Councilman Won’t Seek Re-Election In Hamden

HAMDEN, CT — For the first time in many years, a Cesare won’t be serving in elected office in Hamden by the end of this year. Councilman Austin Cesare (R-At-Large) has announced that he will not seek re-election this November and will retire from the council at the end of his term. Cesare recently notified the Republican Town Committee of his decision to not seek a fourth term on the council.

Cesare, who served on the Board of Education before being elected to the council, said he never intended on becoming a career politician and is “extremely grateful to the citizens of Hamden who elected me five times to office.” (To sign up for Hamden breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

“I'm most proud of my record of fighting for common sense budgeting, for a better quality of life for our townspeople, and for my ardent support of Hamden Public Schools,” Cesare said in an email.

Cesare served on the Board of Education from 2005 to 2011 before first being elected to the Legislative Council in 2011 and winning re-election ever since. His brother, Craig Cesare, served on the Legislative Council in the 2000s before he was appointed Public Works Director.

His father, Frank Cesare, served on the council in the 1990s prior to his death in 2000. He was 56.

In a message to the Republican Town Committee leadership, Cesare said he will “always appreciate the support the members of the Hamden Republican Town Committee have given me in my 12 years of elected service to the town. It has been an honor to represent our party in elected office.

“It has also been a pleasure to serve the residents of Hamden as a member of the Hamden Board of Education from 2005 to 2011 and as a member of the Legislative Council from 2011 to 2017. During my tenure I am most proud of my efforts to fight for a better quality of life for Hamden residents, and for also being a vocal advocate for better Hamden schools.”

Cesare said that he has decided to retire from politics and “instead focus on new endeavors which will include more family time, additional travels and furthering my career in academia.”

Cesare, who will finish out his term that runs until November, said he notified the town committee early so they would have “ample time to recruit council candidates for the fall election.”

“There is still work to be done and I am staying on the council till then to continue my fight for a better Hamden,” Cesare said in the message. “All the best to the members of the Hamden Republican Town Committee, (some of whom have supported myself and my family for over 25 years in countless Hamden elections). Thank you for your continued support for myself and my family.”