Jim Newton (pictured at left) kicked off his second campaign against Mayor John DeStefano by pledging alliance between African-Americans and Latinos and railing against the mayor for neglecting the city during a nearly three-year gubernatorial run.
Newton, who made a spirited run against DeStefano in 1999, launched his 2007 campaign Saturday at the Center Church on the Green, where former Mayor John Daniels announced his own candidacy 18 years ago.
“New Haven is a city in crisis,” was the motif of the day, projected in Newton’s baritone over the rows of pews. The event drew fewer than 30 supporters, plus family members and four informants from City Hall.
Daniels, New Haven’s first African-American mayor and an outspoken critic of the DeStefano administration, was the celebrity centerpiece.
“The current mayor has demonstrated that he no longer wants to be mayor, he wants to be governor,” said Daniels, saying more needs to be done about crime, high taxes, and the schools. (Click here to hear his full torrent of criticism against everything DeStefano has done in his seven terms as mayor).
In his speech, Newton called for revival of organized activities such as Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts as a response to a summer of tragic youth violence. “The majority of young people in New Haven have nothing to do, and nowhere to go.” He also called for a revival of community policing.
Citing the achievement gap, truancy and high school dropouts, he called the schools system “in crisis.” “Education is still the fastest and most efficient way to break the poverty cycle.” He also said he’d reduce taxes by eliminating government inefficiency.
On the Billy White scandal: “No one in the [city] should be allowed to break the law and still receive a pension.”
Democratic Town Committee Chairwoman Susie Voigt, who’s serving as a spokeswoman for the mayor’s campaign, defended the mayor’s gubernatorial run: “I think it was good for the city of New Haven,” said Voigt. “It was during that timeframe that the new senior housing was built on Dixwell Avenue … The building of our schools has continued unabated while the mayor was running for governor.”
As for other criticisms, Voigt said: “He’s running because he’s eager and enthusiastic to work on these problems. There are very great challenges that we face, with the pressure that the property tax puts on, and with a continuing administration in Washington that doesn’t care what’s happening in New Haven.” Supporters pointed to the mayor’s recent initiatives on community policing, senior tax relief and Street Workers Outreach Program targeting at-risk youth as evidence he’s tackling the issues raised.
Joining the challenge against DeStefano this year are Willie Greene and the perennial Ralph Ferrucci.
“Unity”?
Newton gained a surprising 38 percent of the vote when he challenged DeStefano in 1999. At that time, the FBI was sweeping into City Hall amid a series of corruption scandals, which Newton was able to capitalize on. This year, Newton’s campaign “is going to be a little bit different,” he said. One big difference, supporters say, is an attempt to join forces with political allies in the Latino community.
Enter Tom√°s Reyes (pictured), former president of the Board of Aldermen, who served alongside Newton. Newton served as a Hill alderman from 1983 to 1987. Reyes threw support behind his former colleague and brought two bilingual preachers to open and close the ceremony with prayer. The message: Unity.
“We ask you for the spirit of unity, God, to cross lines that haven’t been crossed before,” said the Rev. Emilio Hernandez in an opening prayer.
p(clear). 
Democratic Town Committee Vice-President Norma Rodriguez-Reyes (pictured at right) appeared at the event, but declined to cast support one way or another. “I’m just here to check out the lay of the land and see what’s going on.” Joey Rodriguez, who’s running for alderman in Fair Haven against Maria Reyes-Rivera, also appeared at the event.
p(clear). 
Former Alderman Tony Dawson (pictured), another of Newton’s former colleagues, said he’s supporting the candidate because he sees New Haven’s neighborhoods as in trouble, with young African-Americans dropping out of school and getting into turf wars. Economic development “is not happening in the Latino and African-American community as much as it is downtown.” The city needs a mayor who comes from minority neighborhoods and understands their needs, he said.
p(clear). Where does Newton aim to draw support from? “He’s gotta be able to energize those voters who have not voted in previous elections,” Daniels said, noting low voter turnout in minority wards. Daniels said the “high tax rate” might serve as an energizing force.