Sam Gurwitt Photos
Incumbent O’Brien; challenger Shomaker.
The former majority leader of Hamden’s Legislative Council is looking to return to the board after a stint making the town greener.
The former leader, Kathleen Schomaker, has won a spot on the Sept. 10 primary ballot to force a primary for the party’s nomination for the Sixth District seat.
Shomaker served on the council from 2005 through 2017, including six years as Democratic majority leader.
She left in 2017 to become the town’s first energy efficiency coordinator.
The party endorsed incumbent Cory O’Brien for the Sixth District seat at its recent convention. O’Brien serves as the council’s current majority leader. He has been a critic of the Leng administration.
Schomaker stated in a release Monday that she decided to seek a return to the council because of a shift in tone among its members.
“Hearing from friends, colleagues and neighbors about contentious and negative interactions among current Council members — and between Council and various administrative and professional staff — has shown that a reasonable, collaborative voice is needed once again,” the release quoted her as saying. “I am concerned about the adverse impacts such interactions have on Hamden as a community — and as a financial entity, and that’s why I am running. I want to the people to be able to depend on my public service experience, my dedication to judicious collaboration, commitment to public civility, and respect for our hard-working and dedicated staff.”