Candidates from locales other than Meriden who were interested in being nominated for the special election for the state District 13 Senate seat said they were ignored by the Meriden Democratic Town Committee. 

Former state Rep. Elizabeth Esty of Cheshire, a Harvard-educated attorney, said Monday that she had made several attempts since last week to contact Meriden's Democratic leadership about her interest in being a candidate. She said she didn't receive any response. Esty represented the 103rd House District for one term from 2008 to 2010.

"I'm disappointed it wasn't a more inclusive process. I realize its a truncated timeframe but I'm disappointed not everyone was at the table," Esty said.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy called for a special election to be held on Feb. 22 to fill the seat vacated by Thomas Gaffey in the 13th Senate District. Nominations must be submitted to the state by Jan. 18. The district includes all of Meriden and Middlefield and about half of Cheshire and Middletown.

Esty said she put several calls into Meriden Democratic Town Committee Chairperson Millie Torres-Ferguson, but none were returned. Esty said she was told that was also the case for potential nominees from Middletown.

Esty pointed out that Meriden's presumptive Democratic nominee, Thomas Bruenn, is 71-years-old and has never held state office. 

Torres-Ferguson didn't return a call to Cheshire Patch for comment. 

"There is a legacy tradition," Esty said, for cities to field the district's candidate rather than smaller towns. But she said the process for Gaffey's replacement was much different than the cooperation that occurred when the state's 16th Senate District became vacant. The seat became open after former Sen. Sam Caligiuri of Waterbury announced he would run for U.S. Congress rather than seek re-election.

"With the sixteenth district, there was a big pow wow. The meetings included all the towns around. It was a very spirited conversation. We talked through the pros and cons," Esty said. "It was very collaborative," she added. The 16h district includes about half of Cheshire, all of Southington and Wolcott and a portion of Waterbury.

Republican Joe Markley of Southington won the 16th district election in November against his Democratic opponent John Barry, also of Southington. 

Cheshire's Republican Town Committee won't field a nominee for the 13th District said chairman, Adam Grippo. He said, speaking as a delegate to the district's Republican convention, he will support Meriden's Len Suzio, who ran against Gaffey in November. 

"Suzio is a good choice. He won in Cheshire by 600 votes," Grippo said. "We always support a person who put up a good fight," he added.

"Meriden has chosen a favorite son. If Elizabeth (wanted) to be nominated, we would do that," said Judy Villa, vice chairperson of the Cheshire Democratic committee. "(Elizabeth) has great fealty with Cheshire and a history with the legislature," Villa added.

Both parties will both hold their nominating conventions in Meriden on Thursday night. The Republicans will meet at City Hall at 7 p.m. and the Democrats will hold their convention also at 7 p.m. in the Augusta Curtis Cultural Center.

"I will support the party's nominee," Esty said. "Going forward, I hope it will be more inclusive," she said.