HAMDEN >> The candidates are in place, and they have 35 days to make their cases to the voters.
The Republican and Democratic town committees met this week to choose their candidates for the special election for mayor that will take place May 28. Three men will vie for the position that former Mayor Scott Jackson left last week to take a job with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration.
Jackson returned as one of several DTC members who spoke in favor of nominating his Chief Administrative Officer Curt Balzano Leng to be the Democratic candidate Wednesday night at the Miller Library’s Thornton Wilder Auditorium.
“I’ve been waiting 20 years to do this,” said DTC member Matt Fitch, who nominated Leng. Fitch then yielded his time to Jackson, who said Leng is ready to lead.
“He has proven he can lead the way,” said former Legislative Council President Judi Kozak in seconding Leng’s nomination.
“I want to help people. It’s as simple as that,” Leng said. “And we are the place where we can help people on a day-to-day basis.”
It was working as the town’s Community Development manager that he realized the impact he can have on residents, Leng said. “I never had a more rewarding experience than that,” he said. “It inspired me in ways you could not even begin to understand.”
Leng’s goal is to keep the accomplishments of the Jackson administration moving forward, he said, including the program that is upgrading town parks, improving the town’s financial status through measures that have included pension obligation bonds and an expansion of community policing, including more substations and a return to officers walking their beats.
But Leng won’t be the only Democrat on the ticket.
Shepard Avenue resident George Levinson filed paperwork Wednesday to run, including the signatures required to get on the ballot. Former Legislative Council member John Flannagan nominated Levinson at the caucus but the nomination went overwhelmingly to Leng.
That didn’t deter Levinson, who said he plans on going door-to-door to make his case to the voters. He already did that on a smaller scale when collecting the signatures to get on the ballot.
“I am astounded at how angry the electorate is here in Hamden, especially the senior citizens who are frustrated at how their taxes keep going up,” he said. “My desire is to be a wake-up call because our fiscal situation is quite bad.”
Taxes also were on the mind of retired Hamden firefighter Bob Anthony, who was the Republican candidate two years ago against Jackson and will seek the seat again in the upcoming election.
“As a lifelong resident of the town of Hamden, I look forward to serving its citizens,” he said. “If and when elected, the first thing I will work on is an issue that affects us all -—we need to stabilize taxes in Hamden and reduce spending. I can promise you that I will work as hard as I can on this issue and all other issues that affect our town.”
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