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This election is about Hamden.
There are many issues relating to our finances, education system, infrastructure and other issues that will have to be dealt with during the next two years. It is my goal to bring together residents, businesses and elected officials of all parties to solve these problems. With your help, we can work together to address the issues facing Hamden:
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Walking Piece
Read what Ron is distributing as he walks through the neighborhoods of Hamden.
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Common Sense Leadership For Hamden
Ron's common sense view on the issues and his ideas for Hamden.
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Inclusiveness In Government
I believe in inclusive government. What I’d like to bring to the town of Hamden is the ability for people to have direct access to the Mayor’s office, in a variety of ways:
I intend to establish an advisory board of about 15 people that would sit down with me once a month to discuss the business that is before the town. This advisory board would include people from all over Hamden, your friends and neighbors, and would give the residents of Hamden a chance to gain direct access to the Mayor on a regular basis and to provide input and advice on the business of the town. Having this kind of interaction with you and other Hamden residents would be invaluable to me as Mayor.
Additionally, I anticipate scheduling quarterly meetings throughout the neighborhoods of Hamden to give citizens a chance to discuss the issues at hand. As Mayor, I would of course bring the public officials of the town with me so that your questions can be directly answered and your comments can be directly received.
For more on this issue:
Budgeting and Financial Planning
I have an MBA in finance and have worked for several major corporations. As result, I am very familiar with budgets. In the budgeting process, most companies tend to consider a five-year period. In the town of Hamden, we only look at a one year budget. It’s really no way to manage the finances of the town. What I propose is to develop a five-year financial plan allowing Hamden residents to see the impact of future budgets on their properties. Hamden residents would be able to use the internet to find the proposed taxes for the immediate budget in addition to the next four years.
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Education
Currently, the budget hearings and Board of Education meetings seem to be the only opportunities that exist fot residents of Hamden to have their voices heard. Yet, the agendas for these meetings are set in advance, with only small window available at the beginning of each meeting for public comment. I would like to open up the process by creating an Education Task Force.
The Education Task Force will be a collection of people that will have the opportunity to operate like a think tank and carefully analyze the issues facing our education system. The Education Task Force will consist of teachers, parents, students, business owners, academic professionals and others who would represent a cross-section of the community. They will have the resources to bring in expert knowledge and increased input from you, the residents of Hamden, to provide a 360 degree analysis of the difficult issues facing our schools, such as: How do we deal with the current maintenance need of our school buildings? The Education Task Force will not supercede any of the authority of the Board of Education, but will instead work in tandem with it to solve many of the complex issues facing Hamden’s public school system.
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Transportation Infrastructure
The current state of Hamden’s streets and sidewalks is unacceptable, with many roads showing potholes, cracks and other signs of deterioration. This problem has existed for many years. Typically, a list of streets to be repaved is prepared behind closed doors by the administration and presented to the Legislative Council for a vote. That process has failed to produce the type of infrastructure that is expected by the residents of Hamden. We can no longer afford to neglect the infrastructure of the town. I have a better plan: The Hamden Street and Sidewalk Commission.
The Street and Sidewalk Commission will consist of representatives from every part of Hamden. Residents will appear before the Commission and provide testimony, in public, as to why their street is in need of repair. The Commission will then review the testimony and the evidence presented and publicly come to a decision as to which roads should be repaved. The Commission will then present this list to the Legislative Council for approval. This solution ensures that decisions about Hamden’s infrastructure are based on facts and are made openly, removing the politics completely. I would also support a bonding of $5 million in order to accelerate the repair of Hamden’s streets and sidewalks.
For more on this issue:
Vision for a Greener Hamden
Preserving Open Space, Natural Landscapes and Resources
- Designation of Urban Farmland and Natural Resources
- Community Farming at the Maselli Farm
- Tree Nursery at Brooksvale Park
- Development Protection for our Lakes, Wetlands, Trails, and Water Resources
Supporting Districts for Local Small Business
- Dixwell Avenue & State Street Revitalization Plans
- Whitneyville and Spring Glen Protection of Residential and Small Commercial Areas
- Incentives for Locally Owned Businesses
Protecting and Improving our Residential Neighborhoods
- Traffic calming strategies for safe walking and cycling
- Zoning to protect communities from inappropriate development
- Improvements to Streets, Parks, and Playgrounds
Choosing Affordable Alternative Transportation
- State Street Rail and Transit Oriented Development
- Town Wide Bicycle Plan for Safe Paths and Lanes
- Alternative Bio-Fuel and Hybrid Town Vehicles
Initiating Environmental Educational Programs
- School Green Teams for Student, Teacher & Parent Participation
- Energy Cost Savings Sharing & Healthy Indoor Air Quality
- Expanded Recycling, Gardening, Composting, and Green Cleaning Programs
Conserving Energy for Town Buildings
- Energy Audits and Retrofits for all Town and Educational Buildings
- Building Maintenance and Operations to Reduce Energy Usage
- New Energy and Green Standards for all New Construction
- Renewable Energy Sites for Wind and Solar Energy
Listening to our Green & Energy Commissions
- Required Reviews and Approval for Projects and Purchases from Recycling, Energy Use,Natural Resources and Open Space, and Clean and Green Commissions
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