OP-ED | Big-League Dreams Depend on Working Together
by Susan Bigelow | Jan 11, 2013 10:50am
(9) Comments | Commenting has expired
Posted to: Opinion, Hartford
For a brief moment this past week, people from suburbs took a sudden and serious interest in downtown Harford. The reason? The NHL is back, and so were the rumors about Hartford’s possible future in the league.
This time the rumor mill chewed on a piece from the Jan. 6 edition of the New York Post about Gov. Dannel P. Malloy forming a group to study the possibility of bringing a team back. Predictably, Twitter, Facebook, and other dark corners of the Internet filled with Whalers die-hards — many of whom don’t live in the city — went nuts. They should have known better. Malloy quickly threw cold water on the rumors, which isn’t much of a surprise as the governor has never shown much enthusiasm for a quixotic NHL quest, and interest in Hartford dried up again.
This is part of why big-league hockey won’t come back here any time soon; suburbanites ignore and deride the city that makes our whole region possible. Hartford is the heart of the region, and yet for a lot of people who live in the rings of suburbs, Hartford is nothing but a workplace or something to drive through on the way to somewhere else. It’s deeply ingrained in white suburban culture that Hartford is dangerous, something to be avoided. When I was growing up in Newington, I rode my bike all over central Connecticut, but I was told in no uncertain terms to stay out of the city. I went anyway, of course, and found a place that was different and fascinating while also being much the same as home. I once drove my mother to D&D Market in the South End, and she shook her head as she watched cosmopolitan, international Franklin Avenue go by. “I had no idea this was here,” she said. “No idea.” We’d lived in the area for 30 years. That’s how it is.
Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra summed up the problem in a speech to business leaders at the Rising Star breakfast on Tuesday: “The residents of our neighboring towns, guess where a lot of them work? . . . They work here and because of that they enjoy a quality of life they would not otherwise have. But often they forget that as they drive away on I-84 or I-91 and see the skyline disappear in their rearview mirrors.”
And so they spend their money elsewhere, they never think of investing or living in the city, they don’t come for festivals or events, and their perception of the city as a blighted, drug-infested hole stubbornly stays the same.
“I’m tired of hearing that Hartford has nothing,” Mayor Segarra said. “That we are a burden on the rest of the state. That we are a depressed urban-area in need of handouts.”
I don’t blame him. That sort of thinking holds back the entire region.
This prejudice against the city is why city-focused projects — project that might actually make the whole region a more livable and lively place — are roundly criticized by suburbanites. The Hartford-New Britain Busway is a fantastic idea that will make commuting to and from New Britain, West Hartford, and Newington much easier, but suburban naysayers wail about the cost and the lack of any perceived benefit to them. Subsidized housing and social services often are considered to be a waste of time and resources. Students and faculty have grumbled about the imminent move of the local UConn campus from West Hartford to downtown Hartford, and the list goes on. The end result is that we all sit in our separate towns and gripe about one another instead of working together.
If we want to be big league, which I think deep down we all want, then we need to work together to make the entire region strong and vibrant. Far more than a new arena or better parking options, we need to constantly work to tear down the fences between the city and the towns surrounding it. Connecticut’s new Speaker of the House, Brendan J. Sharkey, has long been a strong supporter of regionalism and has backed initiatives aimed at tying regions closer together. I’m hoping that with his leadership the legislature will be more open to regional solutions to problems.
It’s true that Connecticut doesn’t do “working together” very well. But who knows? If suburbs and city can find common ground, then the big leagues may not be so far-fetched after all. And we may find that a stronger, more connected region is better for us than a hockey team.
Susan Bigelow is an award-winning columnist and the founder of CTLocalPolitics. She lives in Enfield with her wife and their cats.
Tags: hockey, suburban, hartford, regionalism, Susan Bigelow, dh
(9) Comments
posted by: GoatBoyPHD | January 12, 2013 3:22pm
I see the problem much differently. It’s the regional burbs like Enfield that need the money (and mandate) to add a 50-bed homeless shelter (or several smaller ones) and at least 50 transitional Housing vouchers and the money to refurb and renew soon-to-be blighted 3 families and storefronts w/apartments-on-top types of buildings in the Thompsonville section and to increase the small bus/van service to connector buses.
Get the kids vouchers into schools like St Bernards with their sub $4,000 tuition.
As Pedro should well know Suburbs like Enfield are more than happy to take some of those businesses off his hand. Mass Mutual didn’t regret the exodus from Garden Street at all.
I’m a big believer the best thing to happen to downtown Hartford is to move the XL Center and build housing. Hartford Center as a destination point failed 50 years ago.
posted by: Hartford Pride | January 12, 2013 4:50pm
Few things possess the ability to restore life to a despondent city more so than major league sports, and fewer cities know the financial and emotional impact of losing one as Hartford does. There is little doubt that Connecticut’s capital has endured a steady and unmistakable decline since the Whalers fled south. Studies can show whatever the person citing them wishes, but the fact is that a professional team will unmistakably benefit businesses and commerce, increase tax revenues, keep young professionals local, bring consistent, positive national publicity to Greater Hartford, and greatly increase civic pride.
Hartford has a long history of abandoned projects and low self esteem. Over the decades many projects have been talked about, or even started, only to ultimately whither on the vine. That was the past however, and in this present if we have the opportunity to finally begin the process of restoring Hartford to its former greatness, we should take it.
In making your decision on whose bid to accept during the review process, we ask you to please consider righting a wrong. It should now be fairly obvious to all that AEG and MSG have no reason or desire to improve Hartford in any way, shape or form. We are merely a convenience to them; nothing more. Their continued presence will allow the Hartford market to continue its stagnation, while it moves ever closer to near complete irrelevancy.
Comcast, however, already has one of the key components to a successful franchise; a huge television presence (80%) within the Hartford/New Haven market. They have local ties, and also the significant resources required to ensure the stability of the new AHL hockey team; that team which will doubtless replace the Rangers in Hartford with their welcomed departure.
Whenever an opportunity to better Hartford occurs, for some reason no one makes themselves heard louder than the few naysayers who revel in maintaining the status quo here. And because they s h o u t loudest, some people listening may confuse their volume with substance. It’s beyond comprehension, but not worth wasting time on.
What’s before you presently is nothing less than the gift opportunity to make the choice that may well provide the very foundation of Hartford’s long-awaited renaissance. Right now, in our time. Thank you for the consideration of your time.
Sincerely,
A person that wants Hartford to succeed.
posted by: dlo1036 | January 13, 2013 11:42am
I disagree with the major points of this op-ed.
Suburbanites did not vacate downtown Hartford because of a superiority complex. Downtown became a wasteland after the recession of the early 90’s. UTC, Aetna, etc. was laying of tens of thousands. Storefronts closed up as property values soared and rents rose. The city became filled with blight, similar to 3rd-Tier cities throughout the Northeast. Corrupt political practices from Governors Weicker & Rowland (see Whalers departure, among others), and city government placed Hartford in this situation. Mayor Segarra, of whom I am a fan, comes across here as whiny and entitled. Rather than chastise workers for choosing how best to spend their money, the city ought work together to to entice their patronage. The Governor must realize that studies regarding the “viability” of Hartford as a major league market have been underway for 15 years! They are political maneuvers at best.
Suburbanites are correct in the “assumption” that Hartford is dangerous. It’s crime and murder rates were ranked 35th nationally in 2012. On a safety scale of 1 to 100 (100 being safest), Hartford receives a 6 (neighborhoodscout.com). These statistics do not promote a safe atmosphere, although Bigelow would like the middle class to feel guilty for their avoidance. The author must realize that she is addressing a new generation, one raised outside the Capital city. We didn’t abandon Hartford for greener pastures. We were raised in towns within Hartford, Windham, Litchfield and Middlesex counties. When it comes to the city of Hartford, we ARE outsiders. The city has to handle its own problems before attracting this generation’s investments. I have confidence that we all hope it does.
The bus line is a cash-cow, a waste of money. This is apparent due to the incredible lack of public demand for such an expensive project, one with such heavy infrastructure and limited capabilities. This comes as the house democrats and Gov. Malloy argue to cut government paychecks while raising state income taxes. Don’t think that someone, somewhere isn’t getting their cut for the bus line project, as they did on I-84 and when the Whalers left town. If you wish to improve transportation issues in the capital region, extend improvements to incorporate the ENTIRE region, employ a rail system. This would open up the opportunity for semi-private investment and give suburbanites a greater reason for visiting Hartford. Mark my words, the bus line will go down as one of the state’s greatest follies, and a missed opportunity.
And, if the author wishes to complain about the “under-funding” the poor city of Hartford receives, I can assure you that by comparison, it is a myth. As a former Bridgeport resident and 8th year Bridgeport teacher, Hartford is like a spoiled-child suckling at the teat of the state taxpayer.
Still, I believe Hartford has plenty to offer. I love the city of my birth. I drive up ten times a year for Whale games. I enjoy McKinnion’s, Bushnell Park, the architecture, the CT Historical Society, the Wadsworth, the Center Church cemetary. Some of my fondest childhood memories were at the taste of Hartford and the Festival of Lights at Constitution Plaza. The science center is incredible, the Meadows books major headlining acts, and the Bushnell is nationally acclaimed. My mother was born and raised in the shadow of the Colt Factory. And like so many others, April 13, 1997 was the saddest day of my life.
Bigelow is correct, we do need to work together. Malloy is beginning to come to this realization. But though this op-ed, it is clear that Mayor Segarra, and even the author herself, have not.
posted by: Disgruntled | January 13, 2013 6:40pm
Hartford had a chance and failed. Why give them a chance to fail again when other cities will work harder to get a franchise. BUT,Dan could stick it to the rest of the state and get his A-hole buddy at BLT to do something in Stamford’s South End.But only if one of his kids gets an “internship”.
Count on TOLLS before another NHL team!
posted by: HartfordBoostah | January 13, 2013 9:31pm
Susan:
I agree 100% percent with everything you say about the suburban attitude towards the city, but I don’t see why the shots at the Whalers are necessary. You just displayed the same negative attitude that you wrote a whole article criticizing. I’m guessing you’re really hinting about more money for social services and things of that nature, but there’s no reason to crap all over us just to make a point. Us who work to get the NHL back care deeply about downtown Hartford and could use allies like yourself, instead of condescending remarks.
posted by: DrHunterSThompson | January 14, 2013 1:53pm
The truth of the matter is that after nearly 2 decades of throwing money at the problem (Adrian’s Landing, etc) Hartford remains hopeless for one reason only - no one lives downtown. Until that changes , nothing changes.
Look at any vibrant city, you choose, and I guarantee that there is a vital and vibrant street life in which the residents are the stars.
I for one am tired of funding Hartford.
HST
posted by: Joe Eversole | January 14, 2013 4:57pm
The revitalization of Hartford are a liberals dream. Note the irony of suggesting that busway is a great idea. But, doesn’t that put people outside the city, only coming here to work? I thought that was bad. As far as Hartford being dangerous, well, I would suggest that the homicide rate speaks for itself. Although to be fair, the homicides themselves didn’t happen in downtown. Know why? Because no one lives there. Hartford has gone the way of most second rate cities. Trying to bring it back by forcing people into it is like animating a corpse with marionette strings. Once they are cut, the body slumps over again.
posted by: HartfordBoostah | January 14, 2013 5:38pm
A liberal’s dream? So you reveal your right-wing prejudice, I have to admit that is no huge surprise. I guess it’s a going to have to agree to disagree sort of thing. I will say though that I don’t understand your obsession with small town suburban nowhere. I’m sorry, but your little towns suck.
posted by: Greg | January 17, 2013 3:38pm
Want to know why big league hockey won’t come back? Our own AHL CT Whale attracts between 2000-6000 fans for most games game; the XL Center looks deserted even at the higher attendance games. Tickets promotions are relatively cheap as are the season ticket packages and still attendance is embarrasing. I applaud Baldwin for his enthusiasm in promoting the dream, but let’s be real- Whalers Sports & Entertainment went broke before completing 2 full seasons. Where’s the pent up demand for Hartford hockey if not rallying behind Baldwin, the one guy banging the NHL/Hartford drum the loudest of anyone?