Pool Of Candidates

In Fifth District Grows

By John Voket

The number of declared candidates for Connecticut’s Fifth District expanded rapidly in recent days. On April 13, Kent resident and Democrat Dan Roberti announced his run for Connecticut’s Fifth Congressional District — the seat being vacated by Representative Chris Murphy’s run for the US Senate.

One day earlier, entrepreneur and Simsbury resident Lisa Wilson-Foley announces her candidacy for the Fifth District seat. And on April 11, former state representative Elizabeth Esty threw her hat into the ring as a candidate for the congressional seat.

“It’s important that Connecticut’s Fifth District send someone to Washington who will fight tirelessly and effectively to bring good-paying jobs to our state. I commit to work with members of both parties to lay the foundation for a strong economy, ensure that we have jobs for our children, and restore prosperity in the middle class,” Esty said in a written statement released Monday.

During her last term in Hartford, Ms Esty served as a member of the Appropriations, Energy & Technology and Public Health Committees. She is a Harvard-educated lawyer, and is married to state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Dan Esty.

In announcing her candidacy, Ms Wilson-Foley said she made the decision after the goings on in Washington pushed her to a point where she said, “I’ve had enough.”

“My answer is this — you fight. You fight to take back what is yours — your rights, your money, your freedom — our future. That is why I have announced my candidacy,” she said in a release.

Mr Roberti’s announcement reflected similar political frustrations.

“As I watch the mess in Washington unfold — with Republican threats to shut down the government, end Medicare, and hold our economy and middle class jobs hostage — I have been inspired by the way Congressman Chris Murphy has served Connecticut and sought innovative solutions to our economic challenges,” said Mr Roberti in a release. “In the months ahead I will be traveling to every town in the district to listen, share ideas, and talk about how we can fight back against Republican plans that will undermine our economy and destroy Social Security and Medicare.”

Mr Roberti grew up the son of a public school teacher and a former state representative, and was inspired by their service. He worked his way through college and joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, where he ran the day-to-day operation of a homeless shelter in Spokane, Wash.

He moved to New Orleans to pursue a degree in pastoral studies, but after Hurricane Katrina struck, he left his studies to work with activist James Carville to support Katrina relief efforts.

As Mr Roberti prepared to enter law school, his mother was diagnosed with cancer. So he put his plans on hold to help care for his mother, and help her navigate through the health care system.

While helping to care for his mother, he worked on a wide range causes, including projects to raise awareness of the need to improve the transportation system, to help veterans who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, and with the organization Mercy Corps to launch the Action Center to End World Hunger.

Ms Wilson-Foley also has significant experience in the health care industry. At age 18 she decided to become a physical therapist because she enjoyed helping people.

“I loved working with people and helping them get better. Now I see that our federal government is sick and failing,” she said. “That drive to help people is as strong within me today as it was at 18, and I feel compelled to turn my energies into working to get our government, our economy, and our communities healthy again.”

Ms Wilson-Foley has been lauded as an entrepreneur and innovator, earning numerous awards and national attention. She has been featured in Time magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and as INC Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year for Southern New England.

She was raised in Farmington where she attended Farmington High School. She earned a BS in physical therapy from Ithaca College, a master’s in public health from Yale University, and is currently working toward a doctorate degree in health care.

“I will fight to create jobs, to repeal and/or defund the recent health care reform bill, to work to overhaul our federal education system to make our future workforce competitive in the global marketplace, and last but certainly not least, to balance our budget.”

Ms Wilson-Foley lives in Simsbury with her husband, Brian, and their children.

Republican Contender

About a week earlier, Farmington resident and Republican Mike Clark announced his candidacy for the Fifth District, bringing 35 years of work experience and a self-proclaimed “unique perspective of distinguished government service, management level employment in private industry, and service as a town’s chief elected official” to the table.

According to his bio, Mr Clark received a bachelor’s degree in English and history from Rowan University in 1976. He worked as a high school teacher and athletic coach for five years, while earning a master’s degree at night from Seton Hall University.

In 1983 he accepted an appointment as an FBI Special Agent.

Upon his retirement from the FBI, Mr Clark began a second career as the manager of international investigations and security for Otis Elevator and its 60,000 employees. He is currently employed as a professor at the Henry Lee College of Criminal Justice at the University of New Haven.

In 2005, Mr Clark was elected as the chairman of the Town Council in Farmington. As the chief elected official in Farmington, he has advocated fiscal responsibility and the efficient delivery of core services to its citizens.

While in office, he maintained the region’s lowest tax rate, paid off 20 percent of the town’s bonded debt, had its Moody’s municipal rating upgraded to AAA status, and has shown annual growth in the town’s grand list.

Mr Clark has been married to his wife, Sue, for 33 years. They have four children who graduated from Farmington High School, have graduated from their respective universities and are now independently employed.