{news} RE: A second look at Allan Brison campaign in New Haven

Wed Nov 4 12:59:56 EST 2009

Fellow CT Greens:

I have been active in Allan's campaign over the last two months.  I worked
yesterday on Allan's campaign for the entire day.   I believe I have an
accurate but limited view of the campaign from inside it. On the positive
side Allan had close to 50 people working on the campaign. His campaign
created a list of supporters that were obtained through extensive canvassing
that helped to get his voters out on election day.  He also made outreach to
hundreds of individuals in the 10th ward  and to numerous labor and other
groups during the campaign. He got the endorsement of many unions in New
Haven and other independent Democratic members of the present city council.
His supporters put up hundreds of lawn signs in his district. He did get
over 30% of the vote and he raised important issues and  created a new
political network for future elections. He handed out a lot of literature
about the real issues facing New Haven, CT.  He also stood up for what he
saw as the best policies for his ward and for city of New Haven, CT.  He
stood up to Yale university and its corporation's obscene control over New
Haven's economy and future. He became a symbol of independence in a city
government that has a long and sorry history of corrupt strong mayors.

I want to thank Alan Brison and his campaign for fighting the good fight and
for pursuing a Green agenda.  While it is easy to get discouraged it is
important to understand the context in which Alan's campaign was forced to
run in this year(something you will not find completely delineated in
article below).

The inconvenient facts are that people in the Brison campaign have put
forward some evidence that Mayor John DeStefano Jr made Allan's defeat a
high priority during this election year.  Justin Elicker , Alan's opponent
is pursuing a double master's degree at Yale School of Forestry.  When asked
at a debate during the campaign if he had the time to go to school at Yale
full time and be a active as a Alderman he said: "I am not a good student"
(which elicited approving laughter from his supporters and very  little
reflection from Yale's "best and brightest").  Mr Elicker says he will
finish school in June 2010 which means that for the first 4 to 6  months of
his term he will be a very busy full time student and more than likely AWOL
from the business of the city of New Haven, CT.  On his resume he says that
he worked for the U.S. State Department in some capacity before becoming a
student and candidate for city council.  One Brison supporter said last
night that early on in Mr. Elicker's campaign he was introduced as the
"mayor's choice" for this city council seat.  When this created a negative
impression in some voters minds this characterization was dropped.  The 200
Yale graduate students and other people connected to Yale  who were signed
up by Mr Elicker's campaign supported Mr. Elicker because he was Yale Blue
(like likes like) and they ignored the bigger issues facing the city that I
was born in. Hopefully we can explore and discover some new facts and more
solid evidence about what really happened on Nov. 3, 2009 in New Haven's
10th ward.  There were quite a few Yale Grad Students and others connected
to Yale who actively supported and voted for Allan (I spoke with many of
them at their homes), therefore I believe that certain characterizations
found in this article and repeated by  certain other "experts" is only
partially true.  Mr Elicker is obviously on the Democratic party career
track for higher office.  One can only hope that his time as Alderman of New
Haven will be more that just another entry on his well heeled resume.

I do not see this election  as a defeat but rather as an opportunity for
learning and growth.  Experiences in a context is one way of learning and
seeing things as they really are.  Reframing is also redefining the obvious
and seeing more accurately what is really going on past, present, and
future.

Regards,

Mike DeRosa

From: newhavengreens at yahoogroups.com [mailto:newhavengreens at yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of David Bedell
Sent: Wednesday, November 04, 2009 10:58 AM
To: ctgp-news at ml.greens.org; newhavengreens at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [newhavengreens] Allan Brison loses in New Haven

Defeat in New Haven balances victory in New London.

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2009/11/notes_from_ward.php

Board's Only Green Loses In Landslide
by Melissa Bailey | November 3, 2009 8:09 PM

(Updated 8:37 p.m.) The Board of Aldermen's lone Green member was 
trounced 618-320 Tuesday in East Rock's Ward 10.

The vote total did not include absentee ballots, which were not expected 
to make a difference.

The Ward 10 election pitted one-term Alderman Allan Brison, the city's 
only Green alderman, against newcomer Democrat Justin Elicker.

Elicker brought over 200 new voters to the polls this election. In a 
year where turnout was anemic in most parts of town, Ward 10 saw over 
900 people come to the polls, compared to fewer than 700 two years ago.

Some of the people who last supported Brison switched sides this time. 
Meanwhile, some of Brison's key supporters most notably activists from 
Yale's unions were stretched thin across election campaigns throughout 
the region.

And an issue that helped Brison defeat an incumbent Democrat two years 
ago may have come to haunt him this time: ongoing tensions over the new 
home of Hooker School.

The polls at East Rock's Wilbur Cross High School drew steady activity 
throughout the day. Fueled by hot split pea soup spooned out by the 
senior class, volunteers from the two campaigns met voters in the 
parking lot by the school.

Some 20 energetic, young Elicker volunteers erupted in cheers as the 
polls closed and the results were announced. Alderman Roland Lemar of 
neighboring Ward 9 gave Elicker a bear hug. The scene mirrored the high 
spirit of the Elicker campaign, which the vanquished Brison acknowledged 
in remarks Tuesday night.

Justin ran a very good campaign, very energetic. And the results showed, 
Brison said, adding, I was a little surprised by the amount that he won by.

People feel like I can get things done, said Elicker after sealing 
victory by a margin of 2 to 1. He said he is not planning to leave the 
ward to the contrary, he plans to run for alderman again in another two 
years, he said.

On election day, Elicker got help from longtime East Rockers like former 
Alderman Dick Lyons and current ward co-chair Ray Saracco. A slew of 
Democratic politicians showed up to campaign for him, too, including 
State Sen. Martin Looney and State Rep. Cam Staples.

Looney was asked to compare this race to the one two years ago, when 
Brison surprised the city by toppling incumbent Democrat Ed Mattison by 
a vote of 393 to 304.

Elicker has one advantage over Mattison, Looney said: He is not 
connected to some of the old fighting that divided the neighborhood. He 
was referring to the battle over the new Hooker School on Whitney 
Avenue, the most polarizing issue in the ward. Mattison's support of 
that school earned him some opposition in East Rock, Looney noted. 
Meanwhile, Elicker is coming to the table with a clean slate.

Elicker and Brison supporters camped out next to each other in two tents 
in the parking lot without incident. Brison got help from citywide Green 
Party members and a handful of union activists, including UNITE HERE's 
Anita Seth. Seth, who lives in East Rock's Ward 9, said Brison stood up 
for the unions when they tried to boot the Aramark company from the city 
schools. The executive boards of Yale's unions, UNITE HERE Locals 34 and 
35, both endorsed Brison.

However, only a handful of union folks were available to work for Brison 
on election day, according to UNITE HERE state political director Gwen 
Mills. She said the low union turnout was due to a national union fight 
as well as hot races in East Haven and Hamden.

Elicker also drew support from a team of aldermen from across the city.

Vote for my friend Justin, urged Alderman Alex Rhodeen of Fair Haven 
Heights. He was one of a crew of aldermen including board President Carl 
Goldfield, East Rock's Roland Lemar, Yale's Rachel Plattus, Fair Haven's 
Erin Sturgis-Pascale, Beaver Hill's Moti Sandman who came to the Wilbur 
Cross School to campaign for Elicker. That group collaborates with Mayor 
John DeStefano more often than those on the other side of the parking 
lot, who were supporting Brison.

Hill Alderwoman Dolores Colon and Quinnipiac Meadows Alderman Gerry 
Antunes, who both tend to align with a camp that's critical of the 
mayor, showed up to support Brison.

He's a good man. Why get rid of him? asked Colon.

Saracco, a Democratic ward co-chair in the ward, switched camps this 
year to support a man he called a rising star in politics. Saracco 
supported Brison in 2007. This year, he followed the endorsement of the 
ward committee and supported Elicker. He said he's impressed by how 
enthusiastic and energetic Elicker is.

I still respect Allan a lot, Saracco said. Brison did what he could in 
his first term, but as the only Green on the board he's all alone there, 
Saracco said. We have a better chance with Justin.

  _____  

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