Here's How Carfora Says He Will Lead Rebuilding Of East Haven

Submitted and written by Democratic Mayoral Candidate Joseph Carfora,

The lessons taught to me by “Coach” Frank Crisafi during those wonderful years competing for the Town of East Haven now compel me to try to improve the quality of life in our Town. “Coach” always was prepared, had a plan, and he made us work hard. Lessoned learned from Coach’s legendary preparation and hard work is how I will approach the challenge of rebuilding our community.

Thoughts and lessons like these about the sense of hope, optimism, preparation, and hard work are things that caused to me to enter the political arena. On August 6, 2019, the State of Connecticut, Department of Economic and Community Development released its list of the top twenty-five (25) distressed municipalities in Connecticut. A municipality is deemed “distressed,” by a number of things, such as income, the percentage of poverty in the Town’s population, changes in population … the percentage of the Town’s housing stock built before 1939, the percentage of adults in the Town who are 25 or older with a high school diploma or more, and the size of the Grand List. This year the Town of East Haven was designated as a “distressed municipality.”

East Haven listed as a “distressed municipality’ is not acceptable – we want and deserve better. I feel equally certain that the factors giving rise to East Haven’s position on this list DID NOT occur overnight. For too long, East Haven has been run by a Republican Administration and a Republican-controlled Town Council.

My Republican challenger, a Joe Maturo prototype, has surrounded himself with the exact same Maturo supporters and administration appointees- thus no new ideas or thoughts, just more of what got us to where we are at now. My challenger’s slate of Town Council candidates is also more of the same – thus no new ideas or thoughts, just more of what got us to where we are at now. All of which makes you want to ask: “Will we simply be trading one Mayor, for another, with no real, genuine, and needed change? You also have to ask yourself: “Will the matters and decisions coming from a Republican controlled Town Council represent real, genuine, and needed change?

No one should be a champion of change, just for the sake of change. I certainly am not! However, I have been a champion of preparation and leadership that presents positive and concrete ideas throughout this campaign. Ideas and policies that seek to improve the quality of life for those who live, work, and go to school in East Haven. My team of fresh faces and community leaders are developing ideas based on an ethical and transparent government that stands for low taxes, better schools, safe and improved parks, perks for our Seniors, reasonable, controlled commercial economic development that does not over- burden our taxpayers. Now is our time ! Now is the time to effect the changes in East Haven that have been a long time coming- the very change that I know we East Havener’s want and deserve.

Now is our time. Let’s do this together.