Board Prez Reelected; Mayor’s Office Next?

The Board of Alders reelected a president Tuesday night — and, in the process, may theoretically have elected New Haven’s next mayor.

At their first meeting of 2018, the alders unanimously elected West River Alder Tyisha Walker-Myers to a third term as board president. Walker-Meyers, the first woman board president, vowed to tackle affordable housing, jobs, and board development during the upcoming two years.

As board president, Walker-Myers serves as mayor when the mayor leaves town. Leading Democrats running for governor in 2018 have openly floated the idea of Mayor Toni Harp serving as their lieutenant governor running mate. Harp has avoided stating whether she would accept such a slot on the ticket. If she were chosen, if she were to say yes, and then if the Democratic ticket were to win the 2018 election and Harp resign as mayor in 2019 — all big ifs — Walker-Meyers would automatically assume the mayor’s job.

Walker-Myers said Tuesday night she hasn’t focused on that question since the mayor has not indicated whether or not she’ll run for statewide office.

“If it’s something that I have to do I will,” she said. ​“But right now, it doesn’t matter.”

In addition to Walker-Myers’ reelection, Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison was reelected as the board’s president pro tem. Beverly Hills/Amity Alder Richard Furlow is the new majority leader, taking the reins from now State Rep. Alphonse Paolillo Jr. Hill Alder Dave Reyes Jr. is the deputy majority leader.

In nominating Walker-Myers for the board presidency Tuesday night, Dwight Alder Frank Douglass, who worked with Walker-Myers at Yale University before he retired, alluded to her work as a UNITE HERE Local 35 steward. He said he considers her a ​“little sister” and ​“a very important person in my life.”

Walker-Meyers became the first female president of the board in April 2015 after longtime Board President Jorge Perez stepped down to become the state banking commissioner, then was elected in 2016 to her first full term.

Morris Cove Alder Sal DeCola echoed Douglass Tuesday night, saying that Walker-Myers pushes alders to be their best.

“I truly admire her strength and fortitude for our city,” he said.

Walker-Myers said last term the board focused on taking the pulse of the community by conducting a legislative agenda review. She said going forward she wants to re-enforce what alders learned from that review.

“I want to make sure that we’re all moving in the same direction,” she said. She said she wants more people on the board to be capable of leading and serving in various positions to ​“give people more accountability and more things to do.”

She cited as issue priorities tackling affordable housing and boosting jobs, including by engaging more firmly with an entity alders created to address that issue: New Haven Works.

“One of the things that always comes up with this board a lot is affordable housing,” she said. ​“We’re going to look at different opportunities for affordable housing throughout the city. Jobs are always important to this board. The thing that always comes back is ​‘Can people feed their families?’”

Above all, she said the board has the hard work ahead of dealing with tough financial decisions responsibly as state and federal money dry up.

“We have to do the work,” she said. ​“We have to say ​‘no’ where we have to say, ​‘no,’” she said. ​“I know it’s going to be tough, and when it’s tough the mind starts thinking creatively.”

One of the controversial decisions facing alders is whether or not Mayor Toni Harp should get a raise. Harp has asked alders to bump up her salary by $10,000 to make it more comparable with what other mayors in similarly sized cities. The third-term mayor’s salary would increase to $141,000 if alders approve it.

They had the chance to do so Tuesday night, but Walker-Meyers said the vote was held off so that alders could receive more information. (Click here for more on that issue in a story by the New Haven Register’s Esteban L. Hernandez.)

Alders have yet to elect what is known as the ​“third officer,” the Democrat who occupies the minority-party position on committees and delivers an annual address to the board. That position was last held by Yale Alder Sarah Eidelson because the board had no non-Democrats at the time. Now the board has two members who are registered Democrats that did not get the party endorsement and ran and won as independent candidates. Those new board members are Yale Alder Hacibey Catalbasoglu and Newhallville/Prospect Hill Alder Steve Winter.

After her uncontested election to board president, Walker-Myers congratulated her colleagues — seven of them new to the board and two of them returning veterans who had previously left — on being elected and reminded them of the important responsibility they’d all been given.

“I am really excited about being the president and helping … with moving the city forward because it’s not one person that can really do that,” she said. ​“It’s about a team and I’m really proud to have you guys be a part of my team. I’m really excited and I’m looking forward to the next two years and I hope you are too.”

“That is my way to say there’s a lot of work to do,” she said. ​“Don’t get comfortable. You will be helping to complete that work.”

“Thank you very much for reelecting me,” she added. ​“Let’s get ready to work.”