City GOP Switches Leaders

A changing of the guard took place on Thursday night at the New Haven Republican Town Committee, as members voted to install public-school teacher John Carlson as chair to replace New Haven newcomer Jeff Weiss.

Carlson took the seat unopposed. Weiss declined a nomination from one member. He wants to focus on campaigns to unseat Democratic state senators, he said.

“We only have one way to go, and that’s up,” Weiss said.

A Grassroots Kind Of Guy

Carlson has taught fourth grade in Bridgeport for two decades and has run for New Haven alder in the past. He has long been active in the City Point neighborhood.

This experience is why committee member Lee Parker nominated Carlson, he said.

“I believe he’s a go-getter. I believe he wants to make the party stronger and make New Haven stronger,” Parker said.

The Republican Party faces a challenge in deeply blue New Haven. The city has around 2,500 registered Republican voters – about 4 percent of the town’s voters. Nearly 70 percent of the town has registered as Democrats, with most of the remaining population unaffiliated.

Parker sees the way forward as working across party lines, including his own participation in an advocacy and serivce group called Mothers & Others For Justice.

“Other folks see the big picture. He’s more of a grassroots kind of guy,” Parker said of Carlson.

Carlson said that he plans to get out the word about the party with social media, mailings and phone calls. He pointed out a newcomer to the committee, who had choked up when he said he did not know the committee existed. (The newcomer then proceeded to explain his belief that undocumented immigrants who land in jail should be deported, in contrast to New Haven policy.)

Carlson said Republicans in town should know about the committee.

“I think there’s a lot of room for growth. New Haven needs a second party,” Carlson said. ​“New Haven has been run by Democrats for 60 years. If they were doing everything right, New Haven would be heaven on earth, and it’s not.”

Weiss’ Farewell

The committee members also voted for longtime Vice Chair Marlene Napolitano and Parliamentarian Victor Fasano. Oliver Augustin became secretary, and Anne Marie Rivera reluctantly became treasurer.

“Do you understand what the job entails? Are you sure?” Weiss asked her.

Weiss delivered a farewell address (pictured) before the nomination process.

“There has been some gross misinformation regarding campaign expenditure,” he said.

Weiss said that the party is not allowed to overpay vendors, and treasurers would individually have to pay fines for doing so. He said that some had raised questions about whether he could be party chair and work as a consultant on Republican campaigns at the same time. He said he had checked whether it was legal, and it is.

Weiss moved to New Haven three and a half years ago and took over the party chairmanship shortly after. He succeeded Southern Connecticut State University professor Jonathan Wharton.

Weiss said he was proud of what the committee accomplished during his tenure, including raising enough funds to qualify candidates for State Senate campaigns. Over 300 people have to donate at least $5 apiece to make his to happen, he said.

Weiss said that he now hopes to focus on challenging State Sens. Gary Winfield and Martin Looney. He brought two candidates into the town committee meeting, Carlos Abelardo and Jameson White, and encouraged those present to donate to their campaigns.

Wharton stood to tell the room he was pleased with how smooth and peaceful the transition was. He said he hopes it will continue to be collaborative. He lauded both Weiss’ fundraising efforts and Carlson’s door-knocking skills.

“Each chair has a different focus,” he said.

Meanwhile, over at the Betsy Ross School Parish House, the Democratic Town Committee went for continuity. It reelected Vincent Mauro Jr. as its town chair — and set up actual chairs spaced out in advance (pictured) to help stem the spread of the coronavirus.