Candidate Wins 2 Votes With Tambourine Shake

Leslie Crescenzi came to the polls Tuesday undecided on whom to vote for as her alder. She desired change but wasn’t familiar with the candidates. Then a loud ringing made up her mind.

Crescenzi was joined by her son Joshua Crescenzi Tuesday at Benjamin Jepson School in Fair Haven Heights, the polling place for Ward 13’s election, in which three candidates were vying to serve as alder. The Ward 13 alder race was the only one with three candidates on the ballot.

Mayoral candidates were also on the ballot. Leslie Crescenzi , who has lived in the Heights for 56 years, and son Joshua, 1 30-year neighborhood residents, came to the polls knowing how they would vote in that race: to reelect incumbent Justin Elicker. ​“Elicker has handled himself well and I’m looking forward to seeing him be able to devote more time to something besides Covid,” Leslie said.

But she hadn’t made up her mind among the three alder candidates: incumbent Democrat Rosa Santana, Green Patricia Kane, and Republican Deborah Reyes.

She leaned against Santana because of a desire for change, she said. She didn’t know much about the challengers.

As she approached the polls, candidate Kane stood at the entrance to the school surrounded by green lawn signs, a green scarf, and a tambourine that she rang in the name of ​“change.”

Kane was joined by the last Green Party candidate elected in New Haven, former East Rock Alder Allan Brison (who won in 2007). The duo jingled tambourines as voters entered and greeted them with a question: ​“Are you ready to make a difference and vote for change?”

In the Crescenzis’ case, that was enough to make the sale.

As she and her son left the polling place, they said they decided to vote for Kane.

“She caught my attention, so I went with Green,” she said. She said she appreciated Kane’s ​“energy,” which she would like to see officials bring to government.

The three candidates arrived to the school polling place as early 5:30 a.m to claim their spots and set up last-minute flyers to pass along to voters.

Republican candidate Reyes remained optimistic at the polls, while joined with her daughter Cassandra and granddaughter Giada.

She made a final attempt at reaching voters by putting up the remainder of her lawn signs around the neighborhood Tuesday morning.

Around 12 p.m Reyes sipped on her second cup of coffee and greeted voters with a ​“thank you for coming out to vote” and a brief introduction of herself when possible. ​“I’m not looking at them as numbers,” Reyes said. ​“People shouldn’t be complacent. Hopefully that will change today.”

Several voters came to the polls Tuesday with a final attempt at expressing their concerns to the candidates. One Summit Street resident agreed to vote for Reyes due to seeing no action done over several years of asking for the street to get repaved. ​“Whether I win or not I’m going to get that street fixed,” Reyes said.

Child care provider Deborah Stewart, 61, has lived next door to Jepson for the past 15 years. She declined to say whom she voted for but said she voted Tuesday for the most ​“community minded” candidates.

Stewart also took the chance to educate her two grandsons Tuesday by bringing them to the polls with her. She told them ​“what it took to get the right to vote and how at one point we weren’t allowed to.”

Democratic incumbent Santana set up shop Tuesday with two lawn chairs and a two surrounding yard signs. Santana was joined by neighbor Arthur Natalino distributing her final campaign handouts.

She said she was confident about reelection Tuesday while talking with residents just outside the polls’ 75-foot soliciting barrier. She made her final calls to residents Sunday. ​“I’m hoping for a victory,” she said.

At Nathan Hale School, Morris Cove residents voted between Ward 18 Democratic incumbent Salvatore DeCola and Republican Steve Orosco.

Rosemary and Michael Murphy moved back to the Cove in December and in that time decided they best aligned with the Democratic candidates.

“The Republican Party has gone mad,” Rosemary said.

At the polls Tuesday Orosco came with a team of a dozen supporters who handed out his campaign flyers. ​“I feel like it’s 50 – 50 right now,” he said. ​“There’s been a loss of Democratic support and people here are open minded to change.”

Orosco is going through a 72 hour fast until tomorrow but said if he wins he may have to break the fast for a celebratory dinner.

DeCola described the voters he talked with Tuesday as ​“family” who he said he talked with throughout his campaign. ​“I’ll be here all day, right up until they read my victory,” he said.