Stewart
A Split Decision in New Britain’s City Elections
Democratic Mayoral candidate Merrill Gay’s campaign, in which he had said he wanted to revitalize and build-up city Democrats, brought a split decision in the 2017 city elections. The Democratic team led by Gay won victories over Republican incumbents across the city and won a 9 to 6 majority on the City Council, but Gay, […]
Numbers Don’t Back Mayor Stewart’s Claim That State Budget Caused City’s Negative Credit Rating
By John McNamara Contributing Columnist Mayor Erin Stewart has blamed this year’s state budget crisis for the city’s negative credit rating in response to a November 2nd report of an “escalating” debt and her administration’s own budget that shows interest payments will cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars over the next four years. “We were downgraded […]
Information Available on Where to Vote, and How to Register to Vote on Election Day, Nov 7, 2017
Editor’s note (11/1/2020): This article is from 2017. The New Britain Progressive has published a similar article for 2020, Registering and Voting This Tuesday Nov 3rd. City elections are coming up on Tuesday, November 7th for the offices of Mayor, City Council, Board of Education, Town Clerk, Tax Collector, Treasurer, Board of Assessment Appeals and […]
Will Erin Stewart Get Another Off The Books Push From An Absentee Landlord in 2017?
By John McNamara Contributing Columnist On the eve of the 2015 municipal election scores of tenants in New Britain got a notice about a possible rent increase from their landlord. It wasn’t an official increase but a not so subtle endorsement of Mayor Erin Stewart who at the time was cruising to re-election for a […]
Ward 5 City Council Candidates Discuss Making City Hall Work for the Community
Democrat Francisco Santiago joins the Democratic City Council Leader Carlo Carlozzi Jr. as the Democratic candidates in the Ward 5 City Council election, with Republican Carmelo Rodriguez and Republican Miriam Geraci as their party’s candidates. New Britain’s Ward 5 includes the northwest and northernmost parts of the city. Ward 5 includes the neighborhoods around Slater Road and Corbin Avenue, […]
Reportedly False Attempt to Bury Article on Stewart Tax Mailing Elections Complaint
Democratic City Council candidate Bobby Berriault reports that someone falsely used his identity in an attempt to have Facebook remove a New Britain Progressive article about an elections complaint filed against Republican Mayor Erin Stewart. This New Britain Progressive article reports that a formal complaint has been filed against Stewart with the State Elections Enforcement Commission […]
Complaint Against Stewart Filed Over “obvious campaign promotion in car tax bills”
A formal complaint has been filed against Republican Mayor Erin Stewart with the State Elections Enforcement Commission by Democratic Chair Bill Shortell, according the city Democrats. Shortell says that he filed the complaint in response to a brochure included in motor vehicle tax bills. The brochure, Democrats say, “included statements promoting Stewart’s candidacy under her […]
Berriault Calls for Change in Leadership Because of Taxes and Spending
By Bobby Berriault After two terms of Mayor Erin Stewart, I say it’s time for a change in leadership. In her two terms of office, Republican Mayor Stewart raised our property taxes by 19% or $19,231,280! Our mill rate is currently at 50.5 mills, making it the fourth most expensive of any town in the State […]
Council Considers Allowing City Borrowing Services Contract to Change Firms With Former Stewart Chief of Staff
The Republican-dominated City Council is set to consider a resolution that would authorize Republican Mayor Erin E. Stewart to sign a contract moving city borrowing services from one firm employing her former Chief of Staff to the firm to which he has recently moved. The Council resolution says that, “William Blair and Company, the City’s Public […]
Did Stewart’s Use of Main Street USA Advertising Violate Campaign Laws?
Questions have arisen about the legality of Republican Mayor Erin Stewart using the recent Main Street USA event for political self-promotion. A state law prohibits a candidate for public office from using public funds to promote themselves on, among other things, newspaper ads and billboards, within a year of an election. The questions about whether […]
Did Stewart Get A Prohibited Campaign Freebie In Mailing Of Car Tax Bills?
By John McNamara Contributing Columnist New Britain motor vehicle owners finally got their bills on September 1 along with a glowing missive from Mayor Erin Stewart that makes the case for her re-election. The city held up auto tax notices this year, blaming the state budget impasse for the two month delay. Uncertain was whether […]
Proposed 23% Mayoral Pay Increase Re-Emerges As Issue in Debate on School System Salaries
The proposal promoted by Republican Mayor Erin Stewart to increase the mayor’s salary by 23% was thrust again into attention by the recent controversy among city Republicans about the salary levels of three school system staff members. In a recent article and editorial in the New Britain City Journal, Republican elected officials allied with Stewart […]
Connecticut Hispanic Democratic Caucus Endorses Merrill Gay for Mayor and Entire New Britain Democratic Slate
The Connecticut Hispanic Democratic Caucus (CHDC), a statewide coalition of Hispanic/Latino elected and appointed officials, community leaders, clergy, and business leaders, has endorsed Democrat Merrill Gay’s candidacy for Mayor of New Britain, as well as the entire Democratic slate in this year’s New Britain elections. “Our caucus typically only endorses Hispanic candidates,” said CHDC president […]
Stewart Allies Criticize Kane Salary Three Months After Stewart Objected to Kane Comments on City Budget
The criticism, by allies of Republican Mayor Erin Stewart, of a decision by the Board of Education to increase the salaries of school system Chief Financial Officer Kevin Kane came about three months after Stewart, herself, publicly criticized Kane because of a presentation by Kane that Stewart took as critical of her then-proposed budget. In a […]
GOP Alderman Hits School Board On Salaries But Rubber Stamps Pay Hikes, More Spending At City Hall
By John McNamara The sometimes fragile relations between City Hall and the Board of Education took a backward step this week over complaints from Ward 2 Republican Alderman Kristian Rosado appearing in the New Britain City Journal. Rosado, in a front-page story in the City Journal, derided a unanimous BOE move on salary increases for […]
UAW and Working Families Support Merrill Gay for Mayor
Democratic Mayoral candidate Merrill Gay has announced that he has received the endorsement from the United Auto Workers Region 9A, and Connecticut’s Working Families Party, just one day before the New Britain Democratic Party will vote on whether to endorse him for the Democratic nomination. The two endorsements add to the support Gay already received from […]
The Web of Watershed Mining
Records show that key players in the proposal by Republican Mayor Erin Stewart to allow the Tilcon company to strip-mine New Britain drinking watershed land are tied together, behind the scenes, in a network of business and other relationships. Tilcon, the company that is seeking a long-term deal, in which it would be permitted to […]
Official City Website Links to Stewart Campaign Materials
The official, taxpayer funded city website prominently directs people to an Erin Stewart social media site containing Stewart campaign videos and a link to Stewart’s campaign website. The first option available when visiting the city’s official website is the “How do I” link. It is an important website location, where people may obtain, for example, […]
Stewart Water Fee Increase Debate Deepens
In the debate around Republican Mayor Erin Stewart’s plan to increase water rates, despite her promise not to increase taxes, Democratic Ald. Manny Sanchez (D-3) has responded to the Republican mayor’s defense of her proposal. Stewart has cited ongoing water infrastructure projects, decreasing revenues and that water rates have not increased recently as reasons for […]
$15.5 Million Deficit Appears Hidden in Stewart’s Budget
The city budget proposed by Republican Mayor Erin Stewart has what appears to have a hidden $15,541,294 deficit built into it, a deficit that could continue to re-appear into future budget years. Stewart’s budget contains two substantial budget lines that are based on short-term assumptions. The first, as the New Britain Progressive reported in April, […]