John Halle
for
 New Haven Alderman

Home | Campaign Positions | FAQ | Articles by John Halle

John Halle (G), New Haven Alderman, 9th Ward.

On July 10th, New Haven Residents
ELECTED
JOHN HALLE
GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE
FOR
ALDERMAN 9th WARD

Working for our city, our citizens, our children. 

You Voted For: 

Cleaner Air:
Prevent construction of new power plants and clean up the existing ones.

A Living Wage:
Expand the current provisions covering city workers to include all large employers in New Haven.

Honest Government:
Responsive to the needs of the citizens, not just developers and political donors.

Neighborhood Concerns (9th Ward)

In the News.
Ward 9 Candidates Stake Out Positions as Vote Nears

Bus-tling State Street.

 
  • I am strongly opposed to the State Street Merchants Association's plans to sacrifice bus stops for parking spaces for State Street bar patrons. I support making available late night bus and van service to State Street bar patrons so that they will have an alternative to driving after drinking.
    • I support strong enforcement of noise and nuisance ordinances and support a zero tolerance policy applied to those businesses, which consistently fail to comply with these ordinances.
  • I will advance a resolution recognizing Ron Oster's outstanding work developing community gardens in the Nash-Mechanic street neighborhood.

  • I support the complete removal of dead and diseased trees around the Orange Street neighborhood and their replacement by the immediate replanting of saplings.

  • I will respond energetically, quickly and effectively to all requests for city services by Ward 9 residents and businesses.

    •
    • I will do everything in my power to insure that businesses which enhance the neighborhood's quality of life are able to remain here and to thrive, and will work with large businesses to develop a program of preferential contracting which favors local, neighborhood businesses.

    • I am in favor of speed bumps installed on side streets where speeding vehicles pose a clear and present danger to neighborhood residents, particularly neighborhood children.


    Citywide Concerns

    Environmental Justice

  • I am strongly opposed to the restarting of the English Station power plant, as it will only make a further contribution to already unconscionable rates of asthma in New Haven.

  • I am strongly in favor of converting all of New Haven's oil fired power plants to gas.

  • I support converting the fleet of city owned vehicles to clean burning technologies.
    •  Economic/labor rights
  • I am in favor of expanding New Haven's existing living wage ordinance to cover all workers, not just those employed by the city and city contractors.

  • I am in favor of exerting the full force of city government to counteract illegal union busting tactics engaged in by major New Haven employers.

  • I am in favor of developing alternative revenue sources to reduce New Haven's property tax rate (the highest in the state), to expand city services, and to increase the accountability and responsiveness of local government.
    •  Transportation
  • I am in favor of developing a comprehensive regional public transportation program to lessen our dependence on cars and reduce the already excessive traffic passing through our city-over, 40,000 cars per day.

  • I support reductions in bus fares and increased service to address the transportation needs of all New Haven residents, particularly low income residents.

  • I support a major expansion of bicycle lanes on city streets which currently amount to less than one mile in total.
    •  Education
  • I support a Board of Education elected by New Haven citizens replacing the existing appointed board, the only one of its kind in the state.

  • I oppose commercialization of the public schools and will work to make them commercial free zones, removing channel 1 from our classrooms, eliminate soft drink ads and vending machines from school grounds, and removing all advertisement from public spaces.

  • I deplore our schools allowing fast-food conglomerates access to high-school assemblies to recruit students.

  • I support the immediate renovation of sub standard school buildings, in particular the East Rock school.
    •  Quality of life
  • I support the limiting of external ads on buses to side panels and will work to remove the wrap-around ads which inhibit passengers' visibility through bus windows.

  • I support the immediate restoration of downtown bus stops to their original locations and deplore their movement to in the interest of developers at the expense of seniors and low-income New Haven residents.

  • I support the strong enforcement of pedestrian rights of ways in cross walks.

  • I am in favor of making city hall and all government buildings commercial free zones and will work to remove commercial advertisements which degrade public space.

  • I support the completion of the Farmington canal rail-to-trail project connecting Hamden with downtown New Haven.
    •

    Why I am running with the Green Party

    From 1985-1991 the Green Party was very active in local politics, running candidates for mayor of New Haven, in most aldermanic wards, and for the state legislature.

    I did not know this history when I moved here. But I did know, after walking through our neighborhood and hearing our neighbors' stories, that an alternative was desperately needed in New Haven. As I learned more about city politics, I became convinced that the Green Party was the answer.

    The Green Party's historic focus on the environment offers our best hope for addressing the city's chronically poor air and water quality. Our party's strong commitment to economic justice will restore fairness to our tax system while addressing the scandal of so many New Haveners working but remaining in poverty.

    Most importantly, the Green Party's return to New Haven politics will bring us a commitment to "a government of the people, by the people, and for the people." Grassroots democracy is our best hope for bringing us out of the dark ages of one party machine politics.

    Who is John Halle ?

    John Halle is an assistant professor in the Department of Music at Yale University, a pianist, a composer, and an author of articles on music and politics. He has lived with his wife, Marka, a professional violinist, at their home on Eld St. since 1997.

    For more information on The Halle for Alderman campaign see our
    FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page.

    For more information on Green Party activities in Connecticut
    Click on the links below:
    The New Haven Green Party or The Connecticut Green Party