Ward 1 City Council Candidates

The City Council election in New Britain’s Ward 1 is between two incumbent Republicans and two Democratic challengers. Democrats Veronica T. DeLandro and Molly McGuire are taking on Ald. Jamie Giantonio (R-1) and Ald. Wilfredo Pabon (R-1), two of the city’s longest-serving Council members.

Ten of the fifteen members of the City Council are elected from five City Council “Wards”.  Each Ward represents certain neighborhoods of the city. The voters in each Ward elect two Council members to represent them. In each Ward, each voter can vote for two candidates and the top two are elected.

Ward 1 is a district that encompasses the West End neighborhood, the Old West End, the Willow Brook neighborhood and the southernmost part of the city’s East Side. Voters in Ward 1, depending on their voting district, vote at the Slade School, at the Vance School or at the VFW Hall. The VFW Hall is replacing New Britain High School as a polling place this year.

Democrats DeLandro and McGuire, two of the six women running for Council seats on the slate of Democratic Mayoral candidate Merrill Gay, are campaigning on issues like quality education and protecting New Britain’s watershed.

DeLandro said, “As a Ward 1 resident there are several issues that concern me; increase in taxes, local government spending, expansion of Tilcon and New Britain’s water supply. I am opposed to the expansion Tilcon mining running into the city’s watershed and feel we must everything we can to protect and defend New Britain’s water resources.”

McGuire said that, “the issues important to my candidacy are protecting the environment in whatever ways we can, making sure we have quality education in the public schools, and developing New Britain in a responsible way that respects the cultures and people who live in the city.”

DeLandro added,”I’m running for office to improve the lines of communication between residents and the city. I feel it’s important that all residents in Ward 1 are informed, engaged, and aware of the issues that directly impact them.”

DeLandro has served as executive director of two nonprofits, the College Summit, Inc. and the Aurora Women and Girls Foundation Inc. She holds a Masters Degree in of Public Administration from the University of Connecticut and a Bachelor’s Degree from Hampton University. She is a past President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Hartford Chapter, is an NAACP member and was a city youth and family services commissioner.

McGuire, works at the New Britain Museum of American Art as an associate in its Visitor Experience department. She also works at Central Connecticut State University’s art department as part of the team that curates art shows and exhibits on the campus. She is a 2016 graduate of CCSU.

Editor’s Note: City Republicans were asked for candidate profiles on their candidates and did not respond by the publication of this article.