While the Ward 1 aldermanic candidates clamor for votes on Yale’s campus, the race for Ward 22 can afford to run at a more relaxed pace.

After two years in the seat, Ward 22 Alderman Greg Morehead said Wednesday he will not decide until mid-April whether he will seek another term in office. Meanwhile, Ward 22 Democratic Committee Co-Chairwoman Cordelia Thorpe said she plans to run in the upcoming race and will consider running as an Independent. She has run for the position unsuccessfully in the last two aldermanic elections.

Community organizer and housing administrator Lisa Hopkins, who ran in the Ward 22 special election in 2007, could not be reached for comment.

In her upcoming campaign, Thorpe said, she hopes to represent the concerns and interests of Ward 22 residents — a responsibility she said she believes Morehead has not fulfilled so far.

“We could have an inclusive ward, which includes Yale students and community people, and have adequate representation of what the voters of Ward 22 really want,” Thorpe said.

The boundaries of Ward 22 include Ezra Stiles, Morse, Silliman and Timothy Dwight colleges, as well as Swing Space.

Morehead, who is currently serving his second term as alderman, cited family issues — specifically that his wife is now expecting their fourth child — as casting doubt over his political future. But whoever sits in the seat come 2010 must have an intimate understanding of the views and opinions of Ward residents, Morehead said, adding that he is not certain Thorpe possesses that understanding.

“What I can say is this: I’ve been out there, and residents have seen my face and seen what I’ve been doing in the community,” Morehead said. “You can’t come at the last minute and say, ‘I’m here — here’s coffee and donuts.’ It doesn’t work like that.”

Though the Yale College Democrats do not endorse in the primaries, President Sarah Turbow ’10 said the Dems would likely host a debate with the Ward 22 candidates closer to the election, though that will depend on who ultimately runs for the seat. Turbow said the Dems are trying to encourage student involvement in aldermanic processes in both wards.

“We want to make sure that all people in Ward 22 are as involved in the political process as the students in Ward 1,” Turbow said.

Unlike Ward 1, which holds a pre-primary in April to cater to the Yale academic calendar, the Ward 22 Democratic primary will take place September 15 with general municipal elections Nov. 3.