The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
MAYOR EXPLORING RUN FOR GOVERNOR
Dan Drew files paperwork as he considers bid for state’s top office
MIDDLETOWN >> Mayor Dan Drew said he’s looking at a possible run for governor in 2018.
In a video shared early Thursday morning, Drew, a Democrat who is serving his third term in office, cited some of his successes as mayor, including the decision by FedEx to build a hub in the city, as well as small businesses that have opened elsewhere in town.
Drew, 37, said the city’s unemployment rate has been cut in half, the city’s schools are “great” and that people are moving into Middletown rather than out of the city. “Connecticut needs to move in the same direction,” he said.
Drew appeared on the WPLR 99.1 Chaz and AJ show at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, just moments after his campaign sent a press release about Drew filing paperwork with the State Elections Enforcement Commission, to announce his intent and field questions from listeners.
Shortly afterward, he posted the video to his Facebook page and by midday, it had received 80 comments, most of which applauded his efforts. In six hours, the video had been
"Too many Democrats have gone along with these policies for too long for fear that our opponents would say negative things about them.” — Middletown Mayor Dan Drew
viewed 19,083 times.
During a morning news conference on efforts to eliminate chronic homelessness in Meriden at 11 a.m., Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who hasn’t announced if he will seek a third term, answered questions about Drew running for the state’s highest post.
According to an audio recording provided by the governor’s press secretary, Chris Collibee, Malloy offered a single comment specifically about Drew when a reporter asked if him if he felt Drew would be a good candidate for his job.
“I have enjoyed working with him as mayor,” Malloy said.
In his video, Drew seemed to call out his own party for not being progressive enough in its policies in recent years, saying that for too long, the government has been focused on helping people at the “very top” instead of the middle class.
“Inequality is not inevitable,” he said. “It’s the consequence of bad decisions. Too many Democrats have gone along with these policies for too long for fear that our opponents would say negative things about them. Instead we have to recognize that we have the opportunity and the responsibility to think big and to make the bold changes that will tangibly improve life for people in Connecticut.”
The mayor said he’s eager to go door to door and speak to city residents about the issues important to him and voters — and his record of achievements.
“It’s a long slog of a process; it takes a ton of time to raise money and set up a grassroots campaign the right way,” he said.
Drew says he has no timeframe for completing the process.
“I want to talk to people and build a groundswell of support organically. In order to succeed in our public financing system ... it requires thousands of small contributions,” he explained.
According to the SEEC, “candidates must raise an aggregate amount of smalldollar monetary contributions (between $5 and $100) from individuals.”
“It takes a lot of lead time and I want to get going,” Drew said.
This exploratory phase, the mayor explained, allows him to gather feedback from voters.
“This is the appropriate legal mechanism to begin talking to people and then ultimately deciding whether or not to run,” he said.
Malloy said at Thursday’s press conference that he doesn’t plan on making a decision about campaigning for re-election right away.
“If someone is going to run against me, I doubt that they’re going to point out my strengths,” the governor told reporters. “I’m not announcing what I’m doing, but I’ve obviously spent a little bit of time thinking about running again, but I won’t decide until after I get the budget out and some number of days or months after that.”
On Thursday afternoon, the mayor said his and Malloy’s politics diverge on some issues.
“There are things that I agree with that he’s done and there are other things that I disagree with. I have a different vision for the state of Connecticut: I’d like to see us being more economically progressive — that’s my goal,” Drew said.
Since taking office in 2011, Drew has spearheaded the revitalization of the shore front of the Connecticut River, which flows along Harbor Park and moves through a great bend in the river; as well as the decommissioning of the water treatment plant along River Road and the city’s impending connection to the Mattabassett District sewage treatment plant in Cromwell, among other projects.
“This effort on my part is not about Dan Malloy and it’s not about any other Democrat or Republican,” Drew said. “It’s about what is happening in the lives of people in the state and what we can do to improve their economy. We need to put more money back into the pockets of the middle class so they can live a good life and support their families. That’s what I care about and that’s what I’m going to be focusing on.”
Drew was born in New York City and raised in New York and Connecticut. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Connecticut in 2002, then earned his master’s degree in organizational psychology from Columbia University in 2015, according to his bio.
Drew said he’s investigating a bid entirely independent of the job the current governor is doing.
“This is not about him or anyone else,” Drew said of Malloy. “I’m going to talk with the voters of Connecticut on what they care about and how we can turn the state around.”