Our elected officials quietly hide from real issues while we struggle
Weak and Passive Leadership will keep East Haven in the Status Quo
Our Rights to Protect Our Families and Our Community are on the line
It's time we elect a leader that will FIGHT FOR EAST HAVENERS!!!
Click on the photo to watch the full debate on YouTube
ANTHONY CAMPOSANO
Unaffiliated Candidate
for Mayor of East Haven
Not bound by a Political Party’s agenda
I had no desire to run for public office. I’ve exhausted all efforts to avoid entering this race and waited until the very last minute, hoping one of the other candidates would step up and genuinely take a stance on issues facing our community. Instead we get the same “copy and paste” campaigns that occur every year. There’s no real substance, just candidates sitting on the fence, regurgitating the same talking points and empty rhetoric.
My main goal isn’t to win this election, it’s to ensure East Haven doesn’t lose.
The next mayor is going to face many issues that will have lasting effects on our residents; including the City of New Haven’s intent to disregard the land use decisions and planning made by East Haven, paving the way for the threat of eminent domain for some.
I believe the best person for the job is someone who will advocate for the people of East Haven, not a professional politician who is afraid to take a firm stance.
Issues and Where I Stand
As an unaffiliated candidate, I am in a unique position that allows me to be straightforward about the issues without worrying about party leaders and outsiders controlling my message. I don’t have to protect the image or agendas of a political party or their corporate donors.
Our elected officials main objectives should simply be to protect and improve the lives of East Haveners, and be a fiduciary to the taxpayers. I will be an advocate for our residents, not a puppet of a political party. We will create transparency and ethics guidelines for Town leaders to abide by to prevent future corruption.
We must hold elected officials accountable and stop their allegiance to Political Parties. Their needs are not aligned with ours. No more identifying as part of these parties. If they’re not representing us, we must stop representing and supporting them. They are bought and paid for puppets. Until we decide to stand against the Party Mafia, we will never get the commonsense changes that are needed.
As you read below, I have listed some of the key issues that I will address when I’m elected Mayor.
The solution to our problems isn’t to move out of East Haven or out of Connecticut.
It’s to stop re-electing these politicians.
Building a Stronger Community Together
It’s essential that we come together to create a more vibrant community. To achieve this, we must consider our teens and young adults in our community planning efforts. Currently, there are limited resources dedicated to them. Here’s how we can make a positive change:
- Rebuilding the Skate Park: We will rebuild the skate park, salvaging whatever we can from the previous one that was torn down. We must correct the wrongs and make them right again.
- Construct a Recreation Facility: Create fundraisers and enlist volunteers to help build a recreation facility with activities everyone can enjoy.
- Annual Townwide Events: Help bring the community together with positive engaging events like hosting Soapbox Derby races in each section on town. Include an adults bracket so we can join the fun too.
By focusing on these initiatives, we can ensure that our community is inclusive, engaging, and responsive to the needs of all its members, including our teens and young adults. Together, we can build a stronger, more vibrant East Haven.
Taxes, Taxes, and some more Taxes
Connecticut Residents pay the 2nd highest taxes in America
East Haveners pay a higher tax rate than most other towns in CT
Where is all the money?
It’s concerning to see our roads flooding during storms and facilities falling into disrepair while questions linger about where the money is being allocated. We need transparency in the Town’s usage of funds. Lack of transparency leads to corruption.
Where is the $1.2 million grant, which was earmarked to fix the flooding at Coe Ave and Short Beach Rd?
How was the $8.4 million in ARPA funds allocated? Is there any money left? Where did it all go?
We can’t afford any more tax increases, especially when some individuals in town seem to be getting tax breaks while the rest of us cover the balance. To address these issues, I propose the following:
- Town Assessor: Hiring a Town Assessor to scrutinize discrepancies and make necessary adjustments in property assessments, ensuring fairness and accuracy.
- Responsible Budgeting: Implementing vital cuts to maintain a responsible budget, and having department heads stay within their allocated budgets.
- End Last-Minute Spending: Putting a stop to last-minute spending by department heads solely to deplete their budgets. Town officials should prioritize their fiduciary responsibility to East Haven taxpayers.
Transparency in Government
Have you ever wondered where your hard-earned tax dollars are being spent? Trust in responsible spending is vital. Here’s what I propose to ensure transparency:
- Anti-Corruption Measures: I will put forward policies to combat corruption, nepotism, and wasteful spending, ensuring your money is used wisely.
- Revised Town Charter: We’ll revise our Town Charter to include an enforceable Code of Ethics, setting high standards for ethical conduct among our officials.
- Open Financial Records: We’ll open our books, making the Town’s spending easily accessible for residents to review and understand.
- Asset Disclosure: Town officials will be required to disclose their assets and conflicts of interests, promoting transparency and accountability.
- Recorded Meetings: All Town meetings will be recorded and uploaded online, along with submitted documents, allowing the public to follow proceedings closely.
- Public Engagement: We’ll include a provision in the charter that grants residents the right to speak during public meetings, enhancing public engagement and ensuring your voice is heard.
These steps will help build trust, accountability, and transparency in our local government’s financial dealings.
Tweed’s Plan: Relocate the Entire Airport into East Haven’s Wetlands
Why hasn’t our Town Leaders held any meetings with the public to inform residents what the City of New Haven is trying to push onto East Haven?
Where are the flyers outlining the project details and how it will affect our quality of life?
New Haven/Goldman Sachs plan will turn our shoreline residential community into a traffic ridden industrial zone.
- No Financial Benefits: East Haven will not receive any tax revenue from the airport. NONE. East Haven gets no economic benefit, just the problems. Most people use the airport to leave Connecticut, not to visit East Haven.
- Lack of Transparency: There has been no public meetings to inform residents about the City of New Haven’s plans for East Haven. We need clear communication and transparency about the project’s details and its potential impact on our quality of life.
- Environmental Impact: They plan to dump 4,000 truckloads of fill onto our wetlands; into an area that is already burdened by flooding.
- Traffic and Noise: The expansion will bring increased traffic and noise to our town, disrupting our daily lives. Tweed estimates 600,000 – 1 million passengers to travel through our roads . Do you think our roads can handle the added traffic?
- Health and Pollution: The emissions from Boeing 737-800s release hundreds of pounds of pollutants over our town; affecting our air quality and the health of our residents, particularly children and seniors with respiratory conditions. The section of East Haven near the airport already has a 1300% higher rate of asthma hospitalizations.
East Haven is one of the most pollution burdened towns In Connecticut. We are ranked 17th of the State’s Environmental Justice Communities. It’s time to put the interests of East Haven residents first and ensure that any decisions regarding the airport expansion prioritize our community’s well-being and environmental sustainability. We need transparency, accountability, and careful consideration of the long-term impact on our town.
“Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights.”
Thomas Jefferson
Join us in building a Stronger Community here in East Haven that will last for generations