Maya McFadden Photo
Ward 26 Democratic Co-Chair Sharon Jones reads aloud votes (center) alongside Co-Chair Amy Marx (at right) as Marx’s son Jacob keeps tally.
Upper Westville Democrats voted in favor of a second mayoral term for incumbent Mayor Justin Elicker in a ward-level straw poll Wednesday evening.
The nonbinding vote, by members of the Ward 26 Democratic committee, took place at the pavilion at Edgewood Park.
Elicker picked up 26 votes from members of committee. Democratic challenger Karen DuBois-Walton picked up 12 votes.
Westville committee members cast their votes Wednesday.
Ward 26 Democratic Committee Endorsement
Posted by New Haven Independent on Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Both Elicker and DuBois-Walton stood quietly in the back of the crowd during the vote.
Elicker has won most of the ward committee votes that have taken place so far. These votes serve as recommendations for each ward’s two chairs, who will participate in a July 27 citywide Democratic Party nominating convention.
Before members cast their recommendation votes for a mayoral candidate, the committee passed three motions for the two co-chairs, Amy Marx and Sharon Jones, to cast votes in favor of the uncontested candidacies this year of City Clerk Michael Smart, Ward 26 Alder Darryl Brackeen, Jr., and Board of Education Secretary Edward Joyner at the city party’s convention.
Jones and Marx triple count number voters and ballots casted.
The Wednesday gathering was the ward committee’s first time in-person meeting since the start of the pandemic.
“This is democracy and progress,” said Jones.
Sentiment: Give 1st Termers A Chance
Edgewood native and city employee Corey Evans (pictured above) added that the uncontested positions remain so because the three seat holders are “pillars of New Haven” whose “work speaks for itself.”
Evans opted not to share whom he voted for Wednesday for mayor. He said he decided on the candidate who he feels will help curb the rising violence in the city.
John Heuttnur, who has lived in New Haven for the past 38 years (pictured above), was not completely set on a mayoral candidate prior to the meeting. He described having “mixed feelings.” He had experience as a former employee of the city who worked often with DuBois-Walton, who served as executive director of the housing authority, mayoral chief of state, and city chief administrative officer. On the other hand, Heuttnur said, he feels “Elicker has done some very good things” during his first term.
Environmental Advisory Council Chair Laura Cahn (pictured above) also chose not to disclose her mayoral vote.
Cahn added that she believes mayoral terms should be for four years rather than two. “It’s hard to get anything done in just two years,” she said. “I would like to see how anyone does in more than two year terms and not during a pandemic.”
Chairs Marx and Jones are not bound to vote at the convention as the committee members recommended Wednesday. The duo agreed the recommendation will be “under advisement” but did not say how they plan to vote at the convention.
They were both ward committee chairs in 2013 when Elicker faced Toni Harp for mayor. Marx favored Elicker, Jones, Harp. Elicker won 73 percent of the ward committee vote that year. So Jones cast a vote at the convention for Elicker, even though she supported Harp. The question this year is how she will act based on a 68 percent vote for Elicker.
The machine at work in Edgewood Park. Don't be deceived by the sight of the sun and fresh air - the decisions are still made out of sight in a dark smokey room. This is nothing more than theatre.