Melinda Tuhus Photo
(Updated 11:25 a.m.) After learning that a main competitor is dropping out of the race for New Haven’s one open state legislative seat, Roland Lemar collected small donations in Fair Haven and vowed to press the state to help the city deal with released convicts.
Lemar is one of two New Haveners seeking the 96th State Assembly seat being vacated after 16 years by Rep. Cam Staples, who’s running for attorney general instead this year.
Lemar, a New Haven alderman, had been facing Hamden Board of Education President Michael D’Agostino, setting up a potential fight between Hamden and New Haven Democrats in the one district that straddles both communities. But D’Agostino has now decided to drop out because of a demanding law practice that requires international travel. Hamden Dems will support whichever New Haven candidate is chosen, according to Town Chairman Joe McDonagh.
“As you well know, any candidate running for the 96th Assembly seat — a district populated by a well-informed, active electorate — needs to campaign by going door to door,” D’Agostino stated Monday in an email message. “It is what the voters here deserve and require. Unfortunately, in my job as lawyer, I am currently handling a case in Iceland and Europe that will require me to be out of the country for extended periods of time over the next several months. I will, therefore, not be able to campaign in the manner both I, and the voters, would expect. I wish both candidates the best of luck. The district cannot lose, no matter who is chosen.
The news buoyed Lemar Saturday as he schmoozed over wine and pizza with 20 supporters (including John Bontatibus Sr., at left with him in above photo) gathered in Fair Haven activist Lee Cruz’s home on Clinton Avenue.
Lemar spoke about his vision for a sustainable city, including improved inner city and regional transportation, and job growth.
Then a supporter asked Lemar to comment on Mayor John DeStefano’s oft-repeated assertion that most of the perpetrators and victims of violent crime in the city—which has experienced 11 murders so far this year—are ex-felons, and that the state drops off 25 newly released prisoners in the city every week.
Lemar praised the efforts of City Hall prison re-entry coordinator Amy Meek and the Re-entry Roundtable in contacting ex-felons as soon as they arrive in New Haven — rather than waiting for problems to crop up — and describing options for housing, job training, and substance abuse counseling.
He said since most of the services ex-cons need are in cities, it makes sense that they’d be dropped off in New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport. But he said the State Department of Correction needs to do more during the last few months of inmates’ sentences to prepare them for reentering society. He said he’d read recently of a Midwestern state (he couldn’t recall exactly which one) where the corrections department works with inmates weeks in advance to line up job coaches, housing support professionals, workforce development, addiction services, and other ways to ease their transition.
Then West River activist Kevin Ewing spoke up, saying his neighbors pride themselves on building a caring neighborhood. “But maybe we care too much,” he said, because it seems that every empty house in the area turns into some kind of social service program. He said neighbors don’t object to hosting many of those services, but they’re starting to feel unfairly burdened.
“Why do we always have to accept that New Haven should have all these things?” chimed in Christel Manning (pictured). “Why should we lay down on this issue?”
“As a state representative, I’d push the Department of Correction to be more engaged, to be more effective at reorienting people before they enter our communities,” Lemar responded. “It shouldn’t be that we’re scrambling to try to find ways to service people as soon as they’re released from prison. It should be, instead, that the Department of Correction is preparing each of the individuals to reenter society in a manner that is conducive to them getting their lives back together and leading productive lives.”
He maintained that public transportation in cities helps recently released felons to navigate the services they need, but he agreed that it’s unfair that they are so concentrated in urban areas. “It’s too much for New Haven to have to do alone,” he said.
“I’m very concerned about community safety but I also think the planning for prison re-entry should begin in prison,” Debra Hauser said when reached later. “Discharge plans need to be made before a prisoner is released, or everybody just takes their changes that they’re going to make it. I think it’s a moral issue.”
Lemar acknowledged that this was not a topic he had thought as much about as some of the sustainability issues he’s taken a leadership role on at the Board of Aldermen.
Reached Sunday night, Hamden’s McDonagh explained that his town committee usually does not endorse a candidate in a contested race (i.e., more than one Democrat seeking the office). Contrary to some reports, his committee had not endorsed favorite son D’Agostino. After the latter dropped out, he said, “There are still two excellent candidates and I’d expect that both of them are likely to be in a primary. In multi-town districts there is a convention to which delegates are sent from all the participating towns. We have six and New Haven has 10. Those six people will decide” whom to support at the state convention on May 25.
New Haven’s 10 delegates have lined up behind Lemar. That positions him to claim the party’s endorsement. But Hauser can then take him on in a primary.
“I’m excited about my race and prepared to run against anybody who’s going to run” Hauser said Sunday night. “Now I’m working very hard against Roland Lemar — and plan to win.”