Glassman Won't Seek the 5th Congressional District Seat

It wasn’t a declaration. More of a simple statement.

“I plan to seek re-election,” said First Selectman Mary Glassman from her office last week, referring to the post of first selectman that will be up for grabs this fall.

There has been much speculation about who will run for Connecticut’s 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2012 election. The seat will be vacant because Democratic Congressman Chris Murphy of Cheshire announced earlier this year he will run for the U.S. Senate. 

But Glassman will not be one of the candidates.

"I am not running for Congress," she said.

Her time as first selectman has been rewarding and keeps her quite busy.

“I love my job,” Glassman said. “I’ve been honored to serve.”

Glassman, a lawyer, is completing her twelfth year in the first selectman's post, having  served from 1991 to 1999 and from 2007 to the present. Along the way she has run for other state level positions.

In 2006, she was selected as the running mate for Stamford Mayor Dannel P. Malloy's campaign for governor. During the primary election, Malloy lost his bid, but Glassman secured the slot for lieutenant governor. She ran with New Haven Mayor John DeStefano on the Democratic ticket, losing to Republican governor Jodi Rell in the general election.

In 2007, Glassman returned to Simsbury as first selectman and was re-elected by a wide margin in November 2009.

In the most recent gubernatorial election, Glassman — who considered running for governor — was the running mate of Ned Lamont but Lamont lost to Malloy in the August 2010 state Democratic primary, and Glassman was defeated for lieutenant governor by State Comptroller Nancy Wyman.

Others who have announced their candidacy for the 5th District seat include Elizabeth Esty of Cheshire, a former Democratic state representative.

“I have decided to officially jump into the race,” Esty said in a release on Monday.

Esty served two terms as a Democrat on the Cheshire Town Council and one term as a state representative in the 103rd district.

Esty, a Harvard-educated lawyer, is married to state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Dan Esty.

And Farmington’s Town Council, chairman Republican Mike Clark, has officially announced his candidacy for the 5th District Congressional seat, as well.

Clark spent 22 years with the FBI, moving to Connecticut in 1990. He investigated state and municipal corruption, notably leading to the arrest of then-Gov. John Rowland. When he retired from the FBI in 2005, he was given the U. S. Attorney’s Award for investigative excellence and service.

He is now a professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven and works part-time for UTC and Otis Elevator.

To get to Washington, Clark needs to win the support of the 40 other towns in the 5th District and beat out Republicans Justin Bernier, a former Naval officer who grew up in Farmington and served in Gov. Jodi Rell’s cabinet, and Mark Greenburg, a Litchfield real estate developer. Both lost in the 2010 race.

Also entering the ring is entrepreneur and Simsbury resident Lisa Wilson-Foley, who announced her candidacy Tuesday.

Speaker of the House Chris Donovan (D-Meriden) is also said to be considering a run.

Glassman said she will endorse Donovan if he runs.

Glassman currently serves as chairman of the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) and as president of the Connecticut Council of Municipalities (CCM).

She said her work as an advocate for towns and to represent Simsbury in her various positions all work to improve the town. She has worked hard to maintain the town’s services and quality of life, while holding tax increases to a minimum. Town staffing levels at the lowest they have been in 10 years, she said.

She has a quick smile and an enthusiastic response when asked about Simsbury and its future — from the bike friendly designation (the first in Connecticut) to the recent adoption of the Simsbury Center Code. And she’d like to continue to be part of the town’s future.

“I can’t think of anything I’d rather do,” Glassman said. "I love the Town of Simsbury and am grateful for the opportunity to continue to make our town one of the best places to live."