Thomas MacMIllan Photo
As he formally announced his campaign for a seat in the state legislature, Sergio Rodriguez proposed a response to what he said is this year’s number one campaign issue in New Haven: unemployment.
Rodriguez laid out a couple of ideas to contend with New Haven’s 11 percent jobless rate: First, at the federal level, organize support for a bill designed to create local jobs. Second, at the city level, set up a revolving loan fund to help young people start businesses.
Informed of those proposals, Rodriguez’s opponent, State Rep. Pat Dillon, said, “I think if we are running for a state office, we most properly look at what role the state can play” in areas like energy costs and municipal cost-sharing.
Rodriguez, a Westville alderman, is challenging Dillon, a 26-year incumbent, for the 92nd General Assembly District seat.
Roriguez discussed his plans during a campaign kick-off event in Edgewood Park on Tuesday evening. He was joined by about 20 supporters — including Secretary of the State candidate Gerry Garcia and Newhallville Alderman Charles Blango — under the gazebo near the corner of West Rock and Whalley avenues.
In order to secure his place on the primary ballot, Rodriguez is working to get 406 signatures from district voters. He’s also trying to raise $5,000 in donations of less than $100, to qualify for public campaign financing. Dillon, too, is participating in the public financing system.
Rodriguez said he’s always wanted to run for statewide office. He said he sees an opportunity for improvement in the area of “constituent services,” which has been “lacking” under Dillon.
As campaign volunteers set up streamers and balloons on Tuesday evening, Rodriguez took a minute to talk about the issues in this year’s race. The top issue, he said, is jobs. His first response to the problem of unemployment: work for the passage of HR 4812.
The bill, known as the Local Jobs For America Act, would send $75 billion to recession-hit cities. New Haven could get $18 million to fund 338 jobs, Rodriguez said. The bill includes money to hire police officers and firefighters, as well as money for not-for-profits to hire new employees, he said.
It’s important for state leaders to have an eye on Washington, to ensure Connecticut wins all the federal money it is eligible for, Rodriguez said.
On a more local level, Rodriguez said he hopes to tackle unemployment through the creation of a revolving loan fund to support “youth-driven businesses.” This is an idea Rodriguez has been working on with West Rock Alderman Darnell Goldson. The two aldermen submitted the plan, “Development Initiative for Youth Entrepreneurship” to the Board of Aldermen in April.
The plan is to look for venture capital to fund small loans to help young people start businesses. It’s modeled after a program in New York that helped homeless people start two Ben & Jerry’s ice cream parlors, Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez acknowledged that the loan fund plan is a city-level initiative. But as a state representative, he would have greater opportunity to organize financial support for the program, he argued. He said he’d have access to a “larger field of contacts.”
Some young people already have business skills from illegal activities like selling drugs or stolen goods, Rodriguez said. He said he’d like to see those business skills channeled towards a more productive end.
Sergio said his second main campaign issue is tax reform. Property taxes are a local issue, but they’re “state driven.” Property taxes are the only way New Haven has to raise money, Rodriguez said. He said he’d like to see local taxes as another option.
Many people are on the edge of foreclosure or bankruptcy because of taxes, he said. Property taxes need to be lowered. “People are overburdened,” he said. “They’re just overburdened.”
Asked to differentiate himself from Pat Dillon, Rodriguez mentioned constituent services. “That’s what I feel is lacking.”
Rodriguez said that in his six and a half years as an alderman, Dillon has never met with him. As a state representative, Rodriguez said he would meet regularly with the six aldermen that represent the 92nd district.
A state representative should be knocking on doors even when it’s not election time, Rodriguez said. He pledged to do so.
“I’m not quite sure what he’s getting at,” said Dillon, when she was told about Rodriguez’s comments on constituent services. “I just came from a management team meeting on Dwight.”
Dillon said she makes a point of going to management team meetings in her district, where she has a chance to “see and confer with” aldermen and neighbors. She said she doesn’t remember seeing Rodriguez at those meetings.
Dillon said she recently went to a meeting on the city budget held by Westville’s Alderman Greg Dildine, a Whalley-Edgewood-Beaver Hills management team meeting, and a meeting about Shaw’s supermarket on Edgewood Avenue.
“I go to listen, really,” she said. “I’ve been to a lot of events where I’m the only elected official.”
Dillon agreed that the top campaign issues are jobs and property taxes. She had listed those two issues last week when she won the party’s support at the nominating convention. (Rodriguez had said unemployment and foreclosures.)
The issues are related, Dillon said. Connecticut needs to stimulate job growth by reducing energy costs and property taxes, she said. Those are the two major obstacles to small businesses opening, expanding, or relocating in the state, she said.
“We did a bill this year that mandated a 15 percent reduction in electricity rates,” Dillon said. “The governor vetoed it.”
To address property taxes, municipalities should pool costs, like health care and prescription drug bills, Dillon said. Also, cities should be allowed to levy their own taxes, she said.
Kenneth Driffin (pictured) showed up on Tuesday with his sons Kenneth and Noah to support Rodriguez. The two men laughed over the story of their first meeting, in an elevator in City Hall in 1993. Driffin was trying to kick a drug habit and turn his life around and Rodriguez was the new substance abuse coordinator for the city.
Rodriguez said it was his first time in City Hall’s elevator and he happened to share a ride with Driffin, who had dreadlocks and looked a little scruffy. Driffin had 45 days clean at that point and asked Rodriguez for a job. Rodriguez helped him get one, for $10 an hour.
“He believed in me,” Driffin said. “I’ve been clean ever since.”