Ethnic Online Endorsed New Haven Mayor Toni Harp WHY?

Over the past 10 years Ethnic Online has never publicly endorsed a political candidate of either party, but this year is different!

Ethnic Online is proud to announce its endorsement for Mayor Toni Harp of New Haven Connecticut!

Why the change of heart you may ask? While not physically living in New Haven, Ethnic Online conduct quite of bit of professional and social business in New Haven and with Mayor Harp’s support, it has allowed Ethnic Online to connect with like-minded small business owners, community leaders and city officials, all with a mutual goal of maximizing the wealth New Haven!

Ethnic Online would like to take a moment and remind our readers what Mayor Harp has done over the past 5 years in the City of New Haven:

Did You Know?

1) Public Safety Has Improved!

• Community policing and community management teams are increasing the trust and effectiveness between the police and the community!

• Violent crime is at the lowest level in two decades!

• There has been a 50% reduction in crime across the city!

• Since 2017-18 narcotics cases, motor vehicle stops, and firearm discharges have all decreased substantially!

• New Haven is the only major city in Connecticut with fewer murders now than when Mayor Harp took office

2) Jobs / Employment Opportunities Have Increased!

• When Mayor Harp took office the unemployment rate in New Haven was over 10%, it is now just above 4%

• Mayor Harp will call on Yale University to keep their commitment to hire 500 New Haven residents in the most economically challenged census tracts in our city.

• Mayor Harp’s administration initiated the small business academy, providing support to hundreds of small business owners in New Haven

• The Evergreen wealth building project will repurpose the old welfare building on Bassett St to create a workers’ cooperative laundry to build wealth in the community

• The Laborers union provides pre-apprenticeship training for city high school students to work in trade unions after completion.

• The city has banned the box and created support programs to help people reentering society after incarceration find good jobs and other social supports

• New Haven residents get an advantage when it comes to police and fire hiring to help ensure that residents have opportunities to work in public service jobs.

3) Affordable Housing For ALL!

• By the end of next year, 2000 more units of affordable housing will have come online in New Haven, adding to the 17,000 units already in the city!

• Mayor Harp will work with local not-for-profit housing developers to drive the number of affordable housing units higher!

• Mayor Harp will work with the Livable City Initiative (LCI) to develop affordable home ownership opportunities!

• Mayor Harp supports inclusionary zoning to require developers to set aside a certain number of units in new developments as affordable units!

4) Prioritizing Education!

• New Haven public schools have made great strides in increasing high school graduation rates by 10%, up to 80% of students graduating!

• Mayor Harp has worked to stop the school to prison pipeline by reducing expulsions and suspensions and increasing access to services and supports for students instead!

• Mayor Harp initiated Youth Stat, Saturday academies, and 7 am to 6 pm schools to better support working families and increase access to services and classroom time!

• Mayor Harp will work with the Board of Education in helping members understand its governance role in developing appropriate educational policies for the district, and in the role as the fiduciary authority in budget matters.

5) Keeping Taxes Under Control!

• Mayor Harp has made the tough decisions over the last six years to keep our budget balanced for our public schools, our city services, and our public safety departments like police and fire.

• She believes that the state must give cities like New Haven more tools to keep their budgets balanced and provide resources for the services residents expect.

• New Haven’s mill rate (42.98) is lower than both Hamden (49.99) and West Haven (up to 50.26), despite the fact that only 44% of property in New Haven is taxable!

• The city budget of fiscal year 2019 is balanced with no tax increase!

FACTS ABOUT MAYOR HARP’S COMMITMENT TO BUILDING A BRIGHTER FUTURE!

• Throughout her three terms as mayor, 21 years as a state Senator, and three terms on the then-Board of Aldermen, Mayor Toni Harp has been an innovative, results-oriented, compassionate advocate for the City of New Haven.

• Mayor Harp’s commitment to equality, inclusiveness, and opportunity resonate across policy areas that have steadfastly remained her priority: public safety and criminal justice, public education to include early learning and post-secondary options, public health with an emphasis on access and affordability, and economic development and local job creation.

• Toni served as co-chair of the Public Health Committee and then for 11 years, was co-chair of the budget-writing Appropriations Committee, never hesitating to balance fiscal responsibility with the obligations state government has to protect, educate, and assist its residents.

• Under Mayor Harp’s leadership, the police department works as an extension of community members and all those it protects and serves. Mayor Harp’s approach, to supplement community policing with modern technology like shot-spotter, has resulted in steadily lower crime rates in all major categories every year she’s been in office.

• In public education, Mayor Harp presided over ‘School Change 2.0’ in New Haven Public Schools and initiated Restorative Practices to address disciplinary matters. The result is increasing enrollment, increasing high school graduation rates, higher college enrollment and retention rates, decreasing absenteeism, and dramatically reduced expulsion rates.

• New Haven’s finances are strong because of Toni’s leadership as well. The city budget has been balanced each year of her time in office!

• New Haven’s economy is strong and getting stronger. Over 2500 units of affordable housing has been created, and additional investors are constantly pursuing new projects to capitalize on New Haven’s bright future.

Having lived in New Haven for over 40 years, I believe Mayor Harp has a great sense of what the city needs along with the vision, passion and commitment to make New Haven as model destination city!

I encourage you to support Mayor Harp by voting in the primary, thus giving her the tools and platform to make New Haven a proud place to call home and to Building A Brighter Future she really does have your best interest at HEART!

Sincerely,

Ethnic Online