Drew mulls bid for Esty’s seat

Former New Milford resident would not have to relocate to take office

MIDDLETOWN — Mayor Dan Drew is considering running for the 5th District congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, a Democrat.

Drew, 38, originally from New Milford, located in the district, said Friday morning he has been approached by several people about running for the seat.

While “I haven’t made any decisions yet, it’s something I’m considering,” the Middletown resident said.

Asked if he has a deadline for making a decision, Drew said, “No, but it will have to be soon.”

The district runs from Meriden and New Britain in central Connecticut, west to Danbury and the Housatonic Valley, including the Farmington Valley, Upper Naugatuck River Valley, and the Litchfield Hills. Drew lives in the 1st Congressional District.

If he were to choose to run in the 5th District, there is no constitutional requirement that a member of the House of Representatives live in the district that he/she represents. Asked about the matter Friday afternoon, Drew declined to comment other than to say, he hadn’t “made any decision” about running for Esty’s seat.

Drew, a father of four first elected in 2011, is in his third term as mayor of the city.

Last year, he mounted a run for the Democratic nomination for governor but withdrew this January. Drew and his running mate, state Rep. Liz Linehan, D-Cheshire, both ended their campaigns for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively. “Ultimately, it became very difficult to raise the required funds to qualify for public financing. Other campaigns are on their way, and we look forward to supporting the Democratic team,” they said then in a joint statement.

“We are proud of running an issues-based campaign focused on middle-class economic equality, working people’s rights, and creating more opportunity for the people of Connecticut. We believe in that future because we believe in the people of Connecticut.”

Drew said people made more than 4,000 contributions to his campaign, and it raised $280,000 since the start of the exploratory committee in January 2017.

Both Drew’s parents and three of his four brothers live in New Milford area, he said.

Esty, a three-term incumbent Democrat, announced early this month she was not seeking reelection after acknowledging she had failed to protect female members of her Washington staff from her male chief of staff.

Several employees came forward to say they were sexually harassed and/or physically threatened by the chief of staff.

One employee who was in dating relationship with the aide, Tony Baker, said in addition to sexually harassing and verbally abused her, he once punched her, a claim Baker denied even as he admitted her other charges.

When Esty learned of the charges — and the fact they

were not isolated — she did not immediately fire Baker. Instead, she kept him on her staff for three months while she negotiated a settlement — which included a $5,000 severance payment — and was instrumental in getting him hired by the Sandy Hook Promise gun control advocacy group to work in Ohio.

Baker was fired by Sandy Hook Promise.

Esty became the target of a bipartisan barrage criticism for her actions, which some critics said amounted to treating Baker as the victim instead of the aggressor in the unfolding story.

Two Republicans who had been mentioned as potential candidates for the seat, Dr. William Petit, the lone survivor of the Cheshire home invasion murders; and New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart, have both said they are not interested in the Esty seat.

Petit is currently a state representative for the 22nd District, while Stewart is seeking the GOP nomination for governor.

Drew is an organ donor. In August 2016, he gave his left kidney to a Middletown mom and lifelong resident who needed a transplant. Turns out, he was a match. “Donating a kidney was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and vastly different than conventional wisdom would have people believe,” he wrote on his Facebook page a year after the procedure.

Meanwhile, the Middletown Common Council is awaiting an independent investigation begun in January into a gender discrimination complaint involving Drew, who has called it “baseless.”

Drew previously had come under general criticism from both Democrats and Republicans when it was revealed he sent letters to the homes of town employees requesting $100 donations for his campaign. The state Election Enforcement Commission is investigating that matter, staff attorney Joshua Foley confirmed Friday.

Drew promised to refund all donations in September 2017.

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