Morehead to serve third term as Ward 22 alderman

Ward-22 Alderman Greg Morehead effectively assured himself of re-election on Tues., Sept 16, by winning the Democratic primary in a hotly contested tripartite race. Morehead won 224 of the 445 votes cast; his main opponent, Lisa Hopkins, won 216 votes; and minor candidate Cordelia Thorpe received only five. Morehead’s eight-vote margin of victory is his slimmest yet in a series of primary contests with the same two opponents.

After a special election in 2007, a standard election a few months later, and this year’s recently concluded contest, these opponents have developed acumen at challenging one another in the Democratic primary. Although Thorpe, who in the previous campaign accused City Hall of conspiring against her, has weakened significantly, it is worth noting that Hopkins came extremely close to victory—and she is not willing to concede the race until an automatic recount winds down sometime next week. Hopkins, a community organizer, claims she noted irregularities in the campaign, but Morehead has displayed no concern about the security of his victory.

Morehead relied heavily on Yale students for his success, as he has since his victory in the March 2007 special election that first granted him aldermanship. Morehead was seen on and around the Yale campus on many occasions throughout the campaign, including a public forum in Timothy Dwight College with opponent Lisa Hopkins. Hopkins’ near-win suggests that she also performed well at campaign events attended by Yalies.

Morehead is virtually guaranteed victory in the general election: Historically, the Democratic primary is the only contest that has mattered in Ward 22 politics. Underscoring this point, the New Haven Republican Party circulated a letter over the summer bemoaning the lack of any Republican candidates in aldermanic races citywide.

It seems reasonable to say that Morehead supporters have won their man two more years. This leaves Yalies with an obvious question: will Morehead be able to bring his friend Ludacris to campus again? 

By Trevor Wagener

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