It is a little difficult to think of many Hartford elected officials who have left office in recent history without a cloud of impropriety or corruption surrounding them. Retired Probate Judge Bob Killian is one that immediately comes to mind and as of last week, State Senator Eric Coleman is another. Senator Coleman resigned his position last week to pursue his interest in being appointed a Superior Court Judge by Governor Malloy, Senator Coleman has served the 2nd Senatorial district for almost twenty years. The 2nd District consists of North Hartford and portions of Bloomfield and Windsor.
Coleman has had an exemplary career at the Capitol and rose to a position of prominence with both his Senate colleagues as well as his constituents. His quiet demeanor as well as his integrity and honesty and strong work ethic will be hard to replace.
A special election will be scheduled roughly 60 days from the time of Coleman's resignation to elect Senator Coleman's successor. Right now several names are being floated or have expressed an interest in replacing Coleman. Two of the names to be taken seriously are 7th District State Representative Doug McCrory and former Connecticut State Treasurer Joe Suggs. McCrory is a Hartford resident, Joe Suggs is a Bloomfield resident, as is Senator Coleman.
A couple other names I am hearing, and I hope more as a joke rather than any serious campaign are former Hartford Council members Shawn Wooden and Ken Kennedy.It would be a shame to replace a man of integrity like Coleman with someone that doesn't know the meaning of integrity and has no problem with corrupt activities.
Hartford Treasurer Adam Cloud was apparently also considering a run but reportedly has decided against it..
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12 comments:
Why no mention of his ability to pad his pension? Why otherwise appoint someone who can only serve five years.
Why haven't you mentioned the prospective Republican candidates? (Ted Cannon, Theresa Tillett and Aaron Romano)
Senator Coleman and Senator Kane have left us in an extraordinarily undemocratic situation. Coleman and Kane played to the politics of self-interest, and chose to become make a deal to obtain great state jobs rather than fill out the term they just ran for. By resigning before taking the oath of office, but not onyl cost the taxpayers thousands in public campaign financing for their 2016 run, but they leaves the voters in their respective Senate districts with no choice at all.
The special election for the open seats will not feature a primary, but a designation by a majority of 70 delegates to a convention. With no opposition to speak of (no Democrats in Watertown/Woodbury can win, and no Republicans in Hartford can win), combined with a complete lack of minor party options on the ballot, no more than 37 people in respective party leadership of the Senate districts will choose their next Senators. This choice will then be rubberstamped by 10,000 or fewer voters - since special elections are low turnouts.
Both Coleman and Kane had the opportunity to provide citizens with robust debate over the future of their Senate Seats by resigning and leaving an open seat to a contested primary.
Instead, we find ourselves trapped in arcane state laws designed to put party over anything else. The dealmakers in the Senate who elevated Kane and Coleman knew that the parties would chose the next seats, since Watertown's Senate Seat is safe Republican and Hartford's is safe Democrat. This kind of cynical connivance is what disgusts voters and turns them to demagogues like Trump.
The candidates who win these appointments will have the benefit of incumbency in 2018 when they run again, and thus the party apparatuses that gave us repugnancies like the 2016 Clinton campaign and John Rowland and Jodi Rell will continue their death grip on power in Connecticut.
And no one in any position of authority in any of these towns will dare challenge the absurdity of this situation, lest such rabble-rousing encroach upon their own good fortunes. Damn us all to hell.
There are also three Republican candidates. (Ted Cannon, Theresa Tillett and Aaron Romano)
Seems like politics as usual in CT so sick and tired of these games I may not be a fan of Trump but I loved when he told that CNN reporter they were not a credible news source he will be able to say and do things as a white man Obama couldn't dream of doing without getting crucified by the media and sooner or later the poor and disenfranchised are gonna get sick of the wealthy people lies and ride up and take over this down trotted society
Hey Holton,
Way to make the debate personnel. This is your legacy, yelling like a 44 at a candidate. Good job. Your out of here soon.
Park the union car in the lot of 20 sergeant and take an uber ride home .......
Hands down Prez-elect Shevchick won the debate!!!
Prez-Shevchick,
Steward or Chief Steward-Vinny
New union shaping up!!! Good bye to Holton
10:26 is delusional! Nick and Vinny tore shevcheck apart like Two pit bulls fight over a sad damp dish rag!!! Aaaahahahahahaha go back to booking and stay moist you sad dish rag shevcheck!!!
@5:19
Not sure which debate you sat in on but John had the crowd behind him. Maybe you were to focused on Vinny ripping little miss Nikki a new one for her unwarranted comment. At 5:19 take your Fragel Rock Canoli, Dr. Dolittle, and Race Car Richie to the speedway and never come back!
Hey, relegate the cop stuff to the correct story thread. You guys are boring.
As to the two legislators, I agree with 10:31. Further, how many times was Colman voted least effective Senator? How many times, Kevin? A lot.
This is atrocious behavior to know that business as usual on both sides wasting much tax payer funds. They should be stopped. But there is too much ingrown corruption in CT. The governor has no backbone and the self righteous republicans don't either.
Kevin,Don't you think Coleman should reimburse taxpayer money that helped fund his campaign. WHAT A JOKE ! Here's a funnier one,,,McRory is the comedian who went to the State during a time of "fiscal crisis", as Gov Malloy described it and requested a grant to put a bronze statue of Doc Hurley in the Northend on the backs of taxpayers! If Doc were alive he would be angry and would want that money to replenish his foundation that his daughter stole from. How many city kids in need would have benefited from the 250,000 dollars McRory secured??? And Kevin YOU SUPPORT HIM? Can't wait for regionalization,,,pigs at the trough are two deep in Hartford!
McCrory- wow if that is the best we can do God help us all!! It is so ridiculous that CT politics are what they are. How do they expect us to take any of them serious. This is a game and they ALL are corrupt. The reason I can say ALL- how many has stood up to say this cronyism is not the way to do business at the capital. And yes, Kevin - Coleman is pretty good, but is not the best qualified democrat worthy of a judgeship. Lose more faith in this rigged system every day.
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