Paul Bass Photo
Adam Marchand seeks to rev up Democrats in Ward 25.
It’s time to hit the streets and knock on doors. Even though it’s an odd-numbered year.
Election volunteers in New Haven’s vote-richest ward received that marching order Sunday afternoon.
The order — and a two-part explanation — came from leaders of the Ward 25 Democratic Committee at a fall municipal election campaign kick-off. It took place at what has become ward “headquarters” for such gatherings in the Covid-19 pandemic: the sidewalk and driveway outside the Westville Woodside Terrace home of committee Co-Chair Janis Underwood.
Two dozen people gathered there to sign up for streets to canvass and to hear appeals from elected officials as the five-week home stretch begins to the Nov. 2 general election. (Watch the speeches here.)
Ward 25 Alder Adam Marchand noted that the same group met in the same spot last year to gear up for an historic election. He noted how hard the Westville ward works, often turning out the largest vote of any ward in the city, which in turn produces the largest municipal vote in the state. And he noted how much was at stake in that election.
Facing the frontline: Board of Ed’s Ed Joyner, Alder Adam Marchand, State Rep. Pat Dillon, Mayor Justin Elicker.
“We were able to win back the White House from the maniac who was then occupying,” as well as Democratic control of the U.S. Senate, Marchand noted. He observed that as a result a federal pandemic relief bill passed that sent hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to New Haven and more to the state. “What would our city’s resources be at this time,” he asked, if the Republicans were in charge?
Elicker reelection campaign Field Director Sarah Ficca gives ward workers street assignments.
Similarly, the Democrats increased their majority in the state legislature, which doubled municipal aid to New Haven this year.
Considerably less attention has been paid to this year’s municipal elections. (Municipal elections in Connecticut take place in odd-numbered years, state and federal elections in even-numbered years.) Marchand appealed to the group to reenergize their efforts for the fall campaign, for two reasons:
• Much will be at stake in next year’s Congressional and state elections, so the vote-pulling operation has to remain in top form through door-to-door work in this year’s municipal elections. “Let’s get ourselves back into shape for walking the street and knocking on doors,” Marchand said.
• And New Haven does have contested elections this year, with Republicans on the ballot in the mayoral, city clerk, Board of Education, and some alder races (though not in Ward 25). “Do we want that party to get a foothold in New Haven?” he asked.
Underwood: Don’t let GOP get a local foothold.
Joyner: We’re taming GOP “chaos.”
Co-Chair Underwood repeated those two arguments to prepare ward workers for the “why bother?” question from voters.
“We have to make this election count in a big way so a Republican doesn’t get their pinkie in the door” in New Haven, she said. Democrats hold all the contested elected offices in New Haven, from state legislator to mayor to clerk to alder to Board of Education member.
Board of Ed member Ed Joyner, who’s running for reelection against Republican James O’Connell, argued that “things are beginning to change for the better” on the school board after “six years of chaos.”
“We were able to hire a superintendent [from within the ranks] without a contentious national search. She can run the New Haven Public Schools in a way an outsider can’t,” Joyner argued.
Mayor Justin Elicker, who faces a challenge from Republican John Carlson, pitched campaign workers on reelecting a team of Democrats who have succeeded in striking a long-sought deal to expand Tweed New Haven Airport, increase municipal aid from the state for revenues lost on tax-exempt properties, and pursue initiatives to tackle social problems like substance abuse and help ex-offenders reenter society. He characterized that list as falling under the heading of “our Democratic values.”
Contacted after the meeting, GOP mayoral candidate Carlson blasted the notion that helping people in need is a “Democratic” as opposed to “Republican” value.
“Having lost a brother to HIV due to heroin addiction, I saw firsthand how a felony prison record hindered him from ever starting anew. Of course, I believe in second chances for people to straighten out their lives. This is not a “Democrat” position, but a people position,” Carlson stated.
“As usual, the local officials are more concerned with retaining power than solving problems. It is hypocritical to embrace racism as a health disparity and then pass Tweed legislation ‘in this time of Covid’ that will literally increase asthma among New Haven youth.”
