The Union Label: Council 4 Members Among Endorsed Candidates Who Win Local Races

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