New London — Democrats and Republicans in the city say a city police staffing ordinance should not be a partisan issue.
And yet, the two major parties have taken opposing stances on the issue in anticipation of an Aug. 10 citywide referendum. On the ballot is a question asking voters whether they agree or disagree with the City Council’s repeal of an ordinance mandating a minimum of 80 officers.
Democrats unanimously endorsed a “yes” vote that would uphold the council’s decision to repeal the 2014 ordinance. The 80-officer mandate had never been achieved since it was enacted, and the all-Democratic council’s 6-1 vote to repeal it came amid calls from the public for a shift away from police spending by a group called the New London People’s Budget Coalition. John Satti was the only councilor who voted against repealing the ordinance.
The Republican Town Committee, at its June meeting, voted “overwhelmingly” to endorse a “no” vote. A no vote would overturn the repeal.
Republicans and others continue to link the repeal of the ordinance to the defund police movement and what Republican committee Chairperson Kat Goulart said is attempts by the City Council to cut police department funding.
“We have city councilors asking ‘is there money available to be taken out of the police budget,’” Goulart said.
She said she views the ordinance as the “first line of defense,” a safeguard against attempts to strip funding from what she considers an already depleted police department.
“It should not be a partisan issue. The overarching issue for me and other people is safe communities. It’s not politics. I don’t see where safe communities is a partisan issue,” Goulart said.
The City Council, during budget deliberations this year, has asked for ways to trim police department spending but Councilor James Burke points out that the council ultimately voted in favor of a $12.28 million police budget that provided a modest 0.95% increase in spending.
Burke said the repeal of the ordinance is “about creating equity in how public services are funded.”
“We don’t mandate the amount of sanitation workers, firefighters, or a head count in any other department,” Burke said. “After years of calling for police accountability and reform it’s time for New London to be a leader in showing good faith in the new leadership at the New London Police Department, and the vision to rethink how we invest in the community.”
He said the repeal of the ordinance does not prohibit the police department from asking for, or the City Council from approving, increases in staff. The department had 73 officers at the time the budget was passed, though there have been several retirements since then.
George Potts, a Democratic Town Committee member and former New London police officer, said in a statement that the vote “isn’t about being for or against police.”
“The amount of officers needed on a shift is something the Mayor and Chief should be constantly considering,” Potts said. “We should give them the freedom to run the department efficiently and safely. The public safety of the residents of New London should be our number one priority.”
City Council President Efrain Dominguez agreed it was time for a new study on policing in the city, since the ordinance was based on a study completed in 2007. He said in a statement that the city also needs to address the 911 calls better served by a mental health professional rather than an officer.
John Russell, who spearheaded the petition drive to push for a referendum vote, agreed that a new study is needed but said the study should have been completed before the council “rushed through a vote” with minimal public participation.
He argues “this ordinance removes the last possible gate to defunding police,” and not only jeopardizes public safety but has led to low morale at the department.
“I’m looking at a city that is building all this new housing. If the perception is the city is not safe and/or clean, the people are not going to go downtown,” Russell said.
It’s unclear how many residents will show up to an August referendum. Officials are predicting low voter turnout. Russell thinks the council should have sent the measure to the ballot for the November election to ensure more people have a say.
He’s not alone.
Ronna Stuller, chairperson of the New London Green Party, said while Greens support the elimination of the 80-officer mandate, they “would have preferred to see the question included on the November municipal election ballot, both to avoid the cost of a special election and to be assured of a higher voter turnout.”
Martha Marx, chairperson of the Democratic Town Committee, issued a statement, saying in part: “Last year we saw thousands of people, mostly young people, take to the streets to demand justice for repeated senseless murders of Black people by police. New London Democrats hope to carry that momentum and that passion to the polls on August 10 then again on November 2 and every election for the rest of our lives.”
Marx argued that Republicans are using “scare tactics to stop police accountability and reform.”
Goulart disagrees.
“Public safety, be it fire or police, both are integral and crucial to safe communities,” Goulart said.
She said few would argue that the police department should be augmented in some way to handle the enormous number of calls related to mental health issues, “But I don’t think we need to reduce the police budget to do that.”
Mayor Michael Passero, a Democrat who pushed for the 80-officer ordinance as a councilor during a time when morale was low at the police department, has sympathized with the calls for a shift in funding to address mental health issues. He included $200,000 in the current budget to create a Peer Navigator program led by the Human Services Department that would allow more follow-up work with individuals with mental health issues. However, he has resisted calls to cut funding to the police department.
g.smith@theday.com
