A tip of the hat to Leslie Yaeger and her Greenwich Free Press
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Armstrong court
She trends (far) left and has previously given plenty of friendly space to advocates of “desegregated” zoning, but on Friday she published this lengthy exchange between an opponent and that self-described “child of privilege”, New Haven’s mayor Elicker. Yaeger also, I’ll note, actually sits through our interminable P&Z hearings which extend far into the night, and provides objective reporting from there, too.
State Rep Doug Dubitsky, a Republican who represents nine small towns in the northeast of Connecticut, said to Mayor Elicker, “You just said zoning regulations are being used by towns to keep people of color out. Name one.”
“There aren’t explicit policies, but it is clear that it is near impossible for certain people to live in certain communities because of the zoning regulations,” Elicker said.
“I can’t live in Greenwich. I can’t afford it,” said Dubitsky. “It’s because of my income. You made a very blatant statement that there are towns and cities in this state currently, as of today, are using zoning to discriminate against people of color and to keep them from moving into their towns. Name them.”
Elicker said, “Income is related to someone’s ability to access housing and to move into places like Greenwich.”
“Of course it is,” Dubitsky said. “I can’t move to Greenwich because I can’t make enough money. It has nothing to do with the color of my skin.”
Elicker dug in. “As a white person that grew up in a privileged background, that had enough funding, a stable house under my head to allow me the ability to get enough revenue to live in stable housing. The history of many, many Black people in the state of CT and around the nation is just the opposite. It’s all of our responsibility to work to undo that.”
“You’re skirting the question,” Dubitsky said. “You made a bold statement that there are towns currently, as of today, discriminating against people based on the color of their skin, by use of zoning regulations. I challenge you. Name those towns.”
“Historically it was done explicitly,” Elicker said. “Today it is done in a more creative way. But it still exists.”
“Where?” Dubitsky pressed.
“In many of the suburban towns in our state,” Elicker replied.
“Which ones?” Dubitsky asked.
“Greenwich, New Canaan – you name it,” Elicker said.
“So Greenwich and New Canaan are now actively discriminating against people of color with their zoning regulations?” Dubitsky asked. “Is that your statement?”
“Correct,” Elicker said. “There are many towns around the state that use zoning to prevent poor people, including, because average median income is low for people of color, from moving into their towns.”
“You’re now mixing poor people and people of color,” Dubitsky said. “Are you saying they’re the same thing?”
“No, I am not, but the median income of Black residents and Hispanic residents in the state is much lower than white residents. The zoning policies are perpetuating segregation.”
If you’re curious, check out Greenwich Housing Authority’s website that shows the projects it manages. Many years ago I was interviewed by a New Yorker reporter who was working on an article about Greenwich real estate. He flat-out didn’t believe me when I told him we had a number of public-housing, low-income projects in town, so I drove him past them. By the end of that tour, he knew far more about that aspect of Greenwich than New Haven’s child of privilege does now.
