Who's better for Hartford: Rell or DeStefano?

[JimSawhill]

CT isn't so bad. Ever lived in New Jersey?!?! My mom owns a small 3 bedroom house in NJ and pays more property taxes than if she had a 10 bedroom mansion in West Hartford. It's insane down there.

MrShack:

That is because NJ has a corrupt Democratic Party and a weak republican Party. that is why people are FLEEING from NJ to live in Florida.

JimS

[JimSawhill]

In my opinion jobs and job creation is the most important thing. People move every day to go where the jobs are. Lowering taxes for businesses to make this as business friendly a climate as possible would spur growth in Hartford and CT as a whole.

robm:

You are CORRECT. You hit the nail on the head when you said'Lowering taxes for business would spur growth. When I got transferred down here -- it was like my income increased $10K. I don't have to pay income tax in FL. Met Life is creating jobs here in Tampa.

JimS

[JimSawhill]

you know all those dreams of having more rail? that will require higher taxes if the state helps subsidize it. you know all those highway projects going on (and future ones)? they require tax money. does the state have the money to do this or will it come at the expense of other programs?

Jim:

Do you know that with a TAX CUT you can INCREASE money into the TREASURY? My Great President did just that and he is getting more money in the TREASURY - so it can be done at the state level.

JimS

[runawayjim]

Jim:

Do you know that with a TAX CUT you can INCREASE money into the TREASURY? My Great President did just that and he is getting more money in the TREASURY - so it can be done at the state level.

JimS

yet there's a record deficit... that made absolutely no sense whatsoever. what does the treasury have to do with anything? if expenses exceed income, you have a deficit and need to get money from somewhere else...

[drc72]

robm:

You are CORRECT. You hit the nail on the head when you said'Lowering taxes for business would spur growth. When I got transferred down here -- it was like my income increased $10K. I don't have to pay income tax in FL. Met Life is creating jobs here in Tampa.

JimS

Getting rid of the income tax here, would do wonders for CT's economic climate. Unfortunately it will never happen.

[runawayjim]

Getting rid of the income tax here, would do wonders for CT's economic climate. Unfortunately it will never happen.

states with low or no income tax (like NH) have other taxes that are high, like the live free or die state... NH. they have high property taxes.

[ctman987]

your neighbor to the east also has worse taxes than you. i can't tell you how much my taxes have increased since moving here (especially my car tax). sales tax here is 1% higher than in CT and if you go out to eat, you're paying an additional 1% making the taxes 8%. my taxes on my cell phone, cable, internet, and landline phone are also higher here than in CT.

CT taxes really aren't anywhere near as bad as they used to be.

NY sales tax is 8.5% obviously higher then CT....CT still has problems even with lower taxes in that

And Yale has helped New Haven not DeStefano. Yes he is the mayor but having Yale downtown is a huge asset that everyone has started to realize.

[runawayjim]

NY sales tax is 8.5% obviously higher then CT....CT still has problems even with lower taxes in that

And Yale has helped New Haven not DeStefano. Yes he is the mayor but having Yale downtown is a huge asset that everyone has started to realize.

yale can't just do as it pleases with downtown. they got help from somewhere. sure it helped, but he was a big part of that. and just because he didn't save the colisseum doesn't mean he would be bad for the CC.

[drc72]

yale can't just do as it pleases with downtown. they got help from somewhere. sure it helped, but he was a big part of that. and just because he didn't save the colisseum doesn't mean he would be bad for the CC.

Yale brings in a lot of students from allover, plus they are also big employeer as well. The streets around Yale are packed with people all the time. Maybe DeStefano has done a few things for New Haven, but he is hardly responsoble for it's boom.

[HartfordTycoon]

Yale brings in a lot of students from allover, plus they are also big employeer as well. The streets around Yale are packed with people all the time. Maybe DeStefano has done a few things for New Haven, but he is hardly responsoble for it's boom.

You guys just don't like him. He is more responsible for the success of New Haven than Rell is for the success of Connecticut. And by large margin I would say.......

[MadVlad]

yale can't just do as it pleases with downtown. they got help from somewhere. sure it helped, but he was a big part of that. and just because he didn't save the colisseum doesn't mean he would be bad for the CC.

Actually, Yale can pretty much do as it pleases. And that's a big leap of faith, thinking DeStefano will change his tune from one city to another, a leap I'm not willing to make...

[runawayjim]

Actually, Yale can pretty much do as it pleases. And that's a big leap of faith, thinking DeStefano will change his tune from one city to another, a leap I'm not willing to make...

he can change his tune because the CC is not the money pit that the colisseum is.

yale cannot do as it pleases, they don't own all of new haven and there are zoning laws that they are not above. yale has done it's part, but yale only concentrates on those parts of new haven where yale exists. once you leave that area (and it's not all that big), it's all destefano. he has done quite a bit. i think you need to venture out of hartford more often...

[HartfordTycoon]

Actually, Yale can pretty much do as it pleases. And that's a big leap of faith, thinking DeStefano will change his tune from one city to another, a leap I'm not willing to make...

Personally, I think he feels NH does not need an Arena and I tend to agree. NH is at most 40 mins from Hartford and 20 from Bridgeport, both of which have Arenas. Maybe he actually thinks regionally and know that CT's cities will get nowhere by canibalizing each other. That's only regarding the Arena situation though. I'm not here to get into a full blown political debate.....

[runawayjim]

Personally, I think he feels NH does not need an Arena and I tend to agree. NH is at most 40 mins from Hartford and 20 from Bridgeport, both of which have Arenas. Maybe he actually thinks regionally and know that CT's cities will get nowhere by canibalizing each other. That's only regarding the Arena situation though. I'm not here to get into a full blown political debate.....

that was a big reason for getting rid of it. he had a brand new facility 20 min away and a larger facility that has been updated more recently 45 min away. it would have cost the city a lot of money to renovate the colisseum and there still would have been a chance that they woudln't have been able to attract much because of the other 2 already having good deals with promoters.

i'm not up to speed with what the current plan is for that site, but last i knew, he was considering building condo towers there with maybe some office space and probably ground floor retail... not a bad idea so close to the train station, and that would help clean up the area beyond the train station as well.

[drc72]

You guys just don't like him. He is more responsible for the success of New Haven than Rell is for the success of Connecticut. And by large margin I would say.......

OK first I never said I didn't like him, I just don't like his policies. I'm sure he is a stand up guy. What did he do that is so special for New Haven????? I can see a lot of major Hartford construction projects being cancelled, if this guy gets elected.

[runawayjim]

OK first I never siad I didn't like him, I just don't like his policies. I'm sure he is a stand up guy. What did he do that is so special for New Haven?????

had you ever been in new haven in the early 90's?

[MadVlad]

he can change his tune because the CC is not the money pit that the colisseum is.

yale cannot do as it pleases, they don't own all of new haven and there are zoning laws that they are not above. yale has done it's part, but yale only concentrates on those parts of new haven where yale exists. once you leave that area (and it's not all that big), it's all destefano. he has done quite a bit. i think you need to venture out of hartford more often...

I've been going to NH since you were in diapers. I think you need to venture into the world of think of what you're talking about before you say it. It seems to me all you do is come here and dispute anything that is said. The sky is blue, no it's green. Have your opinion, fine, but give it a rest sometimes. You talk out of your ass as much as anyone I've seen on this board. You think people don't realize the impact Yale makes? Just their presence alone makes people want to revamp the city to cater to them. New Haven should be 10x what it is now. Figure it out, New Haven would be Bridgeport without Black Rock, the nice ballpark, and arena if it wasn't for Yale. John DeStefano doesn't want to upset the apple cart, which is fine if you want other people responsible for your city. I personally don't want anyone else responsible for my State, which is how it'll be if he gets elected, which he won't. He doesn't have a chance in hell. I find it ironic when people say "he's a veteran of the bare-knuckle politics in New Haven". Gimme a break, it's overwhelmingly democratic, nothing bare-knuckles about it. Talk to Chris Shays, Rob Simmons and Nancy Johnson about bare-knuckle politics. I hate Nancy Johnson's guts, but she's a damn good survivor in a hostile environment. John DeStefano engraciated himself with his own party, whoop-de-doo. He won't do anything for this state, and thank god he won't get the chance...

[runawayjim]

I've been going to NH since you were in diapers. I think you need to venture into the world of think of what you're talking about before you say it. It seems to me all you do is come here and dispute anything that is said. The sky is blue, no it's green. Have your opinion, fine, but give it a rest sometimes. You talk out of your ass as much as anyone I've seen on this board. You think people don't realize the impact Yale makes? Just their presence alone makes people want to revamp the city to cater to them. New Haven should be 10x what it is now. Figure it out, New Haven would be Bridgeport without Black Rock, the nice ballpark, and arena if it wasn't for Yale. John DeStefano doesn't want to upset the apple cart, which is fine if you want other people responsible for your city. I personally don't want anyone else responsible for my State, which is how it'll be if he gets elected, which he won't. He doesn't have a chance in hell. I find it ironic when people say "he's a veteran of the bare-knuckle politics in New Haven". Gimme a break, it's overwhelmingly democratic, nothing bare-knuckles about it. Talk to Chris Shays, Rob Simmons and Nancy Johnson about bare-knuckle politics. I hate Nancy Johnson's guts, but she's a damn good survivor in a hostile environment. John DeStefano engraciated himself with his own party, whoop-de-doo. He won't do anything for this state, and thank god he won't get the chance...

yes, that's it. i shouldn't even justify your blatant personal attack. i grew up around new haven and spent quite a bit of time there. yes, i know yale has a huge presence and is a big part of why new haven is what it is and why there's so much development going on, but yale is certainly not all there is to new haven. i really don't care how long you've been going to new haven. it seems to me you're from hartford (or that area) and a bit jealous of new haven's success. new haven is a very progressive city, something that cannot be attributed to yale, maybe the amount of students, but not the college administration. CT would be much more progressive than it is now if destefano was at the helm. it's a shame so many of you are against that. years of republican leadership has done nothing for the state. do you really think there will be these big wonderful changes with rell as governor? sure, he might be proposing some tax increases, but he's certainly going to put it to good use. if the attitude represented by this forum is the general attitude in CT, i'm glad i moved out.

i don't dispute anything, but mis-statements. and the idea that destefano had very little to do with new haven's return and success is just utterly false. i may not live in CT anymore, but i have close ties, and guess where they are... the new haven area. i think i know a little bit more about it than some of the people posting here.

[MadVlad]

yes, that's it. i shouldn't even justify your blatant personal attack. i grew up around new haven and spent quite a bit of time there. yes, i know yale has a huge presence and is a big part of why new haven is what it is and why there's so much development going on, but yale is certainly not all there is to new haven. i really don't care how long you've been going to new haven. it seems to me you're from hartford (or that area) and a bit jealous of new haven's success. new haven is a very progressive city, something that cannot be attributed to yale, maybe the amount of students, but not the college administration. CT would be much more progressive than it is now if destefano was at the helm. it's a shame so many of you are against that. years of republican leadership has done nothing for the state. do you really think there will be these big wonderful changes with rell as governor? sure, he might be proposing some tax increases, but he's certainly going to put it to good use. if the attitude represented by this forum is the general attitude in CT, i'm glad i moved out.

i don't dispute anything, but mis-statements. and the idea that destefano had very little to do with new haven's return and success is just utterly false. i may not live in CT anymore, but i have close ties, and guess where they are... the new haven area. i think i know a little bit more about it than some of the people posting here.

Actually, you're dead wrong.... again. I love New Haven. I'm not jealous of a thing. Other than Yale itself (who wouldn't want that?) there isn't one thing I would trade for from New Haven to Hartford. I have fun in New Haven, I have fun in Hartford, where exactly am I jealous? The only mis-statements here are from you. You've made it a major point to time and again say you don't like Hartford. You make it a point time and again to state you're from the New Haven area. That doesn't mean you know what you're talking about. There were times that I would spend 3 nights a week in New Haven. That's downtown New Haven, in the **gasp** 80's and 90's, you know the place that no one would ever, ever want to go. Is it different now? Sure, but who really cares? Is New Haven considered a safe place now? It's still in the ranks of Hartford and Bridgeport, sorry to break it to you. Here's what I think. I think you're letting your New Haven bias show. That's fine except the rest of the State doesn't share your bias. Yale is the reason New Haven is anything, plain and simple, end of story. Sure, you could find a few things that John DeStefano did, but you could find just as many that he didn't do, or messed up doing. The guys a wreck, the State will be in tough shape if he makes it into office....

[runawayjim]

Actually, you're dead wrong.... again. I love New Haven. I'm not jealous of a thing. Other than Yale itself (who wouldn't want that?) there isn't one thing I would trade for from New Haven to Hartford. I have fun in New Haven, I have fun in Hartford, where exactly am I jealous? The only mis-statements here are from you. You've made it a major point to time and again say you don't like Hartford. You make it a point time and again to state you're from the New Haven area. That doesn't mean you know what you're talking about. There were times that I would spend 3 nights a week in New Haven. That's downtown New Haven, in the **gasp** 80's and 90's, you know the place that no one would ever, ever want to go. Is it different now? Sure, but who really cares? Is New Haven considered a safe place now? It's still in the ranks of Hartford and Bridgeport, sorry to break it to you. Here's what I think. I think you're letting your New Haven bias show. That's fine except the rest of the State doesn't share your bias. Yale is the reason New Haven is anything, plain and simple, end of story. Sure, you could find a few things that John DeStefano did, but you could find just as many that he didn't do, or messed up doing. The guys a wreck, the State will be in tough shape if he makes it into office....

so if new haven is in the same ranks of hartford and bridgeport (which is very untrue), why, when hartford population decreased, did new haven's increase?

on edit... i may not like hartford and i may like new haven, but they both have some untapped potential. new haven just seems to be using more of it. i have nothing against hartford, just not a city i enjoy spending time in.

[MadVlad]

so if new haven is in the same ranks of hartford and bridgeport (which is very untrue), why, when hartford population decreased, did new haven's increase?

on edit... i may not like hartford and i may like new haven, but they both have some untapped potential. new haven just seems to be using more of it. i have nothing against hartford, just not a city i enjoy spending time in.

Really? So the highest population that New Haven has ever been is 124k? Check your records. New Haven has lost population through the 2000 census just like the rest of CT's cities except Stamford. And it's a moot point anyways, what does Hartford losing population AND New Haven losing population prove? Both are about the same size, they were about the same size 5 years ago, nothing has changed. Anything you can attribute to DeStefano could easily be attributed to Yale's presence as well. Another thing, Bridgeport has stayed stable in population (relatively) compared to New Haven and Hartford, does that put it in a higher class? Of course not, it's a silly presumption. Tell you what, since this thread is way off target, and it's pointless to argue with you about anything anyways, you contact me when you get legitimate facts. Until then, I look forward to seeing your posts only in quotes...

[HartfordTycoon]

so if new haven is in the same ranks of hartford and bridgeport (which is very untrue), why, when hartford population decreased, did new haven's increase?

on edit... i may not like hartford and i may like new haven, but they both have some untapped potential. new haven just seems to be using more of it. i have nothing against hartford, just not a city i enjoy spending time in.

I'm not a huge fan Destefano but the man has certainly done good for NH. This new found friendship between the city and Yale did not come about overnight or without political initiative from the city. I do agree with a lot of what you are saying, of course not about Hartford because Hartford is a great city where anyone can have a great time. I do feel as if NH is in the boat with us as far a crime is concerned, that's a fact.

[Jerry2]

For what it's worth....and I know that anybody from outside the Hartford sphere of influence that comments on this forum is castigated to the depths of hell because they " don't belong" but......

With a surplus of over 200 million, I don't think any politician should be advocating raising taxes. CT does need a better mass transit system and I would guess they would be able to get federal funds to match any donation they put towards the initiative. Better mass transit would encourage more business and industry to the state. I'm also surprised at how many people jump on the political bandwagon and wag their tails for whatever respective party they consider themselves. Yeah George Bush is doing a great job because he's not a tax & spend liberal. Hilary Clinton is going to send this country to hell and our nation's security will be sacrificed. I'm slowly waiting for the day that people don't put all their faith in political parties to rescue them when they need it most. I vote independently and don't trust either party but rather one's own track record. I don't know anything about Rell or DeStefano, but I think CT is heading in the right direction and needs a good leader to manage those funds....

And you know what is really annoying....? When someone thinks that lowering taxes is the always the best economic policy... Our country was founded on taxes and taxes pay for everything that we take for granted. Why not take the extra surplus and invest in the future of the state?

[MadVlad]

For what it's worth....and I know that anybody from outside the Hartford sphere of influence that comments on this forum is castigated to the depths of hell because they " don't belong" but......

Untrue, what we are offended by is when people come to our board and can't have a simple conversation. Either they talk at us or bad mouth our city. We get enough of that from the locals, we don't need people from places that are worse or comparable coming here and bad mouthing our city. And then when we defend ourselves, we are the aggresive ones, we don't like other places. Whatever, it's nonsense.

I'll agree with most of the rest that you said. I also understand there are times that taxes will need to be raised. But to come aboard, with a big Surplus, and make broad, unthought-out statements like DeStefano does is silly. I too vote for who I think is best, and I ignore the partisan rhetoric. Other people can vote for who they want, but when they make public statements that aren't based on fact, are untrue, or heavily biased, they need to be called out on it.

[Jerry2]

Untrue, what we are offended by is when people come to our board and can't have a simple conversation. Either they talk at us or bad mouth our city. We get enough of that from the locals, we don't need people from places that are worse or comparable coming here and bad mouthing our city.

I'm fascinated with CT cities in general. Give me all of them. I love them all. I also think that singlehandedly, all 5 major cities( Stmfd,Bpt,NH,Htfd,and Watby) would benefit tremendously with mass transit moreso than any other community in all of New England. If I were still living in CT, I wouldn't elect anybody that was anti-transit. Mass transit would catapult each and every urban locale in the state into economic prosperity with the proximity to New York and encourage businesses away from the suburbs and into business centers like Stamford and Hartford. If people feel like their tax dollars are well spent and they can earn a good living, people will move to CT and stay. While taxes may be cheaper in the South and other areas of the country, they are paying the difference in gas, vehicle repairs, and commute times. My friend in Fla commutes to Miami in the morning for work. Normally, it's a 20 minute drive without traffic, but because there are no other means for him to get to work..in a metro of 5 million+..it takes him 1hr and 20 mins. Mass transit is crucial to the success of all of SNE, but I think CT stands a lot more to gain from the implementation and execution of a viable network.