Winter brings a special set of challenges to the worklife of AFSCME Local 818 member Michael Thompson, who for the last four years has served as the Superintendent of Field Services for the New Britain Department of Public Works.
A 31-year veteran of city employment, Thompson got more added to his plate on Nov. 5, 2019, when New Britain voters elected him to serve a two-year term on the Common Council.
Thompson, who is unaffiliated, is excited to bring his union values to New Britain politics.
"As a city worker, I can speak to what we do, how we feel about our city and the services we provide. I know I'm concerned about making sure we don't have layoffs and service cuts," said Thompson, who previously served as the President of Local 1186, the Public Works Union, before getting promoted and joining the AFSCME supervisors union.
Council 4 endorsed 89 candidates in the 2019 municipal elections, and 55 of them won their races. In addition to Thompson, our union endorsed four other active members who won their races:
- Mary Evette Brantley (D), Local 2663, Bridgeport City Council
- Patricia Davis (D), Local 318, Bloomfield Board of Education
- Anthony Gennaro (R), Local 1361, Middletown Common Council
- Jay Moran (D), Local 2836, Mayor of Manchester
Today, more union members are running for public office. And they're winning, too.
- In 2019 in Connecticut, 49 candidates endorsed by local AFL-CIO-affiliated labor federations in Connecticut were elected on Nov. 5.
- Nationwide on Nov. 5, more than 300 union members were elected to office, on top of the 984 who were elected in last year's midterm elections, according to the AFL-CIO.
As part of its Path to Power program designed to encourage and train more union members to run for office, the national AFL-CIO, which advocates for more than 12 million workers across the country, has launched a new website highlighting this trend.
While Council 4 doesn’t endorse in every district or race across the state, it does endorse candidates (like Brantley, Davis, Gennaro, Moran and Thompson) who share our values and recognize the importance of public service as well as the need for a strong and vibrant middle class.
The candidates listed below were recommended by the Council 4 PEOPLE Committee and then approved by our Delegate Assembly. (Winning candidates are in bold.)
Thanks to the Council 4 members and staff who phone banked, knocked doors and worked within their local communities to help elect leaders who support the working people throughout Connecticut's cities and towns. Thanks as well to the members of our PEOPLE Committee who took the time to review every candidate questionnaire and then interview every candidate before making recommendations.
Candidate | Municipality | Cong District | Office Sought | Won/Lost |
Karen Pagliaro | Berlin | 1 | Mayor | Lost |
Michael Urrunga | Berlin | 1 | Council | Won |
Patricia Davis** | Bloomfield | 1 | Board of Ed | Won |
Angie Parkinson | East Hartford | 1 | Council | Won |
James Sanchez** | Hartford | 1 | Council | Won |
Wildaliz Bermudez | Hartford | 1 | Council | Won |
TJ Clarke | Hartford | 1 | Council | Won |
Moise Laurent | Hartford | 1 | Council | Won |
James Moran** | Manchester | 1 | Mayor | Won |
Emily Luna | Manchester | 1 | Board of Ed | Won |
Pamela Floyd-Cranford** | Manchester | 1 | Council | Won |
Sarah Jones | Manchester | 1 | Council | Won |
Yolanda Castillo | Manchester | 1 | Council | Won |
Tim Bergin | Manchester | 1 | Council | Won |
Dennis Schain | Manchester | 1 | Council | Won |
Warren Packer | Manchester | 1 | Constable | Won |
Caleb Cowles | Southington | 1 | P&Z | Lost |
John Barry | Southington | 1 | Council | Lost |
Ben Wenograd | West Hartford | 1 | Council | Won |
Carol Blanks | West Hartford | 1 | Council | Won |
Liam Sweeney | West Hartford | 1 | Council | Won |
Lisa Bress | Windsor | 1 | Council | Won |
Joseph McAullife** | Windsor | 1 | Council | Won |
Rosemary Coyle | Colchester | 2 | Selectman | Won |
Christos Stravoradis | Colchester | 2 | Bd of Assessment Appeals | Won |
Denise Turner | Colchester | 2 | Selectman | Won |
Mary Tomasi | Colchester | 2 | Board of Ed | Won |
Michael Hayes | Colchester | 2 | Board of Finance | Won |
Mary Bylone | Colchester | 2 | First Selectman | Won |
Mike Egan | Colchester | 2 | Board of Finance | Won |
Sandye Simon | Coventry | 2 | Council | Lost |
Carolyn Arabalos | Coventry | 2 | Council | Lost |
Jon Hand | Coventry | 2 | Council | Won |
Lisa Conant | Coventry | 2 | Council | Won |
Lisa Thomas | Coventry | 2 | Council | Won |
Gina Cekala | Enfield | 2 | Council | Won |
Bob Cressotti | Enfield | 2 | Council | Lost |
Cynthia Mangini | Enfield | 2 | Council | Won |
Aundre Bumgardner | Groton | 2 | Council | Won |
Hillary Evans | Ledyard | 2 | Council | Lost |
Ben Shaiken | Mansfield | 2 | Council | Won |
Toni Moran | Mansfield | 2 | Council | Won |
Denise Gladue | Montville | 2 | Council | Lost |
Mike Passero | New London | 2 | Mayor | Won |
Derrell Wilson | Norwich | 2 | Council | Won |
Ella Myles | Norwich | 2 | Council | Won |
Joe Delucia | Norwich | 2 | Council | Won |
Mark Bettancourt** | Norwich | 2 | Council | Won |
Shane Roberts | Norwich | 2 | Council | Lost |
Zato Kadambaya | Norwich | 2 | Council | Lost |
Gloria Marion | Putnam | 2 | Selectman | Lost |
Cathy Osten | Sprague | 2 | Selectman | Lost |
Rachel Stansel | Vernon | 2 | Council | Lost |
Ann Bonney | Vernon | 2 | Council | Lost |
Jennifer Buckler | Vernon | 2 | Board of Ed | Lost |
Jesse Schoolnik | Vernon | 2 | Council | Lost |
Jim Tedford** | Vernon | 2 | Council | Won |
Julia Anderson | Vernon | 2 | Council | Lost |
Kevin Brown | Vernon | 2 | Board of Ed | Won |
Maryann Levesque | Vernon | 2 | Council | Won |
Beth Sabilia | Waterford | 2 | Selectman | Lost |
Josh Kelly | Waterford | 2 | Selectman | Lost |
Tom DeVivo | Windham | 2 | Council | Won |
Cindy Laquire | Windham | 2 | Council | Lost |
Lynne Ide | Windham | 2 | Council | Won |
Rohan Brown** | Ansonia | 3 | Council | Lost |
Kim Glassman | East Haven | 3 | Council | Won |
Rhonda Caldwell | Hamden | 3 | Council | Lost |
Laurie Sweet | Hamden | 3 | Council | Lost |
Anthony Gennaro** | Middletown | 3 | Council | Won |
Hope Kasper** | Middletown | 3 | Council | Lost |
Philip Pessina** | Middletown | 3 | Council | Won |
Sebastian Giuliano | Middletown | 3 | Mayor | Lost |
Meghan Carta | Middletown | 3 | Council | Won |
Mike Marino | Middletown | 3 | Council | Lost |
Matthew Scarrozzo | Middletown | 3 | Council | Lost |
Nancy Rossi | West Haven | 3 | Mayor | Won |
Mary Evette Brantley** | Bridgeport | 4 | Council | Won |
Dasha Spell | Bridgeport | 4 | Board of Ed | Lost |
Harry Rilling | Norwalk | 4 | Mayor | Won |
Chris Setaro | Danbury | 5 | Mayor | Lost |
Catherine Battista | Meriden | 5 | Council | Lost |
Mike Reynolds | Meriden | 5 | Board of Ed | Won |
Yvonne Jimenez | Meriden | 5 | City Clerk | Lost |
Danny Salerno** | New Britain | 5 | Council | Won |
Erin Stewart | New Britain | 5 | Mayor | Won |
Michael Thompson** | New Britain | 5 | Council | Won |
Tom O'Brien | New Milford | 5 | Mayor | Lost |
Bill Garrity | Plainville | 5 | Council | Lost |
Total | 55-34 (62%) | |||
**Member/Retired Member | ||||