Ben Florsheim
Ben Florsheim | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Middletown, Connecticut | |
| Assumed office November 12, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Dan Drew |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Benjamin Daniel Florsheim February 13, 1992 Mequon, Wisconsin |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Wesleyan University |
| Website | benflorsheim.com |
Benjamin Daniel Florsheim (born February 13, 1992) is an American Democratic politician and the current mayor of Middletown, Connecticut.[1] Florsheim was elected mayor in 2019 and is the youngest in the city's history.[2] He is also the treasurer on the board of NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut.[3]
Early life and education[edit]
Ben Florsheim was born in Mequon, Wisconsin and is a descendant of Milton S. Florsheim, whose family founded, owns and operates Florsheim Shoes.[4] He grew up in Salt Lake City before moving to Middletown in 2010 to attend Wesleyan University, his father's alma mater.[3][4] As a freshman, Florsheim became involved with the Democratic Party in Middletown.[3]
In 2014, Florsheim graduated from Wesleyan with a bachelor's degree in Government.[5] He was employed in the Office of United States Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut as an outreach assistant before running for political office.[4]
Political career[edit]
Florsheim began running for mayor of Middletown in 2019 on a platform of improving schools, civic engagement/government transparency, revitalization of Middletown's riverfront, continued work on downtown and the North End, keeping/attracting small businesses, "greening" Middletown, improving parks and open spaces, and social, racial, and economic justice via working with private and non-profit sectors, as well as with input from community stakeholders.[6] Regarding the 2020 Middletown city budget, Florsheim seeks to "maintain things as level as possible", and also wants to see the state of Connecticut reimburse the city for tax-exempt properties.[7] Florsheim has stated that he would like to see the now closed Green Street Arts Center repurposed "in the spirit of which it was originally intended — as a community space or youth-oriented space."[7]
Florsheim won in a September 2019 mayoral Democratic primary and moved on to the November 2019 election.[8][9] In November 2019, Florsheim ran against council minority leader and former mayor Sebastian Giuliano and won 51–47%.[10][11][12] At his swearing in, he became the youngest mayor in the history of Middletown.[2]
Florsheim endorsed Bernie Sanders for 2020 president, also having been a part of a public watch party for Iowa 2020 caucus results at La Boca, a Middletown resturaunt, with Bernie Sanders campaign groups.[13][14]
Electoral history[edit]
| 2019 Middletown Democratic mayoral primary[15] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Ben Florsheim | 1,359 | 33.41% | |
| Democratic | William J. Russo | 1,181 | 29.03% | |
| Democratic | Mary A. Bartolotta | 926 | 22.76% | |
| Democratic | Geen G. Thazhampallath | 602 | 14.80% | |
| Majority | 178 | 4.38% | ||
| 2019 Middletown mayoral general election[16] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Ben Florsheim | 5,846 | 50.17% | |
| Republican | Sebastian N. Giuliano | 5,428 | 46.59% | |
| Write-in | Valeka Clarke | 22 | 0.19% | |
| Majority | 418 | 3.58% | ||
References[edit]
- ↑ "Benjamin Florsheim 02/13/1992". connvoters.com. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cassandra Day (2019-11-13). "History is made in Middletown as Mayor Florsheim, diverse array of other elected officials sworn into office". The Middletown Press. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "About Ben". Ben Florsheim for Mayor of Middletown. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 McWilliams, Kathleen. "Ben Florsheim, the 27-year-old Democrat running for mayor in Middletown, hopes people buy into his optimism, vision for the city". courant.com. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
- ↑ "Ben Florsheim". Linkedin. Retrieved 6 April 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Issues & Vision". Ben Florsheim for Mayor of Middletown. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Cassandra Day (2020-01-21). "Middletown's new mayor rolling up his sleeves, tackling 2020 budget". The Middletown Press. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
- ↑ Cass; Day, ra; Mill, Jeff (2019-09-10). "Florsheim wins Middletown's Democratic mayoral primary election". The Middletown Press. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
- ↑ "Middletown mayoral primary winner; people asked 'how old are you?'". WTNH.com. 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
- ↑ Cass; Day, ra; Bannister, Valerie (2019-11-05). "Florsheim wins Middletown mayoral contest in unofficial tally". The Middletown Press. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
- ↑ Staff, Press (2019-08-08). "Middletown candidate for mayor, Wesleyan grad qualifies for primary". The Middletown Press. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
- ↑ Cassandra Day (2019-11-06). "Democrats win big in Middletown's municipal election". The Middletown Press. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
- ↑ Staff, Press (2020-01-30). "Middletown leaders endorse U.S. Sen. Sanders for president". The Middletown Press. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
- ↑ "Iowa Caucus Results Watch Party w/Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
- ↑ Cass; Day, ra; Mill, Jeff (2019-09-10). "Florsheim wins Middletown's Democratic mayoral primary election". The Middletown Press. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
- ↑ "Election results from around the state". fox61.com. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
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