The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Council candidates withdraw from slate
Amid party fissures, DTC head, BOE chair decline candidacies
MIDDLETOWN — The chairman of the Democratic Town Committee Thursday removed his name from the slate of candidates running in the upcoming election, saying he’s taking a step back to focus on his job.
The move by oneterm Common Councilman Robert Blanchard comes amid a growing rift among city Democrats.
“We’ve got some really great candidates running this year, and I still feel a responsibility to set them up for success, and I’ll continue to ensure they have the resources they need to run a strong campaign,” said Blanchard, recently promoted to Gov. Ned Lamont’s deputy communications director.
Also Thursday, Christopher Drake, chairman of the Middletown Board
of Education, turned in his resignation from the council slate. Both his and Blanchard’s letters were timestamped by the town clerk at 11:26 a.m.
“My involvement in local politics and government no longer brings me the satisfaction and enjoyment it once did, and I no longer see significant value to me personally, or to the people of the city, in my continued involvement,” wrote Drake, an attorney.
Wesleyan graduate Ben Florsheim, recommended for mayor by the DTC’s nominating committee at its convention last week, lost the endorsement after being narrowly defeated by Councilwoman Mary Bartolotta, who won the party’s endorsement during a contentious caucus July 18.
Drake nominated Bartolotta for mayor from the floor.
Blanchard said Thursday afternoon his decision is unrelated to the convention’s outcome, stressing he does not support a particular candidate, and acted only as a moderator during voting.
“It was a decision that was very difficult, but one that I thought was in the best interest of the city, given my limited flexibility, and one I thought also would be best for my career at this point in time,” Blanchard said Thursday afternoon.
Drake said his work on behalf of the school board and DTC has begun to affect his physical and emotional health.
A yearandahalf ago, Drake took part in a “takeover of the local town committee, thinking that would bring change to our local political climate,” which happened for a pace, he said in his letter.
Rifts began to emerge, which grew and couldn’t be ignored, Drake said.
“Those fractures have led to countless hours of bickering and stress, straining relationships with people I like. The fractures are deep, they are foundational, and likely only the passage of time will begin to bring them together,” he wrote.
“I am sorry to lose Rob and Chris on our slate, but I am confident that we will replace them with new, strong candidates that are ready to hit the ground running,” Bartolotta said.
Bartolotta has been on the council for nearly eight years and formerly held the post of DTC vice chairwoman.
“Democrats are a bigtent party and this often leads to internal conflicts. Some factions of our DTC have gravitated towards a person who uses buzzwords like ‘progressive,’ but has never held elected office, and others are rallying behind a candidate who is a political insider.
“From my time on doors, it is clear that the voters are ready for a candidate who cares less about appeasing the different insider groups and wants to create real, tangible change and bring the people of this city together,” said Bartolotta, who added her campaign is thriving.
Drake said Thursday afternoon he has had reservations for several weeks about his candidacy. “It is the climate we’re living in that has pushed me to do this. The fighting and bickering and faction — it’s all gotten to me.”
This isn’t the first time Blanchard has made the decision to focus on work.
In March 2016, while DTC chairman, he and thenDTC vice chairwoman Bartolotta announced they would not seek reelection due to the demands of their fulltime jobs and Common Council obligations.
“Having been elected by the residents of Middletown, I wanted to make sure I am able to dedicate my full attention and efforts to addressing their needs,” Blanchard said in 2016. “I thoroughly enjoyed being town chair, but it is another consuming role, and I really want to ensure I am doing the best job I can.”
Blanchard, who was elected to council in 2015, moved to Middletown in 2012 and found a “vibrant and eclectic downtown — a city that had character and culture, and incredibly hardworking people,” he wrote.
Blanchard said he’s proud of the budgets he’s helped craft, which have “managed to hold the line on spending throughout my entire term, but it has not been easy.”
During the convention, Parking Director Geen Thazhampallath was also nominated by membership for the city’s top post. The first round of voting, during which the mayoral candidate needed at least 29 votes to claim the endorsement, saw Florsheim with 28, Bartolotta with 19 and Thazhampallath with 10.
The second vote saw Bartolotta with 29 and Florsheim, 28.
Public Works Director Bill Russo, who turned in his primary petition Monday along with a full slate of council candidates and treasurer, gathered 150 percent (903) of needed signatures to force his way onto the Sept. 10 primary ballot. He has said he would not participate in the DTC process because it lacks transparency and fairness.
Florsheim, activist Valeka Clarke and Thazhampallath are also out campaigning, seeking enough support to be on the primary ballot. The deadline for candidates to turn in their petitions with at least 610 signatures is Aug. 7.
For his part, Russo said he’s focusing on talking to voters, and the strength of his slate, which he’s calling “phenomenal.” The alternative candidate roster includes a mix of veteran lawmakers and political newcomers with deep roots in Middletown. All are invested in the city’s future, Russo said.
As evidence of the deep division among city Democrats, a Facebook repost of the New York Times opinion piece, “The Democratic Party is Actually Three Parties,” made by DTC member and city Planning & Zoning Commission Chairman Stephen Devoto, elicited a stinging comment from Mayor Dan Drew.
“This could easily describe my city’s Democratic Party, but it leaves out the faction for whom the issues do not matter as much as does their grip on power, money, and jobs for their friends,” Devoto wrote Wednesday.
“Are you referring to your own faction, Stephen? After all, you did endorse Seb Giuliano, Deb Kleckowski, and Molly Salafia. Pretty tough to credibly refer to yourself as a good Democrat when you’re pumping up super conservative Republicans,” Drew wrote.
“I wonder how most Democratic voters in Middletown would feel knowing that someone who endorsed those candidates led the committee to choose Democrats to run against them. Sounds (like) the fox in the henhouse to me,” Drew wrote.
Meanwhile, Drake said he hopes to focus more on his family.
“As I have knocked doors this cycle, I have found myself admiring the people on the other side, who are going about their regular life, working in their garden, or tinkering with their motorcycle, or just sitting outside on a nice day reading a book.
“I am going to try to be that person for a while,” he concluded.