Paul Bass Photo
New Haven’s two citywide petitioning candidates joined forces Sunday, forming a ticket for the Nov. 5 general election.
The partnership was formalized as City/Town Clerk Ron Smith visited the Whalley Avenue headquarters of mayoral candidate Justin Elicker and slapped an “I Like Elicker” sticker to his pinstriped suit jacket.
Smith endorsed Elicker’s independent bid against Democrat Toni Harp in the mayoral election. Elicker in turn endorsed Smith’s independent bid against Democrat Michael Smart in the race for the city/town clerk position, the city’s second-highest elected office. Smith has held the $46,597-a-year part-time position — technically responsible for maintaining land records and administering dog licenses, campaign filings, and absentee ballots — for the past ten years. Then the labor-backed Democratic Party Town Committee jettisoned Smith this year in favor of Smart, who won the Democratic primary. The party backed Harp over Elicker and two others in the Democratic mayoral primary. Elicker and Smith petitioned to have their names appear on the Nov. 5 general election ballot as independents.
They will share the same line on the ballot. Sunday they began campaigning as a team.
They both spoke of their independent status as a reason to support each other.
“Ron offers a strong commitment to community,” Elicker said. “There shouldn’t be a machine running the system. There shouldn’t be one entity that governs every elected office in the city.” (Click here for a story about where Smith and Smart stand on issues in the race. Smart had a fundraiser scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday at Brazi’s restaurant on Long Wharf; click here to read a story about a previous fundraiser he held there.)
Smith was asked how this election differs from the past five, in which he ran with the support of the organization led by Mayor John DeStefano.
“The machine when they came in with the union decided they were going to throw out everyone associated with the mayor. They can’t throw me out. Because this is America. Everybody has a right to run,” Smith said Sunday.
“Justin is for the people,” he added. “He’s not a phony.” He said Elicker has the best ability to “bring a Bill Gates to build a small company” to hire young New Haveners who didn’t train for biotech jobs.
“We’re like the Boston Celtics or the New York Knicks,” Smith declared. “You work together. You go up together; you go down together.”
(Michael Smart declined comment Sunday when told of Elicker’s and Smith’s remarks about the party machine.)
After declaring their mutual support, the pair walked out onto Whalley Avenue and into one of Smith’s favorite haunts, Mama Mary Soul Food, where the after-church crowd consumed plates of sweet and tangy chicken wings, pig’s feet, and cornbread.
Elicker said the candidates can help each other by introducing each other to new constituencies. Smith’s base is in the black community. Elicker, who received few black votes in the Democratic primary, has a strong base in the East Rock neighborhood.
Smith said he plans to walk in Newhallville, with Elicker.
“I want to walk East Rock with you later this week,” Elicker told Smith. It was a plan.