{news} Hamden Daily News: earlier report on McCarthy

[David Bedell]

http://www.hamdendailynews.com/ArchivesTGJune07.html
June 21, 2007

The Fightin' 5th
McCarthy's running

By Sharon Bass

Two years ago, Kelly McCarthy and Kath Schomaker seemed to be on the same
page. The Whitneyville friends were supportive of each other when Democrat
Schomaker ran (successfully) for an at-large Legislative Council seat and
McCarthy, a Green, ran (unsuccessfully) for her district seat.

The page has turned. This November, the two women will fight it out for the
5th.

"It's a political party move to attempt to shut me down," said McCarthy of
Councilwoman Schomaker running for district instead of at-large again. "The
Democrats figured I wouldn't run against Kath."

McCarthy, 29, pulled in 40.3 percent of the vote in '05, a healthy number
for a third-party candidate, especially considering two years ago Mayor
Craig Henrici was elected with 81 percent against Republican Dick Reilly.
Henrici's coattails inarguably helped bring victory to all of the
under-ticket. Democrat Willie Mewborn won the 5th D with 49.2 percent and
Republican Henry Platt got 10.4 percent. (Neither man is running this year.)

This time around McCarthy said she feels more empowered.

"I didn't even have the tax issue in 2005. People won't tolerate tax
increases," she said. "I feel a lot more confident about this campaign
because I know what I did wrong last time. Kath has a record and I think she
needs to be held accountable."

McCarthy, who lives on Treadwell Street, tutors schoolchildren for a living.
She's co-chair of the Clean & Green Commission, chair of the Whitneyville
Civic Association's traffic division and a member of the grassroots
tax-relief group Hamden Alliance for Responsible Taxation. She has a master'
s degree from Yale Divinity School.

The Green Party candidate said the Henrici Administration has been more
about keeping the Democratic machine in power and handing out favors and
jobs to friends than helping the everyday Hamdenite.

"It's been glaringly obvious to me that this administration does not have
the needs of the citizens of the town in mind," McCarthy said. "There were
lots of campaign promises of things that won't be done. 'I won't put my
needs before the citizens.' And he asks for a [$570 monthly] car allowance.
'I'm not going to take a [town] car.' Lots of broken promises."

She said she's likewise disappointed with Schomaker. "We thought she would
be a champion of the people," said McCarthy. "But that didn't happen."

She said her district's needs have been largely ignored -- crime is
increasing, there aren't enough cops around and sidewalks need repair.

Broad Coalition

McCarthy expects support from the district Democrats who rallied around her
in '05 as well as from Republicans.

"No one expected me to do as well as I did [in 2005]," she said. "It showed
Hamden that independent candidates are a viable option. I know people in
Hamden are disheartened about how things are run. It's healthy to have
different opinions -- and not opinions based on a party agenda.

"I am an adversary to the mayor and to the people sitting on the Council,"
McCarthy continued. "As a concerned citizen, I shouldn't be. But I'm viewed
as someone who's challenging so therefore they must discredit me, take me
down.

"The average resident in my community loves me and the person who attends
all the DTC [Democratic Town Committee] meetings hates me. There are
exceptions. But the rubberstamp types are absolutely against myself and
members of HART or anyone who says anything against them.

"You have to be willing to be hated by the people who are desperately trying
to maintain the status quo. Until there is reform in the very basic
structure of how Hamden government runs, we won't see the improvement we
need."

Tax activist Mark Sanders is McCarthy's campaign manager, and Diane Hoffman
is treasurer.