New Haven Register Endorsement: Scott Jackson for Mayor Scott Scott Jackson insists he has no ambition beyond his current job. But he’s widely viewed as a potential candidate for higher office, and for good reason. The lifelong Hamden resident, a Cornell University graduate, is smart and well-spoken. As chairman of the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission created by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and as a member of Malloy’s two-storm panel, Jackson has more statewide visibility than the average mayor. But having a bright future in politics requires more than an Ivy League degree and a lot of charisma. It also requires a track record. Fortunately, Jackson’s record in Hamden has been impressive. We recommend when voters go to the polls next Tuesday, they choose Jackson, a Democrat, over Republican Bob Anthony. Hamden is facing rough times financially, mostly because of a vastly depleted pension fund that was ignored for decades by past administrations. Since he took over in 2009, though, Jackson has mostly stabilized finances at a time when they were in danger of spiraling out of control. He has presided over balanced budgets and relatively low tax rates, and made progress in small but important measures like repairing the town’s aging, badly damaged sidewalks and improving the quality of the town’s parks. Town-gown relations with Quinnipiac, which have been rocky at times as the university has rapidly expanded, are improving. The town has a significant problem on its hands with the pension crisis, but Jackson deserves credit for enacting a reform plan and extracting concessions from town unions that include moving new hires to the government version of a 401(k) plan beginning in 2017. He also deserves credit for being proactive on issues such as regionalizing dispatch services, which the town is exploring as a means to keep costs down and improve efficiency in surrounding communities. All things considered, he has brought an element of professionalism to town government that has served the town well, especially in times of extraordinary need such as Tropical Storm Irene, the October 2011 nor’easter, Superstorm Sandy and the historic blizzard that crippled much of the region this past February. Anthony, a retired firefighter, is the picture of a good public servant. An Army veteran who was stationed in South Korea for three years in the early ’70s, he was a Hamden firefighter for more than 25 years and an emergency medical technician for more than 20. He is a former president of the Hamden firefighters union and the current treasurer of the Uniformed Professional Firefighters Association of Connecticut. A lifelong Hamden resident, he has served the town well for decades. But because of the body of work Jackson has put in and the vision he has for moving the town forward, he has earned another term as mayor. In an interview with the Register editorial board last week, Jackson insisted he has no political ambition beyond being re-elected. “I’m in Hamden because you can’t shut down Hamden,” he said. “I don’t like what I see in a lot of other places. You see a lot of talk but you don’t see results.” We’re not so sure he’ll never be a candidate for Congress or governor. But there’s no question that future political success — whether it’s in Hamden or elsewhere — depends largely on how Jackson deals with the array of challenges the town is facing. In upholding the town’s pension obligations while still keeping taxes under control, he has his work cut out for him. But he’s the best person to tackle those challenges.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 01:26:00 +0000
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