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T H E O L D E ST C O L L E G E DA I LY · FO U N D E D 1 8 7 8

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT · WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2013 · VOL. CXXXVI, NO. 47 · yaledailynews.com

HARP ELECTED MAYOR

KEN YANAGISAWA/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Toni Harp ARC ’78 speaks to a crowd of energetic supporters at Kelly’s Restaurant & Bar on Crown Street. She will be inaugurated as the first female mayor of New Haven in January. BY ISAAC STANLEY-BECKER STAFF REPORTER Toni Harp ARC ’78 will be New Haven’s next mayor — and the first female chief executive in the city’s history. Riding a wave of support from her decisive victory in September’s Democratic primary, Harp surpassed a final hurdle

on Tuesday when she defeated petitioning Independent candidate Justin Elicker FES ’10 SOM ’10 to become the Elm City’s 50th mayor. The general election concluded a 10-month race that once featured a record seven Democratic candidates. Harp drew 10,602 votes to Elicker’s 8,865 on Tuesday, securing her claim to the may-

or’s office with 54.66 percent of the vote. When she takes office on Jan. 1, 2014, she will be the city’s first new leader in 20 years, succeeding outgoing mayor John DeStefano Jr. “Together we’ll take on the impossible,” Harp said in victory remarks addressed to nearly 200 supporters crowded into Kelly’s Restaurant and Bar

Eidelson reelected in Ward 1

on Crown Street, as she reiterated the priorities that have defined her candidacy: jobs, education and public safety. “You will be included. You will have a place at the table. You will be heard,” she added. Harp, who has served as a Connecticut state senator for the past 20 years, and as a New Haven alderwoman before that,

ascended to the mayor’s office with broad backing from Democratic leaders across the city and the state, including senior members of Connecticut’s Washington delegation and a vast majority of city lawmakers on the New Haven Board of Aldermen. Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy introduced the mayor-elect, hailing her as a

champion of New Haven in the state legislature. Harp lost no time articulating the historic dimensions of her victory. “Wait, listen, hear that sound. That is the sound of a glass ceiling shattering,” she said to shouts and cheers from the energetic crowd. SEE HARP PAGE 4

Elicker optimistic in defeat BY MAREK RAMILO STAFF REPORTER After conceding defeat in Tuesday’s mayoral election, Justin Elicker FES ’10 SOM ’10 remained resolute in his desire for a redefined New Haven. Toni Harp ARC ’78 racked up 54.66 percent of the city vote to Elicker’s 45.34 percent on her way to becoming the Elm City’s first female mayor. Elicker’s post-poll party at BAR pizza on Crown Street hosted over 100 campaign team members, volunteers and supporters. Elicker, who ran as an Independent candidate against Democratic Harp and spent the day going to polling places throughout the city to greet voters, entered the restaurant to cheers and chants of his name at around 9 p.m., minutes after the final vote tally had been announced. After congratulating Harp, Elicker used his speech to encourage his supporters to conSEE ELICKER PAGE 4

BRIANNA LOO/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Justin Elicker FES ’10 SOM ’10 lost in the mayoral race with 45 percent of the vote.

Yalies react to election results KATHRYN CRANDALL/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Sarah Eidelson ’12 will serve a second term as Alderwoman for Ward 1.

BY POOJA SALHOTRA AND ISAAC STANLEY-BECKER STAFF REPORTERS Incumbent Ward 1 Alderwoman Sarah Eidelson ’12 overcame Republican challenger Paul Chandler ’14 on Tuesday evening to secure a second term on the Board of Aldermen. Eidelson won 513 votes to Chandler’s 285 in a ward where registered

De m o c ra ts outnumber registered Republicans eight-and-a-half to one. The race, which saw voter turnout diminish from the 2011 election, ignited a debate over the role of the Ward 1 representative. Defining himself in opposition to Eidelson, Chandler centered his pitch on his status as SEE EIDELSON PAGE 8

BY POOJA SALHOTRA CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Amidst last night’s victory parties for newly elected mayor Toni Harp ARC ’78 and Ward 1 Alderwoman Sarah Eidelson ’12, Yale students expressed mixed reactions to the results of an election that altered New Haven’s political landscape. The municipal elections included a contested aldermanic competition between

incumbent Eidelson and Republican Paul Chandler ’14, in a ward which consists primarily of Yalies. This race between two Yale-affiliates brought a number of students to the Ward 1 polling site at the New Haven Free Public Library, but did not encourage a large voter turnout in areas outside of Ward 1. As of last week, 52.69 percent of eligible student voters at Yale did not plan to vote in the elections, according to a

survey conducted by the News. Students who did decide to vote in the election said that the results would largely define Yale-New Haven relations. “This election is perhaps even more important than the presidential election because this will directly shape what goes on in the city,” Elicker supporter Rafi Bildner ’16 said. “It’s the first time in two decades that we have an opportunity to really change city politics and

it could be the most important election that Yale students ever vote in.” Student volunteers for Eidelson’s campaign also said that the results of the election would impact the city’s trajectory. Alex Lew ’15, who spent the entire day campaigning for Eidelson, said that by voting, students showed that they care SEE REACTIONS PAGE 8


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