Asher Joseph Photo
Liam Brennan (left) and Abby Roth (right) outside the Bradley Street Bicycle Co-op on Tuesday afternoon.
Former Downtown Alder Abby Roth, a former supporter of incumbent Mayor Justin Elicker, switched her allegiances for this year’s campaign and endorsed one of his challengers.
Roth made the endorsement of Democratic mayoral challenger Liam Brennan Tuesday afternoon at a press conference held at the Bradley Street Bicycle Co-op in Ward 7, which she used to represent on the Board of Alders.
The location served as a backdrop for its members’ support of Safe Streets initiatives, which Roth and Brennan have also embraced.
Brennan is one of three Democratic challengers running against incumbent Mayor Elicker for the party nomination. Prior to launching his mayoral campaign, Brennan served as a New Haven legal aid lawyer and federal prosecutor before being appointed in 2020 as the first Hartford inspector general of police misconduct.
Roth, the current director of communications for Medical Education at Yale School of Medicine, served on the Board of Alders from 2014 – 2015 and 2017 – 2021. Roth endorsed former Mayor Toni Harp in the 2017 election before becoming a supporter of Elicker’s campaign in the 2019 and 2021 cycles, but has been disappointed by his fiscal management in his current term.
Roth on Tuesday praised Brennan’s “character, experience, leadership style, and vision for the city” as the qualities of an “outstanding mayor.” She cited his involvement with New Haven Public Schools advocacy groups and affordable housing initiatives — specifically, his commitment to developing a framework for rethinking abatements for housing development. Brennan has also called for zoning and planning overhauls to enable the city to, for instance, narrow major roadways to accommodate more housing.
“[Brennan] recognizes that the current, unstructured process enables developers to take advantage of the city with the taxpayers and renters literally paying the costs. And, he importantly recognizes that developing a framework provides an opportunity to incentivize the deeply affordable housing and the housing for families that the city needs,” Roth said.
“He is a creative thinker, he’s highly principled, he’s an excellent listener, and importantly, he encourages and is very receptive to feedback. And, he has a lot of positive energy,” she said.
Brennan expressed his gratitude to Roth for her support, admiring her efforts towards fostering “a better society, a better culture, and a more livable city.”