A 29-year-old lawyer hopes to capture one of two open City Council seats in this fall’s municipal election to win the right to represent Forestville and south Bristol for the next two years.
Kate Matthews said the revitalization of the center of Forestville would be one of her top priorities.
Matthews, a Democrat, also said that she’d like to crack the all-male council because “it would be great to get a woman’s voice” on the six-person panel again.
Both incumbents in the 3rd District, Democrats Frank Nicastro and Craig Minor, have said they won’t seek re-election in November.
Until Matthews announced her intention this week, Republican newcomer Derek Czenczelewski was the only contender to take their place for the part-time, $10,000-a-year post.
One other potential candidate, Democrat Terry Parker, said he plans to declare his intention to run next month.
Mathews, who has a 2-year-old daughter named Anna, said she wants to “help my neighbors” and bring her problem-solving skills to bear on critical city issues.
Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz said Matthews “reminds me of me” as she enters the political arena with a young daughter at her side. She told Matthews this week that she can run a successful campaign and raise her family, too.
Matthews hasn’t run for office before, but knows her way around politics. She also knows the town.
A 1998 Bristol Eastern High School graduate, Matthews earned her bachelor’s degree from Simmons College in philosophy and political science four years later.
In 2005, she graduated from the University of Connecticut Law School, got married to Peter Matthews and passed the bar to become an attorney.
“I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer,” Matthews said.
She currently practices construction litigation for a firm in Hartford.
“I’m almost a lifelong Bristol resident,” Matthews said, because she moved away during her college years. But she moved back to town after her marriage, she said, and now lives just nine houses up the block from her parents.
“We moved back because there’s a lot about Bristol that I love,” Matthews said.
The 3rd District spans the southern third of Bristol. It is one of three council districts in town, each with two representatives. They serve two-year terms. The election is Nov. 3.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
21 comments:
I think the Third District race will be the one to watch this fall... We've already got two young people who have announced their candidacies, and possibly more of the GenX/GenNext declaring soon...
It's refreshing to see young people stepping forward with positive energy and new voices.
I agree. It's refreshing and they already have my Vote without even trying. I want change!
Yeah get the yes -boys out and the union hackers. Cry baby, do nothing McCauley needs to go also.
Yes, I believe Kate is correct. We need a woman on the council! Maybe 2! We also need more diversity which more accurately reflects our city. More people from the private sector, more young people, more professionals who are not public sector employees, some businessowners and some who represent the ethnicities which make up our city. Latinos, African Americans etc. In fact all our boards and agencies should strive to represent the diversity of our city.
GO KATE GO !!
I think Kate would make a wonderful addition to your Bristol's City Council. She is a smart and amazing women!
If the Republicans can't put up legitimate candidates in the 3rd District this year -- in a year where the race is totally open -- then they truly have no hope!
What about Bob Merrick running again? What about Henry Raymond running ?
"Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz said Matthews 'reminds me of me'"
--This is good reason to NEVER vote for either of these women.
If I were her lawyer, I would advise her to read the Charter and find out the role of a Council Person.
By this article she sounds OK. I'm sure Collins is already infatuated by her (as a political candidate), so we're sure to hear much more about her (all wonderful stuff I'm assuming).
I hope she's not a partisan, liberal, Democrat political hack like Susan Bysiewicz. Bysiewicz is a crusading socialist, she favors re-writing laws (and the US Constitution) to forward her liberal agenda. For example Bysiewicz favors eliminating the Electoral College and lowering the voting age (both for no good reason) which will not only discombobulate our country, it'll increase the chances of liberals (Democrats) dominating elections until the demise of our country. And let's not forget the fact that eliminating the electoral collage will make central Connecticut almost complately irrelevent as far as national campaigns go (albeit the region already is). She doesn't care as long as it spells Democrat victory!
But what does it matter? Thanks to the electorate with a little help from Connecticut, Obama is re-writing the way our capitalist economy (the one that makes the U.S.A. the best place on Earth to live) works, so that we are closer to becoming a socialist country. At least there is a chance the GOP may take some Congressional seats back in 2010, which may curb the spread of creeping socialism (for a while at least).
So for the aforementioned reasons (I'm sure this young lady supported Obama, Hillary and Bysiewicz), I can not get too excited about her candidacy (except to perhaps support her opponent).
Also her experience must come into question. Although I like the fact that she works in the private sector, I can't help but think she's spent too much time in acedemia and not enough time paying bills and struggling to make ends meet. Let's face it, Law is a racket and lawyers tend to be liberal and quite clueless when it comes to economics and business.
Then again she's heads and shoulders better qualified than Parker or the other stooge. Maybe I should just be thankful?
The republicans don't have a legitimate candidates in any of the races,(especially mayor),so why start now. The Bristol GOP is a complete joke.
What defines a "legitimate" candidate in your opinion? Johnson ran a solid campaign and gave Art a real race. We don't know much about Czenczelewski yet, but I'm sure we will eventually. I can't give a judgment on him yet, but to say that the GOP isn't offering up legitimate candidates is not a legitimate argument. I'm holding back judgment until I see all the candidates and where they stand on the issues. Until then, I suggest we all do the same.
12:08 Legitimate would be one who actually has a chance to win. Johnson may have given Ward a run in last election but since the election he has done nothing but shoot his mouth off and criticize the mayor's every move. This time the citizens of Bristol will have heard much more from him and he will get far less of the vote than the last election.
This is another republican voting for Ward because Johnson is an embarrassment to the BRTC.
1:32 - johnson hasn't even been around since the last election except to try to legitimize his extortion of the CL & P monies and to show how foolish that he is at the pension meeting - keep him hidden and we all win.
Aren't these comments on this article supposed to be about Kate the Dumb-o-crat?
It's hard for me to believe that people posting on here don't have some involvement with politics or some kind of agenda. I believe most of the anti-Johnson commenters are either Stortz or Dumb-o-crats "posing" as Republicans. So why all the negative comments about Johnson? Keep talking and maybe I'll support him.
CC you would be dumb enough to support Johnson. You are obviously bothered by the anti Johnson comments,so which Ken are you Cockayne or Johnson.
CC,you are the one with an opinion on almost every issue.You accuse others of having an agenda when it appears you are the one with the political agenda.
CC ,you sound like a typical Bristol republiKEN! The only question is which one?
Does anyone think that Artie will be able to handle, or cope with, a woman on the City Council?
Wil probably drive him further into a shell.
Will be interesting!
Ward is a chauvinist: I am glad that someone else sees that too.
where has she been with the issues? all candidates need to show where they are when running rather than wait until the decisions are made - do any of the new candidates have a stand, or understand, the budget process? need to be aware of the consequences in order to be able to address the problem. let's hear from them.
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