OPINION: Que the Theme from Rocky...

Author’s Notes:

• This article is posted under the initials JAM. The writer is Jennifer Mahr.
• Mahr is the Chair of the Westfield Residents Association (WRA), but is writing this opinion piece as a private citizen.
• The author is a registered Republican who currently has a Mary for Mayor sign in her yard.
• No, the author is not going to be Bartolotta’s Chief of Staff if Bartolotta is elected.

Diana Martinez, the Florsheim campaign Treasurer, asked a fabulous question during her disclosures on her Civilian Review Board opinion piece. What happens if another candidate wins? 

I totally appreciate the heartfelt, emotional component of that question, but I’m more interested in the political consequences she mentions. What does the morning after look like when the winner wakes up and looks at the 56-day campaign against the Republican nominee Seb Giuliano?

Or, the better question is, what is Middletown looking at when it wakes up and sees the candidate the Democratic party has chosen to face a sitting Councilman and three term former Middletown mayor? Here’s the synopsis from the Giuliano campaign website:

Nobody is better prepared to lead those endeavors than Seb Giuliano. Whether it is his education (United States Military Academy at West Point, Boston College, law school at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC) his record of community service and involvement or his multiple terms as Mayor and on the Common Council, Seb's qualifications to lead this City are unmatched.

A lifelong resident and the son of lifelong residents, Seb’s commitment and dedication to Middletown are legendary. His civic participation – the Chamber of Commerce, American Legion Post 75, Xavier High School, Macdonough School, the Italian Society of Middletown and the IACO, the Bridge To Brilliance Steering Committee, just to name a few – is only one aspect of a career spent serving this community. In his previous three terms as Mayor, Seb grew the City’s Grand List, doubled its cash reserves, reduced its debt burden (notwithstanding the construction of the new Middletown High School) and strengthened the City’s financial position, which led to progressively higher credit ratings. Under his leadership, the City became a member of the Mattabasset District, which has opened the door to the redevelopment of Middletown’s riverfront.

Normally, when selecting a candidate from a field of possibilities, a party also factors in the candidate’s ability to take on the opposing party’s candidate. The real PARTY priority is getting elected, and the primary is about which candidate can best help the party do that. This is a fairly fluid two part consideration: is the candidate attractive to the party’s voter base, and can this attraction be wielded in an effective manner against the opposing party?

I’m not much of a boxing fan - I can’t imagine why anyone would want to stand up and get punched in the face - but let’s use the analogy anyway. There’s a reason boxers fight in the same weight class, and it also applies to political campaigns.

Town governing is the most basic and practical level of “politics.” Picking a candidate solely because his or her ideology matches yours fails to consider whether the candidate can translate ideology into effective action. In my opinion, at the local level, a candidate’s experience matters as much, if not more, than basic political ideology. 

Middletown’s annual budget is nearly $180 million and it employees over 600 people: this is no sleepy bedroom community. Just consider this one fact about our town: according to the Middletown Public Schools website, there are 4800 children of preschool to high school age who depend on Middletown voters making decisions that will literally shape their lives. 

So, the Democratic primary on September 10th matters far beyond personal attachment to a candidate. When you, the voters, make a choice, be sure you know who you are picking and why. You already know who Seb Giuliano is, what he has done, and what he can do for Middletown. Do not be fooled: the real fight starting September 11th is about experience, political connections, accountability (or lack thereof), and keeping or changing the status quo.

Let’s see how the fight breaks out:

Billy Russo: If you read either of my EYE articles in March about the Fields Use Ordinance, you know exactly what I think personally about Billy Russo being Mayor. His justification, in his own words, for a new fields ordinance was to align the ordinance to match “what we’re already doing.” In other words, the current ordinance wasn’t being followed because Russo as Director of Public Words didn’t feel like it. For the record, Giuliano was on the committee that approved and forwarded this ordinance change. Giuliano voted for it during the Council vote mostly because he liked the cleaner language of the ordinance (or at least that’s how I interpreted his explanation before the vote). I use this example for this reason: it’s not about Russo’s ability to run a department, it’s about what he does with that responsibility when he has it. If being mayor is about representing all of Middletown, and doing what is best for the town as a whole, can Russo do this? In a Billy v. Seb fight, is Billy already a compromised candidate?

Geen Thazhampallath: As former Chief of Staff for Seb Giuliano’s 3 mayoral terms, Thazhampallath is familiar with how our City runs, and he handled himself well at the Candidate Forums according to all accounts. He is a former Republican and has been the city’s Parking Director for the past 8 years. If you like parking downtown, Thazhampallath’s your guy. But when the race is Geen v. Seb, what exactly is the choice the voters get to make? Even when arguing, like I am here, that a party label doesn’t necessarily matter at the local level, does Geen offer voters a different path?

Mary Bartolotta: You already know what I think about her even when I can’t vote for her in the Democratic primary. But Mary v. Seb? That’s a prime time fight, so settle in and get your money’s worth. They are in the same weight class, though they have different strengths. Giuliano is a long-time attorney, 3 term mayor, and a six-year Councilman. He loves to talk, knows what he is talking about, and, thanks to his profession, thrives in public speaking settings. Bartolotta is a former retail manager and an eight-year Councilwoman whose leadership strengths are most visible at the personal level, as is appropriate for a manager traveling between 21 different stores in her district. There is a years long record of how each has voted on all kinds of issues, and so there is a legitimate choice that voters can make. That both are fiscally conservative or share similar views on what Middletown’s top priorities should be does not make them the same candidate. It means that two seasoned Middletown elected officials, based on their experience, have confirmed where Middletown can do better, and each has a different way to get there. For me personally, party affiliation won’t matter if the vote is Mary v. Seb on November 5th. I will have to consider what I think about each candidate’s ability to lead independently, to hold others accountable, and to change the culture in City Hall. Our current Mayor faces two federal lawsuits about how female City employees are paid less than male employees and then treated unfairly or retaliated against when they complain (read the Courant article here). There is much to be done to remedy this problem and many others, and a party label isn’t the simple answer for me. 

Ben Florsheim: There have been plenty of opinions posted on the EYE in favor of Florsheim’s candidacy: he’s nurturing, he cares, he brings the city forward, he brings honesty and integrity and he is engaged. The Florsheim campaign website heavily stresses his ability to listen and “to hear every perspective.” In his own words, “For the last five years, my job has been all about listening - making sure that Senator Murphy is hearing from people all across our state about what’s important to them.” There is no disconnect between Florsheim’s job and how people describe him as a person. In fact, he had that job because of all those personal characteristics. Senator Murphy couldn’t afford to have a community outreach liaison who wasn’t nice, honest and able to report back accurately. But, take a nice junior flyweight and match him against a seasoned heavyweight: Ben v. Seb is a likely disaster for the Democratic Party in Middletown. Even Bartolotta has a hard argument against Giuliano’s experience as a 3 term mayor. She can disagree with his decisions, but she can’t argue he doesn’t know how to do the job. Florsheim has no experience managing people, money or property that he has pointed to as evidence he can do the practical job of being mayor. At least all three other Democratic primary candidates have this experience, and you can review their records to see if you like their performances or not. Is youthful enthusiasm enough to convince you to hand over the keys to a $180 million dollar budget and 600+ employees? Would any other field give this job to someone without demonstrated, relevant experience?

Valeka Clarke: You won’t see this name on the ballot on September 10th. Clarke is a write-in candidate for the November 5th election, not the primary. She is a community activist and recent graduate of the Side Street to Main Street program. The Middletown Press profiled her in May, that article is here. Clarke faces a tough uphill battle starting September 11th as she has no party machine to support her campaign efforts. She will struggle to stay in the limelight as the major party campaigns will outshine her efforts. This doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a valid viewpoint, it means that third party candidates historically don’t do well on their own.

Diana Martinez’s comment brought one other question to my mind. What happens if her preferred primary candidate doesn’t get elected? It has been very clear that some members of the endorsed Democratic Common Council Slate prefer one mayoral candidate over others. Party unity is normally more important than personal candidate preferences, so can the Democratic Party really start working together on September 11th? Will losing mayoral campaigns support the people’s choice or work to undermine this choice out of spite? Will September 11th be the day Seb Giuliano was elected mayor by default because the Democratic Party self-destructed? Should we just get rid of political parties at the local level and let it be a free-for-all?

Your vote is your choice. None of these questions are easy, and none of the decisions simple. What matters most, in my opinion, is having a choice in the first place. Democracy thrives on it, but it also brings a grave responsibility. Whatever you decide, be willing to accept the consequences of your choice or non-choice. On November 6th, we have to be willing as a town to embrace the new mayor and move forward under his or her leadership. Hopefully, cries of “Not My Mayor” won’t be heard here in Middletown. We have too much to do to build a brighter future.