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Elicker swears in Ficklin Friday in the alder chambers.
Ficklin with his predecessor.
Ward 28 officially has a new alder, now that New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker has sworn Tom Ficklin in to the post.
The swearing-in ceremony took place Friday morning in the Board of Alders chambers at City Hall. In attendance were Ficklin’s predecessor as alder for the Beaver Hills ward, Shafiq Abdussabur; and three fellow alders, Frank Douglass, Sal Punzo, and Gerald Antunes.
The mayor spoke briefly before administering the oath.
“This is often a thankless job,” said Elicker, a former alder himself. “So we’re all really grateful that you’ve stepped up and I’m looking forward to working with you”
“It is deeply important to the city to have people that have strong integrity and are committed to not just your ward … but the entire city.”
Abdussabur resigned as alder on June 9 due to language in a Board of Education cleaning contract on which his company bids every year; the language in the new contract bars an alder from holding the contract. (Click here to read a previous story about that.)
Ficklin, a Democrat, was the only candidate to file to seek the Ward 28 seat. So he was sworn in without a special election taking place.
Abdussabur resigned before the 18 month mark of his term. City law thus requires an election within 45 days of the resignation, meaning the election normally would have been held on July 21.
However, Ficklin, a Democrat (like all other alders on the board), was the only candidate to file papers to seek the office before the June 28 filing deadline to qualify for a spot on the ballot. The opportunity for write-in candidates to file also passed on July 7. So an election was not required, enabling Ficklin to be sworn in Friday.
“My goal as alder is to serve my ward and faithfully discharge my oath to use the power entrusted to me for the best interest of the city,” Ficklin said Friday. “I want to serve my ward through working within and using my power on the four committees I have been appointed to” — public safety, aldermanic affairs, city services, and the Black and Hispanic Caucus.
Ficklin runs a marketing firm and hosts a twice-weekly program on WNHH FM.
Shafiq, thanks for all the important connections you made and all the work you accomplished in your short tenure as Alder.
Tom, thanks for taking on the new role. We look forward to working with you to make Beaver Hills, New Haven and the world a better place to live.