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Leng: The write stuff?
(Updated) Hamden Mayor Curt Leng, who was trounced in a September primary and hasn’t been campaigning for reelection since, has filed paperwork to be a candidate in the Nov. 2 election … as a write-in candidate.
But he insists he’s not running. He’s not reentering the race. He’s making sure he’s ready in case a “Pluto” option presents itself.
Town Clerk Vera Morrison said she received news from the state that Leng had registered as a write-in on Thursday. (Hearst Media’s Megan Friedmann first reported Leng’s filing earlier Thursday.)
Does that mean Leng is actually campaigning for a fourth full two-year term after all?
No, Leng clarified in a message he distributed Thursday evening.
“While it’s true that I submitted the required paperwork for this potential outcome, I am not planning on being a candidate in the upcoming municipal election,” he wrote. “A lesson I’ve been taught well by people I respect deeply is to do your best and take every action needed to be prepared for all potential outcomes.
“Hypothetically, if one of the candidates were to withdraw, have to drop out or move to Pluto, etc; I wanted to make sure I kept the opportunity for being a choice open to consider. If these extremely unlikely events don’t occur, I will be removing my name from consideration. I’m not actively or inactively running for Mayor. Keeping all options open given the unorthodox election we are seeing and the very specific rules of the election process made proper preparation seem like the responsible choice.”
Leng’s name will not appear on the Nov. 2 general election ballot. And, he said, you won’t see any lawn signs with his name on them.
The names of Democratic mayoral candidate Lauren Garrett and Republican mayoral candidate Ron Gambardella will appear on the Nov. 2 general election ballot. Another individual, Al Lotto, filed paperwork this week to register as a write-in candidate for the mayoral seat after giving up his formal spot on the ballot back in September.