Little Pink House_ A True Story of Defiance and Courage - Jeff Benedict [36]
Elated, Susette showed off the article to Voyles and her other neighbors.
Publicly, Claire called the incident unfortunate and said the homeowners deserved an apology. Privately, she fumed. Few things angered her more than bad press. The newspaper, she concluded, had established itself as an adversary. But she had two other adversaries to contend with first: Basilica and Markowicz. The NLDC needed a way around their control of the navy-base property. The city council offered the best bet: it had the power to alter the composition of Basilica’s committee by adding new members. Basilica’s longtime nemesis on the council, Peg Curtin, was an old political warhorse who wasn’t afraid to battle her Democratic counterpart.
The night after the news report on the Hamilton Lee letter broke, the city council met at City Hall. Around 10 p.m. the council dismissed the public and the press and went into executive session. Flanked by two top officials from the governor’s administration, Claire made a hard pitch for the NLDC to be given the authority to oversee the development of the waterfront area, including the navy property. Peg Curtin suggested the city form a new committee to develop a concept plan for the property, a committee that would present an alternative option to the reuse committee chaired by Basilica. Claire supported a committee of six members: two members from the existing committee, two from the NLDC, and two from the governor’s administration.
Two and a half hours later, the council emerged from executive session. With hardly anyone from the public on hand, the council voted overwhelmingly to support Claire’s plan, nicknamed the “Committee of Six.” Only Mayor Beachy opposed the motion. “I’m voting against this because I feel we’re giving up our obligations and responsibilities,” he said. Peg Curtin criticized Beachy, pointing out that Governor Rowland had invested millions in New London.
Claire flattered Curtin and the other council members who supported her plan, calling them “intelligent councilors.”
Susette had never met with a public official, much less had one in her home, but Mayor Beachy showed up at her cottage.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Susette,” Beachy said, smiling and extending his hand. She shook his hand and invited him in.
Kathleen Mitchell arrived right after him. With disheveled hair and bags under her eyes, she looked like she had just rolled out of bed. Her baggy sweatpants and sweatshirt did little to hide her excessive weight. She smelled like cigarettes. “I’m Kathleen,” she said in a hoarse voice.
Susette didn’t care what Mitchell looked like. She ushered Mitchell and Beachy to the kitchen table, an antique surrounded by four black Hitchcock chairs she had picked up at a yard sale for twenty-five dollars. Beachy began with an update on where things stood with the city and the NLDC. He got right to the point. “The city, the state, and the NLDC want your house, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it.”
Susette nodded.
“So you have a decision to make,” Beachy said. “It’s very simple. Either you take their money and go, or you stay here and fight.”
“Well, I wanna keep my house,” she said.
“You will have to do everything you can and more,” Beachy said. “And you’re going to have to stay the course.”
“Okay.”
While Beachy talked, Mitchell sized Susette up as naïve, completely unschooled in how politics work. But Mitchell also saw something she liked—a fearless streak, almost a reckless, risk-everything approach. She figured Susette was either borderline crazy or had suffered some pretty serious personal pain. Mitchell could relate to both.
“So how do we get started?” Susette asked.
Beachy turned to Mitchell. The first step, Mitchell suggested, was organizing a neighborhood association to oppose the NLDC. They would have to mobilize the neighbors