Michael Paz, Photography Editor

Kiana Flores ’25, a native New Havener and climate activist, will be the next alder for Ward 1.

Flores, a Democrat, secured the seat at the polls in yesterday’s election, where she received 83 votes. The race was uncontested.

After current alder Alex Guzhnay ’24 announced in July he would not run for reelection, Flores decided to run in Ward 1, which comprises most of Yale’s campus and eight residential colleges. For her, the decision was the logical continuation of her upbringing in New Haven, her study at Yale and her involvement in local organizing and politics in the city. 

“It’s been a long time coming with the different experiences I’ve had at Yale and in high school, growing up in New Haven,” Flores said. “Although many people consider local policy as not very effective or important enough, it really can shape and change lives.”

Flores grew up in Fair Haven, in a predominantly Hispanic immigrant community. During her childhood, local policies — like the Elm City Resident Card created in 2007 — exposed Flores to the power and importance of city government.

At Yale, studying with John DeStefano, a former mayor of New Haven, Flores gained a new understanding of the role of local immigration policies in preventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and ensuring that, regardless of immigration status, foreign residents can access public assistance, like policing. 

As a high school student, Flores co-founded the youth branch of the New Haven Climate Movement. In 2019, she successfully lobbied for the New Haven Board of Alders to pass a climate emergency resolution.

“A lot of the activism [has been] trying to keep the city accountable in making sure that we meet those goals and are continuously working on more progressive legislation around climate change,” Flores said. “[I want] to use my experience with New Haven Сlimate Movement to be able to work on a certain policy around climate change and things like environmental justice.”

Head of the New Haven Climate Movement Chris Schweitzer, who has worked closely with Flores, described her as driven and committed to the New Haven community.

Schweitzer praised her work in passing the 2019 Climate Emergency Resolution, which included organizing public events and getting over 1,000 petitions signed by residents of the city. 

“She is really passionate about social justice and making the world a better place,” Schweitzer said. “She presents as very friendly and humble, but she is also very committed and concerned.”

One of Flores’ climate goals is finding ways to ensure landlords invest in energy-efficient housing for apartment complexes. She hopes to accomplish this by partially shifting the cost of utilities to landlords, both to reduce carbon emissions and to create more affordable living spaces where high electricity and utility bills do not burden the tenants.

Flores also plans to promote the creation of safe sidewalks and bike lanes, which she believes will increase public safety and encourage people to walk or bike instead of driving. Additionally, she plans to advocate for allocating more funds toward climate education. 

Flores has been involved in the Yale College Council on Yale-New Haven relations, where she promoted the city’s resources among students. 

“It can be really easy [for students] to just get trapped in the Yale bubble,” Flores said. “A lot of our work [with YCC] was … to open the doors for [students] to see the amazing cultural diversity of New Haven, the opportunities, the people, the community.”

She expressed the need for continued conversations about the resources and contributions Yale offers to the broader New Haven community, especially focusing on supporting high schoolers with financial barriers to higher education. Flores said that as a Ward 1 alder and native New Havener, she will be positioned to bridge two communities and advocate for increasing Yale’s voluntary contribution.  

Because she ran unopposed, Flores has been able to use the campaign to lay the groundwork for her coming term. 

“What we’ve been trying to do with the campaign is just get familiar with the campus and get familiar with the people, my constituents, regardless of whether they vote in New Haven or not,” Flores said. “[I have been] outlining our policy issues and having conversations with students about those issues preemptively.” 

Flores hopes to create a team of both students and local residents to work on city issues and research potential solutions to them. 

Prior to this campaign, Flores served as a co-chair of the Ward 1 Democratic Town Committee, where she would share her thoughts and ideas on policy solutions with alder Guzhnay.  

Guzhnay expressed confidence that Flores will have enough experience and connections in local politics to push through her policy ideas.

“[She is] someone who understands community, who still … put enough effort and work into the community, and … who can adequately represent the needs of downtown New Haven, but also … know about [broader] city issues,” Guzhnay said of his successor. “I think she’ll do an excellent job.” 

Flores will start her term in January 2024.