Endorse an Animal Shelter in Hamden

I am a lifelong Hamden resident and a registered Independent. I identify with Democratic Party values and have voted that way in the past. I even canvassed neighborhoods in the past for then-candidate Blumenthal, This year for Mayor, I am voting for an Animal Shelter in Hamden.

Hamden continues to hemorrhage money by renting space at North Haven’s obsolete shelter. We the taxpayers pay $7 per cage and have a limit of 10 cages. When those cages are filled, which is more often than not, we pay $70 each day. This "temporary" situation has been going on for close to 15 years. Even more funds and paid hours are wasted when those 10 allocated are filled and Hamden Animal Control Officers have to travel further to surrounding shelters. There was an article in the Post-Chronicle on January 18th concerning State Lawmakers trying to get matching funds for a new Regional Shelter in our area. However here we are in November and the current administration has still not got it’s arms around basic issues on how to move this project forward.

There are a lot of great animal-friendly people and organizations in Hamden. Unfortunately that is no guarantee that everyone treats animals with decency and respect. In my orbit of Whitneyville, I observed 19 cats left to starve to death in an attic apartment during July last year, on 13 Augur Street. Two died from starvation before being rescued. The surviving cats were so emaciated that even under medical care, two more died in rehab. The stench actually wafted from a broken staircase window to the landlords adjacent gas station yet no one did anything in fear of drawing attention to what I considered an illegal housing situation. I also witnessed an elderly, docile, German Shepard with hip dysplacia discarded along Clifford Street last year just before Christmas. Our Animal Control Officers are the last line of defense for the explosion of rescue-pets that have ended up in our community over the last 10 years. After a formal investigation by Hamden Animal Control Officer Christopher Smith, the incident at 13 Augur Street yielded 19 counts of Animal Cruelty. Now tell me why we are spending $70 a day to rent space only to pay our Animal Control Officers sit in traffic along the Skiff Street/Sackett Point Road corridor?

I can not think of a nicer human on the planet that Town Clerk Vera Morison and plan on voting for her. I also like the ambition of my 5th district Legislative Council candidate Justin Farmer. However going back to last April, Mayor Leng never responded to several attempts to meet with him and discuss ideas for an Animal Shelter in Hamden without relying solely on taxpayer dollars. With that lack of enthusiasm I can not see an Animal Shelter moving forward with him at the helm. This just does not seem to be on his radar.

I did have the chance to meet with his challenger Sal Hamid, at one of our fundraisers for Hamden's Animal Control. I found a Pakastani-American that embraces diversity, an educator that teaches tolerance, and most of all a soft-spoken accessible person who is at least willing to listen. While I do not feel qualified to tell anyone who to vote for, I would like to bring to your attention to the fact that Mr. Hamid already has a plan to fund a Hamden Animal Shelter without falling totally on the backs of Hamden taxpayers. All I ask is that you consider that along with the other issues that matter to you.

Mr. Hamid has an uphill battle against an estimated $90,000 war chest of the incumbent’s party. You’ll never see a full page advertisement in the Post-Chronicle from him. Unfortunately that also hampers a proactive message like an Animal Shelter in Hamden from getting out. The fact is abused & abandoned animals have no voices of their own. It is only by lending them our voices, in this case in the form of a vote, that this project will move forward. It is time for site selection to begin and plans to be drawn. Only then can other municipalities (like North Haven) decide if they want to join the project. Only then can grants to corporations (like the Petco Foundation) be submitted. Look I get it, education, first responders and public works all come first; but it’s been 15 years and those of us with 4-legged children pay taxes too. I don’t expect an Animal Shelter to be built next year but the project should come to fruition within our lifetime. At 60 years of age, I can not recall a Hamden Mayoral candidate ever running with the promise of an Animal Shelter on their campaign platform. I consider this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I encourage Hamden Animal Shelter Supporters to think globally and vote locally.

Leonard Young,
President; Gimme Shelter
The Hamden Animal Shelter Initiative
AbandonedAnimals.org