Reader Responds to Letter on Town Committee Primary; Supports Lopes/Sanchez Slates

By Sammy Villanueva

It is not often that one reads something so inaccurate and disconnected from reality that it requires a clear and direct response. However, Jacob Pudlin’s misguided diatribe in the New Britain Progressive (“‘Did A Slate Of Candidates Forget What They Were Running For?’ Democratic Candidate Asks“, February 9, 2024) requires just such a reply. Mr. Pudlin seems to think that he and his housemates are the only individuals in recent memory who have had a positive impact in New Britain and anyone who disagrees with him is “bizarre.” But it is the conclusions drawn by Mr. Pudlin that are truly bizarre.

To hear him tell it, Mr. Pudlin should be allowed to coronate anyone and everyone he thinks is deserving enough to be on the Democratic Town Committee. Why? Because no one has done as much for New Britain Democrats as Mr. Pudlin. Should a sitting state senator have a say in who has a seat on the town committee? Not according to Mr. Pudlin. Should the first ever Latino state representative in New Britain’s history have input into who has a seat on the town committee? Nope. That job only belongs to Mr. Pudlin and a few of his roommates. Should the current members of the town committee help determine who will fill the slates for next term? You guessed it. No way. If you don’t kiss his ring – or hire his fledgling political consulting firm – there is no place for you in Mr. Pudlin’s Democratic Party.

There are so many distortions in Mr. Pudlin’s piece it is hard to know where to begin. First, he claims that our current state delegation doesn’t care about a functioning Democratic Town Committee. What he fails to point out is that the purpose of the town committee is to nominate and promote candidates for office. It is not the job of the Democratic Town Committee to promote divisive and radical opinions that are not in line with New Britain’s values. While Mr. Pudlin may want the town committee to advocate for extreme positions like defunding the police and abandoning allies around the world; town committee Chairman Chris Anderson has correctly kept the focus on local issues that are relevant to the day to day lives of New Britain residents.

Mr. Pudlin goes on to say he is offended that New Britain’s state delegation hasn’t used their power at the Capitol to “help the New Britain Democratic Party in meaningful ways.” What a shameful commentary on how Mr. Pudlin views the role of an elected official. The job of a state senator, a state representative or a mayor is not to advance for their particular political party – it is to advance all the people in a community. The fact that Mr. Pudlin thinks otherwise is sad.

Particularly offensive were Mr. Pudlin’s attacks on State Representative Bobby Sanchez. For the people who know him and have worked with him, Bobby is a good and decent man who has worked tirelessly to give a voice to those who do not have the ablity to speak for themselves. Bobby has been a leader in the Latino community for decades. During his time in public service, Bobby has registered countless voters, organized community groups, advocated for the poor and disenfranchised and delivered over $100 million in school construction funds for New Britain. Most recently, he helped secure a $25 million grant to assist with the development of additional preschool programs in New Britain. His record, like the record of our entire state delegation, is built on delivering results for New Britain.

The reality is Jacob Pudlin is not really interested in getting new people involved in the town committee. He’s not concerned with fostering a cohesive plan to win elections. He wants chaos. He wants primaries. The more primaries; the more candidates who can hire him to run their campaigns. Why else would he support a slate of candidates in Ward 3, a ward that is over 80% Latino, that has not one Latino on it? Why would he primary members of the town committee who less than a year ago endorsed Nate Simpson and Candy Scott, newcomers who are now running on Pudlin’s challenge slates? The reason why is clear, Mr. Pudlin is only interested in helping himself and not the people of New Britain.

The Democratic Town Committee primary will be held on March 5th and voters will have a clear choice. They can support challenge slate who wants the New Britain Democratic Party to focus on foreign affairs and extreme points of view that will only serve to divide the party, alienate voters and elect Donald Trump. Or they can support slates led by Senator Rick Lopes and Representative Bobby Sanchez who have a proven record of accomplishment and delivering results for the people of New Britain. There’s plenty of opportunity to argue and disagree about national and international politics. But local politics is about getting things done for the people in New Britain. And only the Lopes/Sanchez slates can say they’ve gotten things done for us and our neighbors.