New Blood Enters Political Stream

Ward 1 Democrats made an early choice for alderman, as two other fresh faces launched challenges to west side incumbents.

Yale sophomore Mike Jones (left photo) won a three-way straw poll for the Ward One nomination on Friday, capturing just under 50 percent of the 474 ballots cast.

Since Ward 1 is composed almost exclusively of Yale students, who will be out town most of the summer, the three Democratic candidates agreed to abide by the results of an early straw poll instead of holding a September primary. Incumbent Rachel Plattus is not seeking re-election.

Across town, in Westville’s Ward 26, lifelong New Havener Lashell Rountree (right photo) kicked off a campaign to unseat incumbent Alderman Sergio Rodriguez. Surrounded by friends and supporters, Rountree made her announcement on Saturday in the driveway of her home on Englewood Drive.

The weekend’s campaign developments were the latest of this year’s aldermanic election season, which is characterized so far by upstart challenges from several Democratic unknowns. Last week, a political newcomer backed by the party machine, Marcus Paca, launched his candidacy in Edgewood’s Ward 24, seeking a win over 11-term Alderwoman Liz McCormack.

In nearby Ward 25, the Westville flats, Democrats are looking for a nominee to run for the seat of Ina Silverman, who is expected to retire this year. (She declined to confirm her plans when asked by a reporter.)

In Dwight’s Ward 2, union activist Frank Douglass is readying a second challenge to incumbent Gina Calder.

Meanwhile, in Ward 10, Democrat Justin Elicker has begun running for the Democratic nomination in hopes of taking on incumbent Allan Brison, the city’s only elected Green, in November.

So far, the fresh faces haven’t brought with them a unified agenda or critique of the status quo — the way, for instance, challengers in 1999 and 2001 advanced clean-elections and clean-energy positions that eventually became city policy. No one this year has tapped into public discontent with the decline of community policing, the state of public education, or the city’s inaction in the face of a foreclosure tear by the Water Pollution Control Authority.

Instead, the theme appears to be an effort to involve citizens more in government.

Mike Wins

On Friday afternoon, Mike Jones was positioned on a College Street sidewalk outside the New Haven Public Library, Ward 1’s straw polling place, chatting with voters. One of Jones’ two opponents, sophomore Katie Harrison, was nearby. The third candidate, senior Minh Tran, was with his supporters on Yale’s Old Campus.

Jones, a supporter of the DeStefano administration, advanced a proposal during the campaign to formalize ways to inform constituents of volunteer opportunities in city government. He said Friday afternoon that he had been making calls all morning, trying to get his supporters to come down and vote. ​“All hell will break loose if they’re not out here in a couple hours,” Jones said, laughing.

Jones predicted that the race would be ​“relatively close.” All Ward 1 campaigns depend heavily on newly registered voters, he said, so it’s hard to predict the winner.

In the end, Jones outpaced Harrison (pictured) by 57 votes, at 233 to 176. Tran finished a distant third, with 61 votes.

If another Democratic, Republican or independent challenger doesn’t come forward, Jones is set to become Ward 1’s new alderman in November.

Contacted by phone on Saturday, Jones said that he is ​“really excited” to have a platform to talk about the ​“things affecting the city.” He’s planning to meet with other alders and a ​“range of community leaders” to start making connections.

Jones has a summer job working for the New Haven Boy’s and Girl’s Club, through Yale’s Presidential Public Service Fellowship.

Asked how he celebrated his win on Friday night, Jones said that he ​“had a little fun around campus. Typical college stuff.”

Jones credited his well-organized campaign for Friday’s victory. ​“Elections this small are generally more about the ground game than any particular issue,” he said.

“He ran a solid campaign,” agreed Harrison. ​“He had a solid team of political folks around him.”

Harrison, who ran on a community-development platform, said that she was ​“feeling OK” about her loss and looking forward to a cross-country bike trip she taking with this summer with a friend.

Lashell Announces

“I feel like it’s my destiny to do this,” said Lashell Rountree (at right in photo), shortly before the official announcement of her candidacy for the Democratic nomination in Ward 26. She said that running for political office has been lifelong goal.

Standing in her driveway in front of a folding table loaded with campaign flyers and baked goodies, Rountree started her campaign kick-off with a description of her childhood growing up in Dixwell. Rountree said that she was always trying to form clubs and organizations as a girl in pigtails, trying to get people to come together. Now, years later, Rountree said that she’s pursuing her childhood goals on a larger, adult scale.

Rountree’s remarks were preceded by a short introduction by former Ward 26 Alder Lindy Gold (at left in photo) who was unseated by Sergio Rodriguez. Gold said that Rountree would bring new energy and ideas to the Board of Aldermen. ​“I don’t think different community is created by indifferent people,” she said.

Rountree, who’s 38, went to Career High School and received a B.S. in business management from Albertus Magnus. For the past eight years, she’s worked as school manager at Amistad Academy Middle School, an Achievement First charter school in Fair Haven. Rountree is also in charge of parent outreach for all Achievement First’s New Haven schools.

Rountree lives in Westville with her husband, Terrence Rountree, a 12-year veteran of the New Haven Fire Department who grew up in a housing project in New Haven. Lashell said that she and her husband were both the first in their families to attend college. They have two boys, ages 10 and seven, who attend the Edgewood School.

Rountree is seeking election in Westville’s Ward 26, a middle-class district characterized by single- family homes and quiet streets.

Among her biggest concerns, Rountree said, is the high rate of property taxation in New Haven. She said that she would like the ​“community to come together to figure out how else we can bring revenue into the city.” Finding other revenue streams, Rountree said, could help keep taxes low and make New Haven ​“a family-friendly, livable city.” Rountree said the city should look at selling property and bringing in businesses as a new source of taxes.

A theme of her campaign and her service as alder, Rountree said, will be transparency and communication. If elected, she intends to use her website to gather input from her constituents and keep them apprised of city hall developments. ​“I’d like to form community groups that meet regularly around issues,” Rountree said.

As a charter school employee and a parent of public school students, Rountree said that she would like to see greater partnerships between the city’s charter and public schools. ​“All of our children should benefit from the techniques that are used in charter schools,” she said.

Rountree said that she didn’t yet have any specific initiatives that she plans to spearhead as an alderperson, and that she is gathering feedback from the community about what is needed. ​“I’m going to be supportive of the community and what the community wants,” she said.

“My next step is to put my sneakers on and hit the streets,” Rountree said. In addition to talking to her Ward 26 neighbors, she plans to start attending aldermanic meetings, and learning more about the mayor’s budget. She’s looking into attending Democracy School (which provided an early political education for fellow insurgent candidate Marcus Paca).

Rountree declined to make any specific criticisms of incumbent Sergio Rodriguez. ​“I think he’s a great guy,” Rountree said. ​“This isn’t about Sergio.”

“I can bring the community together,” she said. ​“I’m a community servant.”

Sergio Tours

Not far away, at the corner of Ray Road and Birch Drive, Rodriguez was out on one of his biannual walking tours of his ward on Saturday.

“This is a wonderful ward,” Rodriguez said, pointing out the Jewish families walking home from Sabbath services. To prove his point, and to show off all the improvements he’s brought to his Ward 26, Rodriguez jumped in his Nissan sedan, and embarked on an impromptu tour.

“This has all been paved and re-curbed,” he said proudly, driving down ward streets marked by shiny new cement curbs. Rodriguez beeped and waved to his constituents as he drove by.

Rodriguez, who’s 59, is in his third two-year term as the ward’s alderperson. He lives with his wife and 12 year-old son in a house next door to the mayor’s. Ward 26 is also home to other New Haven political players, like Superintendent of Schools Reggie Mayo and State Sen. Toni Harp.

Rodriguez said that he’s been challenged every reelection year. ​“And I can’t figure out why,” he said, chuckling. ​“I feel like I’m a really good alderman!”

In his six years as alder, Rodriguez said he’s facilitated neighborhood improvements including paving, tree care and the installation of new curbs and sidewalks.

As he cruised the streets of his ward, Rodriguez pointed out the houses where he had helped out his constituents.

“I got a frantic phone call from this person here about his sidewalks,” he said. New sidewalks were being put in, and the homeowner was worried his house wasn’t going to get them. Rodriguez said he went down and talked to the construction foreman, called up public works, and got them to put in sidewalks for his constituent. ​“He was so thrilled,” Rodriguez said.

Sidewalk advocacy is an example of the experience that he brings to the job of alderperson, Rodriguez said. ​“I’ve done it. I’ve done the work.”

Rodriguez pointed out a stack of new curbs on Knollwood Drive, ready to be installed. He pulled the car into the driveway at 220 Knollwood, where Rosalie Berberian, wearing a blue housecoat, was ready to sing his praises.

“He’s wonderful,” said Berberian, who added that she plans to vote for him again. ​“I’m delighted that we’re getting new curbs.”

“And this is just local stuff,” Rodriguez said, in his car. He said that he’s also active as an alderman on citywide issues and pursues an agenda at the state and even the federal level. He mentioned Connecticut Elected Local Leaders Organized (CELLO), an organization of city leaders from Southern Connecticut working together to lobby the state for urban interests. ​“I’m the guy that organized that,” Rodriguez said.

On the federal level, Rodriguez said that he’s been a board member on the National League of Cities for a year and a half. He’s going to Washington D.C. at the end of April to lobby the heads of several committees for more funding for New Haven.

“I love what I do,” said Rodriguez, who counts his listening and interpersonal skills among his strengths as an alder.

Asked if he anticipates a competitive race for the Democratic nomination, Rodriguez said, ​“I always think it’s going to be a tough race.”