Emily (Live in Hartford) wrote a great article about the rhetoric used by candidates running for statewide office. To date, I have received literature from only two candidates who seem to actually care about Hartford: Vargas and Fonfara. The only appearance of “Hartford” in other campaign ads has been in the sense that Emily describes in her post– not as the city itself, but as the center of state government.
A postcard from Edwin Vargas, who is running against John Fonfara for State Senate, reads “I will fight hard to create good paying jobs in Hartford and Wethersfield for in increase in the minimum wage, supporting small business and securing money for job training.”
John Fonfara, the incumbent, comes across far stronger in his literature than he did at the candidate forum a few weeks ago. One mailing discusses his plans for an energy bill, which is not terribly informative, but an earlier mailing actually discusses his achievements while in office. Here are the ways in which he pays attention to Hartford residents/voters in his advertisement:
I am pleased that we adopted a number of measures, including […] tax exemptions for businesses in targeted communities — including Hartford — for purchase of manufacturing, biotechnology or recycling equipment.
I successfully negotiated $5 million each for a new simulation center at Hartford Hospital and a primary care center at Saint Francis Hospital; and most importantly, $1 million each for Charter Oak Health Center, the Hispanic Health Councl and Community Health Services.
In addition to the recent $80 million I was pleased to secure for a newly renovated A.I. Prince Tech, this session we made sure that the state Board of Education makes the needs of our vo-tech schools a priority.
I have brought together a broad coalition to take on the plague of graffiti, creating a team that includes the Knox Parks Foundation, Hartford Areas Rally Together, Hartford Community Court, the City of Hartford, merchant organizations and major utility companies to […] remove graffiti quickly and thoroughly […] to reduce or eliminate this blight that is affecting every neighborhood in Hartford.
Given the detail provided by candidates for State Senate, one would expect someone aiming for a higher position to provide even more specifics, but after reading the advertisements sent by other politicians, I am left wondering:
I want to know what those in office have done for me, and what those serving the community in other ways have done in those positions. The campaign mailings are the perfect forum for advertising one’s voting record or discussing concrete achievements. Save the rallying sound bites for forums and debates.
As I turn to the other campaign literature, I find five advertisements from the Lamont/Glassman campaign. Lamont strives to establish himself as down-to-earth by referring to himself as “Ned” in his literature and emphasizing his status as “an involved father,” “small businessman,” and “compassionate man.” Mary Glassman’s literature, like Lamont’s, provides the audience with the message that neither is a threat to “family values” even though both are Democrats. Glassman, like Lamont, finds it necessary to describe how she is a parent to several children, and she adds how long she has been married to her husband. This kind of statement seems like a way to reassure people that despite her four terms as “First Selectman of Simsbury,” completion of education at UConn Law School, and former career as a journalist, she is no threat. Her advertisements could be described as folksy, but with a brain. My impression of her is that she sure seems nice, but “nice” is not a top quality that I seek in someone who is in government. Honest? Yes. Ethical? Yes. Nice? Well, that’s a bonus, but what other qualities are there?
I have not received any literature from Malloy, nor from any of the Republican candidates for Governor.
