State House Speaker Sharkey Criticizes Quinnipiac President, Says Lahey Has 'No Regard' for Hamden

State House Speaker Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, had strong words for Quinnipiac University President John Lahey at Monday night’s West Woods Neighborhood Association meeting.

Frustrated with getting little to no cooperation from Quinnipiac officials regarding issued caused by students living in residential neighborhoods, Sharkey told a group of about 100 residents that it might be time to go to the university’s Board of Trustees if Lahey won’t seriously address their concerns, Kate Ramunni of the New Haven Register reports.

Sharkey, who has lived on Mount Carmel Avenue for 20 years, said the following, via the Register: “I’ve known through the decades that this is something that the current administration, beginning with John Lahey, is oblivious to. He has absolutely no regard for any of these issues and how they impact the town, and I’m saying that emphatically because I’ve lived it for 20 years.”

Related:

• Hamden Officials Respond to Video of Quinnipiac President at Off-Campus Party (With Video)
• Quinnipiac President Issues Statement on Viral Video Firestorm

Hamden’s strained relationship with Quinnipiac over students living in residential neighborhoods reached a new level when a video of Lahey speaking to hundreds of students in a backyard party on Delsole Road went viral.

In the video, Lahey said with a laugh that he didn’t even know that Delsole Road existed and he was “going to have to buy all these houses. I’ve got all of New Road and most of Whitney Avenue but I didn’t realize you’re kind of tucked away back here.”

Sharkey also said at Monday night’s meeting that he is confident that his bill that will require Quinnipiac to pay taxes on the dozens of single-family homes it owns and rents to students will pass in the upcoming special legislative session, according to Ramunni.

Read the full story at the New Haven Register here.

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