by Paul Bass The New Haven independent
Will the rest of the New Haven be so lucky?
If Amanda Martinelli has anything to say about it, yes. She’d like to see the vibes and interactions engendered by dog-walking continue to spread connection and community.
Martinelli — owner of a 14-year-old, 20-pound, rat-terrier-poodle mix named Espresso Bean Martinelli — is the newly elected alder of Wooster Square’s Ward 8 (which also includes Jocelyn Square, Mill River, and slivers of Fair Haven and the Annex). She and four other new alders take office Jan. 1.
Martinelli moved to fast-growing Wooster Square 10 years ago. On her daily walks with Espresso Bean, she noticed how many other neighbors walk dogs there as well. And meet each other in process.
She noticed when Kaiyden’s Coffee shop lured dog-owners with promised milk bones for their canine chaperones. When one of the new apartment complexes went up at the western edge of the neighborhood, it marketed its across-the-street dog park to potential tenants.
As she got involved in the neighborhood, she tapped the vibe. She led the revival of an annual outdoor movie night in Wooster Square Park. She held it on Espresso Bean’s birthday (Oct. 4) and invited neighbors to attend with their pooches. In 2024, they all watched All Dogs Go To Heaven; in 2025, Soul.
Martinelli said during a conversation on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” that she aims to incorporate that community building into her work as an alder. Among some initial goals: Helping condo tenants in Jocelyn Square pursue hopes of forming a tenants union. And helping social service providers not just house homeless people but help prepare them with skills for living outside shelters.
“I want a community that lifts their head and says hello to their neighbor,” Martinelli said.
“I think having a dog-centric neighborhood is really having a loving neighborhood. [Dog-walking] really brings people out of their houses, even on days like today, where it’s raining and it’s cold. You still get to say hello to your neighbors.”
Martinelli appeared on “Dateline” with fellow new Alder Magda Natal of Fair Haven’s Ward 16.
Both as a Fair Haven activist and as Wilbur Cross High School teacher of English as a second language, Natal has seen the local impact of the past year’s federal immigration crackdown. The previous daily arrival of new students at Cross has turned into a trickle; meanwhile, Natal and other teachers are informing students of their rights and training in how to keep them safe.
Before becoming a full-time teacher, Natal subbed in most of the city’s schools, she said. She said she hopes to add her perspective to discussions about public education.
She suggested that classroom teaching in general is poised for a generational re-thinking, Beginning with the idea of one teacher per classroom — rather than a standard of two people co-teaching classes with varieties of approaches for students who perform at different levels.
“I think it’s a new generation. Kids are changing, sitting in seats all day. Kids need to move and be more hands on and interactive,” she said.
Click on the video below to watch the full conversation with new Alders Magda Natal and Amanda Martinelli on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven.” Click here to subscribe or here to listen to other episodes of “Dateline New Haven.”