Courtesy of Anthony Acri

Three candidates — two Democrats and one candidate representing the Republican and Independent parties — are vying for the alder seat in East Shore’s Ward 18.

Incumbent Sal DeCola, who is in his seventh consecutive term, is not running for reelection.

“I think New Haven is a special place to live,” Democratic candidate Leland Moore, a Connecticut assistant attorney general who has lived in New Haven since 2016, said in an interview.

Moore, who won the Democratic primary election in September with the Democratic Town Committee’s endorsement, said he has based his campaign on advocacy and community outreach.

“I built my platform based on what I kept hearing over and over again,” he added. “People want an advocate, someone who picks up the phone.”

Republican candidate Anthony Acri, who has also been endorsed by the Independent Party, said that he has seen “lots of changes” in Morris Cove in the 20 years he has lived there.

“The changes have not been for the better,” he said.

Acri said Morris Cove and the city as a whole have untapped potential.

“New Haven should be the gem of the state of Connecticut. It’s got the airport. It’s got the train station. It’s got the harbor. It’s got Yale, the university, the museum. If New Haven should be the gem of the state of Connecticut, the Cove should be — it was — the gem of the city of New Haven,” Acri said.

Acri described Ward 18 as overlooked “like the stepchild” of New Haven, pointing to the Cove’s infrastructure and limited police presence.

He said he would have a “pretty strong voice” as a Republican alder in an overwhelmingly Democratic city. A Republican has not served on the Board of Alders since 2011.

“So I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to working with the mayor and the other alders when I get in,” he said.

Zelema Harris, a pension analyst and accountant, is running for alder as a petitioning candidate. Harris remained in the race after falling short in the primary election against Moore.

Harris told the News in a phone interview that Ward 18, which encompasses the Morris Cove neighborhood across the New Haven Harbor from downtown, was “evolving.”

“It’s becoming more diverse. It’s not the same community that it used to be, but you also want to keep the foundation of the community that it was founded on,” she said.

Harris stressed the importance of building connections beyond the Cove.

“You don’t want an alder who doesn’t know New Haven. Because people don’t realize that your surrounding parts affect your part,” she said.

Harris said she found it difficult to reach voters.

“I don’t think that it was really easy to get my name out. I don’t think that everybody wants to hear it because they’ve already made up their mind based on who they know,” she said.

All three candidates agreed that Tweed New Haven Airport is a major issue for voters.

“For me the biggest issue is the airport. The airport has dramatically changed life around here —  I’ve lived here for 35 years,” Carolyn Rostkowski, a Ward 18 resident who lives only a block from the airport, said.

DeCola, she said, has done little.

“DeCola hasn’t done anything. If anything, he’s enabled what’s happened down the street,” she said.

DeCola did not reply to the News’ repeated requests for comment.

Residents complained about noise, traffic and travelers parking on residential streets.

“Look at the chaos,” Anthony Reckart, who lives only a few houses away from the airport, said.

Airport-goers often park in front of Reckart’s home to rearrange luggage and figure out directions, despite the sign in front of his house saying that permits are required, he said.

Harris told the News that she worries that Morris Cove residents will start to move away because of disturbances from the airport.

“The Cove is a beautiful area, but if you think about it, people are gonna be forced out of their homes because of either high taxes or because the structures of their houses are shaking because of the vibration of the airplane,” she said.

Moore told the News that he plans to be an advocate for the community when it comes to “the quality of life issues that Tweed is causing.”

“I think the question is, what is Tweed’s plan to mitigate its impact on our community?” Moore said.

Acri described the airport as “good for a lot of people,” but also noted that it has brought traffic and noise.

“Streets need repair, sidewalks need repair. People are flying down the street to make their planes at the airport, so we have speed issues,” he said.

Acri said that it was the city’s responsibility to deal with issues caused by the airport. “The city needs to be more involved. It’s not the airport’s problem to provide traffic control or police. It’s the city,” he said.

Tweed New Haven Airport has plans to construct a new 84,000 square-foot East Terminal.