Allan Appel Photo
Kendall Murphy & John Prokop.
Longtime New Haven homeowner Kendall Murphy had a problem with a tree. He saw city parks director Bob Levine.
He also had a problem with the sidewalk in front of his Ella Grasso Boulevard home. So he sat right down for a face-to-face with public works director John Prokop
It was the Mayor’s Night Out, and on a squalling Wednesday evening at Hillhouse High there were far more department directors to chat up than residents.
That meant that Murphy got to bring his gripes directly to as many top city officials as he wanted, right in his backyard.
Despite being impressed with the access, Murphy retained a skepticism about government.
“When I find out what kind of action I get, then I’ll know how good it is,” he concluded.
Johnny Presswood and Bob Levine.
Johnnie Presswood was so frustrated he did Murphy one better: He brought a branch of the dead tree in front of his Winthrop Avenue house to parks chief Levine.
“It’s a hazard to my wife and my family,” said Presswood, who has been trying to get his tree chopped down for two years
Levine promised someone would inspect it and take action in two to three weeks.
“I’ll feel good if something’s done,” Presswood said.
From (left to right in photo) Assistant City Librarian Cathy DeNigris to schools COO Will Clark, from the Health Department’s Mario Garcia to Giovanni Zinn of the Office of Sustainability, a reporter counted about 14 departments and far fewer residents carrying branches or other evidence of dissatisfaction to be discussed.
A quick anecdotal survey revealed that Amy Meek at the Prison Re-Entry Initiative had two “customers.” Both were interested in doing advocacy for ex-prisoners trying to make a fresh start.
Emily Byrne of New Haven Promise had two inquiries in the hour she and the other department and project heads deployed their wares on the cafeteria tables. One was from a mother who wanted to know if her daughter was among those seniors who have applied for the Promise program, which provides in-state scholarship to New Haven seniors with a 3.0 GPA, 90 percent attendance, and a record of community service.
Byrne said that of New Haven’s approximately 800 high school seniors, 394 have signed up for the Promise. She pronounced that a very good start for the program. To the mom, she said she’d check if her daughter was among them.
But as the sheets of rain broke on the cafeteria windows, most of the department heads and other staffers just talked among themselves.
Sometimes it’s like that, said Michelle Duprey who as the director of disability services has been participating in mayor’s nights out for 14 years. “Tonight city staff will probably outnumber residents,” she said.
The mayor introduced the evening in the cafeteria of Hillhouse High by saying, “It’s a pretty tough time for a lot of families. A lot of uncertainty. The city has shrunk its work force. [Still], if something’s important these folks are here to help you.”
Mayoral spokesman Adam Joseph said the mayor’s brief remarks should not be taken as an intentional ratcheting down of the rosy view of city life contained in his reelection campaign announcement last week. Campaign talk is not the same as Mayor’s Night Out talk.
“The mayor often talks about stresses people are facing. It’s a consistent message that he acknowledges,” given the economy in Connecticut and the country as a whole, Joseph said. Showing how government works and de-stressing citizens is what the Mayor’s Night Out is about, he added.
By evening’s end Kendall Murphy felt less stressed about the dead tree branches falling in front of his house and the roots buckling the sidewalk. Speaking before he left with the mayor, he had the air of a kid let loose in the candy shop.