nothin Festa Takes Back Her “Take Back” Affiliation | New Haven Independent

Festa Takes Back Her Take Back” Affiliation

Paul Bass Photo

East Rock’s Anna Festa has become the second aldermanic candidate to resign from the fledgling Take Back New Haven” organization.

The Sunday before last, Festa joined five other Democratic aldermanic candidates in Pitkin Plaza announcing the formation of TBNH as a freethinking” alternative to what they called machine” politics practiced by the Yale-union-backed Board of Aldermen majority. (She’s pictured above at that event.)

This week Festa handed in her resignation. She said she wants to focus her time on her own campaign and on the mayoral campaign of Democrat Justin Elicker.

She also said she had been misled” about TBNH’s purpose. Organizers had the best of intentions, she said, but they rushed the launch of the group before everyone had a chance to unite behind a well-formulated mission. For instance, she said the group intended to welcome candidates from all political parties, not just Democrats; a Republican aldermanic candidate who wanted to join the group, Wooster Square’s Andy Ross, accused organizers of acting like a machine” because they instead backed one of his Democratic opponents, Peter Webster, for the Ward 8 seat.

In hindsight, it should have been better organized and better visualized before taking a stand,” Festa said of the group. I think it’s a great idea. I think the intent and the idea of it was all to benefit the residents of New Haven. But when you rush into something and don’t think it through thoroughly, it can backfire.”

Festa, a neighborhood activist and self-described stay-at-home mom, is making her first run for public office, in Ward 10, which includes East Rock, Cedar Hill, and a slice of Fair Haven. She was asked if the TBNH experience offered her any lessons about politics.

It’s a very lonely place,” she responded. You feel alone. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I’m very trusting person, which is something I need to get over.”

Festa is the second aldermanic candidate to bolt from TBNH. Mike Stratton, who’s running for the open Ward 19 seat (in East Rock’s Prospect Hill and Newhallville), quit last Friday, arguing unions had co-opted the organization. TBNH organizer Alderman Doug Hausladen denied that. (Read about that episode here.)

Hausladen said Tuesday that while the slate is down to four candidates, he expects to announce a fifth candidate soon, and he is talking to other potential members.

He said the group has always welcomed backers of any mayoral candidates; its focus is on aldermanic races. He also said that it would consider Republican candidates, if any more emerge. So far only one Republican aldermanic candidate has emerged, Andy Ross.

Find me a Republican that’s not Andy Ross, and we’ll talk to him then. Right now Peter Webster is my guy in Ward 8. I feel he’s the best candidate for Ward 8. I’ve worked with Andy Ross for five years. I think Peter Webster is the best candidate.”

This group is about the six candidates at the time that stood up. They were all Democrats,” Hausladen said. We invite anyone who has a horse in the race for the mayor’s race” and agrees with very broad principles about open government and transparency and responding to individuals and residents in New Haven. … I’m open to anyone that has New Haven’s interest at heart. If you’re sick of all these political quagmires, please come to Take Back New Haven and help us crowd-source the candidacies for 2013.”

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