Moore, Bermudez Agree On Goals …

by Paul Bass

Two candidates in a hard-fought election campaign walked into a radio studio —  and agreed.

They agreed on air that they’ll fight for more local education aid and teacher raises if elected state representative.

They agreed to support higher marginal tax rates on millionaires as well as a ban on private equity or LLCs buying homes to use as short-term rentals.

They agreed New Haven should ditch a $45 million+ plan to build an outdoor swimming pool to replace the English Station power plant and invite the community to offer alternative ideas instead.

They agreed to support state lawmakers’ letter to reconsider Yale’s special state-given tax breaks if the university caves in to the Trump administration.

They agreed that the state should pursue stricter regulation of private utilities while supporting plans to launch more municipal power plants. They agreed the state should be working to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

They also praised each other’s work in the community.

And both stated they do not belong to the Democratic Socialists of America.

When the two candidates walked out of the studio, they were still running hard for the Democratic nomination for the open east-side 97th General Assembly District seat in an Aug. 11 primary. They each still argued that they make the better candidate.

As evidenced by the on-air discussion, they are making their cases more on how their personal biographies make them the better candidate to achieve progressive results in Hartford. And on nuanced differences on some of the above issues.

The two 97th District candidates — Morris Cove Alder Leland Moore and city Fair Rent Commission Executive Director Wildaliz Bermudez — offered those agreements and differences in a respectful joint appearance Tuesday on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” program. The district covers the Bishop Woods/Quinnipiac Meadows neighborhood down through Fair Haven Heights and the Annex to Morris Cove, with a sliver of Fair Haven near Front Street.

On the program, Bermudez, who’s 43, spoke of her record challenging the status quo and fighting for change. That began at 6 years old, when she was a plaintiff in the landmark Sheff v. O’Neill school desegregation case. Before moving to New Haven, she served six years on Hartford’s City Council as a member of the labor-allied Working Families Party, which organizes to push the Democratic Party to the left. She spoke of her work on environmental justice campaigns and organizing a coalition of fellow Fair Rent directors across the state. “I’m passionate about making sure that people’s voices are heard and reflected every step of the way,” Bermudez said.

In this campaign she has the role of challenging the establishment: Moore received the endorsement of the Democratic Town Committee, politically powerful unions, and outgoing State Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney. Bermudez organized a grassroots campaign that petitioned to get her name on the Aug. 11 ballot.

Moore, who’s 34, spoke of his work in state government as a lawyer in the Attorney General’s Office, which he noted has taken on Meta for harming children. He spoke as well of his work as a first-term alder representing Morris Cove and keeping on top of challenges facing Nathan Hale School.

“I really enjoy helping people, whether it’s the day-to-day stuff we do as an alder, like helping someone with a trash bin or the street, or supporting a community event, or if it’s on a bigger policy level, making policy changes that make New Haven more affordable for everyday New Haveners,” Moore said.

Subtle Policy Differences

The “Dateline” discussion did reveal some policy differences between the candidates, at least around the edges:

• In response to a question from listener Aaron Goode, they both expressed concerns about allowing Massachusetts-based Global Partners LP “to convert their tanks from distilled petroleum fuels to higher polluting gasoline.” Both said they want to shift policy toward supporting renewable energy sources instead. Bermudez said she opposes the Global Partners request. Moore said he wants to “learn more about the proposal as well as the proposed community benefits agreement,” which he will do as a member of a Board of Alders committee that will review it.

• Both candidates expressed openness to creating a state fund to cover the costs municipalities will bear when they lose civil lawsuits filed by Black men imprisoned for decades based on manufactured evidence (like the $38 million jury award against New Haven in the first of an upcoming series of lawsuits of such cases). Moore said the state needs to help New Haven more with budgetary challenges including this one, so the city can “stay affordable,” while saying he doesn’t “have a crystal ball” about “what’s going to happen next” with these lawsuits, and said he can support the concept of the fund. Bermudez came out squarely for creating the fund for all cities facing these cases: “It’s not fair that then the city has to foot that bill. It was the state prosecutors who led us here.”

• Bermudez said she is supporting neither Gov. Ned Lamont nor challenger Josh Elliott in the Aug. 11 Democratic gubernatorial primary. Moore said he backs Lamont: “Gov.  Lamont has done a lot for New Haven. He’s done a lot for the state. He got us through the Covid pandemic. I don’t always agree with everything, but that’s  life. I do think that he is doing a good job, and he’s going to keep doing a good job.”

• Both spoke of increasing state support for neighborhood-based public schools. “We need to make sure they’re funded so that there isn’t a flight out of them to magnet schools,” Moore said, echoing the argument of the three candidates in another local state rep primary race that the state harmed neighborhood schools (and poor communities) by shifting its focus to magnet schools as a result of the Sheff case. Bermudez responded that both magnets and regular public schools should get more money and not “pit ourselves against each other.” 

At the discussion’s close, the candidates were asked to cite a reason they respect each other. They didn’t hesitate. Moore praised Bermudez’s work at the Fair Rent Commssion, “trying to make [the city] more affordable. I’m grateful that she’s here and she’s doing that work, and she’s doing it every day for our residents.” Bermudez spoke about how Ward 18 voters she meets in the campaign tell her “how much they appreciate you, Leland … that you return their calls and that you’re responsive, And I would love to continue seeing you in that role as an alder, and hopefully I can become the state rep with everyone’s support.”

Then they left the studio to continue knocking on doors in the 97th District. And the two will participate in a debate this coming Wednesday, Aug. 5, at the Flint Street theater (25 Flint St.) beginning at 6 p.m.