Thomas MacMillan Photo
Laying out a “blueprint” for his mayoral run, Clifton Graves took aim at a central plank of Mayor John DeStefano’s reelection platform — education. Graves called the city’s public schools a “failure” that have served as a “employment agency for the mayor’s political cronies.”
Graves (pictured), an attorney who also conducts an “Obama Scholars” program for middle-school students, voiced the charge Saturday afternoon at his Whalley Avenue campaign headquarters to a packed room of supporters. The occasion was the unveiling of Graves’ “Blueprint For Building a Better New Haven.”
The multi-part plan for his first 100 days in office includes the creation of two “blue-ribbon” panels, one to look at crime and the other at city finances. The former would examine ways to revive community policing and experiment with anti-gang injunctions and anti-loitering efforts. The latter would analyze the city’s financial health and come up with fiscal recommendations, like ending the one-time sale of city assets. (The Daniels administration commissioned a similar fiscal blue-ribbon panel upon taking office in 1990.)
Like another Democratic mayoral hopeful, Jeffrey Kerekes, Graves took aim at “the stifling of independent opinions of elected officials and city employees with the consequence of fear of revenge by mayoral powers.”
Click here to read Graves’ plan.
Each piece of the Graves blueprint includes an overt critique of Mayor DeStefano’s leadership, the most strident of which are reserved for the final two sections, on education and on “arrogance.” Graves accused DeStefano of patronage and cronyism that has ruined the education system. DeStefano, meanwhile, has been trumpeting an ambitious school reform drive launched over the past two years.
“Too many years of micro managing and too many years of being used as a full employment agency for the mayor’s political cronies and supporters has left NHPS incapable of meeting its primary mission of ‘Kids First,’” the Graves blueprint states. “The NHPS is a failed system.”
Asked later for specific examples of such patronage, Graves declined. “That’s the sense people have.”
He pointed to the recent deal to bring in a for-profit company to run Roberto Clemente school as evidence of the failure of the school board. “It raises concerns as to the expertise with the school system.”
Echoing the position of high-school student demonstrators (whose political club was disbanded after they demonstrated), Graves called for slashing the number of high-priced administrators such as assistant principals in favor of front-line teachers and textbooks.
Graves also took aim at New Haven Promise, the college preparedness and scholarship partnership with Yale that has been a key talking point of DeStefano’s re-election campaign. New Haven Promise is admirable in many ways, Graves said. “The problem is it falls short on several levels.”
New Haven Promise will help only the students who already would be headed to college anyway, Graves said. “At best, maybe 5 to 7 percent of students will be able to take full advantage of New Haven Promise,” he said. “What about the other 90 percent?”
Graves’ blueprint also charges the mayor with amassing “a concentration of power that stifles creativity, ingenuity and independent thought by those within and outside of his administration. All levels of his administration exist solely to advance his goals and purposes.” Graves said his administration would set a different tone of openness and welcoming new and competing ideas.
Danny Kedem, DeStefano’s campaign manager, had this to say in response to Graves’ blueprint: “The police department continues a relentless pursuit, along with state and federal agencies, to take drugs and guns off the street. However, without a doubt the best way to grow jobs and reduce violence is to give our kids real opportunity to go to college. The mayor is proud to have created New Haven Promise, established universal pre‑K programs, and brokered a landmark school reform deal with our teachers union. Additionally, when he negotiated with school administrators, they came to an agreement that reduces health care and pension benefits enough to save New Haven millions of dollars. The mayor’s vision for the city is choosing kids, that means we need all New Haven residents to help find ways to keep our families safe and push our kids towards a successful life.”
10 Percent Off The Top
While his blueprint is short on specific policy recommendations, Graves said it will be fleshed out as the campaign continues. Perhaps the most specific recommendation is a call for an across-the-board 10 percent pay cut for top city officials, including the mayor.
The proposed cut would affect the mayor’s senior staff as well as his appointed department heads.
Graves also vowed to urge the Board of Education to make the same cut to the salaries of administrators who earn above $100,000 a year.
The point is to set an example for city government at large in tough economic times, Graves said in an interview.
Paul Bass Photo
“In this day and age and economy, people are struggling to pay their bills, pay their taxes,” Graves said. “We’ll send a message [with these pay cuts]: The buck stops here. It sends a powerful and symbolic message that we’re committed to fiscal restraint and sensitive to the plight people are facing.”
Graves said he also hopes such a cut would perhaps “save some jobs of working poor people” like school custodians facing possible layoffs.
Under the city budget taking effect July 1, the mayor will earn $127,070; his chief of staff and budget director, $111,723 each; his spokesman, $72,000; executive administrative assistant, $69,082; legislative director, $68,500; legislative/policy assistant, $53,000; an administrative assistant, $37,194; and a receptionist, $18,789.
Graves said his proposed cuts would affect only senior staff earning six figures.
Other mayoral appointees include the chief administrative officer, who’ll get paid $111,733 in the next fiscal year; the corporation counsel ($150,000) and two deputies ($100,720 each); director of organizational development ($104,030); economic development chief ($111,723); “special counsel to the economic development administrator” ($110,000); controller ($111,723); assessor ($105,000); public health director ($105,000); community services administrator ($111,723); city engineer ($107,791).
The superintendent of schools earns $226,921 in salary; the police chief earns $150,000 a year; the fire chief, $111,723.
Click here to read the city budget.
At the Board of Ed, according to its new budget, 133 administrators will make over $100,000, including 37 central office staff, 45 principals, 49 assistant principals, and two former assistant principals who got bumped down to teaching jobs due to layoffs.
Another Democrat seeking to challenge incumbent Mayor John DeStefano in the Sept. 13 mayoral primary, Jeffrey Kerekes, endorsed the spirit if not necessarily the precise terms of Graves’ proposal. He said he stands by a position previously taken by a citizens budget watchdog group he cofounded, NHCAN, calling for across-the-board 10 percent cuts in city department budgets.
“Department heads might know best” how to achieve those savings, which might not necessarily mean 10 percent pay cuts for every administrator, Kerekes said.
Another Democratic mayoral hopeful, Tony Dawson, said he’s “not quite sure about a 10 percent pay cut in the mayor’s office right now. I’d like to look at that.”
Mayor DeStefano has already found a way to cut administrative and health care costs by millions of dollars, said campaign spokesman Danny Kedem.
“The mayor’s already taken the lead by cutting his own salary by almost $10,000 over the last two years. He even more importantly negotiated a contract with the school administrators that freezes their salary and reforms their health care costs that will save New Haven taxpayers millions of dollars. This contract allows us to invest in our kids by extending school hours, extending the school year, and closing failing schools. The best way to create jobs and reduce violence is to invest in our kids.”
The DeStefano administration this year eliminated a $104,030 position, director of organizational development, and an $80,000 personnel director’s job, merging them into a $93,026 tested “manager of human resources and benefits” position, noted mayoral spokesman Adam Joseph.
Click here for a story on Jeffrey Kerekes’ initial proposals.