Magnet schools or neighborhood schools? An elected or appointed board of ed? The contenders for East Rock’s Ward 10 aldermanic seat offered differing views at their first face-off.
“An appointed board of ed puts all the power in the hands of the mayor,” said incumbent Green Party Alderman Allan Brison. To him that’s a problem. Not so for his Democratic Party challenger, Justin Elicker.
Their comments came during Tuesday evening’s “meet and greet” event at the Hooker School. The evening also provided an opportunity for an informal debate, during which two school-related issues emerged as points of contrast between the candidates.
Brison, the Board of Aldermen’s lone Green Party member, has been alderman for just one term. He’s facing a challenge from Democratic candidate Elicker, known for his work as a leader of the local social and environmental organization, Friends of East Rock Park.
Sixty East Rock residents gathered in the basement of the “Little” Hooker School at the corner of Livingston and Canner streets for the forum. After snacking on sandwiches and cheese cubes, locals seated themselves in rows of green plastic chairs, where they heard from each of the candidates in turn, before a question-and-answer period.
Anna Festa, a lifelong East Rocker, raised her hand to ask about Hooker. Her son Gabriel is in kindergarten in the K‑8 school. Festa voiced concern that Hooker might be turned into a magnet school. Festa said she was opposed to any such plan, which she fears would bring in more buses and traffic, and take away from the “neighborhood feel” of the school.
“I agree,” responded Brison (pictured). “I’m a big proponent of neighborhood schools.” Magnet schools are not as effective, Brison said. Responding to an earlier question, Brison had mentioned that “I think we’re going in the wrong direction with schools. I’d like to see more smaller schools.”
“It’s not an issue,” said Elicker, responding to Festa’s concern. He said that he had been assured by school officials that there were no plans to turn Hooker into a magnet school.
Even if it were a possibility, Elicker said, as an alderman he would represent the ward’s opposition to magnetizing Hooker. “Obviously no one in the neighborhood would want that,” he said.
However, Elicker went on, magnet schools do have advantages for the city, like bringing in revenue by attracting suburban kids, and increasing competition, which fosters educational innovation.
“But I’m a big neighborhood guy,” Elicker concluded.
The same issue emerged in the 2001 Democratic mayoral primary campaign between incumbent John DeStefano and challenger Martin Looney. DeStefano was expanding magnet schools in the city, not just for the reasons Elicker cited Tuesday night, but because he argued that New Haven parents want more choices for specialized schools. Looney argued that parents care more about having a school closer to their home.
Democracy?
Following up with another education question, Whitney Street resident Pat Topitzer asked about “the extent to which the Board of Aldermen can have an impact on the Board of Education.”
Elicker, the first to answer, began by confirming that Brison favors an elected Board of Education, rather than appointed, as is the current system.
“I’m against that,” Elicker said. “The last thing we need is to politicize even more the school board.” Appointees create a stronger board, one that can deal effectively with tough issues like union relations, he said. Going through elections weakens board members, Elicker later argued. He mentioned New York, Washington D.C., and Chicago as cities with mayor-appointed school boards where “they’re doing revolutionary things to reform schools.”
“I disagree with that,” Brison said, responding to Elicker’s argument for mayoral appointment. The Board of Aldermen has very little to do with the Board of Education, he said, even though education accounts for more than 60 percent of the city’s budget. Brison called the situation a “big problem.”
“Either the Board of Aldermen have to have control or the people have to have direct representation,” Brison said later.
“It’s very much a power issue for the mayor,” said Topitzer after the question period, as the chairs were put away and East Rockers gathered in small clusters to chat. “I’d like to see us try an elected board [of education], to see what they can do.”
Topitzer said that she supports Brison, and the mayor. “I like nuance,” she said. “A little diversity keeps everyone honest.”
Whether New Haven in fact has an engaged and independent board of ed has been an open question. Until the Independent took attendance in 2007, the mayor’s appointees (and the mayor himself) were often not even showing up to meetings: their truancy rates at meetings were three times as high as students’ at their schools. Recently the mayor declared the need for a dramatic reform plan to improve the schools; his appointees over his 15 years in office never made such a call, and parents and advocates making such calls were never appointed to the board.
Nearby, Anna Festa (at right in photo) was engaged in a conversation with former Alderman Dick Lyons (at left) about Hooker school. Festa spoke about the “integration of the neighborhood” that’s possible with a small school like Hooker. She said she enjoys the fact that her neighbors’ children go to the school, and that there aren’t buses from the suburbs clogging the street.
“I agree with Allan,” she said. Asked about Elicker’s response to her questions, Festa said, “Justin went both ways… He kind of agreed. I hope he rethinks the issue of magnet schools if he’s elected.”
Young and Old
Tuesday night’s match-up was a study in contrasts between the young, energetic Elicker and the older, more reserved Brison. Outside of their perspective on mayoral power in a one-party city, the two candidates’ platforms are similar. Their speaking styles and demeanors are at two ends of a spectrum.
Pacing back and forth in pleated khakis, the 33-year-old Elicker addressed the audience without a microphone. He laid out his biography and his policy positions in a pre-planned, bullet-point manner that distilled a large amount of information into a series of expository lists.
In a matter of minutes, he presented a quick bio — former school teacher, EMT, and international employee of the U.S. State Department. He talked about the work that he has done with Friends of East Rock Park — barbecues, community clean-ups, a new water fountain, a youth program. He discussed the four issues that are most important to Ward 10 residents — crime, taxes, municipal services, and transportation. And he outlined two more issues that are important to him personally — the environment and governmental transparency.
“I like people. I like fixing things. I like getting things done,” Elicker concluded. “That’s why I’m running for alderman.”
“Unlike Justin, I’m a little bit older,” Brison said, by way of introduction. Speaking into a microphone, the white-bearded alderman said that he would be 71 in a couple of weeks.
Brison spoke more slowly than his challenger, with frequent pauses. He started his biographical sketch in 1961, when he was involved in the civil rights movement in Texas, some 15 years before Elicker was born. Brison later became a computer programmer, a job he held until the age of 50, when the birth of his first daughter converted him into a stay-at-home dad.
In a much briefer address than Elicker’s, Brison spoke about the role of an alderman as a “check to the power of the executive branch” and as an advocate for constituent services. He mentioned his work on the “Fight the Hike“ campaign against increases in utility bills.
Standing in the darkened courtyard outside the Hooker school after the event, Brison complimented his opponent on his oratorial skills. “Justin’s a very good speaker. I don’t see myself as being a very good speaker. Sometimes my mind goes a little blank,” Brison said. It’s a natural consequence of being 70 years old, he explained.
The Endorsement
The “meet and greet” event was organized by the Ward 10 Democratic Committee co-chairs, firefighters Ray Saracco (at right in photo) and Kevin Donohue (at left). Saracco said that the committee will meet at the end of June to decide on an endorsement.
Endorsing a Green Party candidate is out of the question, Saracco said. The committee will decide whether to endorse Elicker or withhold from an endorsement altogether.
“The ward committee is pretty split,” Saracco said, between support for Brison and Elicker. “This is a high percentage Democratic ward, and they voted Allan in. We have to respect that.”
Donohue said that the committee is looking for a candidate that is going to “put the neighborhood first.”
“We have to have the best candidate,” he said. “It’s not going to be given to just anybody.”
I witnessed the debate last night, and I must say that I thought Justin finished with the upper-hand. He is smart and articulate and illustrated his strong work-ethic and accomplishments. He reminds me a lot of my former alderman in Ward 9, Roland Lemar, who has been amazing in his short time on the council. Allan did ok, but didn't strike me a strong figure on the council and certainly would have a different role. Justin seems like he would have a more meaningful impact. I look forward to meeting both of the candidates in the future as I did not get to introduce myself after the event.