Politics & Government

6th District Special Election Today

IAR open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For most people in Connecticut, the elections are long over, but for a small group in Farmington and a handful of other districts, today's special elections bring another opportunity to have a say in state government.

In the 6th state Senate District, New Britain Mayor Timothy Stewart, a Republican, faces former state Rep. Theresa Bielinski Gerratana, a Democrat, for the seat vacated by state Sen. Donald DeFronzo.

Terry Bielinski Gerratana, from New Britain, represented Berlin and New Britain as state representative for a decade, during which time she also served as chairman of the Human Services Committee. She was later appointed as state elections enforcement commissioner.

Find out what's happening in Farmingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Timothy Stewart, now in his fourth term as mayor of New Britain, touts his record of holding the line on taxes and creating jobs, including bringing Celebration Foods to the city. He is also noted for his work in combating homelessness in New Britain.

Gerratana has been supported by Democrats U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy and Berlin Mayor Adam Salina, as well as New Britain Democrats. Her name also appears for the Working Families Party on the ballot.

Find out what's happening in Farmingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“With jobs disappearing and stagnant wages, times have been tougher than ever for too many families in Berlin, Farmington and my hometown, New Britain,” said Gerratana when she announced. “I’m running for Senate because our communities need leaders who can listen to the needs of our families and get to work on real solutions.”

Stewart has had strong support from Farmington Republicans. Former U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson also spent time this weekend making phone calls for Stewart as did state Republican Party Chairman Chris Healy.

The mayor’s motto for the campaign has been job creation. A statement from Stewart’s campaign said that through cutting spending and creating a business development task force, “the city has generated over $100 million in new investments and has helped businesses to create more than 600 new jobs during the past seven years.”

The candidates recently responded to a questionnaire from the New Britain Herald. Asked how the two New Britain candidates would work for Farmington and Berlin, Gerratana said she would work full time to represent the towns.

“As a state senator I will maintain a constant dialogue with residents, organizations and businesses in New Britain, Berlin and Farmington and foster a collaborative relationship to address our towns’ concerns and shared interests. More specifically, in the senate I’ll be able to work with the leadership to secure our fair share of educational funding for all three towns. All three towns are being hurt by our over reliance on property taxes and we must reform our system. In Berlin, seniors are pitted against young families with children because of the cost of school construction. In Farmington they are in jeopardy of losing open space and the character of their town because of the need to grow and expand their taxable properties, jeopardizing the character of their community. That’s why property tax relief needs to be a top priority,” she said.

Stewart, responding to the same question, said he has a history of listening to constituents through open office hours, responding to residents and attending community events, all of which he plans to continue if elected.

“Second, during my time as mayor I have already worked with Berlin and Farmington officials by serving on regional boards and working together on matters of mutual concern. I served as President and Vice President of the BRRFOC solid waste disposal authority for 14 towns including New Britain and Berlin. New Britain’s landfill is in Berlin as is a part of our sports complex that houses Rockcats baseball. As such, I’ve worked jointly with Mayor [Adam] Salina, Town Manager [Denise] McNair and others in Berlin on shared projects and issues. I’ve also worked with Farmington Town Manager Kathy Eagen on economic development on our borders,” Stewart said.

Polls for Farmington voters in the 6th District are open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Irving A. Robbins Middle School.

Ride line for New Britain Democrats is 860-796-4059 and 860-416-2140 for New Britain Republicans.


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