Leng Mum On Mayoral Endorsement

More than one month after losing to Lauren Garrett in the Democratic primary, Hamden Mayor Curt Leng has remained silent on whom he will endorse to replace him in the town’s top office — and why.

Leng lost his bid for a fourth full two-year term in the Sept. 14 primary, when Lauren Garrett defeated him by a two-to-one margin in a rematch Democratic primary.

Now Garrett faces Republican Ron Gambardella, who is courting moderate and conservative Democrats in the Nov. 2 general election.

Leng has not responded to numerous requests by text and voicemail from the Independent inquiring as to which, if either, mayoral candidate he will endorse. On Tuesday, Sept. 14, Leng responded simply, ​“I haven’t” when asked via text about whether he’d made an endorsement decision. On Monday, Oct. 18, he followed up, texting, ​“Did I say I haven’t decided?” without clarifying whether he indeed has or has not chosen a candidate.

Peter Cyr, a third Democratic primary candidate who received fewer votes than both Garrett and Leng back in September, announced his support for Garrett two days after she and her slate swept the primary. He ran in part to bring ​“new blood” into Hamden Town Hall.

“I’ll be throwing my vote and support behind Lauren Garrett and the rest of the DTC’s slate in November,” Cyr wrote on Twitter on Sept. 16. ​“I hope the rest of our party will as well … Excited for the next chapter in Hamden.”

Another Democrat who sought to run for mayor this year, Brad Macdowall (who failed to collect enough signatures to qualify for the primary ballot), has also not announced an endorsement so far.

Macdowall told the Independent he has not been asked by the Democratic Town Committee for an endorsement. ​“If her [Garrett’s] campaign were to reach out asking for an endorsement, there would have to be a lot of movement on policy from them to earn it,” he said, asserting that Garrett particular has veered towards the center during the general election campaign.

Garrett confirmed that she has not asked any of the other Democrats who ran for mayor this year to endorse her. She refuted Macdowall’s statement, adding, ​“My platform has not changed from the primary to the general … I’m not a centrist whatsoever.”

Meanwhile, the Republicans are funding ​“Democrats for Gambardella” signage, hoping to persuade centrist and conservative Democrats to vote against the relatively progressive slate of Democratic municipal candidates running on a slate with Garrett — a slate that vanquished all of the pro-Leng candidates in the September primary.

Gambardella and his slate of Council candidates are echoing Leng’s ​“pro-policing” platform. They argue that crime is out of control in town and that big investments in policing and public safety are necessary. Most members of Garrett’s slate have responded that crime in Hamden is mirroring a national uptick due to the pandemic, and argue that spending on mental health infrastructure and basic services like affordable housing and food security are the most important pathways to keeping people safe and cared for. Some do support increasing the number of cops on the force; others advocate for a smaller force.

Republican candidates statewide are sounding the same theme about out-of-control crime. Read about that statewide debate and the crime figures in this CT Mirror story, and about the current Hamden mayoral debate over policing — and race — here.