Double-standard? Although Brooks owed car taxes, her campaign critized her opponent

"For months, contributors on Melinda Seaman Brooks' campaign Web site have been critical of fellow warden candidate Ron D. Ward's tax delinquency, questioning whether someone who owes money to the town should be allowed to run for the borough's highest office." [quote from article published by The Day - April 19, 2007]


On April 19th in a post on her campaign website, Brooks stated:

I think drug testing would be an excellent idea.

In response to today's article. I have to thank Megan for letting me know. I absolutely will take care of it.

It is just a residual from a divorce. It is really a non issue.

I do plan on going to the town hall to settle up on Fri am.

Ok, lets focus on the issues.

I want to get some of feedback from you on what you want to see done in town.

On Friday, April 20th, the comment had been deleted from Brooks election campaign website.



[The two articles printed below were published by The Day]

Delinquent Jewett City Candidates Pay Taxes
by Megan Bard - published by The Day - April 20, 2007

The two candidates for Jewett City warden who owed back taxes to the town have paid all or some of their respective bills, according to the tax collector's office.

Republican candidate Melinda Seaman Brooks paid in full Thursday the $1,037.21 she owed on three vehicles listed in her name. She said Wednesday that she was unaware she owed the money on a 2006 Mazda 5, a 1999 Nissan Maxima and a 2004 Toyota Sequoia. She said she no longer owns the Nissan. She said her former husband kept the Toyota after a divorce last year and is responsible for the payments.

Jewett City Party candidate Ron D. Ward also made a payment to the tax office Thursday. Ward paid part of his debt, $201.76, and is disputing a portion of the balance of $174.45. Ward said he ceased to own a 2002 Pontiac Sunfire in December 2005 and will provide the town office with the appropriate paperwork to prove his claim.

Ward said once the issue is settled he will pay the rest of what he owes, which he estimates is $41.42.


Griswold Candidates In Arrears
by Megan Bard, published by The Day - April 19, 2007

Griswold — Of the 11 people vying for a seat in the upcoming Borough of Jewett City election, four owe back taxes on a variety of motor vehicles, according to a review of town tax records.

Of the four, two are candidates for warden, the top office in the borough.

None of the candidates has scheduled a payment plan with the municipal tax collector's office.

For months, contributors on Melinda Seaman Brooks' campaign Web site have been critical of fellow warden candidate Ron D. Ward's tax delinquency, questioning whether someone who owes money to the town should be allowed to run for the borough's highest office.

On Wednesday, Ward said he has not owned the vehicle he owes taxes on, a 2002 Pontiac Sunfire, since late 2005 and expects to dispute at least a portion of what is owed.

“I am not trying to escape my financial responsibilities and am not trying to hide that I owe some or all of it,” Ward said.

Seaman Brooks was surprised to hear she owed back taxes and said they would be paid in full by Friday afternoon.

When asked about the three vehicles — a 2006 Mazda 5, a 1999 Nissan Maxima, and a 2004 Toyota Sequoia — Seaman Brooks said she no longer owns the Nissan. She also said her former husband kept the Toyota and is responsible for the payments.

Neither Ward nor Seaman Brooks thinks their delinquency is a reason for voters to be concerned about whether they can perform the job of borough warden, if elected.

Seaman Brooks said she truly was unaware of the outstanding bill, adding that she is not a “chronic non-bill payer.”

Ward said he sees the situation as one that “a lot of other residents of the borough” are facing and that he has first-hand knowledge of their struggles.

When reached Wednesday evening, Angela K. Adams, Jewett City Park candidate for burgress, said she did not want to comment on the issue. Alan D. Aho, Republican candidate for burgess, could not be reached for comment.

Warden:
Jewett City Party candidate Ron D. Ward owes
$376.21 in delinquent motor vehicle taxes since July 2005.

Republican candidate Melinda Seaman Brooks owes
$1,037.21 on three vehicles listed in her name since July 2006.

Burgess:
Republican candidate Alan D. Aho owes
$284 on a vehicle since July 2006.

Jewett City Party candidate Angela K. Adams owes
$1,177 on motor vehicles since July 2005.

Source: Tax Collector's office.

Commission on Housing and Neighborhood Development: Improving our Community by Supporting Renters and Owners

Jewett City Party founder and candidate for Borough Warden, Ron Ward, is proposing that the Jewett City Board of Warden and Burgess create a "Commission on Housing and Neighborhood Development." Ward said, "With over 60% of the 1500+ Jewett City housing units occupied by renters, a public commission dedicated to housing and neighborhood development would provide benefits to both renters and property owners."

The Connecticut Judicial branch has published, "Rights and Responsibilities of Landlords and Tenants in Connecticut." This official publication is a resource which gives general information regarding the business relationship between the tenant and the landlord.

A local commission dedicated to housing and neighborhood could serve as a resource for tenants and landlords to get information on ways to resolve disputes that arise regarding rental housing. The housing and neighborhood commission would be a local organization committed to publicizing information on state and federal programs which make funds available for energy conservation improvements; tax credits for seniors, disabled & veterans; and, neighborhood improvement projects.

Ward said, "A housing and neighborhood development commission would take the initiative to organize neighborhood projects such as block watch, street beautification, as well as, social and cultural events." He continued by stating, "As economic development continues, it is necessary to maintain housing opportunities within the borough that are affordable to those that have all ready made the decision for Jewett City to be their home."


[click here to view: "Rights and Responsibilities of Landlords and Tenants in Connecticut."]

click here - Southeastern Connecticut Housing Alliance (www.secha.org)

click here - HomeConnecticut (www.homeconnecticut.org)



The article which appears below was published by The Day on April 17, 2007


Affordable Housing Leadership
Opinion of The Day published April 17, 2007

Promoting the creation of affordable, working-class housing is vitally important to the region, which is why a proposal to place that job into the organization most responsible for steering regional development makes a lot of sense.

The nonprofit Southeastern Connecticut Housing Alliance was created last year after repeated studies demonstrated a major gap between the cost of housing in the region, particularly rental housing, and the ability of many working people to afford it.

If not addressed, this affordability gap will have many negative implications. It will continue to create economic hardships for many. It will hinder the ability for economic growth since employees need a place to live. And it will force many workers to travel greater distances from places where they can find housing, adding more traffic to highways and more pollution to the air.

Using state grants and private donations, the alliance created the job of executive director, putting one person in charge of pushing for policies that would encourage affordable housing development.

Those efforts would include working to amend restrictive-zoning regulations that now prohibit the kind of dense, multifamily development needed to build affordable apartments and homes. The director's job also would include lobbying state lawmakers to address the financial disincentives — chiefly higher education costs when young families move into towns — that discourage communities from welcoming affordable-housing construction.

But the fledgling alliance has had difficulty filling the job. Its first director stayed only a short time. Several new, quality candidates have been identified, but the alliance's inability to afford a health insurance and fringe benefit package has stalled the process.

The proposed solution has been to make the director part of the planning staff at the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, the group chiefly responsible for regional transportation and development issues. The COG would include the affordable housing director in its benefits package, costing about $20,000 annually. The alliance would provide the roughly $80,000 salary.

Policy direction for the affordable housing director would be provided by the alliance. The COG's executive director would provide day-to-day supervision.

While the motivation for the proposal was financial, it makes sense in other ways. Promoting affordable housing is a key development issue, so why not include it as part of COG's function? It was the council of governments, after all, which conducted the original blue ribbon study that identified the looming affordable housing crisis. And by sharing in the cost of funding the position, the towns that make up the COG will have a stake in seeing that the affordable housing effort is successful.

The local elected leaders should approve the proposal.