The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
‘Healing will take place’
City Democrats believe political rifts will end
NEW HAVEN — Several hundred people from multiple neighborhoods, across ethnic and racial lines and different positions on the mayoral election, looked ahead to the future at the recent meeting of New Haven Rising.
The discussion was specific as to how Yale University can further help the city’s budget and a recognition of its promised job training in 16 areas for residents. It was also laying the ground work for likely future negotiations with the activist arm of the Yale employee unions, Local 34 and Local 35.
But what it also showed is the ability of people to work together after the last few weeks of the mayoral campaign brought out the harshest rhetoric that focused on race and the loss of an AfricanAmerican leader.
“I think what you see is regardless of ‘party’ or who you supported in a tough election, the one thing that unites all of is this city,” said Democratic Town Chairman Vincent Mauro.
“And the endless desire to make it a better place. ...The city is the real unifying force and it always has been,” he said.
Justin Elicker overwhelmingly won the general election, 69 percent to 28 percent over incumbent Mayor Toni Harp, who only won three wards outright. Elicker took all the rest of the minority wards, the more integrated
neighborhoods and the high turnout wards on the East Shore, East Rock, Westville and downtown. He beat her 58.3 percent to 41.7 percent in the primary.
Scott Marks, who heads New Haven Rising, said after the primary “there were people who were really feeling the burn, and whenever there are racial tensions that exist or are perceived, it wakes up a troubled past.”
“But, I think because we are New Haven and the work that we have done, the majority of the people know that there is power in the mix. Sometimes the loudest squeakiest wheel, in this particular case, does not get the grease.” Marks said of the hot rhetoric.
Marks is hopeful that the city will build on Harp’s accomplishments going into the future.
“This is a community that is coming together and joining together,” Marks said.
The Yale University unions had backed Harp in the primary, something they done for her four mayoral races.
Marks was happy that Elicker is having community meetings soliciting ideas from people and a diverse Transition Team with 25 members “that look like New Haven ... we are being sent a message that all of New Haven should have the opportunity to move forward.”
“We want to definitely hold our political leaders accountable — the ones that we love and the ones that we are trying to build a relationship with,” Marks said of Elicker attending the New Haven Rising meeting and staying to the end.
The mayorelect would come to them before he was elected, but this time Marks extended an invitation and Elicker addressed the crowd. “It was a great opportunity to start building that relationship,” Marks said.
Elicker addressed the large gathering at the end of the meeting after speakers went through a list of city expenses that could be covered if Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital were to pay the $146 million in taxes that would be due, if their properties were not tax exempt by virtue of the Connecticut Constitution.
“We must be sure that the major entities in the city contribute their fair share. There should be more teachers, more afterschool programs, and a good job for every member of the community. We must do this together with you all,” Elicker said.
During the campaign, then candidate Elicker called on Yale to contribute $50 million, as opposed to the $11 million it now gives voluntarily, while he and Marks have also recognized the contribution the university makes through numerous programs and hiring.
Following the New Haven Rising function, Elicker said a meeting with Yale President Peter Salovey is in the works, but more important than that meeting is the relationship with the Yale leader “focused on the city’s needs and moving the dial on many of its problems.”
He said he agrees with New Haven Rising that the most promising thing from Yale would be help with the “city’s financial crisis that is only going to get worse.”
Healing Time
Kim Harris, the chairwoman of the Newhallville Management Team, is among the voters who have been grateful for Harp’s sixyear mayoral tenure, as well as her 20year term as a state senator and was a supporter of her reelection.
While she lives and works in Newhallville, Harris is recognized as a citywide leader on many fronts, but particularly for her initiative to organize “One City,” where management teams across New Haven came together to offer sorely needed summer programs for New Haven children.
She is also part of the Transition Team. She didn’t know what to expect at its recent first meet and greet and worried she would have been the only Harp supporter, but Harris said she was immediately put at ease.
“Most of those people are my friends and colleagues so I felt we got a chance to really work on something here. I will always be a Harp supporter, but I left with the feeling that we can unify and come together. I felt like people were really trying to make that happen in the room. I respected everyone that was in the room — their thoughts and their comments,” Harris said.
The management team leader said the history of Newhallville was one of neglect before residents were able to get Harp’s ear to promote programs, particularly around social justice. “Who wants to let that go?” she asked.
Harris said Elicker is “true to what he was saying,” about reaching out. “You just want to be at the table.”
Because of her citywide perspective, Harris said coming together is “for the good of all of us. We need each other.”
Curlena McDonald, who is involved with the Dwight Community Management Team, was one of the more devastated voters when Harp lost the primary and then embarked on her campaign as the nominee of the Working Families Party, where she won fewer votes in the general election than she did in the primary.
It will take awhile to for her to get onboard with the new administration.
“I’m very skeptical about the future. I felt that Mayor Harp has done a lot for the city,” McDonald said. She said some people continue to remain angry.
She said she supported Harp for what she had accomplished, not because she had friends working for the city. When the city needed money, it was then state Senator Harp who managed to provide it, McDonald said.
She felt the mayor was “being punished for a few mistakes. It is not fair.”
There was push back for a dysfunctional school board and a superintendent of schools, who was Harp’s choice, but in the end was bought out of her contract. Shortly before the primary there was also a highly criticized school transportation plan; the FBI is looking into a youth services grant and changes in the lead law were controversial.
Like some other members of the public, McDonald said she would remember who didn’t support Harp when it comes time for their reelection.
Harris said after the election it became clear that people did not understand the electoral process, that despite having won the Democratic Town Committee nomination, the party leadership has to remain neutral when there is a primary, which is essentially an intraparty fight. She said some also didn’t understand the importance of participating in the primary.
Pastor Kelcy Steele of Varick Memorial AME Zion Church, who also is on the Transition Team, said “it will take a little time” for those upset with Harp’s loss to get over it.
“Everything is fresh and new. A lot are experiencing the shock factor. Healing will take place, wait and see,” Steele said.
Steele said his parishioners were “not as supportive of the mayor” as they were when he first came to the city. He said the problems with the school district played into the votes for Elicker. The pastor of the activist church said he respected both Elicker and Harp and stayed out of the race, just encouraging his parishioners to vote.
The Transition Team had a public hearing on Saturday at High School in the Community and will have a second meeting, at 2 p.m. Dec. 8 at High School in the Community. Elicker said he feels the members of the team have gotten a chance to connect with each other in meaningful ways.
“I’m not surprised by the level of connectedness and commonality among the 25 people,” Elicker said.
For the next week and a half, he said they will be working on the areas of interest assigned to them before reports are issued later in the process. In the meantime, the city departments are working on transition documents.