Republicans Endorse Mayoral Candidate In Hamden

By Jack Kramer, Correspondent

HAMDEN, CT — The Republicans recently endorsed Salman Hamid as its candidate to oppose Democratic incumbent Curt Leng for mayor this November.

Hamid was born in Pakistan in 1985 and came to the United States with his family in 1988.

“I have been a resident of Hamden for 24 years and attended Church Street, Hamden Middle School, and Hamden High School. Great educators in Hamden’s public schools had a profound impact on me, inspiring me to search for a way to give back to my community. I saw no better way to give back than to become an educator myself, and I served as a Social Studies teacher at Hamden High School for eight years.

“Currently I serve as K-12 District-wide Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator and educator at ACES Wintergreen Magnet School.”

Pictured: Salman Hamid / Photo by Jack Kramer

In an interview, Hamid said he decided to run for mayor “because I want to stand up for every citizen in this great town.”

“Throughout my time working in the private sector, schools, and volunteer activities, I’ve heard many of the same concerns from my fellow citizens: litter; high taxes on housing, businesses, and automobiles; and the lack of a clear channel of communication between constituents and their town government,” Hamid said. I will be a champion for equitable schools, working hard to eliminate inequities across our school system from the ground up.

“I plan to establish a citizens’ advisory committee to allow me to gather firsthand input on constituent needs. I also plan to improve our fiscal accountability, promote Hamden’s history and the arts, construct a long-awaited town animal shelter, utilize open space for agriculture and education, and implement low-cost energy conservation measures.”

Asked what he thought his chances of beating a well-known incumbent mayor such as Leng, Hamid responded: “To me, running as a challenger represents the most beautiful part of our democratic society – that an active citizen who has worked for businesses in town, taught in the school system, and volunteers during his free time can run for town government.

“Is that not the American dream? That anyone, no matter who they are or what they do, is a potential candidate for local government?”

As far as the key issues he will run on, Hamid said: “The number one issue that Hamden residents want to discuss with me is the heavy tax burden that our residents face year after year. People are also concerned about crime, traffic and for the future of Hamden.”