Aliyya Swaby Photo
Kennington: “It’s a good time in the city.”
One of the city’s most influential political campaign-backers has endorsed six candidates for alder — bypassing two of its own in the process.
The endorsements were made by UNITE HERE Local 34, which represents Yale office and technical workers and has put its money and vote-pulling savvy behind successful candidates in local and state elections. It helped recruit and elect the candidates who now form a majority of the Board of Alders.
The union’s board has voted to back incumbent Barbara Constantinople against former Alder Robert Lee in Fair Haven Heights’ Ward 11; former Alder Gerald Antunes against incumbent Richard Spears in Bishop Woods/Quinnipiac Meadows’ Ward 12; incumbent Santiago Berrios-Bones against challenger Thomas Burwell in Fair Haven’s Ward 14; incumbent Sal DeCola against challenger Bob Proto (a police officer who is not the same person as the UNITE HERE leader of the same name); incumbent Delphine Clyburn against challenger Teresa Hines in Newhallville’s Ward 20; and challenger Jill Marks against incumbent Claudette Robinson-Thorpe in Beaver Hills’ Ward 28.
New Haven has eight Democratic alder primaries scheduled for Sept. 16.
Local 34 President Laurie Kennington (pictured above at a June 11 jobs rally) called the six endorsees “really exciting candidates who are getting more people involved in their neighborhoods.”
“I think we have a real opportunity in this city now to increase employment who live in New Haven. It’s a good time in the city,” she said. “We’re happy there’s been so much participation in politics and election.”
The “toughest decision” came in Ward 20 because Hines is a longstanding member of Local 34, Kennington said:“We had members who had strong feelings on both sides of that question.” Hines had sought the union’s backing.
“The political committee thought she was a much stronger candidate on past experience and advocating for the rights of people around unionization, around neighborhood and community issues,” said Local 34 Chief Steward Barbara Vereen, a member of the endorsement committee who lives in Ward 20. She said that Hines “was good on those issues [too]. But Delphine has a track record” dating back to before her career as an alder.”
Clyburn has also won the endorsement of District 1199 of the New England Health Care Employees Union, another politically influential local. That was the only new Haven endorsement the union made, according to Vice-President Jennifer Smith. Hines did not seek that union’s support, Smith said. Clyburn,developmental services worker for people with developmental disabilities, has been an active District 1199 member for years.
She said the union’s support for Clyburn will consist of voluntary work by members.
“Delphine is well known among our memberhsip. She’s so hard-working and dedicated,” Smith said. “My expectation that some of ourmembers in the New Haven area and Ward 20 will want to see her reelected.”
Local 34 also bypassed one of its employees, Sarah Eidelson, the incumbent alder in Yale’s Ward 1. She faces a spirited primary challenge from undergraduate Fish Stark. Neither candidate sought Local 34’s endorsement, Kennington said. In the past Eidelson has faced criticism on campus for her union backing. Local 34 also made no endorsement int he West Rock/West Hills Ward 30 primary between pitting incumbent Carlton Staggers against challenger Robert J. Anderson Jr.
Both Ward 18 candidates pitched their candidacies to Local 34’s executive board. Four years ago Local 34 opposed DeCola in his last contested primary. “He turned out to do a great job,” Kennington said.
Ward 14’s Burwell declined an invitation to speak to the union’s executive board, Kennington said; Robert Lee failed to make an appointment. Spears did make a pitch for the Ward 11 nod. The union concluded that Antunes ” had been a good alder in the past. One of our executive board [members] is in that neighborhood and is really impressed with the work he did.” Spears, he noted, “certainly has been outspoken against the union at various points.”
Previous coverage of the Sept. 16 Democratic alder primaries:
• Berrios-Bones: Stay The Course
• Burwell Confronts Language Barrier
• Robinson-Thorpe Ready For Primary Fight
• 8 Primaries On Tap
• Newhallville Gets A Primary
• “A Voice At The Table”