Courtesy of Elias Theodore

For the first time in more than a decade, New Haven’s downtown Ward 1 could see a three-way race for the Democratic nomination. 

On Friday, Elias Theodore ’27 officially filed to run for alder.

“I will probably say this many times, but I just absolutely love New Haven,” Theodore said in an interview. “I take so much pride in being someone who grew up here, and I want to work towards a better future for the city in any way that I can.”

Theodore is running against Jake Siesel ’27, who announced his candidacy in mid-April, and Rhea McTiernan Huge ’27, who joined the race a month later and picked up the endorsement of current Ward 1 Alder Kiana Flores.

Just a couple of years ago, Theodore was wrapping up a two-year stint as captain of the baseball team at Wilbur Cross High School, New Haven’s largest high school. 

A self-described “student of the city” who grew up playing ball at East Rock Park and running “through every single neighborhood,” Theodore’s interest in New Haven has guided his approach to academics at Yale, he said, which is why he is majoring in urban studies. 

Theodore moved to New Haven’s East Rock neighborhood at age six. He first attended the Foote School, and then went to high school at Wilbur Cross. Theodore said that growing up in New Haven has given him a unique perspective as a prospective alder.

“I think I have a sense of the most resourced places and the least, and the gaps that need to be filled,” Theodore explained. 

He first began to understand the substantial role the Board of Alders plays in shaping the Elm City in his senior year of high school. Testifying before the board with his classmates about the sorry state of their athletic fields, he was struck, he said, by the “really democratic process” at City Hall, one based on input from the community. 

Since then, “this opportunity has always been in the back of my mind,” Theodore said. “I just really admired what [the alders] did — how they listened and how they thought about the city.”

Theodore is entering the race late in the game, at least compared to Siesel and McTiernan Huge, but he “felt no major rush” to throw his hat into the ring. He added that he took time to decide to run for the role, which he described as a “massive commitment.”

While Theodore holds several roles on campus — college aide, writing tutor, First-year Outdoor Orientation Trips leader — he does not think he is “the most overcommitted person.” 

“Part of the reflecting I did was, ‘Am I willing to go all in on being alder?’ And the answer is yes,” Theodore said. 

A three-pronged campaign

Theodore is running on three pillars.

First — and perhaps unsurprisingly, given that Ward 1 is composed primarily of Yale property — he is focused on Yale–New Haven relations.

Top of mind for Theodore is the university’s voluntary contribution to the city. In 2021, Yale agreed to pay New Haven $135 million over six years to help offset the lost property tax revenue from Yale’s tax-exempt real estate. That deal will expire in mid-2026, during the next Ward 1 alder’s term. 

“This city needs a Ward 1 alder who will push Yale to do the right thing and start giving more,” Theodore said. “And I feel just really compelled to do that work. Progress needs to happen incrementally, but it’s pretty incredible to imagine what $10 or $20 million would do for the New Haven Public Schools each year, or $10 or $20 million invested in affordable housing each year.”

Theodore is also focused on making Chapel Street and downtown more welcoming to New Haveners. 

A second element of his campaign is the New Haven Green, half of which lies within Ward 1.

“There’s a lot of talk about development on the Green, and I want to be a part of making sure that the development is thoughtful, and considers all of the complex factors that make up the Green,” Theodore said. 

Theodore’s third pillar is affordable housing — an acute concern in a city with the eighth most competitive rental market in the country. He emphasized “small actionable changes” — reuse of industrial zones, for instance, or revisions to rules requiring parking at new developments. 

Echoing a focus of his competitors, Theodore said that he would aim to bridge the long-standing town-gown divide. He hopes to be “a force” who engages Yalies in New Haven — someone any student can text and ask how to get involved. 

If elected, he said, he hopes to organize runs through the city and help students speak before the Board of Alders and the Board of Education. 

The ​​Board of Alders’ complicated, often bureaucratic legislative process can present a steep learning curve. Theodore said he plans to attend each of the Board’s meetings upon his return to Yale. He added that Ward 10 Alder Anna Festa — the mother of a high school friend — has been “a huge help.”

Festa is confident Theodore would make a good alder. 

“He understands the process,” she told the News. “He understands the dynamics and some of the challenges of town and gown. I think he’s a person that could probably help continue to build those bridges. I will support him, and I think he’d be a great addition to the Board of Alders. I’m here to guide him — and any youth who is interested in the process.” 

Candidates hopeful that three-way race will invigorate electorate 

Ward 1’s voter turnout has long been lackluster. In 2023, when 991 people were eligible, 106 cast their ballot. Theodore hopes that a contested, three-way election — which he deemed “incredibly exciting” — will invigorate the electorate. 

“​​I will be so proud, if anything, if this race yields more engagement in the city,” Theodore said. “More so now than ever, it’s important to get engaged with local politics. I hope people are feeling inspired to vote and to follow things, with all of these horrific attacks from the federal government.” 

McTiernan-Huge, a fellow Wilbur Cross alum, echoed this sentiment.

“It’s certainly exciting to see such interest in working towards a thriving New Haven,” she wrote to the News. She is hopeful that Theodore’s entrance into the race “will promote greater civic engagement with the city, especially from Yale students.”

Siesel, who is from Charlotte, NC, and a self-described “outsider” to New Haven politics, was similarly cheerful about Theodore’s decision to run. 

“Elias and I are great friends, and I commend him for joining the race. This election is bigger than all of us as candidates,” Siesel wrote to the News. “I am fighting to redefine how Yale and New Haven work together as partners, advocates and friends. The more people we can engage in that mission, the better.”

In New Haven, aldermanic candidates do not automatically qualify for the Democratic primary ballot. This summer, the local Democratic party will convene to formally endorse one candidate in each race, securing their ballot spot. Candidates who do not receive this endorsement can collect signatures from eligible voters in their ward to petition for a line on the primary ballot.

Ward 1’s Democratic primary, which will be held on Sept. 9, may be the district’s first contested Democratic primary since 2015, when Sarah Eidelson ’12, running for her third term, faced upstart challenger Fish Stark ’17. 

If all three candidates make it to the ballot, it would be the first three-way primary in almost two decades since 2009, when Michael Jones ’11 defeated Katie Harrison ’11 and Minh Tran ’09. 

Correction, June 26: A previous version of this article cited an outdated statistic on the competitiveness of New Haven’s rental market. New Haven’s rental market is currently tied for eighth most competitive in the country, according to a study by RentCafe.