Paul Bass File Photo
Dawson.
Former Hill Alderman Tony Dawson said he plans to announce his candidacy for mayor Saturday — bringing to two the number of Democratic primary challengers to incumbent John DeStefano.
Both of those challengers currently putting together campaigns — Dawson and civil-rights activist Clifton Graves — are African-American.
That has led to speculation about whether the two challengers will split the crucial black vote in an already uphill quest to unseat a nine-term incumbent.
“I’m not running against Cliff Graves. I’m running against John DeStefano,” Dawson said Tuesday. “Obviously the African-American community has to make a decision” about who best can take on DeStefano. Dawson said he’d speak more about his candidacy when he makes his announcement this weekend, which coincides with a series of events tied to the annual Freddie Fixer Parade.
The Democratic mayoral primary — tantamount to general election in one-party New Haven since 1953 — takes place Sept. 13. Mayor DeStefano plans to make a formal announcement of his candidacy Tuesday afternoon. Graves has formed an exploratory committee to run; he said he plans a formal announcement soon.
To defeat DeStefano, a challenger would need not only to be competitive in the city’s three highest-voting neighborhoods — East Rock, Westville, and the East Shore — but also to cause excitement in traditionally low-turnout African-American-dominated wards in Dixwell and Newhallville. The one time a mayoral candidate defeated the Democratic machine, John Daniels’ 1989 election, voters lined up for hours in Dixwell to cast ballots. This year challengers hope to tap into frustration over persistent black-on-black shootings and a general feeling of despair about prospects for African-American teens and young adults.
“The bottom line is this is a democracy. Everybody is entitled to run,” Graves said Tuesday about Dawson’s plans. “This is about the future of New Haven, who has a better vision and who is more qualified.”
Both Dawson and Graves have long-established ties to black organizations in town. One of those organizations, the NAACP, is giving DeStefano an award at its annual dinner this Saturday night.
Dawson previously said that once he formally enters the mayoral race, he’ll make the case that his 16 years as an alderman (through 2001) give him more experience than Graves. Dawson grew up in the Hill and has lived there his whole life. He bought a government “dollar house” (abandoned and in need of repair) on Ann Street and fixed it up at the age of 16; he still lives on the street. He retired as a Yale-New Haven Hospital constable seven years ago and has worked in the hospital’s protective services force since then.