The GOP Town Committee unanimously endorsed Alderman Mark H. Bernacki for Mayor.

Plus, the 15 Republican Council members endorsed by GOP town Committee are incumbents Willie Pabon; Mary Marrocco and Louis Salvio.

Also endorsed were Jamie Giantonio; Rich Gadomski; Cris Carillo; Adrian Baron; Mario Santos; Don Naples; Daniel Davis; Carmelo Rodriguez; Kimberly Jehning; Henry Zembko; James Griffin; and Sally Eigenraam.

Mark"s Acceptance Comments:To the town committee.

 Thank you for representing and serving your fellow New Britain Republicans and thank you for nominating me and my slate to represent our party in the November City election. Being involved in local politics for close to 30 years I know it is increasingly difficult to encourage people to serve their community in either elected or non-elected capacity. We have an exciting mix of candidates dedicated to serve, passionate to work hard and committed to be a public servant for the people of New Britain.


Thank you to Mayor Tim Stewart. Under Mayor Stewart’s bold leadership New Britain became a competitive, attractive community to raise and educate a family or start or expand a business here. Mayor Stewart has been a tireless leader that worked 24/7 even fielding phone calls at 3 in the morning that made headlines. His brand of leadership was what New Britain needed.

Since announcing my candidacy for Mayor I have been going door to door, talking about important issues confronting New Britain. I am excited and encouraged about the reaction I have received from people in our community. People are ready for a change from Washington and Hartford.

A few things about me.

Maria and I were born and raised in New Britain. We built our home here and we raised and educated our children here. My parents, brothers, wife, children and I graduated from New Britain High School. My dad, daughter and I graduated from CCSU. I received my MBA from the University of Hartford.

I have been a downtown small business owner for 22 years. I have had to make payroll, grow sales, and manage costs all in an effort to provide a living for my family, my employees and their families. I have also had to survive three recessions. I believe it is the role of business, not government, to grow our economy and provide good paying jobs.

But I don’t think private enterprise has all the answers. Sometimes people need a hand up, and we must support each other.

That’s why I started a non profit charity called Warm the Children in New Britain in 2004. Warm the Children provides needy New Britain children with warm winter clothing. New Britain is one of the top two chapters in the country and has provided clothing for almost 5,000 children.

So while I am an advocate for business, I only advocate for businesses and organizations that will benefit our community and our state.

And that is why I am running for mayor, because I care about this community and the people who live and work here. I know many of you – you are my neighbors, friends, relatives and customers.

Maria and I have served with many of you as volunteers in numerous organizations over the last 30 years.

I believe in this city. I believe in our people, our neighborhoods, our organizations and our businesses. I believe in our future. And I thank you for believing in us.

Now let’s talk about what this city needs in a mayor.

Raising a family, starting a business and starting a charity in New Britain I understand how hard it is to make ends meet. It seems everyday, prices are going up. If you're young, it's costing more and more to go to college. Working people are getting less for their money, and are seeing their take home pay reduced by Washington and Hartford. Some are facing higher daycare costs for their children and for some, their elderly parents. For homeowners it costs more to maintain your house, and for people on a fixed income - your dollars are not going as far as they used to.

We're all hurting; we’re all doing more with less. Just last week it was reported that Connecticut has yet to solve the unemployment problem. Businesses, big and small, are either closing or fleeing the state to much more business friendly states as New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. And all the while the only solutions provided by our opponents is more spending, more debt, more taxes, more regulations, and crony capitalism.

As mayor, I will make sure that our city government is more efficient with your hard earned tax dollars.

As mayor, my primary concern will be to bring jobs to New Britain, grow our grand list and control spending to make sure that your taxes aren't increased at this time when you need your money the most. To grow our economy, consumers, not government, need more money to spend.

Of course we still need to ensure that we have safe, clean streets and neighborhoods and that there is adequate funding for education; I will not allow those areas to suffer.

I will also bring political leaders from both parties, and individuals from the business and non-profit sectors together to work for the betterment of the city. We cannot afford to continue fighting against each other. The political bickering has to end. That is the only way for us to attract more businesses to our community and create jobs.

So why should you support me and our team?

I have the experience, the knowledge, the education and the temperament that is needed to keep this city moving in the right direction.

This is going to be a difficult and potentially ugly election. You’ve seen the lengths that some people will go to disparage their political opponents.

We want to talk about the issues, and we want you to encourage our opponents to keep the focus on solving our problems.

After all, it is New Britain’s future that this election is about. I am convinced the slate you have endorsed will provide the leadership, hard work, guidance and direction New Britain needs during these extremely difficult times.

New Britain has grown during the past 8 years, but our future is on the line. We've attracted new businesses and new jobs to New Britain mostly because we've had the kind of leadership in the Mayor’s office this city needs and wants. Year after year, New Britain voted to keep moving forward, and we've got to keep the ball rolling. We also need leaders on the City Council, Board of Education, and Board of Assessment Appeals who will keep that momentum alive.

So please, talk to your family, friends and neighbors about this election and encourage them to vote for me AND our entire team. We will answer their questions and listen to their ideas. By helping us, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you've played an important part in moving New Britain forward.

Thank you and God bless the City of New Britain.









Mark H. Bernacki

Republican Candidate for Mayor