Excellent Critique on the Yale Daily News By Nathan Zelinsky:
http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2010/nov/16/zelinsky-just-say-destefano/
Posts Tagged ‘City Of New Haven’
Excellent Critique of John DeStefano
Wednesday, November 17th, 2010Unfunded Pension Obligations
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010Check out this article in CT News Junkie on Unfunded Pension Obligations
An important piece this article does not mention is the “discount rate” or “Return on Investment” assumptions. When you assume, as New Haven does, a high and unrealistic 8-9% return every year, year after year, you only need to put in a small amount of money AND you can claim that we are “funding the pensions at 100% actuarial required amount”. The problem, is that if you assume 5% then the amount we need to put away in our CERF and P&F funds would skyrocket each year. Our funded ratio is very low AND we assume a high rate of return. I would recommend you request from our actuaries SEVERAL scenarios with the rate of return, pessimistic/ best guess/ optimistic ROI. Our current ROI is hopelessly optimistic and concealing the true problem in our city’s pension funds.
Summary of BOA Final Budget Vote: “Let Them Eat Cake”
Friday, May 28th, 2010Read the summary of the Board Of Alder meeting last evening on the City’s 2010-11 Budget and see how they voted.
The Waffle House? Call the Alders and ask them for a ZERO increase
Thursday, May 20th, 2010
Get a Wallpaper version for your Desktop
Some fun courtesy of Photoshop
Call your alderperson and tell them to hold the line on no tax increase
Monday, May 17th, 2010There are signs that Alderpersons will ignore a historic petition of over 1000 names and make a compromise. Let them know how you feel about a tax hike in the worst economy since the great depression. Even DeStefano agreed to sign the petition (but then refuse) and sent out campaign literature only a few months ago touting that people can’t take a tax increase in this economy. Has the economy gotten better? Why is there now a proposed increase of between 9-20+%? That range which is often ignored by the media is directly from the Mayor’s own Management and Budget Office. We didn’t compute it, twist it, or massage it. Straight from Management and Budget. The reason they don’t say it to the press, is that they are trying to pull a fast one. Don’t let your alderperson try to sneak away from the true increase for some people of over 20% in this economy.
See the NHR article in todays paper
See the Op-Ed from yesterday’s paper on the BOE
Call Justin Elicker at 203-500-2969
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010Lets put the pressure on Justin Elicker, BOA Finance Committee Member. Let him know how you feel about the budget or how a 9-20% tax and rent increase will effect your life. Be nice, but be clear and ask him to join over 1000 people who signed the petition.
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10-D | Justin Elicker
|
192 Willow Street | 06511-2531 | H:203-500-2969 |
How Will Your Alderperson Vote? Check Back update: Tuesday, May 18
Monday, May 10th, 2010Updated
FINANCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS to vote on Mayors PROPOSED Budget Tuesday, May 18, 7pm City Hall.
Shah (Chair), Clark (Vice-Chair), Perez, Goldfield, Jackson-Brooks, Castro, Lemar, Morehead, Elicker, Bauer, O’Sullivan-Best
See how they voted in past budget cycles
| PHOTO | WARD |
NAME |
ADDRESS | ZIP CODE | PHONE |
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4-D | Andrea Jackson-Brooks
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102 DeWitt Street | 06519-2131 | H:203-776-0502 |
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5-D | Jorge Perez
|
24 Cassius Street | 06519-2313 | H:203-562-4373 |
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7-D | Frances T. Clark
|
320 Audobon Court | 06511-1203 | H:203-772-4455 |
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9-D |
Roland Lemar
|
6 Eld Street | 06511 | H:203-507-7869 |
|
10-D | Justin Elicker
|
192 Willow Street | 06511-2531 | H:203-500-2969 |
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11-I | Maureen O’Sullivan-Best | 54 Foxon Street | 06513-2320 | H:203-467-9783 |
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14-D |
Stephanie Bauer |
55 East Pearl Street | 06513-4309 | H:203-785-0065 |
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16-D | Migdalia Castro
|
203 Saltonstall Avenue-Court Cottage | 06513-4250 | H:203-777-6835 |
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22-D |
Greg Morehead
|
13 Frances Hunter Drive | 06511-3604 | H:203-507-7766 |
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23-D | Yusuf I. Shah | 59 Gilbert Avenue | 06511-5331 | H:203-507-7679 |
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29-D | Carl Goldfield
|
25 Roydon Road | 06511-2806 | H:203-782-2064 W:203-787-9222 |
Alderman Sergio Rodriguez Makes Case for a Smaller Budget
Friday, May 7th, 2010Alderman Sergio Rodriguez makes a case for a smaller budget in this letter to the BOA Finance Committee. Is your Alderperson onboard? Ask your Alderperson to sign our petition to reduce the budget by 10%. We have a hard copy of the petition circulating asking Alderpersons to sign the petition. Ask your Alderperson to sign.
What Changed in 6 Months?
Monday, May 3rd, 2010
Thank You
Thursday, April 29th, 2010Thank You
We had a very successful turn out last evening and even won over the people turned out by the Mayor. Lets keep up the pressure to have the Board of Aldermen send the budget back to the Mayor.
