Election season in New Haven will now stretch into April with yet another special election — this time to find a replacement for Gary Holder-Winfield in the Connecticut House.
Holder-Winfield was elected to the 10th District State Senate seat at the end of February, filling the position vacated by Mayor Toni Harp at the start of the year. His win leaves open his seat in the House, where he has represented the 94th assembly district for five years.
Acting on his duty to set up a special election within ten days of a vacancy, Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy scheduled the election to fill Holder-Winfield’s seat for April 24. So far, three candidates have expressed interest in the seat, which covers a slice of New Haven and the southern end of Hamden.
Former New Haven Alder Charles Blango has committed to running. Two others are weighing candidacies, the New Haven Register reported. Both are residents of Hamden: Berita Rowe-Lewis, an at-large Hamden Council member, and Rey Harp, the brother-in-law of Mayor Harp.
Also on the horizon is a March 17 special election for the Ward 7 seat on the New Haven Board of Alders, vacated by Doug Hausladen ’04. Two candidates are running: Democrat Abby Roth ’90 LAW ’94, an administrator at the Yale School of Management, and Republican Paul Phillipino, who works at the Catholic fraternal service organization Knights of Columbus.