Yash Roy, Contributing Photographer

Officer Michael Hinton, who joined the NHPD in 2014, died Sunday night after a year-and-a-half long struggle with cancer.

Monday evening, the New Haven Board of Alders unanimously passed a resolution commemorating his service to the city and presented the framed resolution to Hinton’s widow and two children. 

The Board also welcomed Claudia Herrera to their ranks following the resignation of Charles Decker GRD ’19 from Ward 9 after he moved out of the ward. Decker resigned at the end of August, and a special election was scheduled for Oct. 16, but Herrera was the only candidate who stepped forward. 

Honoring Hinton

“Officer Hinton was an integral part of our city. He served tirelessly, and this city and board thank him for his service,” Quinnipiac Meadows Alder and retired former city police Capt Gerald Antunes said. “God called him to his service, and this city will miss him.” 

Hinton is survived by his wife Veva Alvarez and two children, four-year-old Michael Hinton and seven-year-old Nora Hinton.

Hinton’s wife spoke outside of the Aldermanic chamber and thanked the family members, friends and roughly two dozen officers, including Police Chief Karl Jacobson, who came to commemorate Hinton. 

“Thank you all for coming,” Alvarez said. “I wanted our kids to see how important Michael was to this city and department and to show them both our family and his NHPD family.”

A GoFundMe created to raise funds for the family has so far raised roughly $31,000 dollars.  

“Officer Hinton was a dedicated husband, father of two and friend of many,” a social media post from NHPD reads. “He joined the Police Department in 2014. Officer Hinton inspired us all with his unwavering positive spirit and selfless dedication to his work and family.” 

Herrera replaces Decker

Herrera has lived in Ward 9, which includes part of East Rock and Fair Haven, for more than 20 years and raised her family in the ward as a single mother. In her new position, she said that she hopes to improve the quality of life of her ward and across the city. 

“I’ve been a community advocate for 20 years, and I want to continue making a difference for my constituents,” Herrera told the News. “My most important issue is improving quality of life both on the safety side and environmentally for my ward. 

During her time in Ward 9, Herrera has worked to improve the environmental conditions of Fair Haven and East Rock, collaborating with the Urban Renewal Initiative to utilize abandoned spaces and plant trees to improve the area’s environment. 

She also hopes to work with the NHPD to improve public safety in her area. 

She served as Ward 9’s Democratic Town Committee co-chair before assuming her aldermanic position. Each of the 30 wards in the city has two Democratic Town Committee co-chairs who are integral to deciding the internal party decision of who will serve on the Board of Alders. All 30 alders are Democrats in New Haven. 

Her predecessor Charles Decker was originally elected in 2017 after serving as vice president of Graduate Student Workers Union Local 33. Decker resigned after moving out of the Ward on August 31. 

The city charter required an election no later than six weeks after the original resignation date. However, no candidate except Herrera stepped forward, so no election was held. 

This is the second time this year where there has not been a contested election for a vacant ward position. In the summer, Ward 28 Alder Thomas Ficklin took his seat after the resignation of Alder Shafiq Abdussabur. 

The New Haven Board of Alders has 30 members.