Mary Glassman

Mary Messina Glassman (born July 19, 1958) is the current Democratic endorsee for Connecticut's 5th Congressional District. She was the First Selectman of Simsbury, Connecticut from 1991 until 1999 and again from 2007 until 2014, and was a 2010 Democratic primary candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut. She had been the official Democratic nominee for the position in 2006.
Early life and education
Mary Glassman is a lifelong Connecticut resident. One of four children born to Frances and Angelo Messina, Ms. Glassman and her three brothers grew up in New Britain, CT. She attended Roosevelt Junior High School in New Britain and graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School at the top of her class. Ms. Glassman worked her way through the University of Connecticut with a degree in Journalism before attending University of Connecticut School of Law.
Career
Glassman was elected First Selectman of Simsbury, Connecticut in 1991 - she became the first Democratic leader elected in nearly 40 years in the Republican town. She was elected to four more terms before stepping down. Two of her notable achievements were commissioning the International Skating Center of Connecticut, which has become a magnet for professional skaters, and making Simsbury the designated summer home of the Hartford Symphony.
Glassman has also served in the State Capitol - where she worked with Speaker of the House of Representatives Moira K. Lyons and Senate President Kevin B. Sullivan. She then served as Chief of Staff for Lieutenant Governor Kevin B. Sullivan following the resignation of Governor John Rowland. Ms. Glassman clerked for the judges of the Superior Court and as an advocate for CT Voices for Children.
In 2006, Mary Glassman was selected as the running mate for Stamford mayor Dan Malloy's campaign for governor. During the primary election, Malloy lost his bid, but Glassman secured the slot for the Lieutenant Gubernatorial candidate, beating West Hartford, Connecticut mayor Scott Slifka 57 percent to 43 percent. According to Connecticut state primary rules, the ticket for Lieutenant Governor and Governor may be split, allowing voters to simultaneously vote for opposing Democratic candidates on the ballot. In 2006 Mary Glassman ran with New Haven mayor John DeStefano on the Democratic Ticket, losing to Republican governor Jodi Rell in the general election.
In 2007, Ms. Glassman returned to Simsbury and was re-elected as First Selectman by a wide margin. Under her watch, Simsbury was recently ranked among the Top 100 Best Places To Live in America by Money Magazine. She also organized a charrette (community design session) on how to improve Simsbury’s downtown area. The result was 800 people participating over five days in September 2009 to come up with a mixed-use plan for the center of town.
Glassman served as Treasurer of the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) and as an executive board member of the Connecticut Council of Municipalities (CCM).
In January 2010, Glassman formed an exploratory committee to run for state office in Connecticut.
In the August 10, 2010 state Democratic primary, Glassman was defeated for lieutenant governor by State Comptroller Nancy Wyman.
After Elizabeth Esty decided to retire from the , Glassman announced she would run for the seat.
On May 14, 2018, Glassman won the Democratic endorsement for Congress for the 5th District at the Democratic convention.<ref nameCtmirror2018-05-17/> Politico noted that the United States Chamber of Commerce endorsed Glassman, on August 13, 2018, the day before the Primary.<ref namePolitico2018-08-13/> It noted that it was rare for the Chamber of Commerce to endorse candidates for office, and that it was extremely rare for the body to endorse candidates in Primary races, Glassman being the first, in eight years. Politico attributed the Chamber's support to Glassman centrist position on International Trade.
Jahana Hayes won the Democratic primary on August 14, 2018.<ref name=Nytimes2018-08-15A/> Although some observers described their race as a close one, Hayes got almost twice as many votes as Glassman, 24,355 (62.2%) to Glassman's 14,786 (37.8).<ref name=Nytimes2018-08-15B/>
Personal life
Glassman resides in Simsbury with husband Andrew C. Glassman, a partner at Pullman & Comley, LLC.<ref name=GlassmanSpouse/> She has three children.

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