By Matt Clyburn
New Britain Mayor Tim Stewart will run for the State Senate in Connecticut’s 6th District, making the announcement earlier this month before a crowd of supporters at Celebration Foods downtown.
The office was vacated after the former State Senator Donald DeFronzo was selected to head the Department of Administrative Services for the new Malloy administration. He will be campaigning for the legislative office against well-known former state representative Theresa Gerratana.
The four-term mayor referenced his ability to “tell it like it is” while he outlined his plans for representing the district that includes New Britain, Berlin and parts of Farmington.
“I’m here today because I don’t want to stop fighting for the people who have entrusted me to represent them for so many years,” Stewart said. “As mayor…we were able to hold the line on taxes for six of my seven budget years, improve the city’s bond rating while other city’s ratings fell, introduce single-stream recycling, consolidate city functions and create other efficiencies to reduce costs to taxpayers.”
The setting for Stewart’s announcement on Jan. 7 was symbolic. The mayor worked hard a decade ago to bring Celebration Foods to the city, a $20 million project that is largely credited with creating more than 300 jobs. According to their website, the company is a manufacturer, marketer and distributor of frozen desserts, including the best-selling ice cream cakes from Carvel.
Co-campaign manager for the mayor’s last two campaigns has been his daughter and CCSU alumna Erin Stewart.
“I think it’s the right choice at the right time in his political career, and it’s about time Hartford had some representation that isn’t afraid to tell the truth, make bold decisions and get our state back on track to job growth and development,” said Ms. Stewart. “I don’t think the state Capitol is ready for Stewart-style politics.”
Ms. Stewart graduated from CCSU in 2009 with a degree in political science with specialization in public administration.
“I’m excited to be an integral part of his campaign for senate,” Ms. Stewart said when asked about her long-term aspirations. “New Britain needs intelligent young people to get involved in the political system and bring attention to the issues that affect the everyday lives of our taxpaying residents, but my first goal if I were to run for office would be to move out of my parents’ house.”
As for her father, there are still many things to accomplish before election day, including convincing voters that he is worthy of the Senate seat in Hartford. “I think my greatest attribute,”Ms. Stewart said, “will be to bring common sense back to state government, particularly in the area of economic development.”
Voters will decide in a special election on Feb. 22.
