nothin Crowned By Dems, Harp Lauds Husband’s Legacy | New Haven Independent

Crowned By Dems, Harp Lauds Husband’s Legacy

Thomas MacMillan Photo

Accepting her party’s endorsement to become New Haven’s first-ever female mayor, Toni Harp Tuesday night tackled head on the biggest obstacle so far to reaching City Hall: the legacy of her late husband Wendell.

Harp (pictured) took the surprise step in what was otherwise an unsurprising event: her coronation by the Democratic Party establishment.

The event was the Democratic Town Committee’s (DTC) convention. It took place at Career High School. As expected, the DTC overwhelmingly gave its official endorsement to Harp, a 10-term state senator running for mayor against four other Democrats. The vote was 52 to 4 to 2. Justin Elicker picked up the 4 votes, Henry Fernandez the 2. The vote means Harp will automatically receive a spot on the Sept. 10 Democratic primary and have the money and organizational power of the party establishment behind her.

Dancers and a steel drum band created a festive atmosphere in the school lobby.

Thus concluded phase one of this year’s mayoral race, the most interesting contest in decades now that 20-year incumbent John DeStefano is retiring. Phase two begins Wednesday, as Harp’s opponents begin seeking to collect the 2,406 signatures needed from registered Democrats to win a spot on the primary ballot.

Before sending her supporters onto the street, Harp spoke at length in her acceptance speech about a topic that has dogged her in recent weeks: criticisms from two of her opponents, Fernandez and Kermit Carolina, about her family’s real-estate business. Harp’s husband, architect and black political powerbroker Wendell Harp, a controversial figure in New Haven, built up that business over four decades and ran it until his death in 2011. Harp’s son Matthew now runs it. Fernandez and Carolina have criticized her for a $1 million state tax debt her husband’s business incurred after fighting a losing battle over disputed fees; for an empty house her husband owned in Bethany that the family uses occasionally for parties; and for conditions at one of the business’s properties in the Hill. Read about all that here, here and here.

Harp and her son Matthew and daughter Jamil sang along with the national anthem.

Toni Harp didn’t address the specifics of those criticisms in her address Tuesday night. Rather she spoke about her husband — not just defending him or her relationship to him, but praising him and describing their relationship in more depth and with more passion than ever before in her 26 years in elected office.

Unlike some other politicians, Harp hesitates to reveals much about herself — either about her personal life or feelings, or about her accomplishments in life, preferring to discuss policies she and other Democrats have pursed as a group at the legislature. Tuesday night’s speech may reveal a recognition that running for mayor requires a different approach. It almost felt like she was introducing herself to Democrats who have voted for her religiously since 1987, the year she became an alderwoman, or 1992, the year she won her State Senate seat.

Too often in campaigns, ugliness seeps into the public debate, and this year is no exception. As most of you know, I have been a widow for the last year and a half. Because Wendell isn’t here to defend himself, I feel I need to say a few things about him,” Harp said.

Harp’s daughter Jamil wept as her mom spoke of the late Wendell Harp.

Wendell was a loving husband and a great father to our three children. He was a brilliant architect. In his 20s, he was a pioneer, creating the Black Workshop and hiring many of our New Haven residents. His legacy of service can be seen as you look around this auditorium and as you look at this school, which he designed. Wendell was a community and political activist who loved and was committed to this city. A man of faith he devoted himself to his church and neighborhood. Wendell loved New Haven.

Wendell and I had an agreement. We did not share careers. I stayed out of his business and took no part in it, and in turn he kept out of my politics and policy decisions. My successes are mine, his successes were his — my challenges were mine, his challenges were his. There were matters that we did not discuss.

But the one thing we always shared was our love for each other, our boundless love for our children, our pride in their accomplishments through the years, and our hopes that each would grow up and have healthy and happy families of their own.”

Ted Kennedy Jr. led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Harp also revealed a painful episode from her childhood: contracting polio at 4 years old and having to spend a whole year breathing with the help of an iron lung.’”

She told the story in the third person, and tied it into her quest for elected office. Click the play arrow to watch a sample.

A bulky noisy machine surrounded her entire body for hours at a time and forced her to breathe by compressing and decompressing her lungs, every breath was a struggle, every breath was a fight. She wasn’t expected to live … and if she did, she wasn’t expected to ever walk again.

Thankfully, through the help of her doctors, the love of her parents, and her own resilience, she got better. And when she got out of that machine, she taught herself to walk again. This experience taught her not just how precious life is, but that, despite whatever challenges in life she might face, she would never allow anyone to define her by her circumstances and obstacles but by her ability to overcome them.

Rafael Ramos nominated Henry Fernandez for mayor.

I am that little girl. And I stand before you tonight. I learned that, with the love of your family and the support of your community, you can do anything. As I got older, I learned that, with a quality education, you can be anything. And as an alderwoman and your state senator, I learned that, working together with people from all walks of life, whatever their background, race, color, gender, and age, we can achieve anything.”

Westville co-chair Mike Slattery nominated Elicker then abided by his ward committee’s wishes and voted to endorse Harp.

The crowd of hundreds, filling about two-thirds of the drearily lit, cavernous Career High auditorium, roared and waved Harp’s campaign placards, as it did throughout the evening. Except for two rows of Fernandez supporters and a scattering of Elicker backers, this was Harp’s house for the night.

Fernandez stayed in the hall while the endorsement vote took place, then left before Harp’s acceptance speech.

Henry Fernandez (right) chatted with Teddy Kennedy Jr.

There’s a lot of nice folks on the Democratic Town Committee,” he said on his way out. But they represent 60 votes. We’re now moving to the process when the campaign really begins and we’ll focus on the thousands of votes in the city. I talk to voters every day. What I hear consistently is they want a mayor who has the vision and the integrity and experience to do the job on Day One.”

Justin Elicker, who was caught in the rain on his way to the convention, spoke with Courant reporter Christopher Keating.

Elicker did sit through Harp’s speech before leaving. His campaign later released a statement. It, too, described Tuesday’s night vote as representing just 60 votes in a party of some 49,000 registered voters — 60 Democratic ward co-chairs elected through an opaque, extremely low-­turnout series of votes controlled largely by political insiders.”

My campaign is not and has never been about winning the support of old­ school powerbrokers in the smoke-­filled back rooms of New Haven politics,” the release quotes Elicker as saying. Instead, my campaign is about restoring community participation in and influence over government. As a grassroots candidate, it is fitting that I will be a grassroots nominee.“

Democratic candidate Sundiata Keitazulu attended as well. Candidate Carolina did not attend the convention. Neither candidate was nominated.

Brianne Bowen Photo

During her acceptance speech, Harp asked people to hold hands and breathe together.

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