East Rock Dems Back Ed Board Challenger

Andrea Downer took another step towards securing the local Democratic Party’s endorsement in her bid to unseat incumbent elected Board of Education rep Darnell Goldson, after winning the support of two Democratic ward committees in East Rock, and tying on the third.

That vote took place Friday night during a joint gathering of the Democratic Ward Committees for Wards 7, 9 and 10 in the cafeteria of Wilbur Cross High School on Mitchell Drive. 

The meeting took place just a few days before the Democratic Town Committee’s citywide endorsement convention is scheduled to take place Tuesday night at the Betsy Ross Parish Hall on Kimberly Avenue. Whichever candidates win the party’s support at the convention will have their name listed at the top of the ticket during the Sept. 12 Democratic Party primary.

Over 30 Democrats from all three East Rock wards (which also cover stretches of downtown, Fair Haven, and Cedar Hill) gathered Friday to cast their straw poll votes for Democrats running for the citywide elected offices of mayor and city clerk, as well as for the half-citywide elected seat of Board of Education that is currently filled by two-term incumbent Goldson and that is up for a vote this municipal election year. (The other elected Board of Ed seat, currently filled by Ed Joyner, covers the other half of the city, and is not up for election this year.)

With Downer’s streak of successes at past meetings this ward-committee-endorsement season, Friday’s joint Democratic Ward Committee meeting in East Rock marked another push forward in Downer’s effort to win the party’s endorsement.

“I am ready to sit on the board and work, collaborate, and bring the accountability that needs to be there,” Downer told the audience gathered at Wilbur Cross.

Two-term incubment Mayor Justin Elicker and Democratic mayoral challengers Shafiq Abdussabur, Liam Brennan, and Tom Goldenberg also pitched their respective candidacies at the meeting, answering questions from all three wards. 

In his speech, Mayor Elicker, who is also a voting member on the Board of Ed, endorsed Downer’s challenger candidacy, saying he ​“hopes you give her an opportunity to sit beside [him] on the Board of Education.”

Ultimately, the Demoratic Ward Committees for Wards 7 and 10 voted to support Downer over Goldson, indicating how each of the committee’s two co-chairs — or a total of four voting members in the 60-member citywide Democratic Town Committee — should vote at Tuesday’s endorsement convention. The ward committee for Ward 9 tied in its vote between Downer and Goldson.

Also on Friday, Mayor Elicker won the endorsements of the Ward 7 and 10 Democratic Ward Committees, while Brennan won the support of Ward 9’s committee.

Both Downer and Goldson are proud products of the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) system. What sets them apart? Experience versus outside ambition.

Goldson, having served on the board already, spoke about how he has a clear understanding and inside information about what needs to be done to make the school district better. He is committed to continue using his deep roots in and knowledge of New Haven to make a difference. 

“I believe this is the most important fight to anyone that cares about our children and the future of our community,” said Goldson. ​“I believe the people of New Haven appreciate my voice and advocacy on their behalf,” he later told the Independent.

Downer, on the other hand, is relying on her outside knowledge as a parent and professional in the engineering field to bring new perspectives to the table. She has stated her commitment to working with all parts of the education community in order to improve the city’s schools.

Once both candidates gave their pitches, the floor was opened to questions from the ward committee members. 

As the city and the nation struggle with teacher shortages, attendees were curious as to how the candidates planned to mitigate that crisis and make sure students get quality educations.

Downer’s main selling point was alternative modes of recruiting teachers. Suggesting remote collaboration tools, she said reaching outside traditional procedures will improve numbers of teachers hired around the city.

To this suggestion, Goldson responded that there’s more that needs to be done than just recruiting. He stated that these remote collaboration tools Downer suggested are already in place when recruiting, but that it’s also important to focus on retaining teachers at schools, not just on bringing them in.

Goldson presented a plan to give teachers and paraprofessionals raises in order for them, who were ​“underpaid in the first place,” to have proper living conditions.

“It’s also about the culture,” said Goldson. ​“We need to make sure they want to come to school and are respected. We need to work with admin to give them what they need.”

In the end, Downer received endorsements from Wards 7 and 10, while trying with Goldson in Ward 9.

“I feel empowered, thankful, and eager to get behind the Board,” Downer said.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Downer won the support of all three ward committees on Friday. She actually won the support of Wards 7 and 10, and tied with Goldson in Ward 9.