David Sepulveda Photos
Lucas (top left) and Rubbie winners Rodriguez; Morrison, DeCola and Hamilton (2nd row); Santana, Paolillo and Berrios-Bones (third row); Eidelson, Walker and Colon (bottom row.)
They passed 41 ordinances. They “ran” a police chief and a fire chief out of office. They shepherded major development projects to fruition, supported summer meals for the needy, and “forced the corporation counsel to move to town.”
Those were some of the highlights of the work done in 2016 by the Board of Alders.
In an annual ritual, Legislative Services Director Al Lucas reviewed the year’s work and then handed out tongue-in-cheek “Rubber Stamp Awards” — aka “Rubbies” — to alders in a gathering at City Hall Monday night following the final full board meeting of the year.
Click on the above video to watch Lucas review the year and explain how he named this year’s Rubbies after people “who almost became president.” The winners:
• The Nelson Rockefeller Rubbie: Evelyn Rodriguez
• The Garret Hobart Rubbie: Evette Hamilton
• The Hannibal Hamlin Rubbie: Rosa Ferraro Santana
• The Benjamin Wade Rubbie: Alphonse Paolillo, Jr.
• The Samuel J. Tilden Rubbie: Jeanette Morrison
• The Al Gore Rubbie: Salvatore DeCola
• The Samuel Dewey Rubbie: Santiago Berrios-Bones
• The Ross Perot Rubbie: Sarah Eidelson
• The Thomas Riley Marshall Rubbie: Tyisha Walker
• The Hillary Clinton Rubbie: Dolores Colon
Following is the write-up from Lucas explaining the awards:
The Nelson Rockefeller Rubbie: Alder Evelyn Rodriguez (D‑4) for finally making it to the Board of Alders three months into the term: “I am here to serve that is what is significant … my heart is with the people.”
The Garret Hobart Rubbie: Alder Evette Hamilton (D‑24) for her comments calling Community Builders to task about the state of their properties: “We are not going to be a community that you come to when you need something … We need to see some real results.” Hamilton said these are things that should be taken care of immediately.
The Hannibal Hamlin Rubbie: Alder Rosa Ferraro Santana (D‑13) for her comments about feeling ambushed by the Strong School Proposal: “We were ambushed last year to support it and I feel like we are being ambushed this year to support it (again).”
The Benjamin Wade Rubbie: Alder Alphonse Paolillo, Jr. (D‑17) for his efforts as a “charter hawk” to force compliance with local laws. Too many times to select just one.
The Samuel J. Tilden Rubbie: Alder Jeanette Morrison (D‑22) for her service as an elector in the 2016 election.
The Al Gore Rubbie: Alder Salvatore DeCola (D‑18) for his “not safe for work (NSFW)” comments regarding the corporation counsel’s continued issues.
The Samuel Dewey Rubbie: Alder Santiago Berrios-Bones (D‑14) for making headlines through his biweekly “notes on the leadership meetings with the mayor.”
The Ross Perot Rubbie: Alder Sarah Eidelson (D‑1) for her leadership on the Board of Alders Legislative Agenda Survey.
The Thomas Riley Marshall Rubbie: Alder Tyisha Walker (D‑23) for her comment on the national crisis of police shooting and the Black Lives Matter movement that “It’s not about black or white; it’s about what’s right”
The Hillary Clinton Rubbie: Alder Dolores Colon (D‑6) for her comments during the Black and Hispanic Caucus speech about echoing Hillary Clinton’s theme that we are “stronger together. We imagine a New Haven in which everyone has access to a good job and a decent home, and our young people grow up feeling fully supported, with a big vision for their future. We are calling on all of the stakeholders in our city to step up and do more to achieve this reality.”