Steven Mullins
Encyclopedia
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from West Haven
West Haven, Connecticut
West Haven is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 52,721.-History:...
. On July 26, 2011, he accepted the Republican nomination for Mayor of West Haven
West Haven
- Places :Australia:* West Haven, New South WalesNew Zealand:* Westhaven suburb, in Auckland* Westhaven Marina, in the suburb of the same name, in AucklandUnited States:* Westhaven, California * West Haven, Connecticut* West Haven, Oregon...
. He faces three term incumbent Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
mayor John M. Picard
John M. Picard
John M. Picard is the tenth Mayor of the City of West Haven, Connecticut.-Political life:Picard was elected in 2005, succeeding Mayor Joseph Cullen who had served as mayor for a period of only two weeks. Cullen was Chairman of the West Haven City Council when Mayor H. Richard Borer, Jr. chose to...
. This is the second time Mullins has challenged Picard. In 2009 Picard won in a landslide against Mullins and City Councilwoman Nancy Rossi, a Democrat that ran for Mayor on the Better Future Party ticket.
In 2002, at the request of then-Governor John G. Rowland
John G. Rowland
John Grosvenor Rowland was the 86th Governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004; he is a member of the Republican Party. He is married to Patty Rowland, his second wife, and the couple have five children between them...
, Mullins was taped to complete Rowland's underticket as the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate for State Comptroller
Comptroller
A comptroller is a management level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization.In British government, the Comptroller General or Comptroller and Auditor General is in most countries the external auditor of the budget execution of the...
.
The Connecticut state comptroller is the state's fiscal guardian. The comptroller is also responsible for overseeing the state health plan for 188,000 state employees, retirees and their dependents.
Mullins faced two term incumbent Comptroller Nancy Wyman
Nancy Wyman
Nancy S. Wyman is the 108thThe State of Connecticut recognizes Nancy Wyman as the 108th Lieutenant Governor, using a standard that had counted Colonial period lieutenants as well as counting lieutenants who had served multiple times as only one individual figure. Wyman is considered the 88th...
of Tolland
Tolland, Connecticut
Tolland is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,146 at the 2000 census.Tolland was named in May, 1715, and incorporated in May, 1722. According to some, the town derives its name from being a toll station on the old road between Boston and New York. ...
.
In an Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
interview, Republican state chairman Chris DePino said "We think very highly of Steve. He's so much the future of our party. He's young, he's bright, he's African-American."
With no party opposition, Mullins was nominated by the state Republican convention in Bridgeport
Bridgeport
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut.Bridgeport may also refer to:-Places:In Canada:* Bridgeport, Nova ScotiaIn the United States:* Bridgeport, Alabama* Bridgeport, California, in Mono County...
. In his acceptance speech, Mullins said that his nomination was the "embodiment of the American Dream."
At the age of 28, Mullins was and remains the youngest nominee for the position of comptroller Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
or Republican in Connecticut history. He was also the first African American to seek the post since Gary Franks
Gary Franks
Gary A. Franks was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut for six years, from 1991 until 1997. He was the first and to date only African-American elected to Congress from Connecticut.-Early life:...
attempted in 1986. Franks was elected to represent the 5th
Connecticut's 5th congressional district
Connecticut's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the northwestern part of the state, the district runs from...
Congressional District
Congressional district
A congressional district is “a geographical division of a state from which one member of the House of Representatives is elected.”Congressional Districts are made up of three main components, a representative, constituents, and the specific land area that both the representative and the...
in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990. Mullins was the only minority on the Republican ticket in 2002.
Before being elected comptoller in 1994, Wyman spent eight years in the state House where she served on the budget committee.
During the campaign, Mullins denounced former Democratic State Chairman Ned Coll for his comments during his invocation at the Democratic State Convention in Hartford. During the invocation, Coll referred to Rowland as a "snake" and a "glorified thug."
"The fiery rhetoric from Ned Coll at the Democratic State Convention lends nothing to useful political debate, let alone an invocation at a political event," Mullins said. "Nancy Wyman has yet to take a public stand against Coll's comments, and until she does, the public should believe that she condones such statements."
Mullins entered the campaign late, having only filed to run the same week of the Republican convention on July 12 and 13. According to the Hartford Courant, Mullins, a real estate manager by profession, attempted to campaign while holding a full-time job.
Two weeks before the November general election, Mullins married his fiancee, a registered nurse
Registered nurse
A registered nurse is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program at a university or college and has passed a national licensing exam. A registered nurse helps individuals, families, and groups to achieve health and prevent disease...
at a New Haven hospital. According to news reports, the wedding was planned before Mullins accepted Rowland's invitation.
Despite the landslide re-election victory of Rowland and his running mate, Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
M. Jodi Rell
M. Jodi Rell
Mary Jodi Rell is a Republican politician and was the 87th Governor of the U.S. state of Connecticut from 2004 until 2011. She was the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut under Governor John G. Rowland, who resigned during a corruption investigation. Rell is Connecticut's second female Governor,...
, over Democrat gubernitorial nominee and former state comptroller Bill Curry
Bill Curry (politician)
William E. Curry, Jr. has been a two-time Democratic nominee for Governor of Connecticut and a White House advisor in the administration of Bill Clinton.-Education and early political life:...
, Mullins lost to Wyman 61% to 38%. Libertarian
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
candidate Leonard H. Rasch of Plymouth, Connecticut
Plymouth, Connecticut
Plymouth is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England. The population was 11,634 at the 2000 census. The Town of Plymouth includes the villages of Terryville and Pequabuck.-Geography:...
took 1% of the vote.
In 2004, Rowland resigned from office during a corruption investigation. Rell succeeded him as governor.
Mullins was no stranger to politics. At the age of 21, he ran for the state senate against two term New Haven state senator
Connecticut Senate
The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 94,600 inhabitants. Senators are elected to two-year terms without term limits...
Toni N. Harp.
Mullins was elected to the West Haven Planning and Zoning Commission
Planning and Zoning Commission
A Planning and Zoning Commission is a local elected or appointed government board charged with recommending to the local town or city council the boundaries of the various original zoning district and appropriate regulations to be enforced therein and any proposed amedments thereto and shall...
in 2005. He is also Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and until recently served as Chairman of the West Haven Drug and Alcohol Commission.
Mullins and his wife Gene have two children. A devout Roman Catholic, Mullins is a communicant of the Church of the Resurrection in West Haven.
See also
- Connecticut Republican PartyConnecticut Republican PartyThe Connecticut Republican Party is the Connecticut affiliate of the U.S. Republican Party. Jerry Labriola Jr., a Wallingford attorney and 2010 candidate for Congress, is the party chairman, elected on June 28, 2011. Prior to his election as chairman, Labriola served as the party's...
- Justice of the PeaceJustice of the PeaceA justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
- List of African American Republicans
- Planning and Zoning CommissionPlanning and Zoning CommissionA Planning and Zoning Commission is a local elected or appointed government board charged with recommending to the local town or city council the boundaries of the various original zoning district and appropriate regulations to be enforced therein and any proposed amedments thereto and shall...
- West Haven, ConnecticutWest Haven, ConnecticutWest Haven is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 52,721.-History:...