3 Vie For Open East Side Alder Seat

Local Democrats have picked 59-year-old Bella Vista resident and political newcomer Henry ​“Rodney” Murphy to replace the late Renee Haywood as their last-minute candidate for Ward 11 alder in Tuesday’s general election.

That means that Murphy — a Greater New Haven Transit District operations manager, embroidery enthusiast, and avid drone flyer — has just a few days to convince his neighbors to cast their ballots for him instead of for Republican challenger Gail Roundtree and write-in candidate Ira Johnson, both of whom have unsuccessfully run for local office before.

That’s the latest development in the three-way race for alder in Ward 11, a stretch of Fair Haven Heights near the East Haven border that includes the high-rise elderly apartment complex Bella Vista.

For the past six years, that ward was represented by Bella Vista resident and advocate for the disabled Renee Haywood. The Democratic Party endorsed Haywood for a fourth two-year term this year, and she had been scheduled to appear on the Nov. 7 general election ballot as the Democratic candidate. However, on Oct. 20, Haywood, who had long struggled with serious health complications related to her kidneys, died at age 60, leaving her friends and family and aldermanic colleagues to mourn a life well lived lost too soon.

Her passing so close to the November general election meant that Ward 11’s Democratic Ward Committee had to pick a new candidate to run as the Democratic nominee in Haywood’s stead. Which is what the committee did earlier this week, according to New Haven Democratic Town Committee Chair Vinnie Mauro, in its selection of Murphy.

Democratic Registrar of Voters Shannel Evans, Republican Registrar of Voters Marlene Napolitano, and Secretary of the State spokesperson Tara Chozet all confirmed that Murphy’s name will be on the ballot on Tuesday as the Democratic candidate for alder in Ward 11. However, ballots with Haywood’s name already on them will not be reprinted. Instead, the registrar’s office will place stickers showing Murphy’s name over Haywood’s printed name on each Ward 11 ballot.

In a Friday afternoon phone interview with the Independent, Murphy, who grew up on Spring Street in the Hill, said that he decided to throw his hat in the ring for the Ward 11 alder seat because he wants to ​“speak up for the voiceless. I think with the people here, we can make a voice together.”

Murphy said that overall, he has enjoyed his four years of living at Bella Vista. But he sees plenty that can be improved.

“The elevators and the hot water, that’s top of the list,” he said about frequent maintenance issues at the property. The complex also needs more ​“cameras [to be] a little bit more secure.” If elected alder, he said, he’d be better positioned than as just a regular resident to advocate for better, safer living conditions at the ward-anchoring apartment complex.

He said he appreciates Bella Vista’s density and diversity: so many people, so many different life paths, all converging in one place. ​“Bella Vista is like a bowl of vegetable soup. You tend to have all walks of life [here]. And I love vegetable soup.”

When he’s not running for alder or working full-time as an operations manager for Greater New Haven Transit District or spending time with his wife and children, Murphy said, he has plenty else that keeps him busy. He owns an embroidery small business and is ​“an avid dronie,” flying drones with a group called Tuskegee Drones that go everywhere from Bella Vista to the New Haven Green to the West Haven beach. ​“It’s the flying. Just feeling free. It’s just peaceful,” he said about the pasttime.

Murphy’s also a big comic book fan. His favorite? The Hulk. ​“That’s my guy, mild mannered Bruce Banner,” who has secret strength and powers as the Hulk.

Republican, Write-In Challengers Try Again

Running for the second time for Ward 11 alder is Republican candidate Gail Roundtree, who has lived in the district for 12 years and works as a senior claim analyst at Anthem. Roundtree is running with hopes of disrupting New Haven’s single-party rule.

“We all have more in common than we think,” Roundtree said in an interview with the Independent.

She said that listening to her constituents is at the top of her list of priorities if elected alder, along with improving the property conditions of units at Bella Vista.

A June 7 email press release sent out by New Haven’s Republican Town Committee described Roundtree as a member of the Board of Directors at Harbour Crest Condominiums for the past 10 years, and as someone experienced with addressing community concerns and property management priorities through that role. 

“For 18 years, Gail has been a Special Olympics coach for the Hamden/New Haven team and she has served as a mentor to school children under the Governor’s Prevention Partnership program with the Ulbrich Boys and Girls Club,” the press release continues. ​“When elected, Gail will most certainly be an asset to New Haven and provide needed leadership to the BOA.”

Roundtree last ran for Ward 11 alder and lost to Haywood in 2021.

While Murphy and Roundtree are the only two Ward 11 alder candidates whose names will be on the ballot, they aren’t the only two running.

Ira Johnson, a former Roberto Clemente substitute teacher and frequent candidate for a range of local offices, is also running for Ward 11 as a write-in candidate.

“I’ve been involved for a long time. I’ve been very active in the community,” Johnson said about why he’s running for this seat. 

Johnson has lived at Bella Vista for eight years, and, following a brain surgery he had several years ago, is now on disability. 

He last ran for local office in 2017, when he ran for mayor and then, halfway through the campaign, ran for city clerk instead. He’s also run for Ward 3 alder in the Hill in the past, and was a member of the Hill North Community Management Team. He has yet to win in his various efforts running for local office.

If elected as Ward 11’s next alder, he said, his priority would be ​“building better communication. Here at Bella Vista, there’s no communication at all, from management to residents.” He also said ​“lack of security is a huge problem.”

A registered Democrat himself, Johnson said he’s running as a write-in candidate instead of on a third-party line because ​“I’ve always been a Democrat. When someone runs from another party, the Green or Working Families, they’re kind of looked down on.”

His pitch to Ward 11 voters to write his name in for alder on Tuesday: ​“Most of the residents, most of the voters in this ward, I went through basically what they’re going through. I can understand. I know where they’re coming from, living paycheck to paycheck.”

Johnson also said just how sad he was to see the news of Haywood’s death. ​“It was a shocker,” he said. ​“We were very good friends.”

Dereen Shirnekhi contributed to this report.