New Haven Independent

The outcome of the mayor’s race and most of the aldermanic races are a foregone conclusion. Yet the mayor’s race offers choices for voters to express their feelings about the direction of the city.

That race pits incumbent John DeStefano, who’s outraising his nearest challenger by about 60 to 1, against three other candidates. The other candidates — independent Gary Jenkins, the Green Party’s Eric Brown, and “Guilty” Blatteau — haven’t organized citywide ward-level get-out-the-vote operations or raised enough money to contest the outcome. And Brown has pretty much failed to show up as a candidate. But the others have presented true alternatives to DeStefano.

(Click here and here and here to read stories about the the main issues in the campaign.)

A vote for DeStefano means: You like the direction of the city right now. You don’t think the recent rash of street crime is more than a blip, or that it has anything to do with City Hall being asleep at the wheel on youth issues. You don’t see a problem with a mayor simultaneously running for governor. You want to welcome immigrants into the community.

A vote for Jenkins means: You don’t approve of gays and lesbians having civil rights. You want to crack down on immigration because you’re worried Latinos crossing the U.S. border from Mexico will commit acts of terrorism. You don’t want cars towed if their owners owe back taxes. You think it was cool to have worked for Richard Nixon.

A vote for Blatteau means: You think it’s outrageous for DeStefano to be an “absentee” mayor running simultaneously for governor. You think rents have gotten too high, and city government should do something about it. You support city-issued i.d. cards for immigrants, including those here illegally (a proposal DeStefano supported then backed away from then sort of supported).

As a not-for-profit organization, the Independent does not endorse candidates.

(That’s a true statement.)

As a news organization, the Independent adheres to a notion of journalistic “objectivity” that, rather than trusting reporters to engage in honest discussion with the public, demands that reporters never reveal their biases, and furthermore demands that reporters have no biases, because it’s possible for thinking people to have no biases, especially since it’s “unbiased” to uncritically accept the pronouncements of those in power and the economic status quo of American capitalism.

(That’s hogwash.)

Voting Places & Aldermanic Races

Click here to see what ward you live in; look first for your street, then for the column “ward.” If you’re still confused, call the registrar of voters office at 946-8035.

Here’s where to vote, and who’s running for aldermen (in many cases unopposed):

Ward 1 (Yale): Incumbent Rebecca Livengood, a Democrat, against independent Nicholas Shalek. Two Yale undergraduates. This is the only aldermanic campaign with a lively debate on issues. Shalek criticizes Livengood for supporting union demands for more community benefits as part of the proposed new cancer center at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Shalek criticizes Livengood for being too loyal to Yale’s unions. However, she defied union wishes to support pro-City Hall Alderman Carl Goldfield for Board of Alderman president. So Shalek also criticizes Livengood for being too close to City Hall (which is at odds with the unions these days). OK, maybe you need to get into Yale to understand this; most of the voters in this ward did get into Yale. Vote at the public library, 133 Elm St.

Ward 2 (Dwight and part of Dixwell): Incumbent Joyce Chen, unopposed. (See “Chen vs. the Machine, II.”) Vote at the firehouse at 125 Goffe St.

Ward 3 (the Hill): Incumbent Jacqueline James, unopposed. Vote at Career High School, 140 Legion Ave.

Ward 4 (the Hill): Incumbent Andrea Jackson-Brooks, unopposed. Vote at Roberto CLemente School, 360 Columbus Ave.

Ward 5 (the Hill) Incumbent Jorge Perez, unopposed. Vote at the firehouse at 525 Howard Ave.

Ward 6 (the Hill): Incumbent Delores Colon, unopposed. Vote at Micro Society Magnet School, Hallock Ave.

Ward 7 (downtown/ Audubon): Incumbent Frances “Bitsie” Clark against independent Robert J. Kiley. Vote at the Hall of Records, 200 Orange St.

Ward 8 (Wooster Square, Farnam Courts, a sliver of East Rock): Incumbent Michael Smart, a Democrat, against Republican Joseph J. Vollano. Vote at Conte/West Hills Magnet School, 511 Chapel St.

Ward 9 (East Rock): Incumbent Elizabeth Addonizio, unopposed. Vote at East Rock Magnet School, 133 Nash St.

Ward 10 (East Rock): Incumbent Edward Mattison, unopposed. Vote at Wilbur Cross High School, 181 Mitchell Dr.

Ward 11 (Bishop Woods, Fair Haven Heights): Incumbent Robert Lee. Part of the ward (Precinct 1) votes at Bella Vista, 343 Eastern St. The other part (Precinct 2) votes at Bishop Woods School, 1481 Quinnipiac Ave.

Ward 12 (Fair Haven Heights): Democrat Gerald Antunes, unopposed. Vote at Ross/Woodward School, 189 Barnes Ave.

Ward 13 (Fair Haven Heights): Democrat Alexander Rhodeen, unopposed. Vote at the firehouse at 73 E. Grand Ave.

Ward 14 (Fair Haven): Incumbent Democrat Joe Jolly vs. Republican Juan C. Montalvo. Vote at Atwater Senior Center, 26 Atwater St.

Ward 15 (Fair Haven): Incumbent Maria Reyes Rivera, unopposed. Vote at the firehouse at 412 Lombard St.

Ward 16 (Fair Haven): Incumbent Migdalia Castro vs. indepedendent Menen Osorio-Fuentes. A grudge rematch of a grudge rematch that took place in the September primary between two opposing camps in Fair Haven. Osorio-Fuentes is a write-in candidate this time. Vote at Columbus School, 255 Blatchley Ave.

Ward 17 (The Annex): Incumbent Alphone Paolillo, unopposed. Vote at the firehouse at 824 Woodward Ave.

Ward 18 (Morris Cove): Republican Arlene DePino, unopposed. Vote at the East Shore Senior Center, 824 Woodward Ave.

Ward 19 (Newhallville, East Rock): Incumbent Democrat Alfreda Edwards vs. Green Party candidate Charles Pillsbury. Vote at the firehouse at 350 Whitney Ave.

Ward 20 (Newhallville): Incumbent Charles Blango, unopposed. Vote at Lincoln-Bassett School, 130 Bassett St.

Ward 21 (Newhallville): Incumbent Katrina Jones, unopposed. Vote at Primary Learning Academy (formerly Martin Luther King School) at 580 Dixwell Ave.

Ward 22 (Dixwell): Incumbent Drew King, unopposed . Vote at Edith Johnson Towers, 114 Bristol St.

Ward 23 (Dwight and West River): Incumbent Yusef Shah versus independent Clarissa Brown. Click here to read the Register’s article on the race. Part of the ward votes at Dwight School, 100 Edgewood Ave.; part votes at Berger Apartments, 135 Derby Ave.

Ward 24 (Edgewood): Incumbent Elizabeth McCormack, unopposed. Vote at the firehouse at 120 Ellsworth Ave.

Ward 25 (Westville): Incumbent Ina Silverman versus a Republican, Paul Ortiz, chosen at the last minute to replace a candidate who ended up not campaigning. This is in a ward the Republicans controlled for decades until just two years ago. Vote at Edgewood Magnet School, 737 Edgewood Ave.

Ward 26 (Westville): Incumbent Democrat Sergio Rodriguez against Republican challenger Kiernan A. O’Connor. Click here to read the Register’s story on the race. Vote at Davis Street School, 35 Davis St.

Ward 27 (Beaver Hills, Westville): Incumbent Thomas Lehtonen, unopposed. Vote at Sheridan Academy for Excellence, 191 Fountain St.

Ward 28 (Beaver Hills): Incumbent Babz Rawls-Ivy, unopposed. Vote at Hillhouse High School.

Ward 29 (Beaver Hills): Incumbent Carl Goldfield (unopposed). Vote at the Southern Connecticut State University Field House, 101 Wintergreen Ave.

Ward 30 (West Hills and West Rock): Democrat Michelle Edmonds-Sepulveda (unopposed). The West Hills side of the ward votes at Beecher School gymnasium, 311 Valley St. The West Rock side of the ward votes at Clarence Rogers School, 199 Wilmot Rd. (a stone’s throw of the infamous ever-growing fences that Hamden keeps building to keep away New Haven people from housing projects).