It’s almost over.
More than seven months after he began his quest to fill the vacant seat of departing Ward 1 Alderman Julio Gonzalez ’99, Ben Healey ’04 is on the brink of finally winning a two-year term on the Board of Aldermen.
Healey became interim Ward 1 alderman in July after the early resignation of Gonzalez, who decided to devote his time to managing the re-election campaign of Mayor John DeStefano Jr. Healey faced no opposition in the Sept. 11 Democratic primary, and he is not being challenged by a Republican or Green party candidate in the Nov. 6 general election.
Ward 1 encompasses Old Campus and eight of Yale’s residential colleges, and a Yale undergraduate has traditionally served as alderman.
Healey entered the race as an underdog, but he beat out Michael Montano ’03 and Lex Paulson ’02 for the Democratic ward committee nomination last February.
The Republican Town Committee nominated Brian Palmer ’03 to run for alderman on the GOP ticket but, he said said he will not seek the position. Town Committee chairman Melissa Papanotones said no other Republican has come forward.
The November election will also feature a rematch between Green Party Alderman John Halle and Democrat Alex Marathas, in East Rock’s Ward 9. Halle won a special election in July to replace Gerry Garcia ’94 SOM ’01, becoming New Haven’s first third-party alderman ever.
In the Dwight neighborhood’s Ward 2, Democratic Alderman Linda Townsend-Meier will take on Joyce Chen ’01 of the Green Party. David Watts DIV ’03, who lost to Townsend-Meier in the primary, has said he will back Chen. Townsend-Meier was appointed this summer to replace Jelani Lawson ’96, who resigned to attend law school.
In Ward 7, which includes Davenport and Pierson colleges, Democratic incumbent Dolores Colon ’91 will face Republican Clifford Templeton. A special election to temporarily replace Esther Armmand was called off in June when only Colon stepped forward as a candidate.