Resident goals listed for the next 12 months
Last week this publication named three “goals” or areas of improvement we would like to see in the next 12 months. Those goals were directed at the city’s political class and administrative officials. This week we seek to take a different tack, and put forward three goals we would like to see city residents and taxpayers take over the next 12 months that would make our city a better place to live and work.
Property upkeep – West Haven has many private residences, but it is also flush with rental properties. From three-story homes to multi-unit apartment houses, the city has many residents who do not own, but rent. Unfortunately, many of these rental properties are absentee ownerships and that creates problems for the rest of us.
Cars parked on front lawns are becoming a big problem, not only along major thoroughfares, but in all parts of the city. Property owners, whether they be agencies or private citizens who live elsewhere, should be strict prohibiting the practice. It speaks ill of the owners and the people who leave the cars. Renting a property doesn’t mean you can trash it. This is a type of blight that brings down property values, and, in turn, brings down the pride people should have in neighborhoods.
Similarly, renters are not exempt from keeping their residences tidy. Putting out trash in front of the property for pick-up much later, mounding refuse along the curb, and not helping with sidewalk maintenance are things that harm the upkeep of the city.
Red, Yellow, Green – This is not only a city problem, but something we have seen all over the state. In the State of Connecticut, yellow means to begin to stop, not gun right on through the intersection. Only those cars unable to stop or already past the stop line may proceed. Over the last several years red lights seem to be thought of as a suggestion, rather than a responsibility.
We have seen drivers slow at a red light, see no one is coming from the other direction and just go right through. This is a problem waiting to become a tragedy. It is a symptom of a bigger illness: the dismissal of authority and authority figures. That is the topic of a future editorial.
Understanding city issues – Despite publications, news reports and social media, there are too many of us who have very little understanding of how things work in the city, and what issues are facing it. Understanding leads to involvement. One of West Haven’s difficulties over the years are too many of us just allow things to go on unchecked or unquestioned. This has allowed factionalism, bossism, and a certain style of elitism to enter into our politics and our way of doing things.
It takes very little effort to get to know and understand why the city is in a financial mess. It takes very little to understand the problems that face the city’s school system over and above funding. It takes little to understand that the district in which you are residing has its own set of difficulties and problems that need input.
We all work, we all have lives, but that doesn’t mean we can drift through and not be informed individuals. This last goal is one that can transform the city
Over the next 12 months we hope to see one or all of these goals attempted by our residents. Implementation will make our city a better place to live and work.