Mayor Stewart's Acceptance Speech for the 6th State Senatorial District Convention

Thank you. I am honored and privileged to accept your endorsement for the 6th State Senatorial District. These past few weeks have gone by in a blur with a political process that usually takes weeks and months crammed into a few days.

I am overwhelmed by the encouragement and support I have received – there are already a great number of people to thank. The town committees from Berlin, Farmington and New Britain have been wonderful, and I particularly want to thank the three town chairs who have jumped in with both feet to help during what is normally a lull in local politics. The phone calls and the kind words at events – some from complete strangers - have meant a great deal to me, as has the constant support of my friends and my family – my wife Patty, daughter Erin, son Kevin and my mom Eileen.

As I said at my announcement this past Friday, I am a bit surprised to find myself here as a candidate for the state legislature. When I first entered the political arena by running for the Board of Education in 1995, I thought it would only be for a few years at most.

My motivation for running was to resolve an issue my daughter Erin was having in school. I went to up and down the chain of command, from teacher to principal, to the Superintendent, to Board of Education members and even to the Mayor’s office. Nobody seemed to be listening. I decided to turn my frustration into something positive by running for the Board. Certainly I did not kid myself that I could solve all the issues facing New Britain’s educational system, but I thought I could at least be a voice for other concerned parents.

After four years, I realized there was only so much change that can be done at the Board level. So I tried the Common Council for four years. Again, I realized that sometimes you have to move to the next level to get things done, so I ran for Mayor. After seven years with some great accomplishments, I have once again reached a level of frustration where I need to take the battle for common sense in government to another venue: the state Senate.

For too many years, our state legislature has been a hindrance and not a help to cities, taxpayers and businesses alike. Our cities like New Britain are overwhelmed with the daily struggle of balancing the needs of many with the resources of the few. Instead of providing a helping hand, the state more often than not provides a slap in the face with decreased funding, more regulation and unfunded mandates.

Businesses face a similar cold shoulder from state government– instead of assistance in these bad economic times (or even staying out of the way as businesses try to recover), the state legislature adds to the burden with job disincentives. Just last week, Governor Malloy started the drumbeat again for paid sick leave. As New Britain Alderman and small business owner Mark Bernacki can tell you, that is the death knell to more in the very place where the majority of jobs in Connecticut are coming from: our small and mid-size businesses.
Families, many trying to make it through the loss of a job or home, are also drowning in state taxes piled on from years of haphazard spending. Connecticut’s credit card is maxed out and the bill is coming due. The state legislature needs people willing to dole out some “tough love” and keep spending and taxes in check as we have been able to do here in New Britain.

It’s been a privilege to serve the people of New Britain as Mayor for seven years and I am proud of all my administration has been able to accomplish. From Celebration Foods to downtown revitalization to the life saving efforts of our firefighters as first responders to our single stream recycling to our multi-year street paving plan, positive things are happening here in New Britain. When I’m asked to give a “state of the city” speech to the Rotary or other local organization, I always come armed with about three pages of good things that have happened and more good things on the way.

But the biggest accomplishment has been making all this progress while holding the line on taxes for six of the seven budgets that I have proposed. This is no small feat given the challenges we face as a community, especially these times of economic uncertainty across the state and nation. But I as I have said many times, government must do what households and businesses across America are doing – tighten its belt and live within our means. As our residents are losing jobs and homes, I refuse to add to that burden by raising their already high taxes.

During my six years as mayor, I may not have found instant solutions to all the challenges facing urban communities like New Britain. But I have maintained an open door policy throughout my seven years in office with monthly office hours so people can bring issues directly to me. You may not get the answer you want, but you are listened to, and I personally have worked with hundreds of residents and businesses to cut through red tape and get issues resolved. I look forward to bringing that same level of constituent service to people in Berlin and Farmington as I think their needs and concerns have undeservedly taken a back seat to big city politics for far too many years.

Too many times over the past several years, we pick up the newspaper or turn on the evening news and see a story about a corrupt politician. People should be elected who want to put citizens above self, put politics aside for the good of the community, people who want to make a real difference in the lives of the people that we serve. However, it seems like instead of the people, it has become the government of me, for me and all about me. In fact we are having this special election because someone took an opportunity to enrich themselves at the expense of those they were elected to serve only a few short weeks ago.

Some may think I’m crazy because I’ll be taking a pay cut, not a pay raise to go from Mayor to State Senator. That’s because I believe in putting money into taxpayer’s pockets, not my own. As I have done during my past campaigns, I will only make one promise– that if I am honored by the voters of the 6th District and sent to the State Senate, I will continue to work 24/7 to make Berlin, Farmington and New Britain great places to live, work and raise a family.
But I need your help to get to the State Senate – February 22nd will be here in six short weeks. So please – we have a fundraiser on Friday at the New Britain VFW – please even if you can only give $5 we need to reach the thresholds to make the criteria for the public funding so we can get our message out. But I don’t just want your contributions; I need your voice to tell your friends and neighbors that this special election is important to their future. On Election Day, we will be battling a powerful political machine and we may even have to battle the weather, but make no mistake, we will fight the good fight to make sure the people of Berlin, Farmington and New Britain have the representation they deserve in Hartford.

Again, thank you for placing your trust in me and for all your help and support.