Since the , I’ve had many people come up to me and ask what is the Independent Party and why are you stepping up and doing this? Well, simply stated, I think as well as many East Haven residents, think that it’s time for a new influx of people to get involved with the political process that may not want to get involved because of all of the fighting between the Democrats and Republicans.
As we all know the two party system at times is very polarizing and if we look at the most recent showdown in Washington where we went over the fiscal cliff it was because the two sides couldn’t agree. Who were the potential losers? We the people and the middle class were the victims.
While the Democrats are always championing the underprivileged and the Republicans are worried about the 1 percent who’s worried about us the 90%? It sometimes feels like we pay the most in taxes but have the least representation on the national stage. When you take that sentiment to the state level it’s even worse. The one party system that exists in Connecticut has taken our taxes higher to give to unfunded mandates and a fight between two factions that is barely a fight; it’s a whimper from the Republicans who just can’t do anything to stop it.
So where does the folk like us have a real say? I believe it is right here at home in East Haven! When our meeting concludes Thursday night we will have formed the 10th Independent Party in the State of Connecticut. It's a growing movement of people who have decided that neither party represents their true interests and looks more to the individual than the party. It’s kind of an oxymoron thought but the beauty of the Independent Party of Connecticut is to give the freedom to the voter to support cross endorsed candidates. It allows you to belong to a party that will embrace ideas that are right for you the person instead of the party bosses or as I call them, The Establishment.
Another question I have been asked is why go Independent, why not stay and fight to change the Republican Party?
As many of you know I was a longtime Republican but it seems the days of Ronald Reagan Conservatism is long gone and we’ve drifted into a new funk where stagnation is the expected norm. So I can only answer the question this way. When I left the East Haven Town Council in 2007 it was because I had enough. I decided not to run because we Republicans had become stagnant, unwilling to change and adopt a new way of thinking. At that moment in 2007 if you closed your eyes and went to sleep and woke up in 2013 nothing has changed. It’s the same people doing the same thing.
The East Haven Republican Town Committee has not moved in a positive direction in my opinion and it is not worthy to try to change it. The establishment is so afraid of different ideas, the loss of personal power and it shows because just recently the EHRTC has lost some very prominent members. The very same thing can be said about the Democrats.
At this very moment they’re in a dog fight between two very good people, Jack Stacy and Gary DePalma. Both of these men are personal friends outside of politics. Stacy is being supported by the establishment of the Democratic Party that brought the Town of East Haven the disaster of the East Haven Board of Police Commissioners selected under the April Capone administration. That group led by Fred Brow, James Krebs and Joe Civitello and then Town Attorney Patty Cofranesco were concerned about one thing, bringing down Chief Len Gallo at all costs. Well they got what they wanted. We had 4 officers arrested, the Department of Justice and FBI invited in and now payments by the East Haven Tax Payers of millions of dollars to the Federal Government for the decent decree that Mayor Joe Maturo said he would fight. These two parties brought this entire disaster to this Town because of one thing….POLITICS. That should never have happened because someone should have stood up and said enough is enough.
Before the arrests of the East Haven Police Officers I pulled then Police Chairman Brow aside and said why are we going this direction? If you want Chief Gallo to step down why don’t you make an offer for him to do so? It will only cost us $300,000 as opposed to the lawsuits that he will file and not to mention all the negative publicity it will cause. I even volunteered my services of negotiation for FREE. Mr. Brow’s response, “Stack it up on top of all the other lawsuits, have a nice day Dan.” I stood there in utter disbelief. I said this is so wrong and why are we allowing this to happen? The rest was history and we are living with the consequences of the Capone Administration’s stance. Why? Because to the establishment compromise is weak and vindictiveness is power. Both Republicans and Democrat Establishment members are guilty of this.
This is why I personally think what Gary DePalma is doing is great. He’s standing up to the established Democrats and saying we need to change. We’ll watch to see the outcome and hope it doesn’t go the way of Maturo’s dirty tricks that brought down Republican John Finkle’s campaign in 2009 and allowed the established Republicans back into power. That is why we are starting a new party. We tried to fix the Republicans once before and they didn’t want to be fixed.
So to make it short and sweet we need a new party in East Haven to bring those folks who want to have a voice into the political fold without the “loyalty factor” that is expected by these men and women of the establishment. The people of East Haven aren’t beholden to Gene Ruocco or Joe Maturo because that is the way the system works right now. These establishment folk from both parties already have been put on notice that they work and serve on the behest of the people of East Haven and we want results. Our Town budget will reach close to 90 million dollars this coming year and what have we received in return?
A failing school system, a failed economic development program, high taxes and rampant nepotism that uses our tax dollars as an employment agency for the politically connected, friends and families of the Establishment of both parties.
I will make only one political promise as the introductory leader of the Independent Party of East Haven. We will introduce language in our platform that will demand Charter Revision to put an end to the hiring practices and appointment to boards and commissions that led us to this point. We will do something that has never been done before and we will interview every candidate for office this coming election and we don’t care if they are a Democrat or a Republican. If they meet YOUR standards we will cross endorse them or find someone to run against them. Regardless we are hoping that this is beginning of something that will forever change the political landscape of politics as usual in East Haven.
I invite you to come to 91 Taylor Avenue (East Haven Senior Center) on Thursday January 24, 2013 at 7pm to become a part of a positive and good movement for the people of East Haven.
