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Rules for Treading on Thee, Not Me
This week the state GOP staged a bold protest …either in fierce protection of civil liberties and free speech, or against the rights of Muslim women to exercise those same civil liberties and free speech. It was admittedly a bit confusing. Of course we’re talking about the Republicans here, so their idea of a protest is either storming the Capitol to do open treason or, in this case, displaying tiny yellow flags on their desk. Rep. Yaccarino was captured by Hearst Media wi

Tim Gabriele
2 hours ago3 min read


Our Reps Sticking up for Corporations
If this is the first time you are looking at a DTC communication, welcome! If not, you probably know that it’s budget season. So the CT GOP is looking to take advantage of the fact that towns are struggling by unveiling a state budget plan that includes something called the School/Taxpayers Relief & Affordability, or STRAP (as in the bootstraps they usually demand that we all lift ourselves up by). The bill would award $420 million (nice) of taxpayer relief and generous a

Tim Gabriele
4 days ago3 min read


In Case You Missed It - North Haven Budget Update
This week was an important one in North Haven’s budget process, with multiple meetings and meaningful community input shaping where things stand today.

DTC Leadership
Apr 173 min read


March 26 Special Town Meeting Recap
On Thursday, March 26, North Haven held a Special Town Meeting to consider three major infrastructure and capital investment proposals.

DTC Leadership
Mar 272 min read


Shall we have voting rights or shall we have hot air?
The session is either winding down or winding up, depending on your perspective. Public hearings are slowing down and bills are advancing out of committee, meaning we’re moving to the dirty work of grinding out lawsuit-proof ready versions of priority legislation for possible floor votes. What have those priorities been for the past few weeks? Well, for Democrats there’s a plethora of substantive things they’ve been considering. Both Governor Lamont and Senate Dems are pu

Tim Gabriele
Mar 212 min read


What We Learned at the March Board of Finance Meeting
At the March 18th Board of Finance meeting, we received important updates on how reductions are being applied across the town and the Board of Education.

DTC Leadership
Mar 213 min read


Ask Not For Whom the Leaf Blows
“THEY’RE COMING” reads an all caps font plastered over an AI Slop graphic. “HIDE YOUR LEAF BLOWERS”. The image behind it is of redheaded person with a leafblower apparently growing out of the back of their shirt as leaves whimsically scatter in the air in the opposite direction of the blower tube. Rep. Dave Yaccarino spammed this across various North Haven community pages, apparently pretty proud of it, declaring himself to against what he called an “egregious proposal”

Tim Gabriele
Mar 177 min read


North Haven School Budget Update: What Proposed Cuts Could Mean for Our Schools
Budget discussions are underway in North Haven, and an important decision point is approaching for our public schools.

DTC Leadership
Mar 133 min read


Town News: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – budget season! I’ll admit it, before I became a member of the Board of Selectmen, I found the budget process to be confusing and hard to follow. I would hear folks in town say things like “this is a tough budget year,” or “this is a challenging budget cycle,” but I didn’t really understand why. Why is one year more challenging than another? Isn’t it always hard to find enough dollars to support all the needs and wants of our town

David Cohen
Mar 93 min read


Manufactured Emergencies (a Legislative Update)
DTC member Jenny Graves testifies in favor of Tax Equity Bills The big news this week was that there was a gigantic bill pushed through by Democrats as a piece of “emergency legislation”. You can read more about it here . Of course, Republicans are up in arms about this. But if this sounds like them crying wolf, I’m not entirely sold on that being the case this time around. In the past when legislative Dems have done this, it has been in response to rapidly developing feder

Tim Gabriele
Mar 13 min read


Draft Pick Bills to Watch the Week of February 23rd
The Governor this week introduced legislation ( HB-5046 ) to incentivize firefighter and police recruitment with mortgage and tuition assistance and our own Sen. Cicarella co-sponsored the bill. Though Cicarella was a co-sponsor of the Governor’s bill, him and his colleagues used the opportunity to trash the six-year-old police accountability bill, launched in the wake of George Floyd and other high-profile police killings (including those in Connecticut like Mubarak Soulem

Tim Gabriele
Feb 224 min read


North Haven Democrats Affirm Commitment to Civil Liberties and Community Safety
The North Haven Democratic Town Committee (DTC) adopted a resolution at their February membership meeting reaffirming its commitment to protecting civil liberties, due process, and the dignity of all people in the wake of troubling federal escalations of immigration enforcement operations. The resolution responds to widely reported incidents and policy actions involving federal immigration enforcement both here in Connecticut and throughout other parts of the country. It ci

Tim Gabriele
Feb 202 min read


North Haven’s 2026–27 Budget Initial Requests
Budget season is here again in North Haven, and with it come understandable questions.

DTC Leadership
Feb 203 min read


2026: It's Gonna Be a Long Short Session
The legislative session is off to the races, race being the optimal word as we’re in a “short session” this year. Short sessions occur every other year after the year a budget is passed. During these sessions, passing any kind of legislation that requires any additional money is pretty rare, so a lot of times the legislation passed during “short session” years winds up tying up loose ends of bills that just couldn’t make their way to the finish line the previous year. This

Tim Gabriele
Feb 143 min read


What Is a Caucus?
Every two years, Democrats across Connecticut gather for one of the most important and least understood events in local politics: the Democratic Caucus.

DTC Leadership
Dec 31, 20253 min read


2025 NHDTC Wrapped
It’s been a tremendous year and I feel so fortunate and honored to have been able to Chair the North Haven Democratic Town Committee for the vast majority of it. At our holiday party earlier this week, we did a lot of reminiscing. In particular, many were struck by how so many of us started off the year in a dark spot. We were fearful of the direction our country was going in, disappointed at the seeming capitulation of our national Democratic leaders and many of those in

Tim Gabriele
Dec 13, 20257 min read


AI Is Transforming Everything, But Who’s Making the Rules?
Artificial Intelligence is here and it is reshaping how we learn, work, communicate, and even govern. This is the moment where we determine who gets to decide how it impacts our lives and influences our future.

Brandi Mandato & Amanda Gabriele
Dec 7, 20254 min read


United and Energized: North Haven Democrats Ready to Move Forward with David Cohen and Row A
North Haven Democrats are ready to turn the page and move forward — together. David Cohen was unanimously endorsed by the DTC and won September’s Democratic primary, decisively, capturing over 70% of all votes! Voters sent a clear and powerful message: it’s time for collaboration, positive leadership, and a renewed vision for our town’s future. A Candidate Aligned with Our Values and Priorities, And Voters Responded Decisively David Cohen’s campaign is centered on the belief

Scott Friedman
Oct 29, 20252 min read


Fact-Checking Fasano
“It is unusual for a republican [sic] to write an endorsement for democrat [sic] for third selectman” writes Len Fasano, the former State Senator from North Haven who was Senate Pro Tempore for a single term after running unopposed by Democrats asleep at the wheel in 2016, and also the only State Senator from North Haven to have ever been ordered to pay $500,000 in Racketeering charges (though his successor has a questionable financial record as well). Unusual, perhaps. B

Tim Gabriele
Oct 26, 20257 min read


Questions About the Endorsement Process
Well, election season is careening to its close. As usual, tensions start running high when that happens. Wild accusations are slung, battles over yard signs are fought, and attempts are made to win the last few hearts and minds on the fence about how they might fill out their ballot. You should take anything you hear during this final period with a grain of salt, but I promise that you can always reach out to info@northhavendemocrats.com and we will respond as openly and

Tim Gabriele
Oct 26, 20254 min read
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