Harris Won't Run Again in the Ninth

The youngest member of the Legislative Council won't be on the ballot this November.

Scott Harris has represented the town's Ninth District for almost two years, but his job responsibilities are making it impossible to continue, he said.
 
"My career as a political consultant is likely taking me outside of Connecticut in 2014, and I didn't want to run for the ninth district seat knowing there was a possibility that I wouldn't be able to fulfill the duties of the office," Harris said.
It's been a tough two years serving on the council, he said, mostly because of the town's fiscal challenges.

"Being a member of the Legislative Council is an incredibly difficult job to begin with, but it's been made all the more difficult by the trying fiscal circumstances our town is in," he said. "I have a lot of respect for the people I've served with, who are tasked with making the tough, tough decisions that will, hopefully, lead us out of this mess.

But it wasn't because of those difficulties that he decided to step aside, Harris said.
"I'm making this move out of respect for the people of the 9th district, who deserve a representative they know for absolute certain is going to make every meeting," he said, "and be able to take and respond to every single constituent phone call, and so on."
While he won't be on the ballot, he also won't disappear, Harris said.

"I do plan to stay involved in the Hamden political discussion and will continue to work for council and Board of Education candidates I feel have the best vision for moving our town forward," he said. "Next year, we will once again have to fight tooth-and-nail to get the Board of Education the funding it deserves, and I plan to play a major role in ensuring that happens.

There's no word yet on anyone who is interested in running for the seat, but for whomever wins it, Harris has some advice.

"My advice to the person who is elected to replace me on the council is: prepare yourself for a bumpy ride but remember it's the decisions the Legislative Council is making right now, today, that are going to set the stage for whether we emerge from the Great Recession as a vibrant urban-suburban economic center, or become another sad story about politicians that couldn't look past re-election."