Candidates woo voters in New Milford

Dems Glassman, Hayes face off

NEW MILFORD — A veteran elected leader and a former National Teacher of the Year who is new to politics each told a group of left-leaning voters Thursday why she is the best candidate to replace U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty in the House of Representatives.

The event at New Milford United Methodist Church was the first time that former Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman and former star Waterbury high school teacher Jahana Hayes were in the same room since the dramatic Democratic convention endorsement for the 5th District last week, which saw Glassman narrowly win the party’s favor after eleventh-hour vote switching.

“I want to go to Washington because I want to fight for you, and I want to fight for your democratic values,” said Glassman, a two-time candidate for lieutenant governor who had two multi-term tenures as Simsbury First Selectman. “Why I am doing this is to help you, so I need you to help me with your vote.”

Glassman and Hayes each addressed the crowd briefly before taking questions.

“I am a respecter of people; we need people in Congress who respect everybody,” said Hayes, the Waterbury school district’s talent and professional development supervisor, who left the classroom after being named the 2016 National Teacher of the Year. “That is what representation is supposed to look like.”

Glassman and Hayes are campaigning for the Aug. 14 Democratic primary to see which candidate will represent the party in the November election against the Republican nominee.

Democrats were forced to scramble in early April when three-term incumbent Elizabeth Esty announced she would not run for a fourth term as a result of her role in covering up an office abuse scandal involving her former chief of staff.

The race for Connecticut’s 5th District is the most competitive Congressional contest in the state. The 5th District, which stretches

from Bethel to Massachusetts and from westernmost Connecticut to the central part of the state, represents Republicans’ best chance to break into Connecticut’s all-Democratic Washington delegation.

Thursday’s forum was sponsored by Western Connecticut Civic Action, a group of 650 voters from greater Danbury who support Democratic values.

“We are not endorsing any candidates at this point,” said Ann Pratt, one of the group’s organizers. “This is a very important time for people to get out and hear what candidates stand for.”

Glassman and Hayes answered questions about diplomacy, military spending, health care and foreign policy from the crowd of 30.

“This idea of America first — we tried that after World War I and it didn’t work, because it got us into World War II,” said Hayes. “We cannot maintain our place as leaders of the free world if we cooperate with no one.”

On health care:

“The fact that people are going to the emergency room to get basic medical care because they don’t have access to preventative care shows our values as a country,” Glassman said. “I am a big believer in preventative health — there is no question that we as a society need to take care of our most vulnerable.”

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the state Democratic Party confirmed it had received a

“This is a very important time for people to get out and hear what candidates stand for.”

Ann Pratt, debate organizer

formal request from a delegate to investigate the lastminute vote switching at the party’s May 14 convention that gave Glassman the endorsement over Hayes.

The party is investigating, a spokeswoman said.

After the mid-August primaries, the civic action group may have a similar forum with the Republican nominee, Pratt said.

The Republican candidates are former Meriden Mayor Manny Santos, who was endorsed at the party’s convention at Foxwoods earlier this month; Southbury newcomer Ruby O’Neill, and Watertown businessman Richard Dupont.