Aliyya Swaby Photo
Nemerson: “Mistakes were made.”
Claudette Robinson-Thorpe said “yes” rather than “no” — and New Haven was back on track to continue qualifying for a pool of state money for development.
The board held a special meeting because it was the last possible date the alders could vote to put a referendum question on November’s ballot that would allow New Haven to continue qualifying for development grants under the state’s City and Town Development Act.
The board planned to vote to do that at its regular meeting Tuesday night. The matter was on the board’s unanimous consent calender. That meant everyone had to vote yes for the matter to advance to a referendum. Without an explanation, Robinson-Thorpe, an alder who represents Beaver Hills, voted no, denying unanimous consent. Officials scrambled to schedule a special meeting Thursday night, the deadline for submitting voting to put the matter on this year’s ballot.
Robinson-Thorpe joined her colleagues in voting yes this time — when they voted on the substance of the City and Town Development Act. (They hadn’t voted on the substance of the issue two nights earlier, just whether to approve it immediately by unanimous consent.) Robinson-Thorpe offered an explanation for her earlier no vote on unanimous consent: “timeliness and process.” The city often makes last-minute requests for crucial decisions, leaving alders with little time to check in with constituents or understand the proposals, she said.
East Rock Alder Anna Festa expressed her agreement with Robinson-Thorpe, saying that she supported the resolution passing, but would like more advance notice from the city.
Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morisson and Board of Alders President Jorge Perez said the board actually had two months’ advance notice. As deputy majority leader, Morisson herself had sent out a memo to “give two months’ head time.” It is up to each alder to keep track of upcoming votes and solicit feedback from the community, she said.
File Photo
Robinson-Thorpe (pictured) said she did not receive the memo. At Tuesday’s meeting, she was the lone vote denying unanimous consent on four other proposals as well, three of which would authorize bridges to be constructed and funded, and one of which would allow federal services for a proposed park in Newhallville. She said she said no to these proposals for the same reason.
“It will happen again if I don’t understand something,” she said.
Perez also reminded the board that any alder can deny unanimous consent for any reason.
Economic Development Administrator Matthew Nemerson said he began the process of renewing the act in May, but “mistakes were made” throughout the bureaucratic process. He said takes “full responsibility” for the delay.
Mayor Toni Harp put out a release Thursday after the meeting thanking the Board of Alders for its “extra effort” convening the last-minute meeting. “Without this approval the city’s ability to go forward with important and job-generating development and civic improvements would have been severely jeopardized,” she stated.
The act has been used in the past to fund completion of the Hill Health Center, Center Court, and Science Park, former New Haven Mayor John DeStefano told the Independent in 2009. It has to be voted on every five years by the public, which will now happen in November’s general election.