3‑Way Alder Race Comes To Fair Haven

by Laura Glesby- New Haven Independaent | May 16, 2025

A Wilbur Cross teacher of English as a second language is running to represent Fair Haven’s Ward 16 on the Board of Alders, joining what has become a three-way race.

Magda Natal made her candidacy official on Tuesday afternoon, filing the requisite paperwork at the City Clerk’s office at 200 Orange St.

She is challenging 10-year incumbent Alder Jose Crespo, who is running for a sixth two-year term, as well as fellow first-time candidate Nelys Calcano. 

She is challenging 10-year incumbent Alder Jose Crespo, who is running for a sixth two-year term, as well as fellow first-time candidate Nelys Calcano. 

The three candidates are seeking to represent the southeastern part of Fair Haven — a ward encompassing a large portion of bustling Grand Avenue, FAME and John S. Martinez schools, Fair Haven Community Health Care, Criscuolo Park, and industrial River Street.

Natal, a lifelong Fair Havener who now lives on Exchange Street, said she had long mulled over the idea of running for alder. She said she finally felt ready to take on what she sees as a weighty commitment. ​“I think that Fair Haven can be oftentimes overlooked,” she said on Tuesday. ​“It needs good representation, someone who’s going to be present for constituents.”

She later added in a text message: ​“I spent a few years away on and off throughout my life. I always returned and I now live in my childhood home, where I grew up in. The goal was always to leave but the longer I stayed as an adult, the more immersed I became in the neighborhood and then my jobs were always in Fair Haven until my life’s work became Fair Haven.”

Crespo currently chairs the Tax Abatement Committee on the Board of Alders, an entity that commonly forgives interest on the property and car taxes of residents seeking relief. According to his LinkedIn page, he is the Hispanic Programs Specialist at Boy Scouts of America and the Community Engagement Coordinator at Latinos for Education Advocacy and Diversity. He did not respond to attempts to contact him for an interview.

Calcano, meanwhile, was not available for an interview in time for this article’s publication.

All three candidates filed as Democrats, which means that they will be competing in the Democratic primary election on Sept. 9 prior to the general election on Nov. 4. The Democratic Party will formally endorse a candidate in mid-to-late July.