NEW HAVEN —  Alderman Michael B. Smart, D-8, will formally announce his candidacy for the New Haven office of city/town clerk today , according to a release.
Smart has served as alderman for five terms representing the Wooster Square, East Rock, Fair Haven and Annex areas, the release said. He also is chairman of the Charter Revision Commission and the Tax Abatement Committee.
The Democratic Convention July 23; the primary Sept. 10  and Election Day is Nov. 5.

In a press release, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro , D-3, announced that "Connecticut is receiving about $4 million less than last year for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program," also known as LIHEAP.
"This loss in funding is yet another effect of the indiscriminate, deeply harmful budget cuts known as sequestration. The final fiscal year 2013 allocation is just over $76 million, compared to the nearly $80 million Connecticut received for fiscal year 2012," the release said.

“Time and again Democrats have warned that the sequester budget cuts are going to hurt Connecticut families. Heating costs may be the last thing on people’s minds right now, but winter will come quickly and these cuts will put people at risk of going cold. These cuts are draconian and harm the health and well-being of thousands across the state. Continuing to put people at risk is unacceptable; we have a moral obligation to care for our most vulnerable citizens. That means fully funding LIHEAP.”

Also noted in the release: DeLauro is "senior Democrat on the subcommittee responsible for funding the Department of Health and Human Services, which administers LIHEAP. Before the sequester cuts even took effect, LIHEAP had been reduced by $1.6 billion—almost one third—between 2010 and 2012. Nationally, LIHEAP’s budget will decrease from $3.47 billion to $3.252 billion."

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  In a press release, Society of Professional Journalists National President Sonny Albarado and SPJ Connecticut President Jodie Mozdzer Gil announced that they wrote to Gov. Dannel Malloy  to question "the state’s secrecy in creating a bill that would exempt any Sandy Hook massacre records from the state's open records law."

"SPJ stands against the decision to withhold public information" about the Newtown shootings, the release said/

"The letter was in response to a May 22 article by The Hartford Courant, which revealed that the governor’s office has been working secretly with legislative leaders and the state's top prosecutor to deny access to documents related to the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where 20 children and six women died on Dec. 14." the release said. "Under the legislation, government officials could withhold death certificates of anyone who died at the school, unless the request is made by a member of the victim's spouse, adult child, parent, adult sibling or legal guardian."

The release noted that Albarado and Gil wrote, “The Society condemns the creation of this legislation outside the normal, transparent process of public hearings and debate. And we deplore the attempt to use the tragic events of Dec. 14 as an excuse to close off access to records that are otherwise available to the public.”

Read the full letter below:

. 

For more information about SPJ, visit www.spj.org.

SPJ Secrecy Statement1

NEW HAVEN — Actor and director Danny Glover will join democratic mayoral candidate Henry Fernandez for several campaign stops in the Elm City Thursday.
Glover will join Fernandez for a jam day of issue-based discussions and community outreach initiatives, according to a release.
Fernandez, a Fair Haven resident, and former city economic development administrator and director of the Livable City Initiative said of Glovers visit,
“Not only is Danny Glover an amazing actor, but he has been a champion of human rights around the world,” Fernandez said. “I am proud of the work we have done together and prouder that he is coming to New Haven to knock on doors and meet voters with me.
“We will be talking about the issues that matter to New Haven: creating good jobs, fighting for great public schools, and cutting crime across the city,” he said.
A press conference is scheduled in front of Beulah Heights First Pentecostal Church, 782 Orchard St., with Glover, Fernandez and community leaders Robin Golden and Tracy Meares at 9:45 am.
Later during the  day Glover and Fernandez will canvass the community and meet with residents to discuss their concerns.
In addition, residents will be able to attend a public community conversation forum with Glover and Fernandez at 7 p.m. at Dixwell Congregational Church, 217 Dixwell Ave.
The Rev. Frederick Streets, pastor of the Dixwell Congregational Church, a supporter of Fernandez, said, “Glover has been a social activist and an advocate of social concerns majority of his public life.”
“Henry’s vision of the city reflects the value of urban American and its fitting that Glover would support his candidacy,” he said.
Yale professor Elizabeth Alexander will be the evening’s emcee.  For more information regarding the events call Jim Dumas at 703-589-7107.
- Shahid Abdul-Karim

Mayoral candidate Kermit Carolina and the Kermit Carolina for Mayor campaign is eligible for $5,530 in matching funds from the New Haven Democracy Fund, according to a letter to the campaign that was released to the New Haven Register.
The letter says the Kermit Carolina for Mayor campaign “submitted 222 contributions, of which 207 were approved...of Carolina’s 207 qualifying donations, the Democracy Fund will match 152 contributions which were the minimum of $10.”
As Carolina’s “campaign has qualified for the matching funds, and since this primary election has been declared contested, Mr. Carolina’s campaign is now eligible for the $19,000 Democracy Fund one-time grant. Thus, the check to Kermit Carolina for Mayor should be for $24,530.00,” the letter says,

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NEW HAVEN — A public

mayoral candidate forum on economic development for New Haven will begin at 4 p.m. Sunday at Davis Street School, 35 Davis St.
Doors open at 3:30 p.m. but the debate starts promptly at 4 p.m., organizers said,
Candidates who are attending: Justin Elicker, Gary Holder-Winfield, Henry Fernandez, Toni Harp, Matthew Nemerson, Sundiata Ketazulu and Kermit Carolina.
Paul Bass will serve as moderator. The event is sponsored by Wards 25, 26 and 27.


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NEW HAVEN - According to a release, a “Women for Fernandez” group will kick off at 5:30 tonight  with Democratic mayoral candidate Henry Fernandez at 50 Elm St.

Fernandez will unveil his platform on women’s issues, the release said.

There will be a networking event to follow platform presentation, the release said.

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State Sen. Toni Harp, D-New Haven, will hold her official campaign launch at noon Saturday at Edgewood Park in New Haven.

Follow all the New Haven mayoral race news here

In a prepared statement, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. Tuesday said, in response to reports that the U.S. government secretly confiscated telephone records from Associated Press bureaus, including the bureau in Hartford, Connecticut:

“I am deeply troubled by reports of the federal government’s apparently sweeping information collection from Associated Press bureaus, including Hartford. I am concerned that this investigative action may fail to meet the government’s high burden when invasion of privacy and chilling effects on First Amendment rights are at risk. Long accepted and strongly established constitutional principles of free expression and profoundly important public interests protect the press from government interference and intrusion. The Department of Justice must be forthcoming with the facts as soon as possible.”
 

A short time later, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, also D-Conn. released this statement:

 

"We rely on the Department of Justice to enforce federal laws in our country and help keep Americans safe, and we trust that the leadership there is working steadfastly to accomplish that mission. It's incumbent on the Justice Department to explain why they've seized telephone records from reporters and editors at The Associated Press so that their actions don't have a chilling effect on the freedom of the press."

 

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In a press release, The

Greater New Haven Clergy Association said it is "encouraging all candidates for public office to run positive, issues-oriented campaigns."
The release further said the association calls on candidates for New Haven mayor "to manage positive issued focused campaigns."


The release also said: "Candidates are being asked to sign The Civil Campaign Pledge...in May. In signing The Pledge, candidates will assume personal control over and responsibility for the conduct of their campaigns."
"We are also calling on local citizens and leaders to participate with monitoring the campaigns to guarantee that the pledge is followed. With this goal in mind, we are forming a Civil Election Practices Committee to monitor the campaigns, and to hear candidates' complaints when they believe The Pledge has been broken during the election season," the release said.

Also contained in the release:

The Civil Campaign Pledge

As a candidate for public office in the 2013 election:

• I will conduct my campaign honestly, openly and fairly. I will discuss the issues and participate in fair public debate with respect to my views and qualifications.
• I will not engage in, permit or condone defamatory attacks upon the character of my opponent(s); nor will I engage in invasions of personal privacy unrelated to campaign issues.
• I will not use or permit use of any campaign material or advertisement which misrepresents, distorts, or otherwise falsifies the facts regarding my opponent(s).
• I will refuse to disseminate any campaign material or message in which I am not prominently identified.
• I will publicly repudiate support from any individual or group whose activities would violate this Civil Campaign Pledge.

The release further stated: 
"only a candidate may file a complaint. The Fair Election Practices Committee (FEPC) hears complaints," that members of the Fair Election Practices Committee are "to be determined," that "by signing, candidates are publicly proclaiming their support for a fair, issues-oriented race, and that  the complaint and hearing process begins May 15 and runs "through the day before Election Day in November."

Editor's note: All information in this post was contributed.

New Haven mayoral candidates will debate social justice issues at 6 p.m. May 7

at Gateway Community College.

The event will be held in the North Wing Cafeteria, Room N107. 

The event is sponsored by Junta For Progressive Action and others.

 

Get all the news on the New Haven mayoral race here. 

The mayoral campaign of "vision for New Haven."

Justin Elicker on Wednesday released his

In it, he urges voters to "Learn about my vision: for: Safer streets -- "stopping crime by building communities;" Stronger schools -- "skills, will, and transparency;" and Development -- "time for some common sense."

Read more here:Elicker campaign.