Volume 13, Number 15
cheshirecitizen.com
PEN PALS
Thursday, April 14, 2022
Candidate search heats up as parties brace for campaign By Mary Ellen Godin Record-Journal staff
State Sen. Mary Daugherty Abrams’ announcement that she would not be seeking re-election has local party leaders huddling to find candidates who can win in what has become a swing district over the last decade. Abrams, a two-term Democratic incumbent, has been absent from the legislative session due to an unspecified illness. The 13th Senate district, which covers all of Meriden and Middlefield and parts of Middletown and Cheshire, has been represented by two Democrats and one Republican since 2011. Republican Len Suzio won the seat in a special election in 2011. Democrat Danté Bartolomeo unseated him in 2012 then lost to him in 2016. Abrams unseated Suzio in 2018 with 52.4 percent of the vote and was re-elected in 2020 with 52.75 percent. See Candidate search, A2
Cheshire restaurateur named ‘Small Business Person of the Year’ Local entrepreneur Viron Rondos has been named Connecticut’s “Small Business Person of the Year” by the state’s Small Business Administration. The SBA award is given annually to one business in each state.
Artist and art professor Julieta Gomes, left, and pediatrician Allison Beitel, both Cheshire residents, teamed up to publish “Priscilla the Picky Porcupine: A book for picky eaters and their parents.” “I know, for me, I am always trying to get my kids to eat carrots and they will say, ‘We want the chips,’” said Gomes, with a laugh. “(The book) may help people take healthy food and turn it into something fun.’” “Priscilla the Picky Porcupine” is available in both hardcopy and digital formats, and can be purchased via Amazon. Photo courtesy of Allison Beitel
“Words are not enough to say how grateful I am for this honor,” said Rondos, owner of Viron Rondo Osteria in Cheshire. “I do the work I do because I love it and my goal is to make sure every customer who Rondos comes to my restaurant is happy and satisfied with our great food, our attentive staff and the beautiful surroundings.” “I owe a huge ‘thank you’ to my staff that is as deserving of this award as I am,” he added. “And esSee Award, A2