DeStefano Endorsed; Democracy Stirs

Making a pitch for unity in a divisive political year, Mayor John DeStefano won the Democratic Party’s endorsement for his reelection campaign — and saw an opponent grab dissenting votes for the first time in a decade.

Thirty-seven members of the 60-member Democratic Town Committee gave the mayor their votes Tuesday night at the biannual Democratic Town Committee, held at King/Robinson School in Newhallville.

Eight town committee members cast votes for Jeffrey Kerekes, one of four Democrats hoping to run against DeStefano in a Sept. 13 party primary. (Confusion led to incorrect totals initially being announcedt.)

It was the first time any Democrat has cast a vote against DeStefano at a nominating convention since 2001, when state Sen. Martin Looney opposed the mayor.

Another eight Democrats cast abstentions Tuesday night. At least some of them came from wards supporting two other mayoral candidates, Clifton Graves and Tony Dawson. Those candidates and their supporters chose to boycott the convention. So their names weren’t formally put into nomination.

Seven town committee members were absent from the convention.

The committee vote is largely symbolic: It demonstrates who has the official backing of the party, and who gets the top line on the ballot. The town committee has traditionally been one of DeStefano’s most reliable power bases.

The real action now begins: Campaigning for mayor as well as at least 17 contested aldermanic races in the September primary.

The stirrings of democracy at Tuesday night’s convention — including floor challenges to the nominating process and endorsements of aldermanic candidates not favored by party leaders — echoed a local political landscape that reflects the national mood: a desire for change, or at least challenge, to the status quo.

“The fact that so many people actually voted for myself or abstained — where you have to raise your hand in front of the mayor — is a sign of a broader trend of people looking for another candidate,” Kerekes, whose sign-holding supporters were visible throughout the evening, remarked after the vote. ​“Not everybody is a rubber stamp. People are hungry for a choice. We haven’t had a choice for ten years.”

DeStefano is running for his 10th two-year term. If he wins, he’ll become the longest-serving mayor in city history. (He’s already the longest-serving popularly elected mayor.)

In his acceptance speech, DeStefano struck a unity theme.

“I am not a candidate of one section or one group,” he declared. ​“I am not a candidate of one issue. I am not a candidate who is against anyone.”

Click here to read DeStefano’s prepared remarks. He read a shortened version of those remarks.

Unlike in his May 10th campaign kick-off speech, DeStefano steered away from taking credit for a ​“morning-in-America”-style happy new day in New Haven. He acknowledged the tough time in New Haven’s and the concern over crime and recession-era joblessness — tempering that acknowledgement with measured optimism about New Haven’s school reform and economic development successes in the past few years. He reprised his emphasis on finding constructive ways to deal with the 125 prisoners released into the community every month (the ​“reentry population”) and on capitalizing on the growth of New Haven’s ​“eds and meds” research economy with projects like Downtown Crossing.

“In the most difficult of times I believe in us,” he said.

Newhallville ward co-chair Gwendolyn Newton (who back in 1969 was one of the insurgent ​“Magnificent Seven” who beat the party machine and formed a dissenting bloc on the Board of Aldermen) nominated DeStefano. In her remarks she gave the mayor credit for improving the city during his tenure. She singled out his school reform drive and the ​“New Haven Promise” program offering full college scholarships to Connecticut schools to qualifying public high school graduates.

Wooster Square ward co-chair Chris Randall nominated Kerekes. He cited Kerekes’ call for more transparency in City Hall and more democracy in local elections. ​“Having a choice [this year] is a favor to democracy,” he said.

Other Voices

Dissent and challenges to party officials emerged not just in the mayoral discussion, but in the process of endorsing aldermanic candidates. Democratic Town Chairwoman Susie Voigt broke two ties when the ward co-chairs split their aldermanic votes. (She made Dixwell’s Greg Morehead the official candidate in Ward 22 and Doug Bethea the endorsed nominee in Dwight’s Ward 2.) In some cases, the official town committee endorsement went to aldermanic candidates against whom party leaders like Voigt and City Hall employees are expected to work at the polls on Sept. 13, such as Claudette Robinson-Thorpe in Beaver Hills’ Ward 28, Tyisha Walker in West River’s Ward 23, Dolores Colon in the Hill’s Ward 6, and Darnell Goldson in West Rock/West Hills’ Ward 30.

At one point, Randall stood up to challenge the lack of a formal endorsement of a candidate in Ward 11. He mentioned that a candidate, Bella Vista tenant Barbara Constantinople, had tried to petition onto the ballot. He ​“question[ed] the legality” of having the ward co-chairs make no endorsement. Town Chairman Susan Voigt responded that while Randall’s concern was ​“duly noted,” state law clearly gives ward co-chairs, and only ward co-chairs, the role of endorsing candidates. Regardless of what their committees decide.

And ward committees were all over the map this season, rather than delivering uniform backing of the mayor as in years past.

For instance, the committee in Morris Cove’s Ward 18 had voted 10 – 8 to back DeStefano over Kerekes; Tuesday night both ward co-chairs cast votes for Kerekes. ​“I always believe a primary is good,” co-chair Matt Bailey said. ​“Competition is good, especially in a city controlled by one party.” Co-chair Sue Campion cited her ​“longstanding ties” to Kerekes; both helped organize the budget watchdog group New Haven Citizen Actions Network (NHCAN).

In Ward 16, on the other hand, the ward co-chairs split, one for DeStefano, one for Kerekes — even though the Kerekes voter, Alderwoman Migdalia Castro, doesn’t necessarily plan to vote for him on Sept. 13.

Castro said she hasn’t decided whom to support on Sept. 13. She said she and her co-chair split their votes at the convention because the ward committee itself was split.

“We were there debating for two hours,” she said. ​“I just come and deliver what they decide. I cannot control the voice of the people. I heard [from many people] that it’s New Haven has a change. They’re participating more than ever.”

Many aldermanic candidates not receiving official endorsements didn’t show up at the convention; challengers have filed papers to force primaries in at least 17 out of New Haven’s 30 wards, with more possible. By contrast, the party had seven aldermanic primaries in 2009, 10 in 2007, and 13 in 2005. And some wards are free-for-alls. Fair Haven Heights’ Ward 13 and Westville’s Ward 27 each have three candidates running in the primary, for instance; Dixwell’s Ward 22 has four.

In most city wards, winning the Democratic primary is tantamount is winning the general election. The Republicans have only one aldermanic representative on the 30-member Board of Aldermen, Morris Cove’s Arlene DePino; she’s also the only Republican endorsed to run for any of the 30 seats this fall. (The party didn’t find a mayoral candidate, either.) The board also has an independent member, Fair Haven Heights Alderwoman Maureen O’Sullivan-Best. As of July 11, the city had 41,851 registered Democrats, 2,371 registered Republicans, 15,595 unaffiliated voters, and 336 supporters of other parties. The Republicans last won a mayoral election in 1951.

Many aldermanic challenges are coming from candidates affiliated with or backed by Yale’s unions. Organizers of those campaigns were among those staying away from Tuesday evening’s convention.

Another undercurrent to this year’s races: a group of Latino candidates, originally seen as allies of the union-backed challenge team, has gravitated to the DeStefano camp instead. The Latino candidates were miffed that most of the union-backed candidates were African-American.

The Full Slate

The convention endorsed Ron Smith for another term as city/town clerk over Claudia Herrera, who’s the running mate of mayoral candidate Tony Dawson.

Following is a ward-by-ward breakdown of Tuesday night’s aldermanic endorsements:

Ward 1, Yale/Downtown/Dixwell:

No endorsement. The ward covers Yale. Since students are away over the summer, and is overwhelmingly Democratic, candidates decided to run on a petition basis in the general election.

Ward 2, Dwight:

Town Chairwoman Voigt broke a tie to give the endorsement to street outreach worker Douglas Bethea over union activist Frank Douglass.

Wards 3, 4 & 5, The Hill:

Aldermen Jackie James, Andrea Jackson-Brooks and Jorge Perez were all endorsed for reelection.

Ward 6, The Hill:

Union-backed Alderwoman Dolores Colon prevailed over La Voz Hispana Publisher Norma Rodriguez-Reyes. (Rodriguez-Reyes also volunteers as chair of the board of the not-for-profit Online Journalism Project, which publishes the Independent.)

Ward 7, Downtown:

Neighborhood activist Douglas Hausladen won the nod.

Ward 8, Wooster Square:

Alderman Mike Smart.

Ward 9, East Rock:

Incumbent Alderman Matt Smith prevailed over former union organizer Jessica Holmes.

Ward 10, East Rock:

Justin Elicker.

Ward 11, Fair Haven Heights:

No endorsement.

Ward 12, Bishop Woods:

First-time candidate Mark Stopa.

Ward 13, Fair Haven Heights:

David Baker prevailed over Josue Vega Jr. and Brenda D. Jones.

Ward 14, Fair Haven:

Alderwoman Stephanie Bauer prevailed over challenger Tatiana Davila.

Ward 15, Fair Haven:

Ernie Santiago.

Ward 16, Fair Haven:

Alderwoman Migdalia Castro.

Ward 17, East Shore:

Alderman Al Paoillo.

Ward 18, East Shore:

Salvatore Decola prevailed over Sarah Saiano.

Ward 19, Newhallville:

Alderwoman Alfreda Edwards.

Ward 20, Newhallville:

Incumbent Charles Blango bested Delphine Clyburn, a state employee who works with people with intellectual disabilities. As usual, Blango’s endorsement elicited the loudest hurrahs of the convention.

Ward 21, Newhallville:

Moses Nelson, who’s making a second run for alderman, got the nod over Brenda Foskey-Cyrus.

Ward 22, Dixwell (and part of Yale):

Incumbent Greg Morehead prevailed over Cordelia Thorpe, Lisa Hopkins and union-backed Jeanette Morrison.

Ward 23, West River:

Yale union steward Tyisha Walker beat out five-term incumbent Alderman Yusuf Shah.

Ward 24, Edgewood:

Alderman Marcus Paca.

Ward 25, Westville:

Michael Slattery prevailed over union staffer Adam Marchand.

Ward 26, Westville:

Sergio Rodriguez prevailed over challenger Darryl Brackeen.

Ward 27, West Side (parts of Beaver Hills, Westville, West Hills, Amity, and Beverly Hills):

Stan Kontogiannis prevailed over Angela Russell and Mary Wadley.

Ward 28, Beaver Hills:

Incumbent Claudette Robinson-Thorpe prevailed over Wayne McCloud.

Ward 29, Beaver Hills:

Board President Carl Goldfield got the nod over union-backed Brian Wingate.

Ward 30, West Rock:

Incumbent Darnell Goldson prevailed over Carlton Staggers.

Laurel Leff and Melissa Bailey contributed reporting.