Jennifer Tillman arrived at Wednesday evening’s Ward 24 alder candidate forum with an unexpected announcement: she was dropping out of the race and throwing her support behind one of her former opponents. Tillman, a social worker and a realtor, withdrew from the Nov. 10 special election for he alth reasons and endorsed Randall Furlow, a longtime Democratic ward co-chair whom she described as an “old friend.” The two exchanged a wink and a laugh as Tillman explained her decision to the Independent. “I decided to step out of the race for my health and physical wellbeing,” Tillman said. “I just couldn’t give all the energy required for this role with my condition.” Her withdrawal leaves Furlow and Lindsey Eichler Tengatenga, a nonprofit leader and Edgewood resident of 12 years, competing for the seat in a Nov. 10 special election to fill a seat recently vacated by incumbent Evette Hamilton. Furlow, Tengatenga, Tillman, and Hamilton are all Democrats. Furlow and Tengatenga appeared before roughly 55 residents at the police substation on Whalley Avenue on Wednesday, fielding questions about Yale’s financial contributions to New Haven, housing affordability, pedestrian safety and their records of involvement in the neighborhood. While they agreed on many of the issues facing Ward 24’s Edgewood neighborhood, the forum revealed differences in how they hope to approach the job. Furlow, who has served as a Democratic ward co-chair for 12 years and who is also the cousin of Board of Alders Majority Leader Richard Furlow, emphasized his experience in hyper-local politics and his relationships with city officials. Tengatenga, who has spent two decades working in the nonprofit sector, pitched herself as a community organizer who would bring more residents into neighborhood decision-making. The special election follows Hamilton’s resignation at the end of September. The winner will serve the remainder of her two-year term, which expires at the end of 2027. Furlow welcomed Tillman’s endorsement, describing it as a sign that the candidates could put aside their political differences. “Jennifer stepping out of the race but making the decision to join our team and to support me, I think is a really good thing for the community to show solidarity,” Furlow said. “We want the same stuff, so we’re working together to achieve it.” Tengatenga said she had also been in contact with Tillman and had checked on her well-being after learning about her withdrawal. The two, she added, recently discovered that their houses are almost back-to-back. “I was really excited to be in the race with her,” Tengatenga said. The crowd at Wednesday’s candidate forum. Credit: Baala Shakya photo Before answering the first question of the night, Tengatenga asked attendees at Wednesday’s candidate forum to turn to someone nearby and introduce themselves. For 30 seconds, neighbors chatted about what they liked about Edgewood. Tengatenga said the exercise reflected her hope to bring more residents into neighborhood decision-making. “I don’t want to miss an opportunity to be in the room of all these neighbors,” she said. Tengtenga, 41, moved to Edgewood with her family in 2014. Shortly afterward, she was diagnosed with cancer and found support from neighbors who were then largely “strangers.” During the forum, Tengatenga described herself as a “gap filler” who would connect residents with city resources and make local government more accessible. She proposed establishing a new ward newsletter and a public dashboard tracking sidewalk repairs and other infrastructure projects. She told residents that her campaign has already collected more than 200 residents’ email addresses. Tengatenga acknowledged struggling to participate in existing ward political structures, saying she had tried unsuccessfully for seven years to subscribe to the current ward newsletter. “I really want to create a neighborhood where no one is outside the circle of concern,” she said. Furlow, 47, opened by recounting his family’s six generations of history in New Haven. He described growing up in a house purchased by his great-grandfather, a Yale union worker, and recalled his family’s involvement in civil rights activism. “New Haven for me is more than just a place of residence,” he said. “It is also my history. It is my heritage. It is my home.” Furlow defended his years of canvassing, attending meetings and supporting local candidates, saying his work in the ward went beyond his current campaign.  He also addressed his reduced public presence in recent years, explaining that his mother’s death and other personal losses had made it difficult to resume his usual duties. Despite their different approaches, both candidates supported increasing Yale’s voluntary contributions to New Haven following the university’s announcement of substantial endowment growth with a 26.3 percent return last fiscal year. Tengatenga expressed solidarity with Yale union members seeking new contracts and called for greater scrutiny of the city’s treatment of municipal employees, particularly workers with high-deductible health insurance plans. She argued that the Board of Alders should hold both the university administration and city government accountable. Furlow argued that even a small additional contribution from Yale could transform the city’s finances, providing more resources for housing, employment, and neighborhood programs. “That would literally be revolutionary for our city, and more specifically for our ward,” he said. Housing affordability was another area of agreement, with both candidates supporting stronger regulations on short-term rentals, including Airbnb properties. Furlow described meeting a teacher who said families displaced by an apartment building fire had suffered without housing while four nearby apartments sat empty awaiting renters. Tengatenga, who previously wrote an opinion essay in support of proposed short-term rental regulations, suggested quarterly housing meetings to monitor the city’s progress on anti-displacement measures. Both candidates also identified traffic safety as an urgent neighborhood concern. At the forum, Tengatenga pointed to speeding along Hobart Street and damaged sidewalks that force some wheelchair users into bike lanes. Furlow recalled a resident who had raised pedestrian safety concerns at a community meeting before just weeks later being killed by a vehicle.  The candidates also expressed different interests in Board of Alders committee assignments. Tengatenga hopes to serve on the Education Committee, drawing on her experience as a parent and early childhood advocate, while Furlow favored the Finance Committee, where he hopes to influence how the city allocates its resources. The special election winner, however, will be required to serve on Hamilton’s former committees, which include Aldermanic Affairs. The Nov. 10 contest will be New Haven’s third special alder election this year, following elections in Wards 7 and 9. The post Tillman Drops Out, Endorses Furlow; Ward 24 Convenes Candidate Forum appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less