Candidates Split On NextDoor, Labor

by Thomas Breen | Oct 30, 2019 7:57 am

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Posted to: Labor, Media, Politics, Westville, Campaign 2019, True Vote

Are the Yale’s unions a force for political engagement or obfuscation? Economic uplift or conflicts of interest? Does the social media app NextDoor promote civic debate and neighborly communication? Or racism and paranoid fear-mongering? The two candidates for the the Ward 25 Board of Alders seat in Westville offered different takes on those questions at a campaign debate Tuesday night. Around 30 people, mostly Westville neighbors, made the trek down to the Elm Street branch of the public library to watch the remarkably civil and substantive hour-plus debate, which pitted incumbent Adam Marchand against independent challenger Dennis Serfilippi. Marchand is a staff organizer and healthcare coordinator for Yale’s clerical and technical workers union, UNITE HERE Local 34, and a leading aldermanic voice on the Finance Committee, the Legislation Committee, and the City Plan Commission. He is running for a fifth two-year term on the Board of Alders. Political newcomer Serfilippi, a certified public accountant, budget watchdog, and lifelong New Haven resident, petitioned his way onto the Nov. 5 general election. The conversation, moderated by New Haven Independent Editor Paul Bass, leaped and bounded across a range of issues. Many were specific to Lower Westville, including: How to respond to the recent uptick in property crime. Which streets are in most need of traffic calming. Who supports concerts taking place at the former tennis stadium. (Hint: They both do.) Others focused on such citywide issues as the state of the public schools, sanctuary city policies, economic development, affordable housing, and how to achieve reasonable taxes while preserving high-quality city services. Two of the starker divisions between the candidates during the debate, which can be watched in full at the bottom of this article, came during back-and-forths around the role that Yale’s UNITE HERE unions play in local politics and around the function of social media, particularly the NextDoor app, has and should have in facilitating productive conversations between neighbors. Union Power In Local Politics

“I’m proud to be a member of my union,” Marchand said when asked about UNITE HERE, which backs a supermajority of the Board of Alders and helped propel Marchand to office in 2011. “It’s been a force for good and economic uplift in this community for a long time.” The union represents thousands of local workers who earn a decent paycheck and high-quality healthcare and retirement benefit because of the three-decade-plus history of organizing and contract negotiations by Local 34, he said. The union has helped build a middle class in the region, he said. “That’s profoundly important.” As a staff organizer and health care policy expert for Local 34, he said, he has developed an arsenal of skills that he uses on a daily basis as a local legislator. “I can organize,” he said. “I can advocate. I can build consensus. I know how to run a meeting. These are things that you learn by being a leader in the union.” In regards to potential conflicts of interest, he said, “You’ve got to know what hat you’re wearing.” When working in City Hall or out in Ward 25, he said, he focuses on the needs of city residents and his constituents. When working for the union, he said, he prioritizes the needs of the union’s members. “I think that anybody who is on the Board of Alders has to be clear,” he said. “What hat are they wearing, and are they going to do what’s right for their constituents? That’s what I’ve done, and that’s what I’ll continue to do.” As for lower-case “d” democratic engagement, he said, no progressive political organizing force has been more effective at the local or national levels than unions. “Our democracy is better because of unions in this country,” he said. Corporate power, as bolstered by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United case, he said, is simply overwhelming in most areas of political life. Unions turn out people to vote and get people to volunteer, he said. “I think the union has invigorated democracy.” Serfilippi said that he, too, supports many of the goals of UNITE HERE: “Better paying jobs. Better wages. Better working conditions.” His dad drove a box truck for Hostess Cake that had no air conditioning in the summers and no heating in the winters, he said. His uncle worked in the brass factories of Waterbury and lost his dominant hand doing that work. “I’ve seen what unchecked management in the private sector can do,” he said. But, he continued, UNITE HERE and labor-aligned alders sometimes “subvert the democratic process insofar as getting certain types of development done.” He pointed to union-affiliated alders’ and commissioners’ attempts to block the Hotel Duncan redevelopment as a boutique hotel, the Pirelli Building’s hotel site plan, and a second Courtyard Marriott on Whalley Avenue. “I think we’ve gone too far and it’s hard to tell which hat people are wearing at what time,” he said. “I think we need more transparency in terms of what the union’s agenda really is.” He called on suburban-residing union leaders like Local 35 President Bob Proto to “not stop with the progressivism at the paycheck.” They should advocate for the construction of affordable housing and drug treatment centers in the suburbs, he said. What’s Up With NextDoor? When asked about role of the the social media app NextDoor in Westville public life, Serfilippi, a frequent user of the neighborhood-specific version of the app, said that he has seen NextDoor used as a vehicle for positive, public discourse as well as for “less ideal situations in cases where people don’t believe in the same thing.” “I think it’s evolving,” he said. “I think it will get better.” He said the platform would benefit greatly from someone moderating the comments and blocking instances of hate speech. But that doesn’t mean the site can’t be used for good, Serfilippi added. He got the word out about Tuesday night’s debate being livestreamed on the Independent’s Facebook Live page through NextDoor, he said. The app can be “used as a positive forum for spreading news.” Marchand was more circumspect about the app, which has been used nationwide to stoke fears that violent crime is on the rise, even when it is not. In Westville it regularly features videos and photos of alleged criminal acts and passionate discussions and calls to action about how to prevent them. “I do find that there are some folks on NextDoor Westville who seem to feel that they have permission to be rude, disrespectful, to kind of foment fear, fear of the other in particular,” Marchand said. “And so I worry about the way that social media empowers some folks to behave in ways that are just unacceptable and that don’t actually serve the purpose, which is to inform, enlighten, and help people exchange information.” Apps like NextDoor can be used, and sometimes are used, to get recommendations for neighborhood services like plumbers and roofers and electricians, he said. “I don’t think we should be launching political campaigns on that platform,” he said. “And I certainly don’t think that we should” be looking to get people scared of other people just because they don’t look like them. Crime, Schools, & Taxes The debate, and the WNHH interviews, feature many more perspectives from Marchand and Serfilippi on hot button issues of the day. A few quick takes follow; watch and listen more to get each candidate’s full position. What is the biggest challenge facing Westville today? Marchand: “At the end of the day, it’s going to be: Do we hold onto the confidence that we have that Westville is a great place to live and a great place to raise families?” The recent uptick in crime must be addressed, he said, but so too must traffic calming, walkability, and maintaining the character and vibrancy of the neighborhood. Serfilippi: “The uptick in crime.” What’s going right with the public school system right now? Marchand: “We’ve had really good teachers in the New Haven Public Schools and we should really do everything we can to support them.” Serfilippi: “Based on what I’ve read, not a lot is going right.” Graduation rates may be up, but even those graduates aren’t well prepared to succeed in college, work, or other post-high school pursuits. How should the public school system and the Board of Education best serve the increasingly high Latino and Spanish-speaking student population? Marchand: “I think the Board of Education really needs to prioritize the recruitment and development of teachers and leaders who come from the Latino community and who speak Spanish.” Serfilippi: “Everybody needs to be represented in the New Haven school system. I don’t think they can do it on a quota basis, but people have always wanted” representation. Will you vote to raise property taxes? Marchand: “If you’re asking me to promise that I will never vote for a tax increase again, I won’t make that promise.” The city has been cutting down on expenditures related to police and fire overtime, healthcare and pension costs. But, he said, “we have a revenue issue in New Haven.” Over half of the city’s grand list is tax-exempt. “At the end of the day, we need more revenue for our city.” Serfilippi: “I’m saying that I will not vote in favor of raising taxes in the next two years.” Click on the Facebook Live videos below to watch the full debate and recent “Dateline New Haven” interviews with the candidates.

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posted by: BevHills730 on October 30, 2019 8:26am The problem with Dennis’s answer about NextDoor and other online forums is that he is often using them irresponsibly. As an alder candidate he spread misinformation about the ice rink to imply that the Parks and Rec department is corrupt, forcing the department head to come online and correct the record. He mocked students who were protesting Trump’s human rights abuses and immigration policies. Later he further maligned these students by implying that they were failing at school. Of course, he had no factual basis to criticize the protesting students. He generated an anti-homeless petition online, where signatories left racist comments. He wrote a post based on rumors about kids being involved with robberies. The post was so inaccurate he had to later write a clarifying post that was still problematic. The post was about kids ringing doorbells and asking questions. Given that children of color across our country have been held at gunpoint just for ringing doorbells, these posts were irresponsible and make me feel concerned about the safety of my family in Westville as kids ring doorbells for a variety of reasons. There is no reason a potential alder should spread fear about kids ringing doorbells. We live in a time when online activity has given rise to tragic violence. I hope that public officials and those running to be public officials would be much more judicious and responsible with their online use.

posted by: westville man on October 30, 2019 8:57am BevHills730- I generally agree and respect your posts. I note that you have previously been negative about Dennis and his campaign. I am a voter trying to make up his mind and some of your assertions do concern me.

In the interest of fairness, are you at all affiliated with the unions at Yale or with Marchand personally in any way?

Do you believe that some type of racial bias exists (implicit or otherwise) in Serfilppi’s posts? Thanks for your input. PS- they couldn’t find a location in the Ward for the debate??

posted by: Noteworthy on October 30, 2019 9:35am Marchand, Unite and the Circumvention of Democracy Notes: 1. Unite has ruined this city. Blocking the developments, costing developers money, playing gotcha games with zoning, parking and planning hurts our reputation and delays jobs, construction and a better quality of life. 2. Unite controls the BOA. It stinks and that coalition including Marchand has fought against any and every effort to reign in spending. Like so many other union minions, Marchand claims we have a revenue not a spending problem. 3. Marchand claims the city is spending less. That’s a lie. 4. Marchand approved both the 11% tax hike with a promise of more to come - and also endorsed a spending plan that is structurally unsound, unbalanced and produced illegal deficits for three years in a row. Last year’s budget was only balanced with debt backed cash. 5. As for the rather silly conversation about Next - any social platform will have haters and people who post irresponsible things. But by far and away, I have seen nothing but useful information about both crime and contractors - things to do and suggestions for all sorts of things. Marchand doesn’t like it because it’s also a tool for political conversations. Given his history, I’m sure he finds that uncomfortable. 7. City spending has increased each of the last four years - $523,340,196; $538,906,953; $547,089,954; $556,741,050 which is this year’s spending. That Marchand suggests spending aside from some paltry individual line items has been reduced is intentionally misleading, dishonest and a bold faced lie.

posted by: Dennis Serf on October 30, 2019 9:47am westville man: please call me if you have concerns. My number is 203.491.9708 . I previously extended the invite to BevHills, and do so again today, but have not rec’d a call.

posted by: challenge on October 30, 2019 9:48am Bev Hills I agree with you. Reading many posts Dennis makes on news articles the perceived indifference to the marginalized in the city leaves me cringing at the thought of he being in a position of power anywhere besides his own home. The racism I see is not implicit, it is blatant.

posted by: NHvnTownie on October 30, 2019 10:20am At times, I wonder what wonderful debates we might have and progress we might make as a community if the Independent spent less time investigating working people and more time investigating the dark money of New Haven’s largest employers.

posted by: Dennis Serf on October 30, 2019 10:43am First, thanks to Paul Bass, Tom Breen, and the NHI staff for their extensive coverage of this important race. The videos are especially important, because it allows voters to hear directly from the candidates and avoid analysis/interpretation from people commenting anonymously, and spreading misinformation I’ve posted under my own name extensively and anyone wishing to see my comments can do so by searching my user name Dennis Serf. Do I misspeak from time to time, probably. I’m not a wordsmith. But there is no hate in my speech or in my heart and people who know me know that. I lived in one of the most ethnically, racially, and religiously diverse communities in New Haven for 55 years. The criticisms of me on the NHI largely come from 1 or 2 people who choose to remain anonymous, and distort the facts. 1.The name of the petition reads “Assist Homeless” https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/assist-homeless-sweep-the-pond-lily-motels The truth is my attention to this issue generated a response from city outreach who offered services to the homeless. 2. My comment about the ice rink was pure sarcasm that escaped one or two people. I joked the rink would be open on Labor Day (it’s an out door rink!)

3. I don’t believe in paying teachers to organize children to protest, but didn’t mock anyone.

4. I’ve never posted or spread fear about kids ringing doorbells. Dennis Serfilippi

posted by: Patricia Kane on October 30, 2019 10:53am Was mention made at the debate as to Dennis being the one who set up the event to begin with?

Was mention made that he set up 2 community meetings with police to push for action on the illegal dirt bikes menacing the neighborhood and the City? There was no strategy and no arrests until Dennis pushed single handedly on this.

As for NextDoor.com, we use it on a daily basis in Fair Haven Heights and have had minimal problems. It is a great vehicle for posting notice of public events, like tonight’s program on a Historic Preservation Ordinance at the NHFPL or to find local contractors or sell some furniture. Other areas may have a different experience, but the point is problems are likely local and not universal.

There is a profound need on the Board of Alders for someone who understands financial matters. Approving contracts before the full consequences are disclosed is not a good process.

posted by: Molly W on October 30, 2019 11:05am Westville resident here. I agree with BevHills730 totally. In addition to Dennis’s own posts, I’ve been shocked by the NextDoor comments that he reacts to. Much like Facebook and other social media tools, one can react to posts with likes/angry face/teary face, etc. Dennis regularly likes posts that are racist, fear-mongering, classist, and misogynistic. Dennis will disagree with this, which is part of the problem. He doesn’t acknowledge any of his own stuff, doesn’t listen, and doesn’t apologize in any forum. Finally, Dennis seems incapable of thinking and talking about things in a way that engages systems and instead engages matters like an end consumer. Adam talks about constituents across our city and considers things on levels of support and maintenance. I never understand how someone could live in New Haven and consider our city the way that suburbanites do.

posted by: Dennis Serf on October 30, 2019 11:28am Like too many of the comment threads that appear here, a few people prefer this discussion devolve into a conversation on race. It’s a convenient way to try to ‘shut down’ the discussion and distract from what was a very civil, productive conversation that highlighted the fundamental differences between the two candidates. Taxes -

Dennis commits to no tax increase for 2 years. Adam is not ruling out tax increases. Crime -

Dennis laid out a very specific plan. Adam did not. Schools

Dennis believes we need fundamental change. Adam does not. Unite Here

Dennis sees it as a conflict. Adam does not. The good news is the voters in Westville are well-educated and well-informed and it will take more than a couple of anonymous posters spreading false facts to sway people. The fundamental question on Nov 5th is if people in Lower Westville are pleased with the way things are going in the neighborhood and the city. Adam supported Mayor Harp for six years and represents the status quo. Dennis has been highly critical of the Harp administration and represents positive change. Dennis Serfilippi

posted by: Alder Adam Marchand on October 30, 2019 11:42am I thank Dennis Serfilippi for proposing the debate and arranging the venue. I thank Paul Bass for ably moderating the debate and keeping the discussion moving. I thank Tom Breen and Mary O’Leary for covering the event. Finally, I thank all the members of the public—most of them Ward 25 residents—for taking time on a wet Tuesday evening to attend. I encourage every interested in this race to view the videos of the candidate interviews and of the debate. Alder Adam Marchand.

posted by: Westville voter on October 30, 2019 11:47am Adam only wears one hat, and it is not the Ward 25 hat. That’s the problem. We deserve an alder who will place his constituents’ concerns ahead of his employer’s. Dennis is far from perfect, but at least he understands whom he is supposed to represent.

posted by: ISeeRacism on October 30, 2019 11:48am Vote for Serfillipi and let’s start ridding our city governing body of those corrupt union puppets!

The city belongs to the unions until we get their puppets out of city hall!!! Marchant is non responsive to his constituents who have had a steep uptick of property theft and trespassing! He sides with outside interests like when he worked with Planned Parenthood director to block the city health department from providing a urgent care clinic for the city citizens. #SerfillipiForChangeOnWestville

posted by: Noteworthy on October 30, 2019 12:11pm Let’s Be Clear About the Rink Notes: 1. The rink is still not open and there is no date that it will be available for the public. In fact, the ice is barely ready for Albertus Magnus first game which is scheduled for November 7th. The rink is still under construction. 2. The rink is over budget - and the city didn’t even have the money to build it to begin with so it had to go begging. As usual. AM ponied up but only a fraction of the multi-million cost. 3. No contractor has been hired to run the rink, sell the ice to hockey teams and sources tell me there is nobody in Parks and Rec qualified to operate or manage the rink. 4. The current director of the department has resigned but it is not effective until January which was by design a source tells me because she wanted another five weeks of vacation with the new year. She is effectively off the rest of the year through accumulated time off if you can imagine such a perk. This started back in October.



5. Dennis was sarcastic but he could have just said between the city engineer’s office and this department, there is a level of incompetence that should be alarming.

posted by: Noteworthy on October 30, 2019 12:32pm Different Target, Same Tired Old Music Notes: 1. BevHills gives a litany thing Dennis is supposed to be guilty of - problem is that it’s a twisted version of the truth. 2. Like so many others - Marchand, Hills and others claim comments are disparaging of kids and others “who don’t look like them” when that has not nor has never been the basis for the commentary, the petitions or anything else. 3. It’s just a convenient whipping post to which they like to tie the opposition to in order to paint them to be the worst people on the planet. 4. That’s just nonsense. Anything posted that smells like that race and class baiting should be ignored.

posted by: NHvnTownie on October 30, 2019 12:35pm @ISeeRacism apparently you have not read the comment policy: “No allegations of criminal behavior or other extreme personal wrongdoing based on facts that haven’t been published in articles.” Where is your evidence of corruption in any Alderperson’s campaign or track record? How terribly interesting that you are accusing a coalition of mostly black and brown people of corruption. You are indeed following a long tradition of accusing African American politicians of corruption as a way to block them from and undermine their power. https://www.npr.org/2012/07/13/156724059/black-officials-more-likely-probed-for-corruption You would think you could see your own racism here.

posted by: DawnBli on October 30, 2019 12:47pm I am a long time Union supporter, indeed I was on the ground floor when 1199 first became a force for State Emps. However, I am very concerned with the dominance and control Unite Here has over the political process in NH. I don’t want candidate voting blocks. I want Alders who are leaders and who do not just follow the pack. The Alders represent their ward not their union. And no, they are not the same thing. Given the recent Mayoral election and the ouster of a very unqualified, short sighted, out of touch individual we the citizens of NH have been able to break up at least that part of the Union logjam. Unite Here has been “trying” to do the same thing for years. The only progress I see is the size of their dominance. Historically we ALL KNOW how important unions have been. Now, my suspicions are the lesser of 2 evils is still evil. If the Union cannot accomplish what they want in all these years, the question has to be, why not? What have union dues been paying for? The opposition is too hard? Well then maybe the Union is not the right guy for the job. I am really done with Alders who don’t show for meetings. I live in Westville and have never met my Alder. Neither Furlow nor Adam have ever knocked on my door. I am done with issues that are never resolved. The BOA as it stands now, is not courageous, not proactive. Work force housing should have been addressed YEARS ago! Lead in homes, slum lords, nothing. The Mayor’s son even is one of these slum lords! You really can’t make this stuff up! Lead abatement started in the 70’s and 80’s and we still here! Downtown is a nightmare with the drugs and disgusting behavior. CT Transit is worse than it ever was. The degree of violence and NOISE in this city is a shining result of the anger we all feel. Alders who insult police chiefs to the point where they quit. A Mayor who claims we are 1 while standing with her body guard! Shameful! What has their Union done for me lately? Not much.

posted by: Dennis Serf on October 30, 2019 12:53pm challenge: “the perceived indifference to the marginalized” “The racism I see is not implicit, it is blatant” challenge - one of the reasons we don’t have more people and better people involved in politics is because anonymous hatemongers like you spread lies about people they’ve never met and don’t know. I’m not going to allow you to try to paint me with the ugly brush of racism. I was born and raised and lived for 55 years in one of the most racially, ethnically, and religiously diverse neighborhoods in New Haven. When all our friends moved in the 70’s, my family stayed. I grew up sleeping over my grandmother’s house in the Hill on Hallock St near Congress and walking to Congress Market. I remember the constant sounds of fire engines because the Hill was on fire, and I remember how my grandmother cried when she was displaced from the Hill because someone torched the house next to hers. In high school I was a delivery boy. We routinely delivered to Brookside and Farnam Courts - I remember the smell of urine in the hallways and people too poor to afford air-conditioning. I witnessed firsthand the poverty, the sickness, the drugs. (cont’d)

posted by: Dennis Serf on October 30, 2019 12:54pm (part 2)

In my teens, one of our neighbors shot at a repo guy, and the police came with long guns and surrounded the house. That person was later shot and killed in a drug transaction gone bad. I remember the funeral. I remember the crying children, the ones my brother and I played with. I know what it’s like to pick up nickel bags and used condoms in front of my house. I know what it’s like to have the police knock on your door and ask you to move your car so they can recover a ‘saturday night special’. I know what it’s like for a neighbor to knock on my door asking for food. I’ve taken less fortunate children from my neighborhood to carnivals and football games. I’ve paid for Thanksgiving dinners, and birthday parties for neighbors when they didn’t have any money. I routinely let my less fortunate neighbors borrow money, and help them find work. I was taught in school/ home to respect everybody. I’ve lived among ‘the marginalized’. Your words, not mine. I don’t label my neighbors in Edgewood that way - to me they are mothers, fathers, grandmothers, neighbors, and friends. I’ve lived New Haven. I know New Haven. And I embrace New Haven and all of its diversity. There is no ‘indifference’ to anybody.

Dennis Serfilippi

Made in New Haven

posted by: newhavenishome on October 30, 2019 1:00pm Dennis is FAR more responsive than Adam. He has proven to be an active organizer and leader. His manner is not condescending. He asks important questions regarding the City’s finance and budgetary issues. I have seen the Next Door Westville posts. I too am frustrated with car break ins. I do not want strange men lurking in my driveway at night. I do not want dirt bikes endangering my community and specifically my children who walk by the park to and from school. I support any video, commentary that can help alleviate these issues. It does not make me a racist. Any online/social media communication is up for interpretation. If people want to see racism in comments, they will. I suggest you pick up the phone and speak face to face to Dennis.

posted by: storm on October 30, 2019 1:16pm What is the connection between UNITE HERE and the Nextdoor app? I am glad that the app is getting enough attention to inspire conversation and a closer look. I find Nextdoor to have some frightening undertones that promote intolerance.

posted by: Dennis Serf on October 30, 2019 1:26pm Molly W - Just because you say someone does things and says things, doesn’t make them true. I’ve met close to 400 people face to face knocking on doors, and people are overwhelmingly supportive of my comments and posts. I’m sorry you feel the way you do, but you are clearly in the minority. We’ve used NextDoor to open up the conversation on a variety of issues - crime, taxes, community meetings, transparency in the Democratic Town Committee, etc. I think it’s good when people open up the conversation. The problems arise when we stop speaking, not when we start. Finally, for those people who LOOK at everything in terms of black and white, all they will ever SEE is black and white. Dennis Serfilippi

posted by: Molly W on October 30, 2019 2:03pm Dennis Serf, I never said people in Westville aren’t racist, fear-mongering, classist, and misogynistic. I won’t say most are, but based on NextDoor (and other spaces/sources), plenty are. I have no doubt there are people that support you. But I don’t and I don’t think you would represent what is good and inclusive and right about our city.

posted by: Dennis Serf on October 30, 2019 2:39pm The overwhelming majority of Unite Here members do not live in New Haven. Nevertheless, Unite Here plays a major (yet not always transparent) role in deciding, who OUR elected officials are. I’ve been critical of the tactics Unite Here has used to influence New Haven politics. There is much that goes on outside the public eye. The email available at the link below is but one example of how the suburban union leadership meddles in our local politics. The email was sent to me by members who disagree with Unite Here leadership but are unable to speak out openly and criticize the leadership because they fear retaliation in the workforce. In this email, Unite Here is using it’s email list to tell New Haven residents to vote for Mayor Harp. Ward 25 Alder Adam Marchand has been a major supporter of Mayor Harp for more than 6 years, and has voted in lockstep with the Harp Administration. https://www.ournewhaven.org/platform Dennis Serfilippi

posted by: Dennis Serf on October 30, 2019 3:03pm Molly - I respectfully disagree. All of the comments attacking me are from people who have never met me and don’t know me personally, are based on interpretations of what I’ve said, and it is THEIR comments, not mine, that stoke fears of racism/hate. I hope and expect people will vote based on the issues. Why has nobody attacked my positions on the issues? Paul, Adam, and I produced a civil, professional discussion - and sadly people are resorting to personal attacks instead of discussing the issues. Dennis Serfilippi

posted by: Noteworthy on October 30, 2019 4:17pm Molly W - your characterization of Westville residents is absurd. Furthermore - there are stark differences between these two candidates on substantive issues - this trash talk isn’t part of it. That’s just UNITE and others who would rather fire fear and loathing than a discussion of the issues - because the issues are not on UNITE or Marchand’s side.

posted by: challenge on October 30, 2019 6:40pm Wondering if Serfilippi used NextTDoor to warn residents, especially parents and children, to be aware of their neighbor, Rabbi Greer, a convicted pedophile lurking in their community.

posted by: Austerity for whom on October 30, 2019 8:05pm @NHvnTownie I WAS JUST THINKING THE SAME! But never expected any NHI commenter to say it: “At times, I wonder what wonderful debates we might have and progress we might make as a community if the Independent spent less time investigating working people and more time investigating the dark money of New Haven’s largest employers.” Let’s spend countless articles investigating working people’s strategies to fight but never what they’re fighting back against back against (power and money Aka Capital)! Developers, Yale, the corporate special interests. It makes you think you’re watching FOX NEWS not reading thoughtful, “progressive” journalism. Who do you serve?

posted by: missthenighthawks on October 30, 2019 11:49pm Fifth two year term! Enough, same as with Congress. We need term limits for all political positions.

posted by: Pat Taylor on October 31, 2019 12:57pm “What you are screams so loudly I can’t hear what you’re saying.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson There’s too much over-the-top and lie-filled hater commentary on here. Most of it is unfairly and without justification aimed at candidate Dennis Serfilippi, a truly authentic voice and gadfly (not to mention LIFELONG city resident!) for New Haven’s citizens. These rage-filled, anonymous haters reminded me of that Ralph Waldo Emerson quote. Great quote! Honest civic discourse is what New Haven needs, maybe with a few sharp-edged observations thrown in now and then. Let’s try to treat everyone and every view with respect. It’s what it means to be American. Or, at least it used to.