Allan Appel Photo
During the week Heidi Korrick usually checks him out at Elm City Market, where she’s a cashier. Sunday evening she came to a park in Wooster Square to check out his ideas on how to reduce neighborhood crime.
Korrick had good reason to attend Ward 8 Democratic aldermanic candidate Aaron Greenberg’s campaign kick-off picnic and ask that question. She’s been mugged twice.
The muggings occurred both times on Greene Street— which happens to be right across from where Sunday evening’s picnic took place: little Lenzi Park near where Jefferson joins Grand.
Thirty-five supporters of Aaron Greenberg’s candidacy gathered to relax and to prepare for door-knocking in August.
Smart praised Greenberg’s willingness to represent the entire ward.
The event followed Greenberg’s emphatic 29 – 2 victory last Tuesday when the Ward 8 Democratic committee met to endorse a candidate for alderman. Greenberg is a Yale historian political scientist in training and president of the Graduate Employees and Students Organization (GESO), which is affiliated with Yale’s UNITE HERE Locals 34 and 35.
The other two votes went to Democratic aldermanic candidate Peter Webster. He plans to collect signatures on petitions to run against Greenberg in a Sept. 10 party primary; Webster is part of the “Take Back New Haven” slate of aldermanic candidates critical of the Yale unions’ role in local politics. The Democratic candidate will then face Republican Andy Ross in the November general election.
Click here for a story about all the candidates’ presentations to the ward committee on June 26.
Constituent Korrick was born and raised in Westville; she said moved to Wooster Square eight years ago. She loves it, she said, despite a sometimes fearful walk home from work, given the two times she has been mugged. She also doesn’t enjoy having to navigate park benches filled with sleepers early in the morning when she travels to the Elm City Market for her shifts.
“At night you’re not sure. It’s getting me nervous. Safety is the biggest issue for me,” she said.
So she determined to introduced herself to Greenberg to see what he plans to do about crime.
As she approached, Greenberg (at left in photo) recognized her. “You might have checked me out today,” he said.
Korrick (at right in photo) said it must have been a colleague. She told him her history and concluded by saying, “I’m so freaked.”
Greenberg responded that he and other area residents are comforted by the cops now on the walking beat. That should be expanded, he said.
“As an alderman, can you do that?”
“As an alderman I can talk to the district manager. As a member of the Board of Aldermen, we can try to grow community policing. I’ve been impressed by what I’ve seen,” he said.
Korrick with Wendy Hamilton, who said, “Andy and Peter are lovely men, but politically I’m for Aaron.”
Korrick went on to interview Greenberg about the dimensions of Ward 8; it runs out to James Street and down even to the Annex now. Greenberg said there too crime is one of the big three issues he heard at the doors he has knocked on, along with the lack of good, family-sustaining jobs, and the importance of constituent services.
Before she concluded her interview, Korrick came back to crime and made an appeal: “It [fear] is inside me. It makes me stay at home.”
Greenberg took out his phone and took down Korrick’s number.
Then he went on to make general remarks of welcome and gratitude to his supporters and to receive the formal endorsement of Michael Smart, who is stepping down as alderman to run for city/town clerk.
“He gave me a really good answer,” Korrick said, commending Greenberg on addressing the larger policy issue of community policing and honing in on her specific problem.
She remains undecided in the race, she said. After all, she also checks out Andy Ross and Peter Webster at the Elm City Market.