Whether the
next City Council will have any women after the Nov. 5 election depends
entirely on voters in one of the city’s three districts.
Of the 13
candidates seeking a council seat, the only two women in the running are 3rd
District Democrats.
The most well-known,
Ellen Zoppo-Sassu, served three council terms on the council before running
unsuccessfully for mayor in 2007, when she lost a bitter primary to the man who
has served in the city’s top job ever since, Art Ward.
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| Jim Albert and Derek Czenczelewski at the Mum Festival. |
The other,
Mary Fortier, is a lawyer with the Waterbury court system.
Both are
taking aim at first-term GOP incumbent Derek Czenczelewski and newcomer Jim
Albert, who got into the race last month when city Councilor David Mills pulled
out to care for his ailing wife.
Czenczelewski,
who has pushed for privatization and to rein in spending, is considered the
most vulnerable of the three incumbents seeking reelection.
He said the
Republican-majority council, which took
control in 2011, “has asked the tough questions” on a wide range of issues “and
created a new age of transparency in government,” including monthly town hall
forums that Czenczelewski initiated.
The Republican
incumbent has championed a number of ideas, from tax breaks for owner-occupied
rental properties to hiring a broker to sell lots in the city’s industrial
park.
 |
| Ellen Zoppo-Sassu |
Albert, a
retired U.S. Air Force officer and hospital executive, said this year’s race is
“about the size of government and taxes.
My opponents have openly and repeatedly said the best way to improve our
quality of life, student performance, and economy is to grow government and
raise taxes.”
He said government
has a role to play but “we can’t afford more taxes at this time” and called for
a detailed review of spending.
Fortier said
there are “fundamental differences between our opponents and ourselves. We believe government is and should be a
power for good.”
“This
election isn't about taxes, it's about spending, using the resources we have
wisely. Irresponsible cutting of budgets
under the guise of protecting the taxpayer leads to the breakdown of services
and programs that support and protect all our citizens,” she said.
Zoppo-Sassu
said, “Republicans may say they are keeping taxes low, but there are many areas
where fees have increased under their watch: hidden fees and costs such as a 50
percent increase in swimming lessons” at the city’s indoor pool.
Zoppo-Sassu
said the city’s priorities for capital spending are also a concern. She said
that even firefighters, whose union endorsed her, are “scratching their heads about
a costly new training facility.
“How about fixing some potholes instead?” said
Zoppo-Sassu.
 |
| Mary Fortier |
Czenczelewski,
who works as marketing director for The S/L/A/M Collaborative, attended Bristol
schools and earned a bachelor’s degree in sports promotions at UConn. He and
his fiancée, Sarah Chagnon, built a home in the district last year. He has no
children.
Fortier has
a B.A. in history and secondary education from Boston College and a law degree from
the Western New England College of Law in Springfield, Mass.
She’s worked
for the state court system since 1999, including the past six years as the
caseflow coordinator for complex litigation in the Waterbury court.
Fortier and
her husband, David, have six children. She’s been involved in many community
organizations and served on the city’s Housing Code Board of Appeals, but this
is her first political foray.
Albert, a
1974 St. Paul Catholic High School graduate, owns a healthcare consulting
practice and teaches graduate courses on healthcare and technology at the
University of Connecticut and Boston University
A career
U.S. Air Force officer who retired in 1998, he holds a bachelor’s degree in
risk management and insurance from UConn and a master’s in technology
management at The American University in the nation’s capital.
He and his wife, Denise, have two grown daughters, Albert is a past president of the Franco-American Club of
Bristol, among other local organizations.
Zoppo-Sassu,
the communications director for the Connecticut Pharmacists Association, first
sought office at age 26 when she battled unsuccessfully with Plymouth
Republican Bill Hamzy for a state House seat.
Married to
city Police Officer Peter Sassu, she won a 2nd District council seat
in 2001 and held it until 2007 when she got her party’s endorsement to run for
mayor but lost the subsequent primary to Ward.
She’s
running in the 3rd District now despite living in the same Merriman
Street home because the boundary lines changed following the 2010 Census.
A Bristol
native with three children, Zoppo has a B.A. in political science from Providence
College and a master’s degree in public affairs from UCOnn.
There is one
woman among the six council members, Democrat Mayra Sampson, who is stepping
down next month. Sampson said the city “does need more women” in positions of
power.
City
councilors serve two-year-terms for $9,500 annually. There are six council
members, with two elected from each of three districts. Polls are open from 6
a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
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