13 candidates vie for council seats
Five political parties on ballot in Hartford race
When Hartford voters head to the polls Nov. 7, they’ll see 13 candidates representing five different political parties on the ballot for city council.
Two are Republicans, three Working Families Party candidates, one from The Hartford Party and one from The Green Party; six Democrats will compete for votes, according to the town clerk’s office. The council is composed of nine members with a council president leading the meetings.
Hartford, historically controlled by Democrats, has just 2,766 registered Republicans, according to the registrar of voters.
The Democratic slate consists of several incumbents, including Council President Maly Rosado, Majority Leader Thomas “TJ” Clarke II, Amilcar Hernandez,
Shirley Surgeon, and Marilyn Rossetti.
The council is tasked with approving or denying proposals from the mayor or other city ordinances. Since Democrats are in the majority, no resolutions can pass through the council without receiving Democratic support. Democrats hold six seats on the council.
The party’s newest challenger, Kelly Bilodeau, serves as clerk for the town of East Hampton, and is running for her first term on the council. Despite working outside of the city, Bilodeau is a lifelong Hartford resident who previously served as assistant city clerk.
“Serving the community has always been an important part of my life. My passion is to serve the needs of the entire community while working towards making Hartford a successful and thriving city over the next four years,” Bilodeau previously said to the Courant.
Councilman Nick Lebron, a Democrat, was first elected to the council in 2019. However, after announcing a run for mayor, he cannot seek another term as a council member, due to city charter rules. Bilodeau is aiming to fill his seat.
The Hartford Party
Incumbent John Gale, a former Democrat who formed his own party, represents the sole member of The Hartford Party. Gale formed
the party in 2019 after not receiving the Democratic endorsement. The two-term councilman, first elected in 2015, previously ran for mayor but conceded to Luke Bronin.
“There is really only one issue in this election, that’s John Gale, I’m the issue,” Gale said. “It’s quite clear based on voting patterns in the city of Hartford that the six Democrats are going to get elected. You don’t see them out beating the pavement, there’s no particular massive effort, because they don’t need it. They will get all the votes they need. It’s really going to come down to are you going to get three Working Families Party members or two and me on the council.”
Gale said that reducing gun violence and addressing the flooding issues in the North End are among his priorities if re-elected. Gale, who sits on the MDC, is the only council member to have a seat on the commission.
“Given the rain we’ve had this year, it has brought front and center the seriousness of climate change,” Gale said. “I’m in a fairly unique position that gives me the availability to work both sides of the fence between the state’s DEEP and the federal EPA to get everybody to the table to see what we can do to address the issue.”
Gale said he also supports re-creating a Parks and Recreation Department. The city, which had the department from 1947 until the 1990s, dismantled it in favor of splitting youth programming and parks into two separate groups. Parks operates as a division of the Department of Public Works, while recreation is part of the city’s Department of Families, Children, Youth and Recreation, according to the city’s website.
“It’s got some support and I think we can drag it over the finish line next year,” Gale said. “Creating opportunity for youth goes hand in hand with addressing gun violence.”
Working Families
Josh Michtom and Tiana Hercules, the two incumbent Working Families Party members are among the councilors seeking reelection.
The Connecticut WFP is a grassroots political organization that advocates around economic and racial justice issues, according to their website. The national party has chapters in a dozen states and membership across all 50 states.
Michtom, first elected in 2019, has called for decreasing funding for the police department and reallocating it to social services and advocated for public transportation, greater oversight of housing, and immigrant rights.
“I’m grateful to the WFP for the support they’ve always given me in fighting for workers, tenants, and immigrants in Hartford. Politics is a frustrating business that can weigh heavily on those fighting for change, so it’s good to have a party full of thoughtful, progressive people behind me,” Michtom said in a press release.
Michtom’s running mate, Tiana Hercules, is a newer face on the council. Hercules was selected and endorsed by the Working Families Party to finish out the term for then-councilwoman Wildaliz Bermúdez in 2022. Bermúdez, who was elected in 2015 and 2020, resigned from her position in 2021 when she moved out of the city.
“As a working mother of three, I find that WFP’S economic justice priorities are exactly what our city needs at this time,” Hercules said. “Since being endorsed by the party for the first time in 2022, I’ve been proudly working on transformative community initiatives such as the Hartford Black Heroes Trail and progressive policy changes such as expanding the number of housing inspectors available to protect against unlivable conditions for tenants. I look forward to continuing this work with the support of my running mates and of the WFP.”
The party is also seeking to add a third council member, Alex Thomas, associate pastor at South Church in Hartford, where he is the first Black pastor. Thomas, who was born and raised in the North End, has been active in several community organizations, including Hartford City Mission, the Hartford Artists Collective, & the Wilson-gray YMCA. Among issues he said he would champion are youth programming, public safety, and ensuring funding for Hartford’s historic parks and recreational programs.
“It is an absolute honor to run for office alongside two leaders like Josh and Tiana with a proven track record of transparency, honesty, and hard work for the people of Hartford,” said Thomas. “I am running for city council because the young people that I work with deserve to live in a place where they are valued and where they are safe.”
Green Party
Mary Sanders, a longtime activist in the city, is the sole member of the Green Party listed on the ballot for city council.
The Connecticut Green Party “is committed to grassroots democracy, social justice, non-violence and ecological wisdom,” according to its website. The Green Party got its name by prioritizing environmental issues in the early 1970s.
Sanders ran against longtime U.S. Rep. John Larson as the Green Party candidate for the 1st Congressional District last year. Sanders received 2,800 votes in that race, according to election data.
Sander said her properties if elected to council include environmental justice, education, workforce development, fair wages, fair housing, and open participation in city planning, according to her Facebook page.
“My main goal in running was to give voters another choice to the status quo, a choice that represents the interests of poor and working-class individuals here in CT and around the nation. I also wanted to promote the messages of those working to end wars and injustice, here and around the world, of those who believe we all deserve a healthy planet, healthcare for all including reproductive freedom, civil rights protections, quality education and livable wages, affordable housing and sustainable and equitable food systems. I invite you to join us in this work,” Sanders said in a Facebook post shortly after losing to Larson.
Republican challengers
Two Republicans are also listed on the ballot for city council. Barry D’andrea and William Connelly are vying for council seats alongside Republican mayoral challenger Michael Mcgarry.
“We would be much better off if we had Republicans on the council,” Mcgarry said. “It’s really tough because of demographics to get that now. The real reason for it is to bring out ideas. The odds of winning are poor or maybe nonexistent, but it’s important to have different ideas.”
Mcgarry admits that the two council candidates have not been running a very active campaign. But having opposition on the ballot is what’s most important, according to the mayoral candidate.
Mcgarry said Republicans in the city want to see both more police on the force and an increase in staffing across many departments including boosting the number of health inspectors.
“500 cops is the sweet spot,” Mcgarry said. “We also need to fully staff our city. We don’t have enough positions filled across the board.”
Democratic nominee Arunan Arulampalam is the heavy favorite to become the next mayor of Hartford. But several other challengers are listed as petitioning candidates on the ballot. Councilman Nick Lebron, J. Stan Mccauley, Giselle Jacobs and Mark Stewart Greenstein are all listed on the Nov. 7 general election ballot for mayor, according to the town clerk’s office. Mcgarry has received the Republican nomination. Eric Coleman is a write-in candidate.