More than a dozen aspiring campaign managers responded within two days to a New Haven candidate’s offer to pay $4,500 to $6,000 a month to help him try to win the mayor’s office.
That candidate, former federal prosecutor and current Hartford inspector general Liam Brennan, placed an ad for the position in the “career center” section of a national progressive Democratic website called Gain Power.
Brennan has formed an “exploratory” committee for a challenge to two-term incumbent Mayor Justin Elicker in what is shaping up as a four-person race for the Democratic Party nomination in a Sept. 14 primary. He said he expects to make his announcement about an official campaign in coming weeks.
In the meantime, he posted the ad for a full-time campaign manager “responsible for leading and managing an exploratory committee and the day-to-day operations of a primary campaign from February 2023 through September 30, 2023 and the general campaign to follow through November 30, 2023.”
“The New Haven, Connecticut mayoral primary will see progressive challenger, Liam Brennan, and two additional challengers take on incumbent mayor, Justin Elicker,” the ad states.
“New Haven recently faced national scrutiny when police officers paralyzed a resident and Liam is running to push a strong criminal justice reform platform that includes ending the War on Drugs in New Haven. As a former recurring guest on MSNBC and writer for national publications, Liam plans to leverage a media platform on criminal justice issues to fund a campaign that will also focus on affordable housing and educational equity and hopefully provide a template for other cities.” Click here to read the full posting, including requirements that the candidate “have experience working with progressive groups like the Working Families Party and the Democratic Socialists of America” and “have campaign experience, preferably at least 1 cycle in leadership/management role.” (And click here for a previous story in which Brennan details planks of his platform.)
He has received in the “range” of 20 inquiries for the job, all but one from people who don’t live in New Haven, Brennan said Monday. Almost all the inquiries came in response to the Gain Power ad placed two days ago.
Clyde Ramos.
Shafiq Abdussabur, who formally kicked off his candidacy for the Democratic nomination at a Sunday event, has yet to hire a campaign manager. “We have a campaign team,” he said. “I am absolutely in the market for a dynamic campaign manager. Preferably from New Haven. I’m looking for someone who’s inspiring and understands communities and has a thirst and vision for getting things done.” Right now “everyone else is volunteering until we get” money to hire someone.
The campaign has enlisted a communications director, Clyde Ramos, a professional filmmaker who spent 12 years in New York City doing commercial work for companies like American Express and who served as director of digital communications for Joe Ganim’s 2018 run for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Abdussabur said Ramos’s salary has not yet been finalized.
A third Democratic challenger, Tom Goldenberg, has hired Upper Westville Alder Darryl Brackeen Jr. as his campaign manager. He said the position is part-time. Asked what the position pays, Goldenberg responded, “This stuff will be disclosed in April when we do the financial filing.” Goldenberg said he is paying a couple of communication and fundraising consultants, while looking for a staff communications director.
Mayor Elicker said he has not yet hired a campaign manager: “At this early stage it’s not yet necessary.”
In addition to the Democratic mayoral primary race, 2021 Republican mayoral candidate John Carlson is considering running again in the November general election; activist Wendy Hamilton has filed papers to pursue an unaffiliated-line mayoral campaign in the November election as well.