Rodriguez: I’ll Debate

They haven’t yet sat down to hash out jobs or budget deficits or foreclosures, but two opponents in a race for state legislature had their first, albeit, informal debate anyway — about when and how to debate.

It took place at a Democratic Town Committee’s convention that drew nearly 100 politicos on Monday night to the airy cafetorium of the new Metropolitan Business Academy high school on Water Street.

State Rep. Pat Dillon (right in photo) won eight of the 10 delegates from her 92nd General Assembly District to win the party’s endorsement at the convention. Westville Alderman Sergio Rodriguez (center with shades) challenged the long-serving Dillon and received two votes — and vowed to press the fight in an Aug. 10 primary. Dillon has represented the district for 26 years.

In order to qualify to compete against Dillon on the primary ballot, Rodriguez still must collect signatures from 5 percent or about 400 of the approximately 8,000 voters in the 92nd district.

“I’m moving on it,” he said after the vote, meaning taking steps to petition.

In single-town state legislative districts, such as were decided Monday, the petitioning process is unlinked to delegate votes, said Democratic Town Committee Chairwoman Susie Voigt, who presided over the proceedings.

“The ward picked Pat. That’s great,” Rodriguez said. Yet he was also clearly pleased by the two votes he receive. The two votes, cast by Darryl Brooks and Gary Stewart, were not a surprise. They both did so, they said, because competition is good for democracy.

Back in April, Rodriguez (shown here with secretary of the state candidate Gerry Garcia) announced his intention to run.

At the time he was hesitant to commit to a formal debate with Dillon on the issues. The issues most important to him are unemployment and foreclosure, he said Monday night.

Dillon, who had been open and eager to debate, said her top issues are jobs and property taxes.

When he was challenged for his 26th Ward alderman’s job last year, Rodriguez had also then said he had no time for debates but intended to run a shoe-leather campaign, knocking on doors.

This election season could be different.

After the vote Monday night, Rodriguez consented to debate with Dillon, assuming he qualifies for the primary. But he still didn’t appear all that eager.

“I am not going to be able to get out of this one without debating,” he said.

He suggested one debate would be sufficient.

Dillon had other ideas: ​“I’m open to as many [debates] as possible, in each ward and district wide.” The district has six wards.

Rodriguez’s reaction was, ​“Glad she’s got time for all that. But, hey, I’m open and flexible.”

“My opponent has been characterized as independent,” Rodriguez said. ​“I think we need consensus building. That’s what I want to bring to Hartford.”

Dillon welcomed the challenge. ​“Whether I have an opponent or not, I think democracy demands that we have a conversation,” she said.

There will be little or no debate in the 93rd, 95th, and 97th General Assembly districts where Toni Edmonds-Walker, Juan Candelaria, and Robert Megna were all re-nominated unopposed Monday night.

In the 94th, incumbent Gary Holder-Winfield (left in photo) faces a challenger. Former Newhallville alderman and mayoral candidate Willie Greene was nominated Monday night by Ward 22 co-chair Cordelia Thorpe. He previously challenged Holder-Winfield back in 2008 for the 94th General Assembly seat that opened up with the retirement of Bill Dyson. Greene said he plans to begin petitioning to face Holder-Winfield in this year’s primary as soon as this Memorial Day weekend.

A half-century resident of the district, Greene characterized Holder-Winfield as too Hartford-oriented. ​“He hasn’t been here long enough,” he said. Greene said he too looks forward to debating Holder-Winfield.

In his first term, Holder-Winfield has sought to establish himself as a successor to longtime district State Rep. BIll Dyson. He succeeded, for instance, in getting the legislature to pass a bill to kill the death penalty. (The governor vetoed it.) Like Greene, Holder-Winfield has maintained independence from the party’s machine.

In addition to the state rep races, New Haven State Sen. Toni Harp and Martin Looney were respectively re-endorsed Monday night without challengers. They received rousing standing ovations.

Long-serving Probate Court Judge Jack Keyes was also re-endorsed without opposition.