NEW HAVEN, Conn — Tuesday afternoon Tom Goldenberg, a West Haven native who moved to the East Rock neighborhood of New Haven four years ago, filed paperwork to become an official Democratic candidate in the race for mayor.
“I am announcing my candidacy for mayor of New Haven as a Democrat,” he said at the city clerk’s office Tuesday.
Most recently a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, Goldenberg said he’s running on a platform of improving public education, affordable housing and racial equity.
“I can’t help but see the potential that New Haven has to achieve growth that benefits all of the city,” said Goldenberg.
Incumbent mayor Justin Elicker filed his paperwork to seek a third term earlier this month. He said he’s excited about the city’s progress over the past three years and he wants a third term to build on it.
“People want to be real about the challenges we face and also have someone that isn’t going to sugarcoat things but get things done,” Elicker said.
Two of the biggest challenges in New Haven are education and crime.
“I think if you look right now at our public education, it is a crisis,” said Goldenberg. “I will be hands-on and active with school leadership to make sure we have the rigor, the transparency and the accountability that we deserve.”
Goldenberg cited chronic absenteeism and low test scores, something Elicker said the city is already trying to combat.
“We submitted to the Board of Alders just this past week a proposal to use $3 million of American Rescue Plan funding to improve literacy and math scores with after-school and summer tutoring, so that’s something I think that’s really exciting for our young people,” added Elicker.
When it comes to crime, New Haven's homicide rate is declining, but both Goldenberg and Elicker said safety is a top priority.
“I would look to focus particularly on preventive measures to disrupt cycles of crime and violence,” Goldenberg said.
“We’re not going to be able to solve crime simply through policing, right? We’re going to solve crime by doing more investing in our communities,” continued Elicker.
This is not Elicker's first time running in a primary. New Haven's voter base is mainly Democrat and Elicker faced challengers in his past bids for the mayor’s office.
The 2023 field is expected to expand, with other Democrats possibly announcing in the new year ahead of the September primary.
Emma Wulfhorst is a political reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at ewulfhorst@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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