Walker-Myers Wins 3rd Term As Board Prez

Strong. Respectful. Dedicated. Decisive.

Those are among the words of praise that local legislators used to describe West River Alder Tyisha Walker-Myers before unanimously and enthusiastically reelecting her for a third term as the board’s president.

Walker-Myers earned another two years as the head of the Board of Alders Tuesday night during a leadership vote that took place at the regular bimonthly full board meeting in the Aldermanic Chambers on the second floor of City Hall.

The board’s first female president and a chief steward with Yale’s blue-collar Local 35 union, Walker-Myers first ascended to the local legislature’s top spot in April 2015 after longtime Board President Jorge Perez stepped down to become the state’s banking commissioner. She won reelection in both 2016 and 2018.

During her first two-and-a-half terms as board president, the alders have amped up pressure on Yale University to stick to its local hiring commitment made with New Haven Rising and Locals 34 and 35.

The board convened an Affordable Housing Task Force, and created a yet-to-be-impaneled new, permanent Affordable Housing Commission.

Walker-Myers played a key role in negotiating and throwing her political support behind Yale New Haven Hospital’s planned new $838 million neuroscience center and St. Raphael campus expansion in the West River and Dwight neighborhoods.

The board has also come under criticism during her tenure for passing former Mayor Toni Harp’s 11 percent tax increase in 2018 and for struggling to contain persistent budget deficits in police and fire overtime.

On Tuesday night, alder after alder took the mic to laud Walker-Myers for her unwavering commitment to the city, the board, her colleagues and her constituents.

Each described her as having a no-nonsense personality, of being straightforward and unafraid to voice her mind. Each also described her as having a tireless work ethic, of being respectful of those she disagrees with and of ​“wearing her heart on her sleeve.”

“Her dedication to the board has been absolutely phenomenal,” Board of Alders Majority Leader and Amity/Westville Alder Richard Furlow said during his nomination of Walker-Myers for another term as president.

“You’ve worked tirelessly,” said Dwight Alder Frank Douglass. ​“I don’t know where you get the strength and the time to absorb the knowledge that you have. But you’ve always got the answers, and I commend you for that.”

“I just want to thank you for being you,” added Newhallville Alder Delphine Clyburn (pictured), ​“and for your strength, and that incredible integrity.”

“She’s strong,” Beaver Hills Alder and Local 35 Vice President Brian Wingate said. ​“She’s dedicated. And I support her 100 percent.”

Downtown Alder Abby Roth, one of the few alders who has broken with leadership and the majority of her colleagues in voting against the approved budgets each of the past two years, also stood up to praise the board’s president for always listening and taking seriously dissenting opinions.

She described Walker-Myers as straightforward, decisive, and extremely hardworking. ​“She respects views that are different from hers,” Roth added. ​“I’m honored to vote in support of her continued strong leadership.”

East Rock Alder Anna Festa, another budget watchdog and frequent financial dissenter, also cast her vote and enthusiastic support for Walker-Myers. ​“Even though she comes across with this rough, tough demeanor, she’s got a heart of gold,” Festa said. ​“We often will agree to disagree. We don’t agree on everything. But the level of respect that she has for everyone in this room and City Hall demonstrates her leadership skills.”

After her unanimous reelection, Walker-Myers vowed to her colleagues that she will continue fighting for the same issues — affordable housing, equal access to quality jobs for all New Haveners — that she has fought for during her tenure in leadership to date.

“I’m not the most sensitive person, I guess,” she said. ​“But I do wear my heart on my sleeve, because I care a lot, not just about this board, but about the city that I grew up in and that I’m raising my family in.”

The board also reelected Jeanette Morrison as president pro tem. It elected Sal DeCola as ​“third officer,” another leadership position. Richard Furlow was previously reelected at a party caucus as majority leader.