New Haven Votes

CHARTER REVISION SUMMARY -- HOW SHOULD THESE AMENDMENTS BE PRESENTED ON THE BALLOT IN NOVEMBER?

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:44:29 -0400

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR NEW HAVEN RESIDENTS:

The following changes to New Haven’s city charter are currently under consideration. You will have a chance to vote on some or all of these items in this November’s election. These changes would become permanent until another charter revision commission is convened, which might not take place until 2023.

CHARTER REVISION PROPOSALS

Board of Ed

Currently all of the members of the New Haven Board of Education are appointed by the mayor. The proposed charter amendments would replace two of the appointed positions with elected positions.
Under the proposed charter, the Board of Education would include two new non-voting student members from city high schools.

The Civilian Review Board for police complaints would be given a permanent status in the charter and allocated more power to conduct oversight of the actions of the police.
The Board of Aldermen would have the power to confirm or reject the mayor’s appointments to all city boards and commissions. Currently there are some boards and commissions that do not require aldermanic approval.
Changes to civil service rules – New Haven residents would be given an advantage in hiring for these positions.
The annual stipend/salary of the aldermen would be raised from $2000 to $3000 and indexed to inflation.
The charter will be completely reorganized and modernized

With elimination of anachronisms and inconsistencies in language,
Updating with gender neutral language (e.g. Board of Alders)
as well as minor changes to the

aldermanic tax abatement authority,
redistricting procedures, and
public participation and quorum requirements.

New Haven Votes Coalition meeting tomorrow!

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:39:00 -0400

Just a reminder that we will be having our New Haven Votes meeting tomorrow at 3 pm at The Grove (71 Orange Street).

Our main focus tomorrow will be brainstorming about voter
registration/civic engagement activities for this summer.****

Budget Briefing for New Haven Residents

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:57:54 -0400

Mayor DeStefano will provide an overview of the City’s proposed budget for
fiscal year 2013/2014 and answer questions from residents on Wednesday, May
1 at 6:30 PM at Mitchell Library, 37 Harrison St.

Residents are encouraged to attend these informational meetings in order to
gain an understanding of both the City’s budget priorities and the
challenges presented for the City as a result of the proposed State budget.

Youth Forum with Mayoral Candidates on May 13

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:21:00 -0400

Join Community Engagement Editor Shahid Abdul-Karim at a “Citywide youth forum with the mayoral candidates” at 6:30 p.m. May 13 at the Boys and Girls Club of New Haven, 253 Columbus Ave. All of the mayoral candidates who have officially filed with the city to date have been invited. Candidates that have confirmed their attendance to date are: state Rep. Gary Holder-Winfiled, D-New Haven; Alderman Justin Elicker, D-10; city native Sundiata Keitazulu; and former city Economic Development Administrator Henry Fernandez. The event is sponsored by the New Haven Register. For more information, call 203-789-5614.

http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2013/04/22/news/new_haven/doc516813b02018b849331099.txt

ALDERMANIC NOTICE

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:09:19 -0400

ALDERMANIC NOTICE:

The Finance Committee will hold a public hearing on Monday, April 29, 2013,
at 6:00 P.M, at the Columbus Family Academy Cafetorium, 255 Blatchley
Avenue, to hear PUBLIC TESTIMONY concerning the Mayors Annual Budget for
the Fiscal Year 2013-2014.

New Haven Public Schools Superintendent Search -- Community Engagement Process

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:51:55 -0400

The New Haven Board of Education is sponsoring a week-long series of focus
groups and forums to gain stakeholder input on the selection of a new
superintendent of schools. In addition to focus groups for specific groups
of stakeholders, there will be three public forums:

Tuesday, April 23, 7 pm, Career High School Auditorium, 140 Legion Avenue***
*

Wednesday, April 24, 7 pm, Fair Haven Middle School Auditorium, 164 Grand
Avenue****
Saturday, April 27, 9 am, Hillhouse High School Auditorium, 480 Sherman
Parkway

Please feel free to encourage others to participate in these programs.

Aldermanic Notice

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:45:42 -0400

Aldermanic Notice:

The Finance Committee of the Board of Aldermen will hold a workshop tonight
Thurs., April 18 to discuss appropriations in the 2013-14 city budget.

Charter Revision

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:40:30 -0400

Charter Revision:

The New Haven Charter Revision Commission meets tonight April 18 at City
Hall at 7 pm to conduct deliberations on reports from Working Groups B and
C.

PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:48:04 -0400

PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE:

The New Haven Democracy Fund will meet Thurs., April 18 at 6:30 pm at City
Hall.

Mayoral Debates

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 10:40:00 -0400

Along with community partners like the New Haven Democracy Fund, we will be co-sponsoring one or more of the three mayoral debates expected to take place between May and September. Please stay tuned for details.

You can make suggestions about debate questions here.

Upcoming Event: Charter Reform & Government Ethics Discussion

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:51:00 -0500

CHARTER REFORM & GOVERNMENT ETHICS:

How Can New Haven Improve Government Ethics Through Charter Revision?

Discussion with Rob Wechsler, Research Director for City Ethics (www.cityethics.org) and leading national expert on local government ethics programs

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

7 pm

The Grove

71 Orange St., New Haven

Sponsored by Charter Revision NHV, New Haven Votes Coalition, Democracy for America - New Haven

Light refreshments available.

Contact: Aaron Goode at aaron.goode@gmail.com.

Visit facebook.com/charterrevisionNHV.

________________________________________

ROB WECHSLER BIO

Robert Wechsler is Director of Research for City Ethics. He writes the City Ethics local government ethics blogand put together the City Ethics Model Code Project.

He is the former Administrator of the New Haven Democracy Fund, a public campaign financing program for mayoral elections.

For Common Cause Connecticut, he has prepared a Model Code of Ethics for Connecticut municipalities and has written reports on the state’s municipal ethics codesand on the state’s forms of municipal government and how to change them.

A former lawyer, he is a graduate of Harvard College and Columbia University Law School.

You can check out Rob’s blog HERE.

New Haven Charter Revision Commission Public Hearing Schedule Announced

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 17:16:54 -0500

New Haven Charter Revision Commission Public Hearing Schedule Announced:

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (203) 946-6483

(New Haven)- The 2013 Charter Revision Commission scheduled was released today. The Commission will begin its work with four public hearings. The public hearings will take place weather permitting at 7 PM in the community as follows on…

Re-Thinking New Haven: Community Conversation on Charter Reform

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 12:16:00 -0500

Re-Thinking New Haven: Community Conversation on Charter Reform

December 10, 5:30-7 pm

71 Orange St., New Haven (The Grove)

Between now and May 2013 the city’s most basic governing document will be under review, and your ideas needs to be heard! There is nothing more important that engaged citizens can do than make their voices heard on how to create a truly effective and representative structure of government. A commission appointed by the Board of Aldermen will be holding public hearings on charter revision in the upcoming months — but we don’t have to wait for them to get the ball rolling.

Please be part of formulating a citizens’ agenda for charter reform.

Some of the topics that may be considered in charter revision:

* term limits
* size and structure of Board of Aldermen
* moving to an elected or partially elected Board of Education
* residency requirements for city employees
* new Code of Ethics

In fact every aspect of the charter is up for review — nothing is off the table!

How can we reform the structure of government to make it conducive to better governance and a more thriving city?

Please help launch that effort. Be in on the ground floor of the future of self-government of New Haven.

On Monday, December 10th from 5:30 to 7 pm we will gather and collectively build what we need for a successful charter reform process. We invite and support a dynamic dialogue with new and diverse voices. Please help spread the word about this community forum!

List of New Haven polling places by voting district. Please note...

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 12:56:37 -0400

List of New Haven polling places by voting district. Please note that in several wards there are multiple polling places.

Need an Absentee Ballot for the August 14 Primary Election?

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 11:58:32 -0400

Need an Absentee Ballot for the August 14 Primary Election?:

Are you going to be away on August 14 and need to request an absentee ballot for the primary election that day?

There is a two-step procedure for voting by absentee.

You can download an absentee ballot application at the Secretary of the State’s website.

Or you can call the New Haven…

Citizenship: What Every American Needs to Know

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:37:02 -0400

“A new book compiled by Brenda Star of StarGroup International will be hitting the shelves this July. Citizenship: What Every American Needs to Know is a compact easy-to-read, concise educational book about America: its history, its government and how it works. With a presidential election just four months away and growing concern over America’s civic knowledge deficit, Citizenship offers citizens the tools they need to take part in thoughtful civic engagement.” Read more.

Would You Like the Secretary of the State to Visit Your School?

Tue, 08 May 2012 14:07:31 -0400

The Secretary of the State’s office provides classroom visitations and lectures throughout the state at the elementary, middle school, high school and college levels. Age-appropriate workshops address the role of the Secretary of the State, the importance of voting and civic participation, and demonstrate the relationship between government and issues that affect everyday life in Connecticut. Secretary Merrill also registers individuals to vote at these sessions as appropriate.

If you are interested in having a speaker address your class, please contact the Secretary of the State’s office at 860-509-6200 or email ilona.havrilla@ct.gov.

Election Day Voter Registration is Coming to Connecticut

Tue, 08 May 2012 14:05:00 -0400

Among the bills waiting for the Governor’s signature is a measure that will allow Connecticut citizens to register to vote and cast a ballot on the same day. The Governor is expected to sign the bill. Read more.

Next New Haven Votes Coalition Meeting: Tuesday, April 24

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:44:13 -0400

The next meeting of the New Haven Votes coalition will be held on Tuesday morning, 4/24, at 10 AM at the New Haven Register offices, 40 Sargent Drive.

We will be planning voter registration, furthering plans for the civic health index forum, and discussing a way to increase civics education in public schools.

Hope you can make it!

Connecticut Ranks High in Government Integrity Report, But Problems Remain

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:45:57 -0400

The nonprofit Center for Public Integrity recently issued ‘report cards’ ranking state government performance in terms of transparency and integrity. Connecticut ranked highly in the report but scored poorly in “Judicial Accountability,” “State Civil Service Management,” and “Legislative Accountability.” Read more here.