NEW HAVEN, CT — Randall Furlow won the Edgewood Ward 24 seat on the Board of Alders in a special election Tuesday, beating fellow Democrat Lindsey Eichler Tengatenga 315 votes to 179. The New Haven Independent reported the results after polls closed.
Evette Hamilton left the seat at September’s end after representing the ward for 15 years, the New Haven Independent reported. Furlow, a pastor and longtime Democratic ward co-chair, had the Democratic ward committee’s endorsement before the election. He will serve the remainder of Hamilton’s two-year term, through the end of 2027.
How Ward 24 Voted
The New Haven Independent reported that Furlow received 278 votes cast at polling places, plus 31 early votes and six absentee ballots. Tengatenga’s total included 151 polling-place votes, two absentee ballots and 26 early votes.
Turnout was 23.4 percent, with 494 of 2,110 eligible voters casting ballots. The election came a week after the Nov. 3 general election.
Both candidates supported better school conditions, housing affordability and safer streets. Furlow, who is 47, is a New Haven Public Schools graduate and has said labor power and educational equality are among his top goals. Tengatenga, an equity-focused nonprofit leader, campaigned on making government more transparent for her neighbors.
Furlow Says the Work Has Begun
At his victory event, Furlow said, "Everything that we have envisioned is about to come to pass." He added, "The work has just begun."
Furlow told the Independent on Tuesday that he was excited to serve his community and that the responsibility now rests with him to make residents proud.