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And they are off . . .a mayoral race already?

Mike McGarry

November 18, 2010

We just finished a bruising, bitter, nasty election that turned off many voters.

Millions and millions (some of it, your tax money) went for quick, cheap, inaccurate commercials. Ouch. Please, lord, give us a break!

Well, in the world of politics, as John Bailey said, there always will be another election. Old duffers like yours truly understand that if you stay in the game long enough, your time might come.

So, in Hartford, we now see a contest brewing for next fall's election for mayor of Hartford. Several candidates are out there already and from what we hear, it won't be pretty.

Get ready. Here are the names that have come our way, with a few pithy comments.

Mayor Pedro Segarra: getting good press, a honeymoon of sorts. Problem: many think he promised not to run when appointed by a council majority.

Shawn Wooden. Seems to be the choice of some influential Black Democrats. Problem: he was associated with the Perry years.

Noel McGregor: Long resume, considered common sense democrat. Problem: lots of competition in his base (see below).

Ken Green: Strong base after many elections. Some do feel he was robbed in last election. Problem: considered a liberal democrat when times demand otherwise.

Minnie Gonzalez: Only Hispanic with any kind of a followng (other than Pedro). Problem: you must win citywide with support from all ethnic groups.

The city faces daunting problems that easy, knee jerk slogans won't erase. The coming tax mess in 2012 has three elements: re-valuation in 2011 will see a grand list decrease of 15% or so. Bringing everything to 70% evaluation could double homeowner taxes, and, finally, the cities financial people tell us a 5% raise in expenses (25 million) is inevitable. All this and the elimination of the surcharge means big trouble – somebodies going to have to pay.

In earlier times, the state would come to the rescue, or the pension contribution would drop, or the Feds might kick in. No luck in 2011 or 2012 from those sources.

The only hope is growth and that takes awhile whoever is Governor or Mayor.

Good luck to all our hopefuls. From this corner, we are looking for more than luck to set Hartford straight.