by Dereen Shirnekhi The New Haven independent
Ronald Douglas outside of Career: Voting for Pittman. Credit: Dereen Shirnekhi photos
Tonya White, voting for Hubbard because of her community presence.
Lee Moore stopped by Hill Regional Career High School on Tuesday afternoon, still weighing who to vote for in a contested Democratic co-chair race. In the end, she decided on Sandra Pittman.
Pittman is running on a slate with Lisa Velazquez Torres to become the next Ward 3 Democratic co-chairs. The two are up against incumbents Clarence Cummings and Angel Hubbard, who is also the ward’s alder.
“I didn’t get a lot of information” before election day, Moore said. She moved to the Hill from Ferry Street three years ago, and said that in a ward co-chair, she’s looking for someone with basic organizational abilities who will make promises and keep them.
“Angel’s got stuff done too,” Moore acknowledged.
Tuesday’s election marked Ward 3 Democrats’ fourth opportunity in a year and a half to vote for a Pittman or Angel Hubbard in a Hill neighborhood election. A 2025 alder race between Hubbard and Pittman’s husband Miguel was marred by allegations on both sides of campaign misconduct — and saw one vote-fraud accuser change her story a month after the election. Miguel and Hubbard both denied all accusations of wrongdoing.
“I remembered all the controversies last fall,” said Moore, who received a ride to the polls from Miguel Pittman.
“This infighting …” she continued. “Really, folks?”
Ward 3’s election was one of only two Democratic co-chair contests in New Haven on Tuesday. The other is in Beaver Hills’ Ward 29. A co-chair’s responsibilities include engaging residents with the local party and its platform, picking neighborhood Democrats to serve on their respective ward committees, and casting endorsement votes for the party’s nominees for alder, mayor, and other local elected positions. It’s also often a springboard for people looking to run for alder in the future.
Chalise Perez has been a poll moderator for ten years and a volunteer for 14, since she was 16 years old. Perez said that, by around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 99 people had voted. The ward has 1,204 eligible Democratic voters.
Tonya White, who has also been a resident of the ward for three years, decided to cast her ballot for Hubbard and Cummings.
“She’s present in the community and she cares,” she said about Hubbard.
Ronald Douglas said that he weighed both slates as he considered who to vote for. “What would benefit the community?” he said.
In the end, Douglas, a ward resident of 15 years, decided to vote for Pittman. “Sandra does a lot for the community,” he said.
Douglas felt that it wasn’t necessary for Hubbard to serve as both alder and ward co-chair. “Why would an alderman want to do both?” he said. “Take care of the alderman first.”
Esther Pagan was also casting her ballot for Pittman. “She’s a good person in the community,” she said.
A resident of Porter Street, Pagan said that Pittman had helped clean up snow on her street. She said that her daughter might come by the polls later, too, to vote for Pittman.
“I’m excited,” Hubbard said outside the polls, as snow turned into sleet and then rain. “Great crowd, high spirits.”
Hubbard didn’t allow herself to be optimistic about her chances. “Every election I come in blind,” she said. “My work speaks for itself. I’m happy to know I have made an impression on people.”
Hubbard was joined by city and UNITE HERE representatives, including Mayor Justin Elicker’s chief of staff, Sean Matteson, and New Haven Rising organizer Abby Feldman. Vinnie Mauro, Democratic town chair, was also supporting Hubbard and Cummings.
“I think they’re running a good campaign,” Mauro said. He would later be heading over to Ward 29.
Nearby, Pittman and Velazquez Torres took shelter from the weather in a white van. Both said they were feeling good about their chances.
“People see the truth now,” Pittman said. “They’re tired of seeing New Haven Rising,” a local labor advocacy group affiliated with Yale’s politically influential UNITE HERE unions.
Pittman said that she has heard voters express concerns about proper snow clean-up, the nearby APT Foundation, and activities for adults and elders.
Velazquez Torres agreed, particularly about children not being united. “We can bring families together as parents, grandparents.”
“We’re showing people that their voice matters,” Pittman said. “I want to uplift this community.”
Pittman anticipated that voter turnout for this year’s co-chair election would be higher than previous years’.
“People know my name and want to support me,” Pittman said. She pointed to her restaurant business, Sandra’s Next Generation, and said that she supports residents by providing free food and jobs. “I’ve built relationships with this community.”
Pittman said she is frustrated that Elicker had supported Hubbard in the race. “I’m a Democrat too, just like Angel,” she said. “Why would a mayor want to show favoritism?”
Elicker, in a phone interview, said, “I have no problem advocating for people who I think are doing a great job.”
“I’ve seen Angel be very proactive in helping support the neighborhood,” he continued. “She’s organized a number events for young people,” including a Juneteenth field trip, an Easter egg hunt, and Amazon giveaways.
More Election Accusations Fly
Like in November’s Ward 3 alder election, a cloud of accusations of wrongdoing hung over Tuesday’s co-chair race.
At the polls on Tuesday, Pittman accused Hubbard of having colluded with Democratic Registrar of Voters Shannel Evans and members of her office to unlawfully campaign at the ward’s Advanced Center For Nursing And Rehabilitation ahead of supervised absentee voting.
Pittman said that she had heard that Evans’ office had shown Hubbard a list of voters at Advanced who would be taking part in supervised absentee voting — a process that allows polling officials to visit long-term care facilities, distribute absentee ballots, and then take those ballots after voters have filled them out.
Pittman claimed that Hubbard had taken a photo of the list of voters and visited them to campaign. Pittman claimed that Evans and members of her office then visited residents’ rooms after Hubbard.
Pittman said that she received a call from someone who was present and showed a video of a nursing home resident describing her interaction with Hubbard. The Independent was not able to immediately verify it.
Hubbard flatly denied the accusation. “May God be with her,” she said. “Was I campaigning? No. Can I say hi to anybody? Yes.”
Evans also denied the allegation and declined to comment further without first speaking to her attorney.
Hubbard said that candidates are allowed to be quietly present during the supervised voting process to observe but are not able to speak or campaign in any manner. She said that she had visited one room to observe the process and then left.
“It did not happen,” she said about the accusation of unlawful campaigning. “Next allegation. What’s next?”
“We are losing focus on the ward and we are focusing on a war,” Hubbard continued. “Pittman versus Hubbard is a collaboration for the Hill.”
Pittman said that she would be filing a complaint against Hubbard.
“I feel that all rules should apply for both parties,” Pittman said. “I just want a fair race.”
Esther Pagan, voting for Pittman because of her work in the community.