Politics & Government

Michael Passero: If Elected, He Will Serve

City councilor forms exploratory committee for mayor run, will run if chosen by Democratic Town Committee

A thin, two-page document filed with marks the first step City Councilor Michael Passero has taken toward running for mayor. The rest, he says, will be up to his political party.

Passero filed the paperwork to form an exploratory committee named “Michael Passero for New London.” He said the action equates to “putting people on notice that you’re intending to run.” However, Passero said his mayoral ambitions will be decided by the Democratic Town Committee when they met on July 19.

“You’ve got to decide to run for mayor, or you can run for the council,” said Passero. “You can’t run for both.”

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Passero said a primary is already the likely outcome on the Democratic side in the mayor’s race, as City Councilor and attorney have already announced that they are running for mayor. Passero said that he is looking at the race in a different way, in that he will ask that the committee consider him as the Democrats’ mayoral candidate but make him a candidate for re-election to the City Council if he is not chosen for the mayor’s race.

Passero said he held off on a declaration because he did not want the race to interfere with his work as a city councilor. He said he will not be running an active campaign unless he is chosen as the Democratic nominee, but that he will be available until that point to discuss issues facing the city. Passero said he feels he is qualified for the mayor’s position when measured against the other candidates who have declared an interest in the race.

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“I think it’s time for New London to raise the bar in terms of self-image,” he said. “We have to start thinking of ourselves as greater than we are, or we’re never going to be as great as we used to be.”

Passero was raised in New London and graduated from St. Bernard School in Uncasville. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Connecticut College and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Law. Passero works as a lawyer specializing in federal courts and the representation of labor unions and has also been a firefighter with the New London Fire Department for 28 years.

Passero was elected to the City Council in 2009 and chairs the city's Public Welfare Committee. In addition, he is a founding director of New London Community Boating, chairman of the Dr. Carl Wies Scholarship Fund, and involved in the Shea Foundation.

Aside from Buscetto and Finizio, Republican Councilor has announced his candidacy for mayor. , a New London realtor, has announced that she is considering running for the office as neither a Democrat or Republican and will make an announcement by July 1.


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