White men hold political reins in state’s largest cities
Trend likely to continue after municipal elections in November
The eight largest cities in Connecticut, where only 35.7 percent of the total population is white, likely will have white mayors after November.
Only one is a woman. Of the men, the youngest is 40 years old.
Political observers say the racial and gender makeup of the chief executives in the state’s largest communities is the result of many factors, including longstanding roadblocks for people of color to gain political power.
Candidates of color and women were defeated last week in primaries in Hartford, by incumbent Luke Bronin, in New Haven by challenger Justin Elicker, and in Bridgeport by incumbent Joe Ganim. In New Haven, Mayor Toni Harp has yet to decide if she’ll run for reelection in November without the endorsement of the Democratic Party.
In the state’s other cities, popular incumbents likely will be reelected or are not up for reelection.
“It’s because it’s always happened and it’s just hard for people to accept change,” said state Rep. Robyn Porter, DNew Haven, who has been an outspoken advocate for minority representation in politics. “White men have ruled this country since its inception so the patterns and the things we’re talking about breaking and the barriers we’re talking about bringing down are so entrenched and ingrained in the fabric of who this country is, that it’s going to take time and the fact that it’s going to be, most likely, all white men representing majority minority cities, it’s something that needs to be addressed.”
But as Porter points out, many factors contribute to the lack of diversity among the chief elected officials in Connecticut’s cities, from the time and financial barriers of campaigning that disproportionately affect candidates of color and women, to a divided voter base and a fear of change, as well as the record of service many of the winning candidates have already exhibited.
Including the smaller majority minority cities of New London, Windsor, Bloomfield and East Hartford, Bloomfield — led by Suzette DeBeath-am-Brown — likely will be the only city with a mayor that looks like the majority of the city they lead.
Of all 10 majority minority cities, just one has elected a Republican. That’s New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart, who at 32, is running for her
fourth term. Stewart faces a young, black Democratic challenger in 28yearold political newcomer Christopher Porcher, but she is expected to be reelected.
Danbury, the state’s seventh largest city which is 52 percent white, is represented by longtime Republican Mayor Mark Boughton, who is running for a record 10th term. Norwalk, which is also roughly 52 percent white and only slightly larger than Danbury, is expected to re-elect Mayor Harry Rilling to a fourth term. David Martin leads Stamford, which is about 62 percent white.
“Tuesday’s [ primary] results showed us that we are really talking about a tale of two states and at a more granular level a tale of two cities,” said Khalilah BrownDean, an associate professor of political science at Quinnipiac University in Hamden. “It’s not just who lives in a city but who has power in a city that determines political representation.”
BrownDean, whose book “Identity Politics in the United States” will be available next month, said changing demographics in the state’s cities— more white middle class families are returning to the cities instead of the suburbs— could be a contributing factor to the lack of diversity in leadership, and emphasized that while those who are elected may be qualified, it’s not hard to find equally qualified candidates who also look like the majority of the people who live in the cities.
“These people aren’t unicorns,” BrownDean said. “It’s not just that they’re qualified. Often their credentials makes them more qualified.”
The Connecticut Democratic party faced similar criticisms during the 2018 statewide election when Gov. Ned La mont chose Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz as his runningmate prior to the party’s nominating convention, effectively ruling out any candidates of color for the position.
Nancy Wyman, chairwoman of the Connecticut Democratic Party, said while it’s true the top elected officials likely will be whitemen ( and mostly Democrats), she is proud of the down ticket diversity for Democratic candidates on local councils and boards, which she said will help create a pipeline for more diverse candidates for higher offices in the future.
“The fact is there’s only so much we can do, because the local people do elect them,” Wyman said. “It’s diverse on who voted for and elected the men to those offices. So that’s what we’re trying to do, is find the candidates that speak to the broadest group of voters, regardless of who they are. The white community doesn’t vote with one voice either. But we have to get people that people want to follow. I always think back to Barack Obama. He wasn’t elected by just minorities. He was elected by the majority of the people that wanted him, and that’s what we have to find here.”
The Connecticut Democratic party faced similar criticisms during the 2018 statewide election when Gov. Ned Lamont chose Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz as his running mate prior to the party’s nominating convention, effectively ruling out any candidates of color for the position.
Though there was diversity down ballot for offices like state treasurer, many said they’d hoped to see more diversity at the top of the ticket. The Republican Party also faced scrutiny for selecting two white men for the top of the ticket.
“If parties are concerned, and this isn’t just a Democratic issue, then they need to create pipeline programs,” BrownDean said. “They need to figure out what others have already known. It’s that some people won’t vote for you just because of the way you look. That’s the core of identity politics. It’s about what you, as a candidate, will do for me, and then getting that message to the voters.”
BrownDean said the voter turnout in last week’s primaries send a strong signal the Democratic party should be concerned heading into the 2020 election.
“If you can’t turn out the vote in the cities, it will have an implication in the presidential election, it will have an impact in the congressional races,” she said. “It’s not just about the municipal elections, I think they set the tone for what we should expect in these national races next year ... party officialswho overwhelmingly tend to be white, often assume they have shored up that base ( of minority voters) because of party affiliation. That is a losing strategy. It doesn’t mean they will vote for another party, but often it means they don’t vote at all.”