Friday, May 6, 2022
www.towntimes.com
Volume 28, Number 18
Middletown Dem enters race for 13th Senate seat
FLYING HIGH
By Michael Gagne Record-Journal staff
A Middletown Democrat has entered the race for the 13th Senate district. Anthony Mangiafico, a member of the Middletown Common Council and principal of the East Hartford Adult & Continuing Education program, filed paperwork registering as a candidate on April 26, according to state campaign filings. The 13th Senate district covers Meriden and Middlefield, along with parts of Cheshire and Middletown.
A bald eagle soars above Black Pond on the Meriden/Middlefield town line on Monday. Dave Zajac, Record-Journal
Mangiafico
Hochadel
Vollano
Mangiafico joins Meriden resident Jan Hochadel in seeking the Democratic nomination to succeed incumbent Democratic Sen. Mary Daughtery Abrams. Abrams announced earlier this year that she would not seek re-election to the seat she has held for two terms.
to enter the field. Hochadel, his opponent in seeking the Democratic nomination, is the current president of the American Federation of Teachers Connecticut union, with which the local Meriden Federation of Teachers union is affiliated. Hochadel is a former science teacher in the state technical high school system, having taught at Wright Technical High School in Stamford and at Kaynor Technical High School in Waterbury.
Mangiafico, who is in his third year serving on the Middletown Common Council, said, “I think that I have the right experience to tackle this seat right now.”
Earlier this spring, the national Coalition on Adult Basic Education named Mangiafico as outstanding administrator of the year. According to the coalition, the
Mangiafico is now the second educator
See Senate, A7
Students hold walkout to shine light on bullying, racism issues By Nicole Zappone Town Times
Last Friday morning, more than 100 Coginchaug Regional High School students exited the building and convened outside to draw attention to incidents of racism and bullying which have occured throughout the district.
Coginchaug junior Julia Talbert-Slagle, who spearheaded the walkout, has compiled a list of 79 ugly incidents which have taken place in the district, most of them in 2021 and 2022. “Many of these go ignored and unaddressed by the school system,” she said.
Talbert-Slagle said she hopes that the BOE will work to Teachers from the high correct that. She and her felschool, Interim Principal low walkout organizers creDebra Stone, parents, and ated an Instagram platform members of the Board of Ed- (@against_racism.rsd13) to ucation also attended the spread awareness. peaceful protest.
Superintendent Doug Schuch said he’s proud of how the students handled themselves during the walkout. “They did this maturely and peacefully,” said Schuch. “We are lucky as a district that this happened the way it did because there are other districts out there that don’t have peaceful times like that.” On May 3, RSD13 partnered with the State Education ReSee Walkout, A9
Students from Coginchaug Regional High School held a walkout on April 29 to protest incidents of bullying and racism that have occurred in local schools. Photos provided by Julia Talbert-Slagle