Alum challenges resident in aldermanic election

Peter Stein, DC '99, Independent aldermanic candidate for the 22nd Ward, sees himself as a dedicated member of the Dixwell community. A political enthusiast for as long as he can remember, Stein said he "fell in love with New Haven" while doing volunteer work in Dixwell. He says he wants to transform "residents' frustration with the Democratic machine" into a newfound faith in political involvement.

His opponent, incumbent Grace Gibbs, is unconvinced of Stein's deep bond with the community. "Peter Stein has been in this neighborhood for a couple of years, and he wants to come in and fix everything? Where do you get that kind of nerve?" Gibbs said. She added that many New Haven residents were resentful of Yale students who come in with "magic wands" and don't plan to stay around. "[Stein] comes from Trumbull, Conn.—he should look to his own neighborhood first. I know that I would not just be able to walk into Trumbull and run for a political position," she said.

Yet Stein says the residents of the 22nd Ward are extremely receptive to his campaign, and that he did not even consider running until residents encouraged him to do it. "I'm in New Haven for good," Stein said."I love this city; this is where I want to live."

Since July, Stein has been trying to show Dixwell residents his sensitivity to their concerns by visiting every one of the approximately 900 households in his ward. He has also started knocking on doors and registering students to vote in Morse, Stiles, and HGS, which fall in Ward 22. "That's what's going to take to fix this city—starting at the street level, building a coalition of people," he said.

Yalies are interested in Stein's campaign, but they're not knowledgeable about it. "I wasn't planning to vote," Deshante Reddick, MC '02, said. "But if Stein comes to my door and I like what he has to say, I'll probably register."

Stein noted that people were encouraged by his choice to run as an Independent, unaffiliated with the Democratic party. "The party leadership has no interest in reforming city government. The corruption keeps them in power." Stein's plans for reform include a comparison of all the schools in the city to ensure equal distribution of funds and creating a business development office.

For her part, Gibbs said, "I'm proud I have made some wonderful changes to this community." She has been active in setting up a block watch, organizing block parties, and working with the Liveable City Initiative to clear blighted houses."Being an alderman takes tremendous dedication," Gibbs said. "Yalies want to come in and then move on. That's not what we want."

Yet Stein insisted that his being a Yale graduate is incidental to the fact that he is a concerned citizen. "People know that I live here, I'm staying here."

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