Labor Beats Independent In Wooster Square

When the numbers were read, 465 – 249, a supporter hoisted alderman-elect Aaron Greenberg over his shoulders, fireman-style. A whooping cheer went up from the dozens of supporters who gathered in the gym of the Conte/West Hills school to hear the results of the Ward 8 aldermanic election, in which Greenberg trumped independent Andy Ross.

The race, one of the few truly contested aldermanic contests in the city Tuesday, pitted a Democrat backed by Yale’s unions against a registered Republican aligned with independents challenging the Democratic establishment this year.

“With a team like this, you can do amazing work,” said Greenberg, the Democrat, surveying the room. ​“And I think that’s a message not just for my night but for the city as a whole.”

“We are witnessing quite a well-oiled Democratic machine,” said Ross. ​“While we had two volunteers, they had an army of 50 or 60. That’s the nature of the beast.”

The election saw Greenberg, a 26-year-old graduate student at Yale and president of the graduate and professional student union organization, squaring off against local businessman Ross, who touted his 11 years of experience as a New Haven resident and claimed that his financial background could help him tackle the city’s budget. Both also emphasized security and policing, as well as youth programs, in their platforms.

Throughout Election Day, Ross manned his table with two consistent helpers and a modest number of friends who came and left. Greenberg had a steady rotation of fresh hands and faces, with volunteers consistently shuttling voters via car.

As the November sun began to set early in the evening, Greenberg’s mom drove up to the Wooster Square polling place with some warmer socks for her son. Ross, nestled in a camel’s hair coat and plaid tie, pulled on gloves. ​“It feels like turnout has been really robust,” said Greenberg, as the polls’ close slowly approached. ​“It feels like people are excited and know who to vote for.”

Outside the school, on his feet from 5:30 a.m., Greenberg spoke with residents of the Farnam Court public-housing project about what they wanted to see when the existing structure is pulled down and rebuilt. They touched on a need for the new space to be more open and a desire for more police presence. ​“Right now, cops come in primarily to make drug busts, but there could be more of them there at all times,” said Greenberg.

Kevin Rocco, 27, an anesthesiology researcher at Yale, spoke to Greenberg about ideas for improving road conditions for bikers, such as finding ways to lessen congestion or work around frequent ongoing construction sites. Kate Brackney, 30, a graduate student in History at Yale, said Greenberg had her vote because he is ​“committed to working with the coalition on the Board of Aldermen in support of programs such as New Haven Works.”

In speaking with voters before they entered the school, Ross reiterated the difference in experience between the candidates that has partly defined the election. ​“I have 11 years of community service to this ward and to New Haven,” Ross said. ​“My opponent hasn’t been on any boards or commissions. He’s only been here a year. I’ve made it clear from the first day that I’m a pro-union person. But this has given me a new respect for machine politics.”

Ross said that he would not consider running again unless he was certain that he could raise a significant volunteer or paid staff. ​“From what I’ve seen, it’s not the money the unions put in that makes the difference, it’s the people they have access to. They flood the streets with bodies,” he said. ​“As the election approached, I could hear the union machine coming closer, getting louder and louder, like a steamroller.”

Ward 19 Alderman-Elect Mike Stratton stopped by late in the evening to give his support to Ross. ​“He was in charge of the Downtown-Wooster Square management team, which is a thankless job,” Stratton said, explaining his position. ​“He’s a businessman, and he’s earned his right to be alderman. Ross is one of the few free-thinking, independent candidates out there. His primary guiding principle is that the city be run for the benefit of New Haven residents, and not for special interests.”

Zoe Feldman, 18, who had been acting as Ross’s campaign manager since August and kept him company throughout the day, also said she was ​“proud” of her candidate’s independence. ​“He did this for himself, not for a union or a corporation, whose agenda he would have to fulfill,” she said.

Ross pressed a complaint about the collection of absentee ballots in the ward. At press time, absentee ballots were still being counted. ​“Those 125 absentee ballots—and a good many of them were done fraudulently—are worrisome to me,” Ross said. ​“Now it’s up to the secretary of the state to penalize those who’ve engaged in wrongdoing.”