The following consists of excerpts from Thomas MacMillan's chronicle of a day on the New Haven mayoral campaign trail of CTC President & CEO Matthew Nemerson that appeared in the New Haven Independent.
In front of two video cameras in the backyard of his East Rock home, then on the campaign hustings, Matt Nemerson sought to single himself out as the one mayoral hopeful promising he will not raise taxes, period.
Just like a manufacturer that can’t raise its prices, the city has to increase “productivity” to attract investors, Nemerson said.
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A Yale MBA, Nemerson peppered his campaign pitches with business analogies, often comparing New Haven to a company that has to compete for a share of “the market.” He refers to the “real world” of business, where competition means you can’t raise prices on your product. Companies have to deliver more with less; and New Haven will too, without raising taxes, Nemerson argued. As he portrayed it, New Haven is competing on a global stage, fighting to have businesses set up shop here, rather than anywhere else in the world.
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After filming the TV spot in the morning, he campaigned door to door at downtown businesses, where he got an earful about parking problems downtown. Nemerson, who’s chair of the board of the New Haven Parking Authority, offered several possible solutions, including connecting smart parking meters to a mobile phone app that would let parkers know what spots are free.
The full text of Thomas MacMillan's article may be read here.