Candidates Call On Yale To Do More

Two Yale alums — who happen to be running against each other for mayor — agreed their alma mater should do more to help New Haven. They offered different ideas about how to make that happen.

The two alums, Mayor Toni Harp and challenger Justin Elicker, offered those perspectives Friday evening during a visit back to campus for a campaign debate at Sudler Hall sponsored by the Yale College Democrats and Yale Daily News. The two alums face each other in a Sept. 10 Democratic primary. (Harp attended Yale’s art and architecture school; Elicker, the forestry and business schools.)

Both candidates agreed at the debate that Yale does contribute to the city, including its voluntary gift of $11.5 million per year. Elicker pointed out the institution’s operational budget of $3.8 billion dwarfs the city’s operational and capital budgets of $660 million. He noted that people struggle to make ends meet three blocks away from the institution, which had a $91 million surplus last year. Elicker also spoke out against Yale stealing New Haven cops for its force, and said they shouldn’t be policing New Haven neighborhoods, citing the recent officer-involved shootings at Stephanie Washington and Paul Witherspoon.

Mayor Harp argued that more New Haven high school students should be afforded the opportunity to receive the education that the prestigious institution offers. The mayor also spoke of Yale’s responsibility to fulfill its promise to hire more New Haven residents.

Both agreed that Yale students do wonderful work with local nonprofits and in the community, while they said they see more opportunities for the students to be involved in the city and a part of the community itself.

The candidates were asked if they would support a new version of a 2016 proposal by State Sen. Martin Looney and State Rep. Toni Walker to tax 7 percent of the unspent earnings of Yale’s annual endowment.

Mayor Harp said she would prefer to negotiate with New Haven citizens and Yale to improve upon the voluntary payment which Yale provides. Because of Yale’s tax exemptions, she argued, the legislation would be tied up in court for years before New Haven saw any funds from such legislation.

Candidate Elicker said he would support a revived version of the bill (which didn’t pass in 2016) to use as leverage to bring Yale to the table to discuss and increasing voluntary payments to the city. Elicker has called for demanding that Yale up its annual payments to $50 million; Harp has called that unrealistic.

Elicker also said that if elected he would seek to change the zoning around Yale’s campus and around Yale New Haven Hospital so that certain areas could not be used for medical or university purposes. The logic would be to keep Yale from spreading and adding property to its already extensive tax-exempt list.

He called for Yale to ditch its shuttle and encourage its students and professors instead to ride CT Transit buses by joining other colleges and universities in making the U‑Pass available. Harp said the city has been working with CT Transit to readjust the routes and move the transfer site for major routes off the New Haven Green. The mayor said it may take another year and a half to get the routes completely readjusted. She also mentioned improving upon Tweed Airport stating the hub needs to be made into a functional airport with flights connecting to Chicago and Washington DC and not just Philadelphia and Charlotte.

The candidates also offered different takes on homelessness and affordable housing, including the city’s record in supporting and monitoring the Grand Avenue shelter. Click on the following audio files to hear their responses.