Filipino American educator Maria-Threese Serana has made history as Connecticut’s first and only elected Filipino American official after winning a special election for a seat on the New Haven Board of Alders.
Serana, a biology teacher at Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School, won the Ward 9 seat representing parts of East Rock and Fair Haven. She received 195 votes in the Sept. 15 election, while opponent Gavin Arnold received 16.
“I’m incredibly grateful,” Serana said after the results were announced. “The real work begins after this.”
Serana will serve the remainder of former Alder Caroline Tanbee Smith’s two-year term through the end of 2027. Smith vacated the seat after moving outside the ward.
What an alder does
An alder is a member of a city’s legislative body, similar to a city council member. In New Haven, the 30-member Board of Alders represents individual neighborhoods, known as wards, and serves as the city’s lawmaking body.
Alders vote on the city budget, local laws, zoning proposals, development plans and other measures affecting city services. They also conduct oversight of city agencies and raise residents’ concerns about issues such as housing, public safety, schools, road repairs, sanitation and neighborhood development.
The board can hold hearings, approve or reject spending measures and shape policies that affect daily life across New Haven. Recent alder-led efforts have included calls for citywide inspections of public-school buildings after concerns about mold, leaks and other safety issues.
Teacher and community advocate
Serana has worked in New Haven Public Schools for about a decade, first as a paraeducator and substitute teacher before becoming a biology teacher at Co-Op High School. She has lived in New Haven for 21 years and in Ward 9 for five years.
A native of the Philippines, Serana previously taught at the University of the Philippines before moving to the United States. Her work in New Haven schools and her experience as a parent have shaped her focus on education, school facilities and support for educators and staff.
Her campaign centered on improving public schools, increasing affordable housing, advancing climate resilience and building policies that respond to working-class residents.
Serana said she wants New Haven students to have access to “truly world-class public schools,” including better-maintained school buildings and stronger teacher-retention efforts.
Democratic Socialist seat
Serana was backed by the Connecticut chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, the New Haven Federation of Teachers president and the Ward 9 Democratic Ward Committee.
She becomes the second Democratic Socialist to serve on the New Haven Board of Alders, after former Ward 9 Alder Charles Decker.
Serana began the race as one of four candidates seeking to replace Smith. Blaise Berglund and Conor Gilligan withdrew before Election Day and endorsed Serana, leaving her to face Arnold. Their names remained on the ballot, and each received one vote.
Following her election, Serana said the result reflected support for a community-centered approach to local government.
“Our objectives, our principles, actually align with community members,” she said.
