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Meet Eli
New Haven Born & Raised
I was born and raised in New Haven, and I grew up knowing that, more than anything, I wanted to serve my hometown. I come from a family of believers and doers who taught me that every person has the power and responsibility to make an impact in the lives of of those around them. When I was younger, that belief, which I associate with the spirit of Tikkun Olam—a tenet of Judaism that calls on us to “repair the world”—led me to get involved in community service.
In high school, I tutored kids learning English at Elm City Internationals, raised money for the Connecticut Food Bank, and served on New Haven’s Homeless Advisory Board and Connecticut’s Commission on Community Service. While working alongside kids and families from across the city, I saw up close the impact of racial and economic injustice on people across our community. I also began to understand that government was at the center of the challenges facing our city.
Giving it all for New Haven Youth Soccer back in the day
Tutoring recently immigrated students at Elm City Internationals
Knocking on doors in Fair Haven to help people get vaccinated
In 2016, while volunteering in Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro's office on Elm St, I answered a constituent phone call that I will never forget. An Army veteran named Brian called the office and told me in a slow, scared voice over the phone that he was living in his car and had no job, no health insurance, and didn’t know what to do. I dutifully recorded his case for my boss to review later. But after hanging up the phone, I couldn't stop thinking about Brian, who our broken economy had left with no other options than asking a congressional office intern for help over the phone.
Over the last five years, I haven't stopped thinking about Brian, or the hundreds of other New Haveners I've met who need government to do more for them. At vigils and organizing rallies, at neighborhood meetings and on hundreds of doorsteps, I have listened to our neighbors in need. I've talked to undocumented immigrants fighting deportations, and I've listened to the pain of mothers grieving children lost to gun violence.
These people and their stories are why I ran for the Board of Alders two years ago, and they are why I’ve served as the Director of the Progressive Caucus in the Connecticut General Assembly for the past three years. In all of my work, I’ve done everything I can to fight for and represent the families I grew up with in our incredible city. And I know it takes a community to make change, which is why I make it my top priority to show up, listen, and work alongside as many neighbors as possible. We’re only going to build a safer, more affordable, more equitable New Haven by working together.
After representing Ward 1 on the Board of Alders for the past two years, I'm excited to be running for Alder in Ward 7, where I'm moving at the end of the year. (I currently live across the street from Ward 7, which borders Ward 1 throughout much of downtown.) I can't wait to meet you and hear about your concerns, hopes, and priorities for our community.
New Haven is an amazing place, and I am so proud and grateful to call it home. Together, let’s make sure it continues to be the greatest small city in America.
See you around town soon!
Eli
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