Yale Daily News

With 2019 elections on the horizon, constituents of Ward 8 will have to vote not once, but twice this year to determine their representative after their alder, Aaron Greenberg GRD ’19, resigned Tuesday.

Greenberg, who had served on the Board of Alders since 2014, wrote in an email to his constituents that he had submitted his resignation from the position to Mayor Toni Harp earlier that day. Greenberg, who came to New Haven as a graduate student, was active in New Haven politics prior to his time on the board — he was a chair of Local 33, Yale’s graduate student union. Greenberg submitted his resignation because he has accepted an offer to teach at Deep Springs College in California and will be leaving New Haven. Because Greenberg has not yet filled 18 of the 24 total months of his term, a special election will be held to fill his seat before all 30 seats on the Board of Alders are up for election again in the fall.

“The board has made important strides in addressing the priories laid out in its legislative agenda — good jobs, public safety and youth services,” Greenberg told the News. “Income inequality, access to good jobs and access to high quality, affordable housing remain crises.”

Greenberg announced in his email to constituents that he was looking forward to the opportunity that Deep Springs presented. The school, located in eastern California, is a small, isolated community that provides a two-year education post-high school in addition to the experience of working on a cattle ranch.

Greenberg is currently listed as a graduate student in political science in the class of 2019. During his time on the Board of Alders representing the neighborhood of Wooster Square, he has taken the lead on a number of issues. He was recently the mediator of the board’s Affordable Housing Task Force and cited accomplishments in community improvements as well as the city’s environment in his email to constituents.

As chair of Local 33, Greenberg led the effort to unionize Yale’s graduate students. Local 33 is part of a larger umbrella organization called UNITE HERE — one of the city’s strongest political actors. Greenberg has received both praise and criticism for his work with local unions.

Greenberg told the News that he was specifically proud of the work that has done in conjunction with local activists and colleagues on the Board of Alders.

Ward 1 Alder Hacibey Catalbasoglu ’19 told the News that he was excited for Greenberg to begin his academic career after “a long time coming.” Catalbasoglu interacted with Greenberg in the latter’s capacity as the chair of the Board of Alders Education Committee.

Greenberg will remain in New Haven until the end of the month. Election procedures for his replacement have not been announced yet, but Greenberg told the News that he was committed to ensuring his replacement will serve the ward and city well.

Mayoral spokesman Laurence Grotheer told the News that Harp was “grateful to Alder Greenberg for the dedicated time, energy and ideas contributed to the city of New Haven.”

Greenberg was elected to his third term as alder in 2017.

Angela Xiao | angela.xiao@yale.edu .