Local News

Blondin speaks to Democratic Town Committee

With primaries for the 2006 state elections more than a year away, candidates are just starting to make the rounds across Connecticut.

Audrey Blondin is one of six democratic hopefuls for secretary of state. She visited the North Haven Democratic Town Committee on June 14.

Two other democratic candidates for Secretary of State have visited North Haven Democrats, as well as gubernatorial candidates John DeStefano, Dan Malloy, and current Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz, who is leaving her position to run.

With the money and time needed to run an effective campaign increasing, the dates when candidates begin actively campaigning continue to get earlier and earlier.

"Everything has moved up in terms of the elections cycle," said Chairman Bernard McLaughlin. "As soon as (a state office) is up, people are out with exploratory committees. It's getting really crazy."

McLaughlin expects every candidate running for the major state offices to visit North Haven at least once. "Everybody's who's running statewide will start coming," he said.

On the other side of the aisle, the town's Republican Town Committee hasn't had a visit yet from any state candidates.

"It's really early for that," said Chairman Gary Johns.

In her visit with town Democrats, Blondin touted the perspective she gained in ten years on the Litchfield Board of Selectmen as important to a post that implements and administrates campaign and election laws in the state.

"Someone coming from local government, I know what it's like to have a budget go down four times," she said.

Blondin grew up in New Haven and Orange, and has established her own law firm in Torrington as a bankruptcy and probate attorney. She has served as a district chairwoman for the state Democrats and was an organizer for John Kerry's presidential campaign in Connecticut.

Six Democrats have announced they will seek the party nomination. Aside from Blondin, they are John Nussbaum, a real estate broker and former candidate for governor; Deputy Majority Leader Evelyn Mantilla, D-Hartford; Norma Rodriguez, a national delegate for the Democrats and the publisher of "La Voz Hispana" newspaper; state Rep. Andrew Fleischmann, D-West Hartford; and former state representative and developer Robert Landino.

This legislative session weighed a number of proposals that would take effect through the secretary's office, including pushes for campaign finance reform and updates to town election equipment.

Blondin opposed the Help America Vote Act that was enacted on the federal level in 2002. The act requires such election reforms as a universal registration list within states, a redesign of election administration, the introduction of a provisional voting system and the investigation of alternative voting methods.

The omission of a requirement for districts to keep a permanent paper trail of votes turned Blondin off of the act, which was co-sponsored in the Senate by Chris Dodd.

Implementing campaign finance reform is one of Blondin's main goals. The Legislature declined to enact a bill that would have further restricted state officials' fundraising practices involving lobbyists. Whether the bill will breathe new life in the upcoming special session remains to be seen.

Blondin sees the issue as a chance to provide a level playing field for both the haves and the have-nots who decide to seek public office.

"It costs us over $1 million to run this campaign," she said. "You should be voting based on who will do the best job, not who can raise the most money."

And as a former municipal officer, Blondin supports stricter municipal ethics legislation, starting with requirements that each municipality have an active and independent ethics code. North Haven's ethics code has received criticism from town Democrats and activists who see the rarely active ethics commission as an arm of the ruling the party. The code looks to be an issue in this November's town elections.

But Blondin has a long road before the primaries, which should fall in late August of next year.

"We need someone who's energetic, knows the issues and isn't afraid to take a stand for the people of Connecticut," she stumped.

Both of North Haven's town committees will hold their conventions in July, with announcements of their slates for the upcoming municipal election.