud to be working on the Jackson for Hamden Committee to Re-Elect Mayor Scott Jackson. I am serving in this year's campaign as the Political and Operations Director.

Pension Bond Part of Comprehensive Pension Reform - Will Bring Pension Fund from 14% Funded to Over 40+% Funded in 2014

(From the NH Register)By Michael Bellmore HAMDEN >> The Legislative Council this week approved what could be the single most important step in fixing the town's crippled pension fund. After a study by the Segal Co., a benefits-consulting firm, the council approved a $125 million pension obligation bond. This injection of cash will bring the fund from 14 percent funded to 40 percent funded, from about $50 million to $175 million. Judi Kozak, council president, said approving the bond was the lesser of two evils. "It's not a magic wand," Kozak said. "It just allows us to put the past behind us and move forward." The bond was passed 14-1. (Blogger's Note: this action, in conjunction with Mayor's reduction of current retiree cost of living increase from 3% to 1.59% this year, improved annual pension funding in FY14 budget and the negotiation of contracts with majority of Town bargaining units that has new hires starting in 2017 going from pension plan to a 401K style program are pieces of the Comprehensive Pension Reform Plan produced by Mayor Jackson and his team of nation-wide experts assembled to address this problem.) Republican Austin Cesare agreed that now was the time to act. But, he said, this solution is the result of gaffes by past councils and administrations. He said every year the town has bills to pay, but, for whatever reason, the actuarially recommended amount that should have been paid into the pension fund hadn't been paid in full for years. "Past councils and past mayors have pretty much played games with the pension contribution," Cesare said. "They would not contribute what the actuaries recommended, so as a result we are left now with having to fund the pension fund with no other alternative but bonding." Kozak made it clear that a healthy pension fund is not just beneficial to pensioners, but to the entire town. She said it's "not just the movies and the TV sets that have to worry about ratings." "I do worry about our rating agencies," Kozak said. "If people don't understand how important they are, without good ratings you can't get roads paved, sidewalks done, grants for our projects ... Without a good credit rating you're not a healthy town," Kozak said. And with a broken pension fund, those credit ratings are at risk. "If we contribute a sum of money we could finally have our heads above water," Kozak said. "(Otherwise) our credit rating will go down and so will everything we touch. It's too big a sum of money to think we could get out of this without some kind of help." Kozak said this pension obligation bond finally gives the town a grasp on the situation. It also will force the town's hand to continue adding to the fund to keep it healthy. "This step has made it that we can't fall behind again," Kozak said. "We have to put the money every year in the pension. Pay as you go was really not an option." Chief Administrative Officer Curt Leng said that if nothing had been done to fix the fund, it would have been bankrupt in a matter of years. If that had happened, citizens would have faced a huge tax hike, with significant increases every year to meet the increase in pension costs. Leng said the POB, in addition to previous steps taken to manage the crisis, such as lowering the cost-of-living adjustments given to pensioners every year from a de facto 3 percent to a contractual rate matching the Consumer Price Index, will give the pension fund a chance to heal. Cesare said the bond is obviously a lot of money to be borrowed. "The risk," Cesare said, "is a stock market downturn, but how do you know when that's going to happen, how is it going happen? You really don't." Leng said the town plans on investing the bond carefully over one to two quarters. In order to ensure those investments won't be risky, he said the plan is to invest with 7 percent expected returns, and balance that against the 6 percent interest rate of the bond. The plan, he said, is to be as conservative with the money as possible. He also added that while Hamden's pension fund is a fraction of what it should be, the investment and return of that money has a higher performance than 88 percent of pension funds in the nation. The only problem is that the return on $50 million is negligible when the town has to pay out $1.9 million to pensioners every month. But, with another $125 million in the pot, the hope is, if the town follows the Segal plan, the fund will be able fix itself over time.

Hamden Pension Fund Informational Meeting

(Article from NH Register) By Phyllis Swebilius HAMDEN >> An informational meeting on the town's underfunded pension fund Wednesday night drew more than 100 people to Miller Memorial Library, including several in uniform. "The time's come to act," Mayor Scott Jackson told the Legislative Council. The fund is underfunded by $350 million and contains only 14 percent of what is necessary. Town bond counsel David M. Panico echoed the mayor's comment. "There is no more time for delay," he told the council, thogh a decision was not to be made Wednesday night. Details of the plan will be posted on the town's website today. Jackson said the Segal Co., hired to advise the town on its choices, is "comfortable dealing with billions, not millions" of dollars. "This is a 30-year plan," Jackson said. "What I asked for is a plan that will outlive me," he said. "The council will look at the components of the plan and modify it as they see fit. "One way or another the town of Hamden is getting out of this," he said. Chief Administrative Officer Curt Leng said the town's bond counsel has said the most inexpensive, viable option is: o Changing the cost of living adjustment, which this year went from 3 percent to 1.59 percent. o Putting more money into the fund. The town this year increased the contribution from $9.3 million to $12.5 million, the largest one-year increase to date. o Selling pension obligation bonds. Jackson told the council, "A (pension obligation bond) is a potential part of the solution that is in your hands." However, the bond is "not a magic wand," said town financial adviser Barry J. Bernabe. The issue is "black and white," Eric J. Atwater, Segal Co. vice president, said. There are about 500 people in the pension plan, mostly retirees, he said. Inaction now would deplete the fund in five years, according to Atwater. Residents, employees and retirees expressed their own ideas before the advisers spoke. Some were concerned about putting the town into debt and the potential effects on their property values and taxes. "Borrowing is risky," George Levinson said. Of the pension obligation bonding, Anne Sommer said, "I think timing is the key and there are a lot of risks involved. "The experts don't have a crystal ball. Nobody does," Sommer said. "This is a very, very serious decision." Bob Anthony, a Fire Department retiree, asked the council "to bond at the right time." Another resident said the unions have to make concessions. Town workers' pay is better than private employees and the benefits are "extraordinary," he said. Some warned a decision should not be made quickly. "Are we making a decision when we don't have enough information before us?" asked Michael Montgomery. Retired Police Chief John P. Ambrogio pointed out the problem goes back to the 1970s. He told the council, "You can't blame the unions." "The retirees that put in 20, 30, 40 years to the town of Hamden should feel comfortable that they're going to get the check once a month," said retired Police Chief Robert Nolan. The issue has been "kicked down the street for some time," United Public Service Employees Union representative Wayne Gilbert said. Sometimes the town put no money into the fund, he said. "The pension fund is a written contract ... a written promise," he said. Public employees do not earn more than the private sector, he said. "Yes, they get more sick days." At least three sets of concessions have been made by the unions, he said. "Real money was given back to this town by the employees," Gilbert said. "If you do nothing, we all go down." Joseph Cirillo, representing Town Hall workers with Local 2863 AFSCME, said the union has consistently contributed to the pension fund while concessions have been made in 10 years. "We've given up a lot." The union has a contract coming up. "We're nervous and concerned about the future," Cirillo said.