Thomas MacMillan File Photo
After landing one leadership position in the legislature, up-and-coming State Rep. Gary Holder-Winfield is after another.
Holder-Winfield, who was recently elected to his second term in New Haven’s 94th District General Assembly Seat, confirmed he is running for the chairmanship of the legislature’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus. The election for the position is on Jan. 5.
His announcement came after he was appointed vice-chair of the Judiciary Committee. That appointment was unusual both because of Holder-Winfield’s relative inexperience in the legislature, and because he is not a lawyer. The vice-chairmanship puts him in line to become a co-chair of the committee.
Holder-Winfield, who was recently elected to his second term in office, acknowledged that it is unusual for a new legislator to run for the chairmanship. “I think I’m a pretty strong contender,” he said.
Bridgeport’s State Rep. Charles “Don” Clemens will be stepping down after two terms as caucus chair.
Holder-Winfield said he does not know who else is running to head the caucus, which has 19 members. State Reps. Bruce Morris of Norwalk and Juan Candelaria of New Haven were mentioned as possible candidates, but did not return calls for comment.
“I think that I’ve demonstrated over the course of my first term leadership skills. I could use those skills to make the caucus particularly relevant,” he said.
“One of the things I’d like to do is reframe the way we look at policy in general,” Holder-Winfield said. Lawmakers need to recognize and react to the demographic shifts happening in Connecticut, he said. Several studies indicate that blacks and Hispanics are an increasing percentage of the workforce, he said. By 2020, half of Connecticut workers will be black or hispanic, he said. If that’s the case, issues like the educational achievement gap between whites and minorities become that much more important, especially as more and more of Connecticut’s economy moves toward high-tech and science-based jobs, he said.
“It doesn’t take a lot to realize we’re in trouble,” Holder-Winfield said. “A true steward of the economy will have no choice but to look at this population.”
If the state doesn’t address the educational and job training needs of minorities, efforts toward job creation will not have a lasting impact, he said.
Holder-Winfield said he doesn’t yet have specific pieces of legislation that he would like the caucus to move on, if elected.