Staff photos
Teamed up: Fernandez, mum mayor.
Mayor Justin Elicker has enlisted a former campaign foe to help him shake the Yale money tree.
Henry Fernandez, who ran against Justin Elicker and two other Democrats in a 2013 mayoral primary, has agreed to head a city delegation to meet with university officials to explore possible forms of increased support for the fund-strapped city.
Several meetings have taken place so far, online. The Yale team includes Senior Vice-President for Operations Jack Callahan and Associate Vice-President for New Haven Affairs Lauren Zucker.
City staffers are participating, as are representatives from Yale graduate schools. Topics have ranged from potential financial contributions to potential creative collaborations on projects to benefit New Haven.
Elicker said he chose Fernandez for the role because of his background in the city. Fernandez, a Yale Law School graduate, has served as the city’s development administrator. He was the founding leader of the youth academic and recreation program LEAP, which he currently oversees.
“We’re having conversations with the university, talking about the university’s role with the city,” Elicker told the Independent Thursday.
“Henry knows his way around the city and has experience working with the university. He was willing to help out.”
Fernandez said he agreed to serve because “I love the city a lot and believe that it’s going through a really difficult time and needs all the support it can get from me as a private citizen and from the university to get to a stronger place.”
He has found participants so far “to be honest and forthcoming” in the initial discussions, he said.
“The city has tremendous needs right now, only exacerbated and made evident by Covid. When asked by the mayor to participate, I felt that it was the right thing to do and a good thing to do.”
The university declined comment Thursday about the working group.
Elicker campaigned for mayor in 2019 on a vow to get Yale to pony up $50 million a year in voluntary contributions to the city in order to address the government’s structural deficits. So far he is $37.5 million short on that promise. (The university and Yale New Haven Hospital did increase their collective annual voluntary contribution to the city from $11.1 million to $12.5 million since he took office.) Meanwhile, the city is facing an estimated $13 million deficit for the coming fiscal year. Yale, which has a $31.1 billion endowment, posted a $203 million operating surplus in the most recent fiscal year.
Elicker also campaigned on a promise to be a “transparent” mayor.
Elicker Thursday refused to disclose whom else he appointed to the group.
He was asked how that refusal comports with his “transparency” promise.
“I always want to be transparent, but I don’t think it is necessary in this case,” he responded.
“It’s my prerogative to have my team meeting with the university. I don’t think that’s a public matter.”