Issues

Building a Stronger New Haven

New Haven deserves leadership that addresses the problems holding our city back. From violent crime to failing schools, from skyrocketing taxes to lost opportunities for our youth, residents are paying the price for decades of poor decisions. I am committed to facing these challenges head-on with real solutions, including safer neighborhoods, accountable schools, fiscal discipline, and programs that provide our young people with a brighter future. Together, we can restore pride, safety, and prosperity in New Haven.

Public Safety

Public safety is the foundation for any thriving city. Without safe streets, clean neighborhoods, and strong police support, economic growth is impossible. We all want the same thing: a secure community for our families.

New Haven is ranked high in violent crime in Connecticut and leads the state in fentanyl overdoses, with a crime index of 6, meaning we’re more dangerous than 94% of America. Persistent challenges like poverty, gang activity, and drug-related crime continue to drive these statistics.

We must fully fund and staff our police department, address the shortage of officers, and provide them with the necessary tools to protect our neighborhoods. Our firefighters also require updated facilities, and our public safety department needs essential resources to keep pace with the community’s demands.

If I am mayor, businesses will want to invest here, teachers will want to work here, and families will feel safe again sending their kids to school. The safety of New Haven depends on supporting the men and women who protect it.

Education

New Haven has dedicated teachers, but they are often overwhelmed, with 29 students per class, and lack the resources they need to help our kids succeed. The results are unacceptable: 92% of schools are below average, only 17% of students are proficient in math, and 14% in English. We also face a teacher shortage with layoffs looming.

We spend more per student than any other city in Connecticut, over $21,000 per child per year, yet have some of the worst outcomes in the state. Where is the money going? It’s time to audit the Board of Education budget so taxpayers and parents know exactly how every dollar has been spent.

Our children are the future leaders, innovators, and builders of New Haven. They deserve better opportunities, better schools, and the tools to thrive, not a system that sets them up to fail.

• Literacy First: Launch the Read to Succeed initiative to ensure every child can read proficiently.
• End Social Promotion: Students should advance based on academic performance, not automatic promotion.
• All-Elected Board of Education: No more stacked boards—parents and the community deserve a real voice in our schools.

Every child deserves a safe, well-funded, high-quality education. We must fix failing schools, lower class sizes, and ensure that resources reach classrooms and not bureaucracy.

Fiscal Responsibility

New Haven faces $2.5 billion in unfunded liabilities, nearly a third of which is tied to pensions. How did this happen? Poor budgeting, failure to account for long-term obligations, and years of mismanagement.

Instead of cutting waste and generating revenue, city leaders have resorted to short-sighted solutions, such as raising taxes and selling off city property to tax-exempt institutions.

When 60% of property in New Haven is tax-exempt, the city loses over $120 million in revenue every year. This burden falls squarely on homeowners and renters. As that percentage increases, so do property taxes, making housing even more unaffordable. New Haven already has some of the highest property taxes in the state of Connecticut.

These taxes are a key factor in our city’s 26% poverty rate. Across the state, poverty increased by 88% from 1990 to 2020, resulting in Connecticut having the highest rate of increase in the nation.

And yet, New Haven leaders have failed to attract sustainable economic development. Instead of attracting new businesses, we’ve seen store closures and jeopardized projects, such as the Long Wharf redevelopment, now threatened by a proposed methadone clinic.

This is proof that the city doesn’t understand the value of business—or the long-term prosperity it brings to our residents.

Youth

With a poverty rate of 28% and half of our children falling behind by two grade levels, we must invest in our inner-city youth. They require programs, resources, and guidance to stabilize their communities and discover genuine opportunities for success.

When children lack safe places, opportunities to grow, or mentors to guide them, the consequences are devastating. Juvenile crime is at record highs, and fentanyl overdoses have earned New Haven the title of “drug capital” of Connecticut.

To reverse this, we will:

• Expand youth and community centers for safe, engaging spaces after school and on weekends.
• Enhance job and mentoring programs to help young people develop essential skills, take on responsibility, and discover their purpose.
• Launch combat sports initiatives (boxing, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, MMA) to teach discipline, confidence, and goal-setting.
• Support entrepreneurship mentoring to inspire the next generation of business leaders.

Our at-risk youth deserve to dream big and achieve more than they ever imagined. With positive options, real opportunity, and strong role models, we can change New Haven’s future, one child at a time.