Stewart's Pension Pushback: A Campaign Fire

0:00It's April 30th, from your city to your ears. This is Hartford News Today, powered by AI. Former New Britain Mayor Aaron Stewart asked for a partial pension last fall after 14 years in office, even though the city charter only allows a full lifetime benefit after 20 years of service. She figured 35% of her $112,475 salary, kicking in when she hits 55 in. 2042. The city staff crunched the numbers without pushback and sent her an estimate for about $39,366 a year. This came might before her term ended as she geared up for a run at the Republican nomination for governor. Stewart had set a similar precedent by signing a deal for tax collector Cheryl Blogoslowski, promising her 40% of her salary after 16 years since the job got cut by charter change. Stewart shrugged it off, saying why not ask after all that service and it wouldn't hurt her campaign optics. But her successor, Democrat Bobby Sanchez, seized it differently, calling out unequal rules

1:04for the connected. He suspended then fired Blogoslowski over mishandling cash and back-dating payments, and now his team says the charter is crystal clear. No partials. Allowed. Officials confirmed no one's ever gotten the partial before, and they're referring both cases to investigators probing the tax office mess. Sanchez won't pay Blogoslowski and aims to protect taxpayer cash. As Stewart pushes forward with her ticket and the GOP convention nears on May 16th, this pension pushback adds fuel to the fire in her bid.