Firefighters’ union chief wins Conn. roll call honors
“It’s certainly a great honor. I think it’s a great ticket. Joe Biden has always throughout his entire career supported firefighters and that’s very important to us.”
Former Waterbury firefighter Peter Carozza
Peter Carozza is not entirely sure how he was selected for the job, but on Tuesday night the union president and retired firefighter declared on national television the Connecticut delegates’ votes for former Vice President Joe Biden.
“It’s certainly a great honor,” Carozza, a Wolcott resident and former 33-year veteran of the Waterbury Fire Department. “I think it’s a great ticket. Joe Biden has always throughout his entire career supported firefighters and that’s very important to us.”
In a short video, Carozza stood with Gov. Ned Lamont and Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin in front of a fire station to give all 75 of the state’s votes for Biden during the second night of the Democratic National Convention.
“Firefighters put our lives on the line every day to protect our neighbor,” Carozza said. ‘It’s a badge of courage. But while we are protecting your family, we need a president who is committed to protecting ours and that’s Joe Biden. He has the courage we respect and the commitment to working Americans we need now. On behalf of our Governor Ned Lamont, I am honored to cast Connecticut’s 75 votes for our next president Joe Biden.”
Biden overwhelmingly won the Democratic nomination for president Tuesday evening.
The roll call is a staple of the Democratic National Convention, in which each state announces delegates for any and all presidential nominees. At in-person conventions, the roll call is a boisterous affair where a representative of each state brags his or her state’s best features.
In 2016, in Philadelphia, Connecticut gave 44 delegates to presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and summoned attention with this boast: “Madam Secretary, Connecticut the Constitution State, with a Democratic governor, and as the country has seen through the last few weeks, a walkout, a sit-in, and a filibuster, we have the most aggressive and progressive delegation in the Congress,” Connecticut's roll call announcer said. “We are the college home of the former and next President of the United States, but most importantly, the home of the pizza and the hamburger.” On Tuesday night, the roll call was a 30-minute mix of live and pre-recorded video clips in which representatives spoke about their support for Biden or issues facing their state. Delegates announced the votes from scenic locations in 50 states and the U.S. territories.
Carozza is president of the Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters of Connecticut, representing 4,000 firefighters in the state. This year marks the fourth time he’s been a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
Other roll call announcers included an Alaska fisherman, an
Arkansas chef, a Florida gun safety activist, a Kansas farmer and a Maryland college student, along with U.S. representatives, mayors and local officials.
“All across the nation Americans are answering that call to action, and tonight we hope viewers are inspired to see their neighbors overcoming Donald Trump’s chaos and joining Joe Biden in his battle for the soul of our nation,” said Joe Solmonese, CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee.