Marc Gonzalez, Resident, Davenport '23

I grew up in New Haven. My family has lived in the same house in East Rock since the 1990s, before I was born. I walked to East Rock School as a kid and played in the park with other neighborhood kids. Over time, corporate landlords have taken over homes once owned by families and couples. The mill rate keeps rising for my family and our neighbors, and now, as my father approaches retirement age, we’re not sure if we’ll be able to afford to stay. The growing expense of our house weighs on my mind every week. Meanwhile, Yale keeps expanding its tax-exempt footprint, shifting more of the cost of public services onto working families like mine. As my dad gets older, I’ll have to step up to protect what my family worked their whole lives to build. It’s not the first time Yale has left me to figure it out. This is why I’m volunteering for Norah's campaign in the New Haven Rising coalition; from being a student organizer, I know it takes work, and she has been leading in SUN even before she decided to run.

I went to Yale for undergrad. I was on financial aid, but like many working undergrads of color, I found out that there were hidden costs to a Yale education. On top of that, I needed an emergency dental procedure to avoid facial paralysis, but neither my family’s insurance nor Yale's covered it. I had to borrow thousands on a credit card, then work more hours and cut back on everything including time spent studying. That experience fueled my work in Students Unite Now, knowing that working class students and residents have common ground. Alongside New Haven Rising, not only did we win better financial aid, we also won a major increase in Yale’s voluntary payment to my home city in 2021. Yale pushed back hard due to expenses and uncertainty related to COVID-19, but we won through organizing a coalition of residents, students, and union workers to stand together. With Yale contribution to the city lowering next year, and uncertain beyond 2027, the stakes are high to elect leaders like Norah who will stand with coalitions of working people.

I am applying to law school soon because it's getting harder for young people like me to find stable, well-paying work in New Haven without taking on significantly more debt for another degree. I feel fortunate that I can take time to do that while my dad can still work, but it's bleak and terrifying that the options are like this. New Haven needs more good union jobs and affordable housing, and Yale needs to help make New Haven a fully funded city. As a former Ward 1 resident, I would vote for Norah Laughter if I could! I encourage you to!