Thomas Breen photo
Stephanie Thomas outside Edgewood School polls.
The Fairfield County candidate in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for secretary of the state popped into her opponent’s home turf to make her pitch, to greet some supporters, and to take a refreshing sip of homemade honey and mint iced tea, courtesy of Westville resident Jessica Feinleib.
The candidate, Stephanie Thomas, a Norwalk state representative and the Connecticut Democratic Party-endorsed candidate for secretary of the state, pulled up to the vote-rich Ward 25 polling place at Edgewood School on Yale Avenue just after 11:30 a.m.
Thomas is running against New Haven city government Health Director Maritza Bond for the Democratic nomination for the open statewide constitutional office, which oversees elections and the state’s business registry.
Thomas has made some inroads in Ward 25, which produces either the most or among the most votes in Democratic primaries: The ward committee is supporting her candidacy. The ward’s alder, Adam Marchand, on the other hand, is sticking with Bond, as are labor activists.
After making stops Tuesday morning in Simsbury, Bloomfield, Hartford, Hamden, and West Hartford, Thomas arrived at Edgewood School as 239 votes had been cast there so far. That’s out of a total list of 1,943 eligible Democrats and 239 eligible Republicans.
Stephanie Thomas, second from left, with Ward 25 Democratic Committee stalwarts.
Thomas said that, at some of the busier polling places she’d been to so far Tuesday morning, the poll workers were expecting a roughly 20 percent voter turnout.
“I’m just thanking people for coming out to vote,” she said when asked about the closing pitch she’s making to primary day voters. “Some people kindly recognize me” at the polls, she said with a smile. But in general, she said, she just wants to make sure that people exercise their right to vote on Tuesday.
Thomas was asked about all of the organized labor endorsements that Bond has wracked up, and about Bond’s critique of Thomas for missing a state legislative vote about a state employee union contract. Thomas also voted against a bill that required employers to recall their previously laid-off workers during the pandemic.
What does she say to New Haven voters who usually look for guidance to politically powerfully unions, which in this case have endorsed her opponent?
“All the unions endorsed me” during her first run for state legislative office, Thomas said.
She recognized that many unions were upset about her missing a vote on the state employee union contract, which she has said she missed because she had to attend to a work requirement for her day job leading a nonprofit.
“There’s a difference between union leadership and union members,” she added, implying that just because a union has endorsed her opponent doesn’t mean that that same union’s members will follow suit.
“This is the beauty of our democracy,” she continued: That each person gets to decide who to vote for when they go to the polls on election day.
Outside Edgewood School’s polling place, David and Vera Esdaile (pictured) said that the primary contest they are paying most attention to and are most excited about is for state treasurer.
That’s because city housing authority chief Karen DuBois-Walton is running for that office, against fellow Democrats Erick Russell and Dita Bhargava.
The Esdailes back DuBois-Walton.
“Karen has been a pillar in the community,” Vera said.
David agreed. “She’s a go-getter,” someone who is familiar with the issues necessary for overseeing $45 billion in state pension fund investments, and is the right person for the role, he argued. “She’s very knowledgeable.”
Why did they brave the heat to vote in what will likely be a low-turnout election?
“I think every election is important,” Vera said.
“People fought and died for the right to vote,” added David. If you don’t vote, you can’t complain about the outcome.
Central Avenue resident Leslie Ann McClashie (pictured) echoed that sentiment after she finished casting her votes for Russell and Bond.
“My civic duty is to vote,” she said. If you don’t vote, “you don’t have a voice.”
She said the most important issues influencing her votes were “inflation, schools, and community.”
She described Bond as a “strong candidate” and said that Russell, who has been endorsed by the state Democratic Party, appears to have “considerable support.”
McClashie also said that hometown pride influenced her decision to vote for Bond over Thomas in the secretary of the state race.
She and her family have lied in Westville since 2000.
“We love New Haven,” she said.
I voted for Thomas and Russell. I would never cast a vote for Bond after contacting her health department numerous times throughout the last 5 years for multiple issues and never receiving a response. If she can't run a city department efficiently and provide decent customer service, then we need to keep her away from the SOS office.