Gilmore passes on Senate bid, will run for Mayor
By EditorGlen Gilmore announced today that he would seek re-election to a third term as Mayor of Hamilton, and not run for the open State Senate seat in the 14th district.
At a noon news conference, Gilmore said there is "too much work to be done over the next years" to leave his current post.
Gilmore, who became the first Democratic Mayor in 24 years when he won in 1999, would have been a strong contender for the Senate seat being vacated by longtime GOP incumbent Peter Inverso. Democrats had picked state Rate Counsel Seema Singh to run for Senate last week, before Inverso announced his retirement. Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein is still mulling a bid for the Senate seat.
Assemblyman Bill Baroni is expected to be the Republican candidate.
Gilmore is likely to face businessman John Bencinvengo, the Hamilton Republican Municipal Chairman, in the general election.
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what's next for Gilmore?
I can't see where he could eventually move up.
He doesn't want to take on Baroni...it will be tough to beat Chris Smith anytime soon (maybe he'll take a shot if the seat opens up someday)....and Brian Hughes looks like he's sticking around for a while.
Does Gilmore intend to be Mayor for life?
End of Road...
Gilmore's decision to opt out of a race against Baroni is a glaring sign of weakness.
The last two election cycles in Hamilton have seen his Democrat, "rubber stamp" council wiped out in landslide losses to a fresh slate of Republicans who have stepped up and taken Mayor Glen on.
The writing is on the wall, and in a town where the electorate is notoriously fickle, Glen Gilmore's days seem to be numbered. John Bencivengo, the GOP nominee for mayor, isn't the most formidable opponent, yet it will be those votes cast against Gilmore that will be most ominous.Â
interesting note: keep an eye on the ever dormant website, www.hamiltonpartnership.com The "partnership" touts itself as a conduit for economic growth in Hamilton, yet, as evidenced in their past newsletters, their main project has been promoting the increasingly controversial Transit Village.Â
With Mayor Glen's "legacy" resting on the outcome of this project, look for the site to fire back up with an onslaught of positive, endorsing articles in praise of Mayor Glen and his "leadership".Â
Interesting tidbit... Bencivengo used to be at the helm of this organization until Gilmore was elected, removed Bencivengo and installed confidant Brian Haney, the current Executive Director of The Partnership. So there's definitely some beef there.Â
But today, the Hamilton Partnership seemingly serves as nothing short of a PR machine for Gilmore's administration, and it will be fun to see the role they play over the course of the next 7 months.