When mayoral candidate Kermit Carolina noticed an opponent’s sign on a Dixwell front lawn, he found he had some explaining to do — about a misunderstood notion of “special-interest” money.
Carolina, the principal of Hillhouse High School and one of five Democrats seeking to become mayor this year, offered the tutorial on New Haven’s public-financing system Sunday afternoon to Valerie McKinnie Counsel as she sat with her husband Walter on their front porch on Foote Street.
The encounter illustrated the challenge of not just participating in New Haven’s first-in-the-state municipal public-financing system, but also getting out the message about it.
Carolina had been walking the neighborhood to promote his candidacy. He grew up right around the corner from the Counsels, when the old Elm Haven housing projects stood there, before bulldozers razed them and a spiffier new development — Monterey Homes — took their place. Carolina kept running into people he knew on his stroll; everyone pledged support for his candidacy.
Until he got to the Counsels’ house. There he saw signs posted for the candidacy of fellow Democrat Toni Harp.
“Can we have a conversation?” he asked. (Click on the video to watch the conversation begin.)
That was OK with the Counsels.
“I’ve got a problem,” Valerie offered.
“Uh oh,” Carolina responded “What’d I do?”
Counsel reminded Carolina that she’d run into him a few weeks ago when she was coming home from church. Carolina had made one of his campaign pitches to her: That unlike two other candidates (Harp and Henry Fernandez), he has agreed to participate in the city’s Democracy Fund. That means he agreed to limit how much money he would accept from individual donors ($370 rather than $1,000) and swear off all donations from outside corporate and other political special-interest committees altogether, in return for a $19,000 public grant plus matching dollars.
Counsel remembered that. She liked that. Then a woman who works for her called her attention to “an article in the paper” reporting that Carolina had received $19,000.
“You said you weren’t talking any political money,” Counsel now scolded Carolina. “… You told me you weren’t taking any of that.”
Carolina proceeded to break down how the Democracy Fund works, that it helps candidates like him avoid taking special-interest money.
“No one can give me more than $370. She [Harp] can get thousands of dollars from any major corporation [or] special interest group,” Carolina continued. “Whoever’s paying the bills is dictating the shots right?”
“Right.”
“So I want my money from the people. That $19,000 is taxpayer money to start the campaign …
“What does that tell you? I’m a man of the people. I want you to determine what I do. I want to answer to you. I don’t want to answer to Yale. I don’t want to answer to any developers. I don’t want to answer to the unions. I want to answer to you. Because that’s what counts to me. I grew up here, right?”
“Right.”
Paul Bass Photo
Carolina asked her to think about what he said, to reconsider her support for Harp.
“I almost believed — the brother, he’s going to lie to me,” Council said.
“Do you believe me again?” Carolina asked her.
“Yes I do,” Council responded.
“I love you,” Carolina concluded. And he asked her to reconsider her campaign support.
She made no promises. Carolina promised to revisit her — and the conversation.