Alderwoman Gina Calder

"Why I became an elected official"

Right after graduating from college, I moved into the Dwight neighborhood of New Haven, Conn., a community where I had volunteered and developed relationships throughout my time in college. Soon after moving there, it became increasingly apparent that there were a number of unmet needs in our community including a lack of positive outlets for our youth, a lack of job and homeownership opportunities, and little sense of safety and security. I began to complain, like many others, about what was happening in our community. I realized that my complaining was not bringing about the change our community needed, it only made us feel angry and hopeless. I knew I needed to do something to help make our community a wonderful place to live.

I asked one of my mentors for advice on what I could do to strengthen our community, and she suggested that I consider running for elected office, as there was an aldermanic election coming up that summer. My mentor connected me with political activists and explained the campaign process to me. Because my ultimate goal was to serve and empower my community, and I believed that I could do that best through progressive leadership, I decided to run for a seat on our Board of Aldermen in 2005.

I was told I was young and naïve, and did not understand how city politics worked. Naysayers constantly reminded me that I had no experience in running a successful campaign and did not have much time until the election. Thankfully, numerous people in my community were longing for change and willing to support my candidacy. I was then fortunate to be awarded a scholarship to attend the Women’s Campaign School at Yale, and the training I received along with my sincere message, track record of service, and community support enabled me to achieve a slim loss to a well-known two-term incumbent; I only lost by 24 votes.

I was disappointed yet encouraged by the results of the election – to not give up and keep working for much-needed change. I made up my mind to run again in 2007 and continued to work hard in the areas of youth, economic stability, and public safety. This helped me build a strong coalition with residents, community and faith-based organizations, and businesses. Their faith in me helped me to win a hotly-contested race in the summer of 2007. Now, we are on our way to achieving our goals for the community in which we all live and work.

It has been and will continue to be challenging, but my passion and commitment to service and the dedication of our entire community motivates me to persevere. My experience also taught me how critical it is to encourage and support young people to run for elected office. As the next generation of leadership, we will usher in the change our communities so desperately need.

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