Paul Bass Photo
Working Families Party Council candidates Laurie Sweet, Rhonda Caldwell at WNHH FM.
Rhonda Caldwell and Laurie Sweet didn’t form a biracial political ticket by chance. It was part of the point of their running for office.
Caldwell and Sweet are running as a slate on the Working Families Party line in this Tuesday’s election for at-large (townwide) seats on Hamden’s Legislative Council.
By law, at least two at-large seats must go to a minority party. In Democratic-dominated Hamden, that has always meant that two Republicans automatically win seats. Now the Caldwell-Sweet ticket challenges Republicans for those minority-party slots.
Caldwell and Sweet are registered Democrats. They said they want to offer an alternative to mainstream Democratic politics on town finances, educational equity, and police accountability.
“We’ve had Democrats in power a long time. We want more accountability, more fiscal responsibility. We’re going to be sounding a bit Republican” on that issue, Sweet said during a joint appearance on WNHH FM’s “Dateline Hamden” program. “In other ways we’re far left of the Democrats.”
Caldwell addressing a rally Monday calling for the firing of Hamden Police Officer Devin Eaton.
Caldwell and Sweet have been mainstays of protests over the shooting of two unarmed African-Americans by a Hamden police officer (who has since been arrested). They participated in two marches to that effect this week and have criticized town officials for not taking a stronger stand in general on police misconduct.
Caldwell has been attending school board and Legislative Council meetings for years. “I feel like my words have fallen on deaf ears,” she said. Which is one reason she decided to seek elected office.
For 27 years Caldwell has worked on building and managing affordable housing, currently as an asset manager for the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority. Sweet serves on immigrant rights campaigns and previously worked as a birth doula.
Racial justice is a primary motivator for both of them. Caldwell, who is African-American, said she moved to Hamden in part because of its racial diversity.
“We want to celebrate the diversity in our town,” Caldwell said. “We want Hamden to be fair for everybody.” For instance, the town needs to address why black students are disciplined at three times the rate of white students, she said. And why half of black and brown children are performing below grade level.
“Our diversity is our strength,” agreed Sweet, who is white. Both cited Republican Facebook comments earlier this year describing southern Hamden as a “ghetto” as an example of the mindset they want to help turn around.
Click here for a previous story about their campaign launch, and below to watch their full appearance on WNHH FM’s “Dateline Hamden” program.