Justin Elicker (born July 31, 1975) is an American politician who serves as the 51st mayor of New Haven, Connecticut. A Democrat currently in his third term, he was previously a city alderman representing East Rock and a diplomat in the United States Foreign Service. He was the first candidate to be elected mayor without the support of the local Democratic Party since Frank Logue in 1975.[1][2]
Justin Elicker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 51st Mayor of New Haven | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Toni Harp |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 31, 1975 New York City |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Other political affiliations | Working Families |
| Spouse | Natalie Elicker |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Middlebury College, Yale University |
Early life
editElicker was born in New York City and raised in New Canaan, Connecticut. He attended Middlebury College as an undergraduate.[3] Elicker worked as an elementary and high school teacher and as a diplomat, spending five years working in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Washington for the State Department.[4]
He moved to New Haven in 2007 for a dual master's degree in the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and the Yale School of Management. He quickly became involved in city politics and was elected to an alderman's seat in 2009. After finishing his master's program, he took a job in Yale University's Office of Sustainability.[3]
2013 losing campaign for mayor
editElicker first ran for mayor at age 38 in 2013, when 20-year incumbent John DeStefano Jr. announced he would not seek another term.[5] Four candidates qualified for the Democratic primary, including state senator Toni Harp, who had won the endorsement of local party officials.[6]
In the primary, Elicker finished a distant second to Harp, receiving 23% of the vote to her 50%. But he gathered enough signatures to run in the general election as an independent.[7] Elicker labeled himself the candidate of integrity and sound government who would not show favoritism in hiring for city jobs.[8] He attacked Harp over her family's real estate business being the largest tax delinquent in Connecticut.[9] Meanwhile, Harp's supporters painted Elicker as a carpetbagger who had only lived in the city for six years.[4]
Harp defeated Elicker in the general election, winning 54.6% of the vote.[10] After his defeat, Elicker was hired as executive director of the New Haven Land Trust, an organization that manages and preserves open land in the city.[3]
2019 successful campaign for mayor
editIn January 2019, Elicker announced he would again challenge Harp, who was seeking her fourth two-year term. He pledged to tackle urban blight, absentee landlords, and growing income inequality.[11] Harp was weakened by word of an FBI corruption investigation into elements of her administration. Harp's campaign manager, Edward Corey, claimed without evidence that Elicker's wife Natalie, a federal prosecutor who handled only civil cases, had been "manipulating the FBI" into the investigation, which received widespread pushback.[12] Harp, then 72, had won 17 consecutive elections in the city, between her time in the state senate and as mayor.[13] She again won the endorsement of local party officials, despite Elicker outraising her.[14]
Elicker won the Democratic primary with 58% of the vote.[15][16] He and Harp each won about half of the city's wards, but turnout was higher in the whiter areas of the city than in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods.[17]
Harp already had a place on the November general election ballot thanks to her endorsement by the Working Families Party, so she had the opportunity for a rematch, just like the one Elicker had pursued in 2013. On September 25, she announced she would suspend her campaign and not actively seek votes in the general.[18] But a month later, she announced she was "unsuspending" her campaign and was "in it to win it."[19] It was to no avail, as Elicker won the general election with 68% of the vote.[20][21] He was inaugurated as New Haven's 51st mayor on January 1, 2020.[22]
Mayor of New Haven
editAs mayor, Elicker negotiated a new deal with Yale University that nearly doubled its annual payments-in-lieu-of-taxes to the city.[23] In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, Elicker launched a new program called COMPASS that created non-police crisis-response teams to citizen issues.[24] He also oversaw passage of a new inclusive zoning bill to require the construction of more affordable housing in the city and pushed for an expansion of Tweed New Haven Airport that attracted Avelo Airlines.[25] During his second term, hackers stole more than $6 million from the city's school system, though $3.6 million was later recovered.[26]
Elicker was reelected to office by wide margins in 2021 and 2023.[27][28][29][30]
Personal life
editElicker is married and has two daughters. His wife, Natalie Elicker, is an attorney in the U.S. Justice Department. He speaks Spanish and Chinese.[3][11][31]
References
edit- ^ O'Leary, Mary E. (Sep 17, 2019). "Elicker defeats Harp in New Haven mayoral primary". New Haven Register. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Bass, Paul (Jan 1, 2020). "Inauguration Promises Low-Frills "Change"". New Haven Independent. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d Holahan, David (28 August 2016). "JUSTIN ELICKER: Another Run For Political Office Is 'Very Much On The Table'". Hartford Courant. pp. P24. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ a b Keating, Christopher (1 November 2013). "New Haven's New Course\ Sharp Contrasts Between Mayoral Candidates". Hartford Courant. pp. A8. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Keating, Christopher (23 April 2013). "State Senator Seeks Mayor's Seat". Hartford Courant. pp. B10. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Keating, Christopher (29 July 2013). "In The Elm City, Few Olive Branches". Hartford Courant. pp. A1. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Keating, Christopher (11 September 2013). "Harp Easily Wins Primary". Hartford Courant. pp. A1. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Elicker In 2nd Place". Hartford Courant. 11 September 2013. pp. A3.
- ^ Keating, Christopher (23 October 2013). "Opponent Knocks Harp On Tax Issue". Hartford Courant. pp. B3. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Keating, Christopher (6 November 2013). "Harp Makes History\ First African American Woman To Lead City". Hartford Courant. pp. A7. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ a b O'Leary, Mary E. "Elicker to run for mayor in New Haven". New Haven Register. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Keating, Christopher (8 July 2019). "A bitter battle for city's future\ Rivals Harp, Elicker run in New Haven mayoral rematch". Hartford Courant. pp. A4. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Keating, Christopher (8 July 2019). "A bitter battle for city's future\ Rivals Harp, Elicker run in New Haven mayoral rematch". Hartford Courant. pp. A1. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Blair, Russell (21 July 2019). "Education commissioner pick creates uproar". Hartford Courant. pp. B3. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Keating, Christopher (11 September 2019). "Elicker halts Harp in New Haven". Hartford Courant. pp. B1. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Breen, Thomas; Bass, Paul; Peak, Christopher (12 September 2019). "Elicker upsets Harp in mayoral primary". Record-Journal. pp. C1. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Local elections begin". The Day. 12 September 2019. p. 6. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Blair, Russell (29 September 2019). "Harp ends mayoral campaign". Hartford Courant. pp. B3. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Blair, Russell (20 October 2019). "Harp 'unsuspends' campaign". Hartford Courant. pp. B3. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "STATE OF CONNECTICUT OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF THE STATE". State of Connecticut Office of the Secretary of State. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ "2019 Mayoral Election Results". New Haven Independent. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ Keating, Christopher (6 November 2019). "Elicker defeats incumbent New Haven mayor". Hartford Courant. pp. B3. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Breen, Thomas (Apr 5, 2022). "City-Yale Deal Wins Final OK". New Haven Independent. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Grace-Flood, Nora (Jul 19, 2023). "Crisis-Response Team Ups Its Game". New Haven Independent. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Breen, Thomas (Jan 19, 2022). ""Inclusionary" Housing Law Passes". New Haven Independent. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Fadulu, Lola (10 August 2023). "Hackers Stole $6 Million From the New Haven School System". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Stasiuk, Yurii; Cortés Castro, Mia (8 November 2023). "Elicker wins third mayoral term". Yale Daily News. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Schaefer, Brittany (Jan 1, 2024). "Justin Elicker sworn in for 3rd term as New Haven mayor". WTNH. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Zaretsky, Mark (Nov 8, 2023). "Elicker wins 3rd term as New Haven mayor as challenger Goldenberg concedes". New Haven Register. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "2024 Power 50: 14. Justin Elicker". Hartford Business Journal. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Meet the Mayor". City of New Haven. Retrieved 14 July 2024.