New Haven Independent

The fruit plate and the cheese and crackers were put out and the cash bar for drinks (even soft drinks) was around the corner. The big campaign signs — “New Haven needs Elser for Mayor” — were spread around the room. And a few dozen die-hard New Haven Republicans came out.

The Board of Aldermen’s sole Republican, Arlene DePino (18th ward) was there, along with Republican challenger in the 25th ward, Tom Malone, the only two Republican candidates for alderman in the city’s 30 wards.

Elser (pictured on the right in photo above with Mike Argento, Tom Malone and Bill Curran) circulated among the faithful, giving the closest he came to a speech when he pointed out that from the 19th floor of the Omni, supporters could see what 50 years of uninterrupted Democratic mayoral rule had wrought. He implied it wasn’t a pretty sight.

“We are dead center in a part of town that first started being redeveloped 40 years ago,” he said, “by a mayor who was put there by the Democratic machine.” He said people should worry that so much of New Haven property is tax-exempt, “thus raising your taxes.” Click here to hear more.

Click here for an earlier interview with Elser on some of his creative ideas for the city.

Elser’s running mate for city/town clerk, Delores Knight, didn’t want her picture taken and didn’t have too much to say about the race, beyond her concerns about “taxes, crime, and Yale’s role” as an institution that exerts too much influence in the city. She said she’d been too busy to do any campaigning yet, but said she’d get active “at some point, maybe on November 5th,” she joked. (The election is Nov. 6.)

Tina Doyle (pictured) lives in the 18th ward, where she chairs the East Shore Management Team and is president of the East Shore Neighborhood Association. She lamented the lack of interest in elections by so many citizens of New Haven, pointing out that the last mayoral election drew only 26 percent of registered voters. “This is an inner city; it’s an entry city for minorities coming in — first generation. If they stay for a second or third generation, they might be interested, but primarily they’re surviving; they’re not interested in elections.”

Elizabeth Cangiano (pictured on the left) said she’d help Elser in whatever way he needed, but she hadn’t seemed to have heard about his need to get 200 registered New Haven voters to donate between $25 and $300 to his campaign so he can qualify for matching funds under the trial-run Democracy Fund, which applies just to the mayoral race. Elser said he doesn’t like to bug his treasurer, Marlene Napolitano, too often, but believes so far he’s received about half the donations he needs to qualify.

After the fundraiser, which Elser said at least covered expenses, he said he had explained about the Democracy Fund to those who asked about it, but he never made a general appeal. He added that he plans to gear up for a more active phase of the campaign now that primary season is over.

Asked what he plans to emphasize in his campaign, he said, “The consistent theme is that there’s a parallel between what went on in the [Democratic] aldermanic primaries and this [the mayoral election]. New Haven’s neighborhoods need a voice in City Hall. The drawback with one-party government is that aldermen have become the spokespeople for City Hall back to their neighborhoods instead of bringing the voices of the neighborhoods to City Hall. We need to think about local issues — rising taxes, streets that people think are less safe, our schools that are not performing at the level we would expect. If we can’t solve those problems, we shouldn’t’ be working on national issues” like immigration.

Of Mayor John DeStefano, Elser said, “I think he’s bored with being mayor. And when someone’s not challenged they don’t have to put their ideas out there.”