Liam Brennan on MSNBC.
New Haven Mayor Toni Harp has one less potential opponent in this year’s campaign — after finding him another way to spend his civic time.
That potential opponent was Liam Brennan, a former federal prosecutor who helped send ex-Gov. John Rowland to jail (a second time) for corruption.
Brennan had been making rounds in recent months seeking support for a challenge to Harp in this year’s Democratic mayoral primary.
On Wednesday, Harp informed the Board of Alders that she is nominating Brennan for a vacant seat on the board.
Brennan told the Independent Wednesday that he has decided not to pursue the mayoral run.
“I love this city,” he said, but after speaking with his family and others around town, he decided that “at this time of my life, this is just something I did not want to pursue.”
Brennan, who lives in Westville, has two children at Edgewood School; he expects to enroll a third child there next year. He has been outspoken and actively involved in education issues as a parent.
“Attorney Brennan is a former federal prosecutor who currently affirms his commitment to the city and its residents through his work on behalf of the New Haven Legal Assistance Association and its clients. He’s been a part-time law professor and he’s a parent of school-aged children; I have every confidence about Attorney Brennan’s desire to work on behalf of a sound education system to the benefit of its students throughout New Haven,” Mayor Harp said in a statement issued Wednesday.
Brennan’s nomination now goes before the Board of Alders for a confirmation vote.
So does the nomination of Yesina Rivera, whom Harp also tapped this week. (Read about that here.) Brennan and Rivera would fill the seats left vacant by former board members Jamell Cotto and Frank Redente, respectively. Harp had nominated Cotto for another term on the board, but the Board of Alders voted down his reappointment after a stormy public hearing.
Harp, who has said she intends to run for a fourth two-year term this year, still faces a challenge from Justin Elicker in a Democratic primary. Activist Wendy Hamilton said she also plans to run for mayor this year.