Lopes Lugs Baggage into 24th District Special Election.

Democrat Rick Lopes is one of three contenders for his party’s nomination to fill the vacancy created by Timothy O’Brien’s election as mayor of New Britain this month. Lopes faces New Britain Mayor Pro Tem Michael Trueworthy and New Britain Board of Education Chairwoman Sharon Beloin-Saavedra in Tuesday’s nominating contest.  The 24th District includes parts of New Britain and Newington.

Lopes may be remembered for the 2,000 letters of apology he sent to his Ward 1 constituents in 2004 when he served on the Board of Alderman and was discovered to have registered his motor vehicles in West Hartford for 4 years, saving thousands in property taxes.  Lopes made more news three years later when he and another Senate Democratic clerk were caught on video rifling through the desk of a Republican committee assistant clerk. Lopes was suspended for three days.  According to a news report at the time of the incident, “A spokesman for the Senate Democrats said this kind of activity is unprofessional and unacceptable and appropriate action has been taken.”  Lopes was suspended from his job for three days.

Look for Republicans to highlight the “unprofessional and unacceptable” as the theme of the January election contest if Lopes snags the party nod this week.