Laura Glesby photo
Attendees, Zola (center) squeeze for a group photo at campaign launch.
To find Andrea DiLieto Zola’s alder campaign party, all guests had to do was “follow the rose petals.”
A makeup artist offered that advice to this reporter, who had mistakenly wandered inside Zola’s bridal beauty storefront on Wooster Street.
The party kicked off Zola’s campaign to become Ward 8’s new alder. Zola is running against incumbent and fellow-Democrat Ellen Cupo to represent Wooster Square, the Mill River, and parts of Fair Haven and the Annex on the Board of Alders.
Her campaign launch unfolded on June 30 in the back patio of Bridafy, Zola’s bridal beauty shop (and soon-to-be vegan cafe) at 208 Wooster St.
Flower petals lead the way.
Around the corner from the storefront, peach-colored petals and fuschia flower heads formed a trail from Warren Street to the bridal shop’s backyard.
Zola: "The focus is on bringing everyone together."
There, two dozen supporters gathered from various corners of the city and state to enjoy more vibrant florals — along with live cello music, CBD-infused mocktails, and locally-produced snacks — in honor of Zola’s bid for local office.
According to Zola, the food and decor at the party — along with the makeup she wore — had been donated by local businesses, including Gigi’s Fiori, Edge of the Woods, The New Bottle Shop, La Bella Vita, and Inferno Wood Fire Pizza Truck.
“The focus is on bringing everyone together,” Zola said — including local businesses, which have been a central priority of Zola’s vision for the ward.
Tomas Ulrich captures the attention of the party's youngest guests.
Over the course of the evening, Tomas Ulrich captivated adults and children alike with his cello.
Ulrich first met Zola when they both lived in the Olive and Wooster, a new luxury apartment building steps away from the party’s location.
He recalled that one day, “I decided to use the [in-unit] washing machine. It went haywire.” Zola must have heard his frustration, he surmised, because “she opens up the door and says, ‘You seem to be upset.’ ”
Quickly, Ulrich said, Zola found a solution to his washing machine woes. “Have you considered unplugging the machine?” he recalled her asking. “She’s a problem solver. Ever since then, she’s been one of my favorite former neighbors.”
Daniel Cress, Steven Padla, and Matthew Kiel.
Wooster Square resident Steven Padla offered an equally serendipitous, though perhaps less quaint, origin story for his friendship with Zola: “She and I are buddies because our dogs are in a passionate love affair.”
Padla and fellow Wooster Square residents Daniel Cress and Matthew Kiel said they were still learning about the various alder candidates and had not yet decided whom to support.
Asked for an initial impression of Zola as a candidate, Padla said, “I really appreciate the enthusiasm.”
The trio named pedestrian and cyclist safety as among the biggest issues they care about in their neighborhood.
“I’ve almost been hit. I’ve seen someone get hit. It’s awful for pedestrians,” said Kiel.
Charlie Murphy: "understaffed" Parks & Public Works a top priority.
Charlie and Charlotte Murphy came to support Zola, having known her as a neighborhood business owner for several years. The Murphys have lived on Greene Street for two decades.
“She cares, she’s enthusiastic, she’s capable,” Charlie said of Zola.
“I’ve been disappointed with the current alder,” he said, citing Cupo’s attendance at city and neighborhood meetings.
One of Charlie’s biggest concerns in City Hall is the city’s Parks and Public Works department. “The city is understaffed,” and there aren’t enough people to maintain Wooster Square’s widely-used parks, he said.
“It would be nice if it were easier to reach Public Works for trash pickup,” he added.
La Bella Vita provided the CBD mocktails.
Among the out-of-town guests at the party was Zola’s campaign treasurer, Christian Zola — who happens to be Zola’s ex-husband and co-parent to six-year-old Isabelle, and who’s still part of what Zola affectionately calls “our blended family.”
Christian lived in New Haven from 2009 to 2018 before moving to a suburb. He said that based on his past experience in the city, he hopes alders will focus on “the way landlords treat residents as inferior” and offer “decrepit housing.” He once lived “three months in an apartment with a terrible leak,” he said.
That experience prompted him to move to 360 State St., a luxury high rise right across the street from the Wooster Square neighborhood that Zola now hopes to represent.
Christian said he supports Zola’s bid for alder because “I know she wants to provide a better community for our daughter. She wants it to be a safer community.”
Throughout the evening, Isabelle and her friends twirled disco balls and draped them over tree branches. They admired the glistening CBD mocktails before learning that those drinks were only for adults. They skipped over to Ulrich to watch up close how he filled the air with the sound of his cello.
Soaking in the festivities, Christian said, “Anything Andrea does, she gives 110 percent.”
Follow the white rabbit, not the rose petals.