… Gary Holder-Winfield?
The challenger seeking the 94th General Assembly District seat doesn’t quite call himself those two political icons’ “heir” or mantle-carrier. Just the closest choice New Haven voters have in this race.
Holder-Winfield addressed the Barack Obama/Bill Dyson factor during a “get to know the candidate” press event at his home at Winchester Avenue and Division Street.
Holder-Winfield, a 34-year-old political activist, is challenging party-endorsed candidate Charles Blango in the Aug. 12 Democratic primary. They’re vying to replace State Rep. Dyson, who’s retiring after 32 years in office. (Click here, here, and here for previous stories about the race and the candidates.) Blango has gotten off to a quicker start on canvassing and accumulating lists of likely voters, which should provide crucial in what promises to be a low-turnout primary election.
A third hopeful for the seat, Willie Greene, said he, not Holder-Winfield, is the true Obama and Dyson in the race. Greene originally planned to run in the Democratic primary. He said Wednesday that instead, he’s taking out petitions to run as an independent in November.
Asked whom he considers his heir, Bill Dyson himself gave a clear answer Thursday — with an endorsement of Holder-Winfield. (The Independent, which lacks a seat on the campaign plane, did not try to reach Barack Obama for comment on the question.)
Independent Voice?
“There’s a gap now with Bill [Dyson] stepping down,” Holder-Winfield said at his press event, which took place Wednesday. “When you replace that person, it’s important to think who you’re replacing that person with.”
He said the district — which includes parts of East Rock, Newhallville, Dixwell, Yale, and downtown — should “continue to have someone willing put himself out there when others may not be willing to do so. Otherwise we can forget about this ‘change’ thing.”
Dyson had a fiercely independent reputation in office, often putting himself at odds with the Democratic Party establishment. He also participated in antiwar protests and crusaded for criminal-justice reform. Holder-Winfield has participated in numerous protests on those issues. (Sample stories here and here.) And he isn’t the choice of party leaders, who endorsed Blango, a city alderman and Board of Ed employee.
The Democratic primary for the open state legislative seat is the city’s one contested race of the summer. Yet Holder-Winfield’s event Wednesday didn’t draw much of a crowd. Just the candidate himself; his wife, Natalie Holder-Winfield, an attorney and corporate diversity consultant who’s helping on the campaign; Peanut, their 4‑year-old Maltese (pictured above on Natalie’s lap); and the Independent.
Holder-Winfield had new campaign buttons and posters on display. They featured a message linked to the campaign of the other dominant African-American political figure in the 94th District this election season: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
The message takes off from Obama’s campaign theme of “hope.” Holder-Winfield was an early organizer for Barack Obama’s campaign in Connecticut.
“Beyond hope there is belief,” states Holder-Winfield’s flyers. “Our mission is to conduct our politics so that believe have reason to believe again.”
He elaborated on the text during his press event, seated on a couch beside a rack with Michelle and Barack Obama smiling from the cover of Us Weekly.
“A lot of people are talking about hope,” he said. “It sounds good. The auditory thing gets people riled up. You have to get beyond the rhetoric — what is the hope all about? Beyond hope, you’ve got to get belief,” belief that politicians will make good on promises if elected.
People have that belief in Obama, Holder-WInfield said. He’s making the pitch that voters should have that belief in him, too, because he’s been working on issues like prisoner re-entry and youth opportunities for years as an activist, not for money or for a “title.”
He offered no specifics on what legislation regarding those issues he’d pass or support if elected. He said he needs to listen to what voters want him to do, and he needs to learn his way around the legislature before he starts pushing specific bills. In previous interviews, Blango said he too plans to push for more state support for youth and for prisoner re-entry programs if elected.
Blango (pictured) was asked Wednesday if he agrees with Holder-Winfield’s assertion that he’s the candidate most closely resembling Dyson and Obama. “I have no comment,” Blango replied, twice.
“I Am”
Willie Greene was happy to comment.
“I think it’s great to be a legend in one’s own mind,” Greene said, laughing, when told of Holder-Winfield’s position. “But I would to to say I am” the closest candidate to Dyson and Obama in the race.
Greene, a 59-year-old former alderman and current Democratic Party 21st Ward co-chairman, called Holder-Winfield “smart and articulate.” He said Holder would “make a good alderman.” But he said Holder-Winfield only recently moved into the district and doesn’t have as long a “track record.”
“Bill [Dyson] has really been great in giving a voice to people who have none. My record speaks for itself” in doing the same, said Greene (pictured). “I have been in the mix of things in the same district for 36 years.” Like Dyson, Greene has battled with the administration of Mayor John DeStefano; Greene briefly pursued a mayoral challenge to DeStefano last year.
As for Obama and the “change” theme, Greene said, “I’ve never been one to maintain the status quo.” And like Obama, he said, he knows how to “build bridges” and pass legislation. “I have more legislative skill than both [other 94th District] candidates put together,” Greene said.
Greene said he has until July 14 to submit petitions to qualify for a November ballot spot as an independent. He said he expects to hand them in by “within the next week, if not sooner.”
Why run as an independent instead of a Democrat? Because, he said, he’s fed up with his party’s leaderhsip “in terms of where they’ve taken this city and their ability to talk to the state delegation.”
Bill Dyson said he doesn’t “want to take anything away from Willie. I have worked with Willie” over the years.
But Dyson said he’s working with Holder-Winfield, who was once his legislative intern.
“I think Gary is a capable person,” Dyson said. “We’ve worked together on a number of issues. Gary is the better choice.”
Gary you had better start identifying some specific state-level legislative issues that matter to this community and make them part of your campaign message.
Otherwise voters in this district will get very tired of hearing just rhetoric.