The Democratic and Republican parties have announced that they will hold their candidate nominating meetings for the upcoming city elections.
Republicans will go first. City Republicans have announced that their meeting will be on July 16, 2019. They will meet at 7:00pm at New Britain Police Station Community Room at 10 Chestnut Street.
Republicans are expected to re-nominate Republican Mayor Erin Stewart, who is running for a fourth term.
Democrats have announced that they will hold their nominating meeting two days later, on July 18, 2019.
The Democratic Party is widely expected to endorse community activist Chris Porcher as their candidate for Mayor.
The Democratic Party’s meeting is to be at 7:00pm in City Hall, at 27 West Main Street, in Room 504.
City Democrats say that, “The Democratic Town Committee will endorse candidates for municipal offices including Mayor, Tax Collector, Treasurer, Common Council (15), Board of Education (3), Board of Assessment Appeal (2) and Constable (4) in accordance with party rules and state election law.”
State law requires that major parties hold meetings to do their candidate endorsements during a one week period, that this year is from July 16th to July 23rd.
Candidates who are registered as members of either the Democratic or Republican party who not endorsed by their party’s town committee are able to qualify for a primary. If they file a petition signed by five percent of the registered voters in their party, citywide or in the district they seek to represent, it would set up a primary on September 10th.
A primary is an election in which the voters who are registered to vote as members of a major party, Democrats or Republicans, vote to make the final decision of who their parties’ nominees will be on the ballot of the November 5th general election.
Meanwhile, the Republican Party has announced that its nominating committee is recommending five candidates to run for at-large seats on the Council. The five Republican candidates would be Ald. Daniel Salerno (R-AL), Sharon Beloin-Saavedra, Matthew Malinowski, Lauren Gonzalez and Peter Scirpo.
Republicans say that three-term incumbent Salerno, “says there is still work to do in order to make the City a more competitive, livable, and vibrant community.”
Scirpo has been a city police officer for 24 years, including serving on the SWAT team and the motorcycle unit. He is a veteran of the National Guard, having served for twenty-five years, including serving in Afghanistan. He is chair of the city Veterans Commission. He was named “Veteran of the Year” in 2018 by the New Britain Veteran’s Council. He is also a lifetime member of the DAV Chapter 8 New Britain.
Beloin-Saavedra, who previously served on the City Council and was President of the Board of Education as a Democrat, is now running as a Republican candidate for Council. Beloin-Saavedra was previously unsuccessful in her Republican candidacy for State Representative in 2018 against Democratic State Rep. Rick Lopes (D-24) and in her petitioning candidacy against Democratic former State Senator Terry Gerratana (D-6) in 2016.
Republicans say that Beloin-Saavedra, “has been a longtime advocate for equity in state education funding and vocal about ensuring that individuals of all abilities are given the rights they deserve.”
Republicans say that Gonzalez, a medical assistant who lives on Collins Street resident, “has been active behind the scenes in local politics for many years and is now excited for the opportunity to have a larger role in the community.”
Malinowski, a Biruta Street resident, is the Vice-Chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Currently, four of the five at-large Council members are Democrats.
Both parties are trying to make gains in the upcoming city elections. Republicans are trying to re-capture control of the City Council that they lost two years ago.
Meanwhile, Democrats are hoping not only to win the offices of Mayor and Tax Collector, but also to gain the seat on the Board of Education that they lost four years ago.
“All Democrats and friends are welcome,” the city Democrats say about their endorsement meeting on July 18th.
