New Haven Leaders Endorse Lamont-Glassman

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DeStefano Praises Lamont's Ideas and Experience

Ned Lamont accepted the endorsement of New Haven Mayor John DeStefano and the New Haven Democratic Town Committee (DTC) at a news conference at the John C. Daniels School. New Haven DTC Chair Susan Voigt joined DeStefano in praising Lamont and Glassman's leadership and vision for Connecticut.



"Ned and Mary are the right choice to work with Connecticut's cities and towns to create jobs and improve education," said DeStefano. "They have the ideas and the experience to bring new energy to cities like New Haven and get our state moving in the right direction."



"Ned Lamont has the best plan to grow our economy and get Connecticut moving forward again," said Voigt. "He and Mary are the strong, principled leaders we need to shake up Hartford and get results for the people of Connecticut."

"For too long, our state government has been kicking the can down the road, and our cities have paid the price," said Lamont. "New Haven needs an advocate in Hartford, not an adversary. As governor I will work directly with municipal leaders like Mayor DeStefano to make sure Connecticut's cities and towns have the tools they need to create jobs, give our kids a quality education and make government work better for Connecticut families."

"As the leader of a small town, I know how difficult it can be for our cities and towns to work with Hartford," said Glassman. "I look forward to working with Ned and local leaders like Mayor DeStefano to improve public education, create jobs statewide and move Connecticut forward."

A wonderful piece about Mary Glassman in the Connecticut Mirror (read the whole article!):

Glassman, 51, is the environmental lawyer who unexpectedly became the first selectwoman of Simsbury, a suburb of 24,000 nestled in the Farmington Valley.

"I've always been an accidental candidate," Glassman said. "I've always been an accidental candidate from the day I entered public service."

That would be shortly after Labor Day weekend in 1991, when Simsbury's tiny Democratic Party was stunned to learn that its candidate for first selectman had quit the race.

Glassman's husband, Andy, attended the hastily-called Democratic Town Committee meeting to settle on a replacement.

"He came home and said, 'We found a candidate for first selectman,'" she recalled. "And he said, 'It's you.'"

It seemed a joke. Between them, they had two legal careers and two young children. And Mary, then 33, was pregnant with their third.

"I said, 'There's no way.' He said, 'Don't worry, you'll never win,'" she said.

Simsbury hadn't elected a Democratic first selectman since long before Glassman was born. And Glassman, who grew up in New Britain, hadn't been long in town.

She won. It was a fluke -- one that repeated itself in 1993, 1995 and 1997. After a voluntary break for a career at the State Capitol, she was elected again in 2007 and 2009.

and a video of the running mates: