from McNamara 4 Council Committee
New Britain’s Ward 4 went from red to blue in the municipal election November 7 as two Democrats won seats from the Saint Francis Church, Pulaski Middle and Holmes Elementary school voting districts.
Democrats Neil Connors and John McNamara were elected and Republican Robert Smedley was re-elected under a new ward system in which each ward has three seats on the 15-member Common Council. Under New Britain’s system the new Common Council takes office and will hold its first meeting November 15th.
Democrats led by Town Chair and Mayoral Nominee Chris Anderson flipped the Common Council from a 12 to 3 Republican majority to an 8 to 7 Democratic majority in a return to bipartisan government with Mayor Erin Stewart (R) who was re-elected to a 6th two-year term.
“It’s been a rewarding experience meeting and listening to voters in Ward 4 over the last three months,” said McNamara, “I look forward to representing all residents and am grateful to the voters for this opportunity to be of public service. The primary job of a ward councilor is to be their voice in municipal government and to ensure our ward and city gets its fair share of services and resources for a good quality of life.”
“The results would not have been possible without the friends and neighbors who donated to my committee and volunteered to help with voter turnout and I thank all who supported my candidacy.”
ALDERPERSON WARD 4
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| McNamara (D) | 986 | 25.70% | |
| Smedley (R) | 914 | 23.82% | |
| Connors (D) | 874 | 22.78% | |
| Thompson (R) | 852 | 22.20% | |
| Ortiz-Luna (IND) | 133 | 3.47% | |
| Connolly (IND) | 78 | 2.03% |
McNamara also cited the endorsement and member support from four labor unions for his candidacy including the AFT Connecticut, CSEA Local 2001, District 1199 and the Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges, SEIU Local 1973.
McNamara, the Democratic Town Chairperson from 1994 to 2016, was elected to the Board of Assessment Appeals in 2013 and previously chaired the city Building Commission. He is a recipient of the Connie Wilson Collins Service Award for Labor and Industry from the NAACP.
He worked as Institutional advancement director at Capital Community College (now emeritus) for 22 years before retiring in early 2022 and held similar positions at the University of Hartford and the Community Renewal Team (CRT) raising funds for scholarships, student services and obtaining federal grants. At Capital, McNamara was elected to the Congress of CT Community Colleges (4Cs) Local 1973, SEIU Delegate Assembly representing faculty and staff on the campus.
A 38-year resident of the neighborhoods he will now represent on the Common Council, McNamara is married to Patricia (Cacace). The McNamara’s have two grown children, Michael and Cara, and two grandchildren.
New Britain Alderman John McNamara 