No seasoned
political watcher in New Haven will be much surprised by the gaggle of 14 karat
Democrats who showed up at St. Luke’s Parish Hall to lend their support to
state Senator Toni Harp in her bid to replace John DeStefano as the Elm City’s
mayor.
Everyone who is
anyone in Democratic Party politics showed up to row the Harp boat
successfully ashore, although former Mayor of New Haven John DeStefano, notably
absent, did not on this occasion join the chorus of prominent Democrats pledging
their support to Mrs. Harp.
A New Haven paper reported: “Harp, a Democrat, employed a VIP lineup of
top politicians in her party to pump up a room of over 120 supporters at St.
Luke’s Parish Hall at 111 Whalley Ave. Among those who appeared on her behalf:
U.S. Sens. Dick Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Gov.
Dannel P. Malloy, state Sens. Martin Looney and Don Williams, and state Reps.
Pat Dillon, Gary Holder-Winfield, and Roland Lemar.”
Encomiums sweetened
the air. The ubiquitous Governor Dannel Malloy was on hand. Noting the array of
fellow Democrats prepared to support Mrs. Harp, Mr. Malloy said the presence of
so many twinkling stars “tells you how important in our minds New Haven is.”
City votes were crucial in launching Mr. Malloy into the governor’s office, and
for many years Democrats have “owned” most of the larger cities in Connecticut.
It is commonly acknowledged that whoever wins a Democratic primary in New Haven
will carry the election.
U.S. Senator Chis
Murphy -- on his way to Europe in an attempt to salvage the sagging reputation
of the star spangled administration of President Barrack Obama following
disclosures that American spooks had tapped the cell phone of Chancellor of
Germany Angela Merkel – called Mrs. Harp a champion of the disenfranchised at
the state Capitol and encouraged the crowd to “work your butts off” on election
day for the wife of the recently departed Wendell Harp.
According to several
news reports, the late Mr. Harp was one of the city’s most egregious tax
scofflaws.
Upon his demise, Mr.
Harp’s business, Renaissance Management, was taken over by Mrs. Harp’s son, who
now faces a $1.1 million sales tax liability resulting from a long standing
dispute with the state Department of Revenue Services settled in the
department’s favor through a 2003 ruling by the state Supreme Court. Mr. Harp’s
settlement payments were laconic and sporadic. Accrued interest over the years
has “pushed Renaissance Management to the number one slot on a list of 100
delinquent businesses,” according to one news account.
Mr. Blumenthal has
come a long way baby since as a crusading Attorney General the quick to sue
Blumenthal hounded in-state businesses that for one
reason or another had strayed from the path of righteousness. As a U.S. Senator Mr. Blumenthal now not only
winks at tax scofflaws in his own state; he unblushingly campaigns for them on
their behalf.
But Mr. Blumenthal
is not alone. When Mrs. Harp was elected the first woman mayor of New Haven – “New
Haven needs a woman Mayor,” said Mr. Malloy on the primary campaign stump --
the lights of the Democratic Party in Connecticut were greatly responsible for
hoisting her petard. When all the votes had been counted in New Haven’s 30 wards,
Mrs. Harp had overcome a challenge by Justin Elicker by a fairly narrow margin,
considering the political circumstances:
Having lost to Mrs. Harp in a Democratic primary, Mr. Elicker mounted a challenge
as a petitioning candidate. Petitioning candidates running against political
party insiders generally do not do as well.
The Republican Party
in Connecticut, which has little or no presence in the state’s larger cities,
would have been delighted with Mr. Elicker’s figures: The final tally was 11,353
votes for Mrs. Harp and 9,416 votes for Mr. Elicker -- 54.66 percent to 45.34
percent, not a bad showing for a politician campaigning outside the political party box.
But no cigar.
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