Yang Bellacicco was on the phone to Southern China with news: She and her husband hope to bring new life to an historic oysterman’s house lost amid the ruins of a state representative’s real-estate business.
It was touch-and-go for a moment Saturday morning as the Bellaciccos went up against a “faraway bank” at a foreclosure sale for control of 13 Lewis St., adjacent to little Lewis Park on a sloping one-block road leading to Fair Haven’s waterfront.
The house was owned by State Rep. Jason Bartlett of Bethel, who has been shedding properties he’d bought in New Haven.
“This is not just for us, but for the future. Our family’s, and the neighborhood. Better we try to get it than some faraway bank.” That was Pete Bellacicco’s explanation and he, his wife Yang, here just two years from China, and their baby Angelina prepared for bidding to begin.
That faraway financial institution turned out to be Deutsche Bank, which foreclosed on Bartlet, who bought the house in 1998. An estimated 12 percent of all New Haven foreclosures since 2006 have been initiated by the German-based bank, making it harder for the city to start putting distressed properties in the hands of local people who can rebuild and/or reinhabit them.
The Bellaciccos already own a house blocks from Lewis Street, on Pine at Maltby. With neighbors there, they are vigilant about cleaning up and chasing away prostitution.
“Sometimes a bright flashlight works nicely,” Pete Bellacicco said. “Taking care of a neighborhood, revitalization doesn’t just come from downtown or Washington.”
Court-appointed attorney West Haven-based Daniel Lyons (pictured above) waited for the 11 o’clock hour Saturday to see if other bidders would show up. Meanwhile Bellacicco, who drives a truck for the Connecticut Food Bank, noticed the New Haven Preservation Trust medallion on the side of the building. “That’s good and bad,” he said. “Good because it shows the immediate neighbors care. The negative is that you have to go through zoning and all that to get permissions when we fix it up.”
A quick tour of the inside revealed that the piping had recently been swiped, but Bellacicco’s enthusiasm was not dulled. “We’re going to take out all this plaster and reveal the original brickwork on the inside. There are also some stained glass panes upstairs that we’ll uncover.”
If they get the house.
Pete Bellacicco said they were prepared to spend above $30,000 to fix the place up. Per the requirement, Yang Bellacicco handed a check for $13,500, or 10 percent of the appraised market value, to lawyer Lyons. When no other bidders showed up, Lyons opened the proceedings.
Deutsche Bank bid $76,000. Pete and Yang Bellacicco looked at each other. This was for their futures, and for their family, and for the future of the neighborhood. Pete had been quite eloquent about helping to keep his corner of Fair Haven away from absentee landlords.
Still, Deutsche Bank’s bid appeared to be a lot more money than they expected.
“What shall we do Yang?”
“What do you think?” she said
Baby Angelina said something, half English and half Chinese, but it did not appear to advance the deliberations.
“Can the bank bid higher if we make a bid?” Bellacicco asked Lyons.
“No, that’s the bank’s one and only bid: $76,000. Do I hear another bid?
“Can we think about it for a moment?”
“Sure, but that moment is almost up.”
Sweat was pouring down Bellacicco’s face, wet from the humid pre-hurricane air that had canceled, until the following week, a planned volunteer event to redo adjacent Lewis Park. With the help of the Lowe’s “Local Heroes” fund, the community was going to put in new slides, water equipment, pavers, fencing, and vegetation. The Bellaciccos liked that.
“Seventy-six thousand and one penny,” said Yang.
The lawyer repeated the number. “Are there any other bids?” When nothing but wind and birdsong replied, he said, “Congratulations.”
Yang Bellacicco immediately called her father in Southern China with the news. As they chatted across continents, Pete Bellacicco talked with Lyons about how to secure the property against trespassers until the deal goes formally through the court, likely within the month. The family plans to renovate and have the place available to rent by the spring.
“Foreclosure Can Happen To Anyone”
Reached by telephone, Bartlett (pictured) said he was happy how the foreclosure sale turned out.
His wish had come true, nice people, locals with a preservationist instinct had bought the house. “Well, there’s always a silver lining,” he said. “I’m very pleased.”
Bartlett said he is trying to divest himself of his last two properties and focus instead on politics and the nonprofit world. It’s there, he said, he can help people most. He was most recently in the news for co-chairing Hillary Clinton’s primary campaign in Connecticut; calling for the ouster of Joe Lieberman from the Democratic Party; and coming out as the first acknowledged gay African-American state legislator in the country. In 1999 and 2001, Bartlett ran the New Haven mayoral campaigns of Jim Newton and Marty Looney, respectively. He is currently running for his second term as a state representative from Bethel.
As an entrepreneur, Bartlett said, he had been overextended trying to make a restaurant in Hartford work and manage his New Haven properties at the same time the economy tanked. Then a bad tenant trashed 13 Lewis, he said. The contractor called in to fix it up left work undone. It ended up worse than before. The restaurant had unanticipated mechanical and structural problems. He didn’t have the liquidity to make repairs and mortgage payments on 13 Lewis.
“You’re an entrepreneur, you take a certain amount of risk,” Bartlett said. “The economy is not in your control. Foreclosure can happen to anybody. I had to let it go.”
Bartlett said he specifically decided he would not serve on state legislative committees addressing the foreclosure crisis. “For me to take a position in this area, even though I’m one of the casualties now, I don’t want people to question my motives, to say I’m personally benefiting.” Bartlett serves on the Human Services; Education; and Finance, Revenue and Bonding committees.
Bartlett said had considered not running for reelection this year due to his financial problems. He decided to be open about them; he referred to the matter in his reelection announcement.
To supplement his $28,000 state rep’s salary, last week Bartlett took on a full-time job as development director of the National Black Justice Coalition, a civil rights organization for black LGBT people.
Previous Independent coverage of New Haven’s foreclosure crisis:
‚Ä¢ Foreclosure Attracts New Breed of “Specialist”
‚Ä¢ In Foreclosures, Judge’s Hands Tied
• Home Saved From Foreclosure. Cycle, Too
• A House For Precious?
• Deutsche Bank Grabs Dixwell Condo
• Reluctant Bidder Snags F. Haven Bargain
‚Ä¢ Well, There’s Always Powerball
• Neighbors Retrieve Home From Bank
• Somebody Has Plans For Bassett Street
• Foreclosed, the Khennavongs Leave the Santanas
• Foreclosure Steal May Be Too Good
• 2nd Foreclosure in 3 Months Dims Bright St.
‚Ä¢ After Foreclosure, W’ville Owner Still Hopes To Sell
‚Ä¢ He’s Not Buying, Yet
• Quiet Foreclosure on Porter Street
• 3 Minutes Too Late
• Historic Gambardella Property Foreclosed
•2 Homes Lost, 1 Gained
‚Ä¢ “Everybody’s Got To Eat”
• More Foreclosures, More Signs
‚Ä¢ Foreclosure Sale Benefits Archie Moore’s
• Rescue Squad Swings Into Action
• A Bidder Shows Up
‚Ä¢ Bank Beats Tanya’s Bid
• Westville Auction Draws A Crowd
• DeStefano: Foreclosure Plan Ready
• Can They Help?
‚Ä¢ “We Should Over-Regulate These Bastards”
• Rosa Hears of Rescues
• WPCA Grilled on Foreclosures
‚Ä¢ WPCA’s Targets Struggle To Dig Out
• Sue The Subprimers?
• WPCA Hearing Delayed
‚Ä¢ Megna’s “Blood Boils” at WPCA Tactics
• Goldfield Wants WPCA Answers
• 2 Days, 8 Foreclosure Suits
• WPCA Goes On Foreclosure Binge
• A Guru Weighs In
• WPCA Targets Church
• Subprime Mess Targeted
‚Ä¢ Renters Caught In Foreclosure King’s Fall
‚Ä¢ She’s One Of 1,150 In The Foreclosure Mill
‚Ä¢ Foreclosures Threaten Perrotti’s Empire
‚Ä¢“I’m Not Going To Lay Down And Let Them Take My House”
‚Ä¢ Struggling Couple Sues Over “Scam”
The following links are to various materials and brochures designed to help homeowners avoid foreclosure.
How to prepare a complaint to the Department of Banking; Department of Banking Online Assistance Form; Connecticut Department of Banking, Avoiding Foreclosure; FDIC Consumer News; Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut, Inc; Connecticut Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service.
For lawyer referral services in New Haven, call 562-5750 or visit this website. For the Department of Social Services (DSS) Eviction Foreclosure Prevention Program (EFPP), call 211 to see which community-based organization in the state serves your town.
Click here for information on foreclosure prevention efforts from Empower New Haven.