The Democratic Primary for Ward 4 Common Council will be held on Tuesday, September 9th to select two nominees for the November election.
Endorsed Democrats John H. McNamara and Luz Ortiz-Luna are working as a team to earn your vote and provide responsive service for all residents in addressing neighborhood needs over the next two years.
Endorsed Democrats – Row A
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY – WARD 4
Tuesday, September 9. Polls Open 6 a.m.-8 p.m.
Districts 12 & 13 Vote At Saint Francis Church, 1755 Stanley Street
District 14 Vote At Pulaski Middle School, 757 Farmington Avenue
Early Voting September 2-7 New Britain Senior Center, 55 Pearl Street
Paid for by New Britain Democratic Town Committee, John Tully, Treasurer and McNamara 4 Council Committee, Michael McNamara, Treasurer. Approved by all candidates
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.
Neighbor Frank ChaseCapitall CC Colleague Ruth KremsGrandson Shane
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%
Official results from New Britain Ward 4 Election To Common Council
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.
Campaigning with Shelby Anderson, Chris Anderson, Lori McAdam (Ward 2)
“The primary job of the Ward 4 councilor is to be a voice in municipal government for residents who vote at Saint Francis Church, Pulaski School and Holmes School to ensure our ward gets its fair share of resources and services needed for a good quality of life.
“With your vote I will be honored to represent the neighborhoods where I have lived since 1984 and to serve a community that has been good to me and my family.”
Democrat John McNamara has received the endorsement of District 1199, the SEIU Union for health care workers, for a seat on the New Britain City Council from Ward 4.
McNamara is a former Democratic Town Chair and previously was elected Chair of the Board of Assessment Appeal and served as the Building Commission Chair in city government. He is running in Ward 4 in neighborhoods near Central Connecticut State University and extending out to the Brittany Farms and Batterson Park area. This year 15 Common Councilors will be elected from five wards, replacing a hybrid Council comprised of five at-large and 10 ward members.
In gaining the endorsement McNamara said he fully supports Recovery For All, a labor and community coalition working for a more progressive, statewide tax system “to stabilize unsustainable municipal finances and reduce reliance on property taxes that are hitting homeowners and tenants especially hard this year because of new assessments.”
In Connecticut, over 26,000 workers are members of District 1199. The Union represents nurses, certified nursing assistants, personal care attendants, technicians, clerical employees, service and maintenance workers, and other workers in a variety of health care settings including state services, nursing homes, home care, hospitals and community programs for the developmentally disabled.
“I am grateful to District 1199 for the endorsement and I pledge to support the union in its efforts to improve the wages and benefits of its members who deliver vital health care services in New Britain and throughout the state,” said McNamara.
New Britain Alderman John McNamara 