Hamden, New Haven candidates to vie for 94th District seat

Feb. 26--NEW HAVEN -- Hamden is ready for a fight.

Democratic Town Chairman Lewis Panzo said he expects Berita Rowe-Lewis, an at-large council member in Hamden, to run for the 94th District House of Representatives seat.

The district is close to being evenly divided between New Haven and Hamden and Panzo believes they have the best candidate for the job.

Incumbent state Rep. Gary Holder-Winfield, D-New Haven, was elected Tuesday to the 10th District state Senate seat to replace Toni Harp, who is now the mayor of New Haven.

In a special election, the committee that nominated Holder-Winfield in 2012 will reconvene to nominate a successor. To challenge that, there is no primary, but candidates can petition to get on the ballet and Panzo said he expects Rowe-Lewis "to go all the way."

"She has a proven record. We think she is a perfect fit," Panzo said of Rowe-Lewis, who is a supervisor at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Rowe-Lewis could not be reached for comment.

"We're excited about this," Panzo said. "She is a good vote-getter for the Democrats."

Also in Hamden, Rey Harp, the brother-in-law of Toni Harp, who has watched New Haven politics up close, said he also is interested in the state representative position.

Harp, who said he held the position of commissioner of insurance in Minnesota and was also a deputy commissioner of commerce in that state, said he plans to make an announcement later this week.

Harp, who went to law school in Chicago, came to the area 18 years ago to work in the firm of Renaissance Management, then owned by his late brother, Wendell Harp, in New Haven. He said he has done a lot of pro bono work for people here.

Renaissance Management, which for decades owed state taxes, just came off a list as the No. 1 business scofflaw in the state, owing $1.2 million, mainly in interest and fees from a 1993-96 $418,000 tax fight that went to the state Supreme Court.

Panzo said he met with Harp recently. "He seems like a very nice gentleman," Panzo said.

In New Haven, Charles Blango, a former alder who lost to Holder-Winfield in a primary fight in 2008 for state representative, is definitely in the race and will kick off his campaign later this week. Charles Ash has also been mentioned as possibly interested in the seat.

Vincent Mauro, vice chairman of the New Haven Democratic Town Committee, said he expects as many as four or five people to run. Mauro is expected to become chairman of the New Haven party after the March 4 town committee elections.

Of a two-town fight, Panzo said, "Let the chips fall where they may." He said in a Democratic society everyone is free to run for office.

This latest special election could take place by late April, which would give the winner little time in this year's legislative session. The winner would then have to run for a full term in November and possibly face a primary in August.

New Haven just got through with the 10th District special election and is also facing a special election for the 7th Ward alder seat to replace Doug Hausladen, who is the city's new director of transportation, traffic and parking. That election is March 17 and the candidates are Abigail Roth and Paul Phillipino.

On March 4, there are fights in two wards for the co-chairman positions on the Democratic Town Committee.

In Ward 26, Sharon Jones and Amy Marx are running against Bridget Gardner and Ronald Rainey; in Ward 28, Jess Corbett and Donald Walker are a team challenged by Claudette Robinson-Thorpe and Clython Thompson.

Call Mary E. O'Leary at 203-789-5731. Have questions, feedback or ideas about our news coverage? Connect directly with the editors of the New Haven Register at AskTheRegister.com.

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