Thomas MacMillan Photo
Karen DuBois-Walton — housing authority chief & mayoral campaign treasurer — left Ward 30 after collecting the vote numbers.
City Hall worked overtime Tuesday — though not in running New Haven.
Housing authority boss Karen DuBois-Walton, for instance, was busy working in Fair Haven and West Rock. Not addressing concerns of public-housing tenants. But working hard in Democratic Party primary elections, trying to elect aldermanic candidates who wouldn’t criticize Mayor John DeStefano, her boss. She serves as DeStefano’s reelection campaign treasurer.
DeStefano’s top city lawyer, Victor Bolden? He was outside Edgewood Magnet School. Not looking into city legal problems. But urging voters to elect pro-City Hall Ward 25 aldermanic candidate Michael Slattery.
Paul Bass Photo
Corporation Counsel Victor Bolden wore his “I Like Mike” shirt while working the Ward 25 polls.
Bolden wore a “I Like Mike” Slattery T‑shirt to the polls.
City Hall itself was as quiet as on the Fourth of July or Labor Day. Government’s business was ward politics Tuesday. That was the case even though DeStefano’s reelection campaign manager, Danny Kedem, claimed in a recent interview that City Hall forces were not supporting a slate of candidates. He claimed that the only slate was organized by their foes from labor unions.
Kedem himself and mayoral Chief of Staff Sean Matteson collected signatures for pro-City Hall aldermanic candidates to appear on the election ballot. Matteson spent Tuesday running around to various wards — in Fair Haven and Morris Cove, for instance — in support of pro-City Hall candidates.
The mayor’s spokesman pitched in for an unsuccessful challenger to City Hall critic Claudette Robinson-Thorpe.
Rob Smuts, DeStefano’s chief administrative officer, spent Tuesday helping run the vote operation for pro-City Hall East Rock Alderman Matt Smith.
They all took official vacation days from their city government jobs.
They also lost big. Candidates associated with Yale’s UNITE HERE Local 34 and Local 35 unions won 14 out of 15 Democratic Party primaries (pending one recount) for aldermanic nominations against City Hall/DeStefano reelection campaign-backed candidates. (The City Hall team had union helpers too, most notably the city firefighters union.)
Melissa Bailey Photo
Alderman Marcus Paca hugs his “advisor,” Superintendent Reggie Mayo.
Around 2 p.m. on primary day, DeStefano’s schools superintendent, Reggie Mayo, was spotted at the Ward 24 polling station, where pro-City Hall incumbent Marcus Paca faced a tough challenge from union-backed newcomer Evette Hamilton. (Paca eventually lost.)
Mayo said he was taking “a personal day” from his job to tour around the city’s polling stations.
“I took the whole day,” he said.
He was asked if he was there to support Paca’s reelection run.
“I’m supporting everyone!” Mayo declared with a burst of jubilance.
Mayo shook hands with Hamilton, then hugged Paca and talked to him for over five minutes. Paca said while Mayo may not have given him a formal endorsement, Mayo has been “a constant adviser” in his life.
Amy Meek, DeStefano’s pick to head a prisoner “re-entry” program, was walking the East Rock neighborhood recently. Not to find out if ex-felons needed help. But urging voters to vote for Smith. (Smith lost the race.) Rebecca Bombero, the DeStefano administration’s legislative director walked the streets of Westville during the election campaign — not to develop city laws, but to accompany and work with pro-CIty Hall Ward 25 candidate Michael Slattery.
The list of mayoral appointees who put in for vacation days included Matteson, Bombero, Meek, mayoral aide Elizabeth Benton, and Smuts, according to Joseph, who also put in for the day off.
As the final votes were cast Tuesday night, DuBois-Walton was at the old West Hills School on Valley Street in public housing-heavy Ward 30, mingling with the Carlton Staggers campaign. Asked if she sees any conflict between being the head of the housing authority and the mayor’s campaign treasurer, DuBois-Walton said no.
“I don’t work for a city agency,” she said. (The housing authority is technically a federally funded agency; its board and director are named by the mayor.)
DuBois-Walton does all her campaign work “on my own time,” she said.
DuBois-Walton said all the housing authority employees who gave money to the DeStefano campaign (such as administrators Sheila Bell and Jimmy Miller) also gave money to his campaign before she was the head of the authority.
She said she has never felt a conflict between doing what’s best for the housing authority’s tenants and doing what’s best for the DeStefano campaign. “I do what’s best for the tenants I’m responsible for,” she said.
City Hall deserved to lose, and I'm glad they did, although I'm very skeptical of the union candidates. Mostly representing non New Haven residents, they will certainly put pressure on Yale in the next round of Yale/union negotiations.
What choice do voters have, though? Ineffective city aligned alderman who can't even get a simple resolution to be heard if it criticizes our bizarrely insecure Mayor or union lackeys who want to strong arm Yale into paying more?
How disappointing to see someone young like Kedem sacrifice any notion of integrity and honesty in favor of spin.
The people canvassing for the Mayor and his aldermen work for the Mayor's campaign during and outside of work hours--for instance answering and sending emails sent to the Town Chair as if they were her.
This administration and the supporters are beyond corrupt--they do not even understand why and how they are corrupt.