Little Pink House_ A True Story of Defiance and Courage - Jeff Benedict [67]
“Before you start talking about moving, let’s talk about the finances,” Santaniello told him. He asked Valentini the value of his building.
Valentini said the NLDC had appraised his building at $170,000.
Santaniello assured him that was nowhere near enough money to build another building like the one the club had. “So you better know where you’re heading and what you’re going to do before you start doing it,” Santaniello advised. Valentini wasn’t sure what Santaniello meant, so the judge cut to the bottom line: “They are not going to give you enough money to rebuild and buy the land.”
Valentini asked Santaniello to intervene. Santaniello agreed to call Claire.
David Goebel felt his discussions with Jay Levin over the Italian men’s club had been progressing toward a favorable resolution. Then Goebel got an unexpected call from Claire, who had heard from Judge Santaniello. She told Goebel to collect all the documents involving negotiations with the club.
Goebel didn’t appreciate the judge’s sudden intervention. Nonetheless, at Claire’s request, he had paperwork and engineering plans put together for the judge, along with a list of available buildings and parcels of land for the men’s club to move to or build on. He had all the information delivered to Judge Santaniello.
After Santaniello reviewed the documents, he attended a meeting at the club with Claire, Levin, Valentini, and a couple of others. Santaniello and Levin knew the club well; Claire didn’t. When she arrived, a couple of members met her outside. “We can’t bring you in the front door,” one told her.
“Oh,” Claire said, assuming the front door was broken or otherwise impassible. “I don’t mind.” They led her in through a basement door.
Inside, one of the men leaned toward her. “You know,” he said, “you couldn’t come in the front door because women never enter that door.” Valentini entered the room. “But don’t tell him I told you,” the man whispered to Claire.
Unfazed, Claire got down to business.
“Where will you find suitable land?” Santaniello asked her.
Claire rattled off a few possibilities.
“What makes you think you could raise this building without it falling apart?” Santaniello asked.
She had no answer.
“Who is going to foot the bill?” Santaniello pushed.
Claire had no answer for that either.
Santaniello figured Claire didn’t like having him involved, since power brokers usually don’t get along with other power brokers. But Santaniello wasn’t in a popularity contest. He wanted to know where the money would come from. Levin indicated he might be able to get $300,000 in federal money.
Santaniello had his doubts. To him, Pfizer represented the most logical source for funds. After all, it was Pfizer that wanted the land cleared. It was Pfizer that had a big financial stake in what transpired next door to its new facility. Yet Pfizer was not at the table. To Santaniello this was a mistake.
Valentini liked the prospect of getting Pfizer money in the mix. The group needed to determine whether Milne would consider financing the preservation of the Italian Dramatic Club. The meeting ended with the group committed to feeling Milne out as a possible source of funding.
Ever since meeting John and Sarah Steffian, Susette had more confidence that she’d be able to keep her home. The Steffians were smart, wealthy, and very generous. Their willingness to engage an attorney had Susette anticipating good news when she arrived at the coalition meeting.
But Steve Hallquist had bad news. He had approached many top lawyers and law firms in the city, and they all said no. None of them wanted to sue the city on behalf of the coalition. Some simply said the case could not be won. Others said they had a conflict of interest due to ties to city officials, Pfizer, or Connecticut College.
Mayor Beachy