In a late pre-primary filing Monday afternoon, the national American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union reported spending $30,000 to help elect Democratic mayoral candidate Toni Harp.
The filing, sent by AFSCME’s D.C. office, arrived in the New Haven City/Town Clerk’s Office hours before voters head for the polls for a Democratic mayoral primary. Harp is one of four candidates in the Tuesday primary.
AFSCME’s “independent expenditure” filing (meaning it’s not officially part of the Harp campaign) stated that the union spent the money on two “mailers” to voters and on an online campaign advertisement for Harp. It engaged the services of Mack Sumner Communications of Washington, D.C., for the work.
AFSCME has endorsed Harp’s reelection. Together with UNITE HERE’s Yale Locals 34 and 35, AFSCME is a critical funder and vote-puller in local elections. AFSCME Council 4, which represents city government workers, and Locals 34 and 35, which represent pink- and blue-collar workers at Yale, the city’s largest employer, have so far reported spending $11,400 on aldermanic races this year, as well. (Read about that here.)