Hamden Election 2025: Jameka A. Morrison-Jefferies Running For Mayor

HAMDEN, CT — The 2025 municipal election is heating up in Hamden with plenty of races on the ballot.

Voters will cast their ballots in the Nov. 4 election for mayor and town clerk, along with seats on the legislative council and board of education.

Hamden Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Jameka A. Morrison-Jefferies is running for election as mayor of Hamden as a Petitioning Candidate.

Campaign Website
https://www.gojamekajefferies....

Occupation:

Real Estate Broker

Family:
Yes, my husband Victor Jefferies, My sons Victor Jefferies Jr. and Virgil Jefferies, Victoria Jefferies and Jah'lil Jefferies

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
No

Previous public office, appointive or elective:
Yes I was appointed as commissioner of the community development citizens advisory commission,

Why are you seeking this office?
I decided to run for Mayor of the Town of Hamden because my neighbors reached out to me last summer expressing how dissatisfied they were with how the town was being managed. They were discouraged by the constant rising taxes and the total lack of care and concern being displayed by the current administration. I personally, had no political aspirations and probably like most people relied heavily on those that did have interest to represent the best interests of the people. However, after many months of research I discovered that this was not the case. My faith in the current local government was irrevocably shattered upon discovering we have not had a Finance Director in over a year, although myself and many other taxpayers have requested financial statements repeatedly for the past 10 months the current administration will not provide them. We have not had an audit in 2, going on 3 years and we still have yet to get a straight answer on our fund balance total.

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____, and this is what I intend to do about it:
The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is the fear of losing their homes due to exorbitant tax hikes. My first order of business is to conduct a forensic audit of the entire town government center once the results are in I endeavor to inform the residents, tax payers and business owners of our findings in full disclosure. This town has fallen victim to a complete lack of transparency, responsibility and accountability and I want to restore the town's confidence in a local government based on fair, equitable and unbiased reporting. Once we know exactly where we stand financially, we will re-visit what Michael Milone, the accountant that was hired to explain the revaluation to the townspeople offered as an option where if we found 20 million in budget cuts we could reduce the mill rate to 39 mils. Both Katey Kiley (Councilwoman-at-large) and Rhonda Caldwell (Councilwoman 5th District) confirmed that 20 million in budget cuts were feasible. Once I take office, we will revisit this option and work tirelessly on replacing the current phase-in agreement with a plan that will be economically sustainable for retirees and the working middle class. The current plan in place has our taxes increasing 25% every year for the next 4 years.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
The major differentiator between myself and the other candidates is that I am currently a business owner with a proven track record of success. Throughout my career I have won awards for my community, business and philanthropic endeavors. The accolades have been received locally, regionally and nationally. In 2023 alone I received the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Regional Community Impact Award, the NCNW (National Council of Negro Women) Business of the Year Award, the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award recognized by former President Joe Biden and I was recognized as Apple News Top 10 Realtors in CT. I have both the work and life experience to effectively manage a town that will require specialized skillsets in contract negotiations, which is what I am responsible for on a daily basis as a real estate broker. I have been incredibly successful at making sure my clients have mutually beneficial outcomes and I will bring that same set of skills once I become Mayor. I will embark upon improving our relationships with the unions, with Quinnipiac University and the surrounding private and public learning institutions along with developing a more streamlined process within Planning and Zoning and the Building Inspection departments to ensure we are providing a more amicable working relationship with viable businesses that want to move into Hamden.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?
Our education system is in need of dire assistance. We currently are listed as an Alliance school system which means we rank in the lower 50 percentile of all of the schools in the state and we are 84th out of 120 schools. Our children deserve better and with a 100 million dollar budget our children should not have to be subjected to learning in schools suffering from disrepair and some of our athletes having to wear jerseys with holes in them. This is unconscionable and it was only after speaking to 5 classes at Hamden High School I learned of some of their needs as Mayor my goal is to support our teachers, principals, faculty and staff and let them know that we want to collaborate on improving the quality of our children's education.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
My 2023 Business of the Year Award I believe is one of my most notable accomplishments because it was based on two very meritorious achievements. I was able to save an elderly couple from foreclosure who were victims of predatory lending. Their home was paid off but they were due to be foreclosed upon because of unpaid taxes to the town of Hamden. I immediately was able to have the foreclosure postponed until I was able to find a suitable buyer. We found a buyer that loved the home recouped over $50,000 in taxes for the town and the buyer walked away with over 50k in profits.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Never doubt yourself, you will have plenty of other people to do that for you!

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
I would like for voters to know that I am not a politician, politicians care for the needs of a party, special interests or lobbyists. I would like for the people of this town to refer to me as a public servant, because a public servant cares about the needs and interests of the people. When they elect me as Mayor I work for them, not the other way around. My administration is going to change the culture of our town to one of mutual respect, kindness, ethics and our town government center will be a place where customer service is paramount. I will endeavor to unify, beautify and revitalize the great Town of Hamden and I will make it a place where people will once again be able to Thrive, Flourish, Live & Grow. I am Jameka Jefferies and I approve this message!

See also:

• Hamden Election 2025: Adam Sendroff Running For Mayor
• Hamden Election 2025: Jonathan Katz Running For Mayor