I first came to New Haven when I was 17 years old. Since then, I have built a community of friendships I know will last a lifetime, filled community meetings with my neighbors, and have been inspired by many heroes throughout our city. I am proud to call New Haven home.
For the last 15 years, I have worked alongside many of my neighbors to advocate for issues that impact us in New Haven. In 2016, I co-founded Collab to reduce barriers for New Haven residents to start a business and create local jobs — which supports hundreds of entrepreneurs annually in neighborhoods across the city. I have also been on the founding teams of volunteer initiatives like New Haven Bike Month, which has brought neighbors across the city together to advocate for safe streets and sidewalks for all, and AAPI New Haven, a local group that supports the growing Asian community in New Haven.
Two years ago when I was elected, I shared with you what I wanted this term to be all about: Bringing people together — who live in our city, care about our city, and love our city — around tackling the challenges we face head on and imagining a future for New Haven that is worth fighting for. And I am so proud of what we've done together:
We’ve brought people together around a vision of economic development that invests in people and neighborhoods: By securing $160,000 for Grand Avenue Special Services District, co-hosting the massive Fair Haven Day Festival, and launching permitting City Office Hours to make the permitting process easier for all neighborhood entrepreneurs. In this last year, SIX businesses opened on Upper State Street.
We’ve brought people together around supporting New Haven's brilliant youth and building pathways to reach their dreams: By launching an Alder For a Day program with JUNTA and the Mill River Park Youth Design Team for youth to build skills in civic urban planning, and partnering with other Alders to advocate at a state level for a historic investment in our schools.
And we’ve not been afraid to bring people together around bold ideas: By building the Lawrence Street Plaza pilot to implement creative solutions to making streets safer, securing a $2M grant to reimagine I-91 with a focus on affordable housing, make our streets safer, and transforming a history of pain in our city to a future of promise, and — in response to the federal government — building coalitions among many to reaffirm our city's commitment to the dignity, rights, and culture of love and care for all neighbors.
I am running for reelection to continue to bring us together around tackling the challenges we face as a city head on — and imagining a future for New Haven that is worth fighting for: where every single neighbor can live a life of safety, opportunity, and purpose.
I believe New Haven can be a model for a government that is a visible, effective, and trusted force for good in people’s lives. And that starts with making government work better for people: I want to make it easier for neighbors to get permits to build impactful small businesses, make it easier to have outdoor dining and other activities we love and increase safety, and make it easier for community members to host block parties and events in public space that bring neighbors together.
I believe New Haven can be truly excellent and visionary about the core of what city government is for: safe neighborhoods, excellent schools, and quality sidewalks and streets. I want to continue to move forward a vision and strategy of safer streets in Ward 9 and in every neighborhood — especially around schools, hospitals, and community centers — and work in a broad coalition to bring partners together around a historic investments in our schools, such that we look back ten years from now with pride of how far we and our youth have come.
And I believe New Haven can be the leader in tackling loneliness, isolation, and division head on. This year, when hate has come our way trying to drive us apart — how did New Haven neighbors respond? New Haven said no to hate, and yes to love. I believe our ability to lock arms is intimately tied to knowing one another, having a stake in each other. And I want to invest in the many, many ways that we can bring community together, have neighbors know each other, and continue to invest in a spirit of trust, service, relentless love in New Haven.
As I have told you before: I love New Haven, but I also believe in New Haven. And the primary driver of that consistent, relentless belief is because of you — New Havener’s that bring wisdom, experience, and energy to build towards a future we can get excited about and we can believe in.
I have been truly honored to serve you for the last two years. And I am so excited for what’s to come!
Warmly,
Caroline
