NEW HAVEN, Conn. — While many were thrilled to have Vice President Kamala Harris in the Greater New Haven area on Friday afternoon, not everyone was on board with how it went down.
A member of the New Haven Clergy Association spent Monday morning calling out some folks for not inviting key black leaders to Friday’s festivities.
Notables not on the VP's VIP list on Friday: Board of Alders President, Tyisha Walker-Myers and Superintendent of New Haven Public Schools, Dr. Ilene Tracey.
"It is insulting that our own Secretary of Education, who is from Connecticut, did not even attempt nor wanted to meet with the Superintendent of Public Schools," said Rev. Dr. Boise Kimber, Pastor of First Calvary Baptist Church.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona traveled to Connecticut with Vice President Kamala Harris.
"How could you have an educational event from early childhood and not invite the Superintendent," wondered Kimber.
He said if John DeStefano and Dr. Reginald Mayo were still Mayor and Superintendent of Schools respectively; Friday’s guest list would have had a different look.
"If I was Mayor, I would never have gone to an event that deals with education without my superintendent," Kimber said.
"Neither I nor any of my staff had any influence over anyone that was invited to any of the events that the Vice President was at," said Mayor Justin Elicker (D-New Haven).
And, Elicker noted, he wasn’t even invited to the New Haven Boys and Girls Club, the VP's first stop.
"My understanding is that Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro organized this," Kimber said of Harris' guest list.
Not so. It was Harris's office that built the guest list. Like Elicker, DeLauro was not even invited to the Boys and Girls Club event. Her only appearance with the VP was in West Haven.
"Vice President Harris knows nothing about New Haven," Kimber said. "She knows nothing about the players in New Haven. And so that should not have been left up to her."
However, the Vice President's office would not accept guest list suggestions, according to sources. Harris's office has not responded to FOX61's request for confirmation on that.
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