I listened to Kevin Lamkins’ visit with Stan MacCauley, Republican candidate for mayor of Hartford, on “Radioactive” a couple of days ago. MacCauley bills himself as a progressive Republican, and he offered more than a little support for his self-characterization. Compared with the Democrats running for the office, led by incumbent Eddie Perez and petitioning challenger I. Charles Matthews, MacCauley has to be reckoned a maverick with a strong progressive streak.

He’s partial to private enterprise, but he’s no hypercapitalist, and he’s critical of the contracting abuses that have been endemic to Democratic administrations. He claims that as mayor he’ll find ways to bring industry back to Hartford, especially industry that employs and advances environmentally sound practices, such as bicycle manufacturing and non-polluting energy sources. He’s a mass-transit advocate, and he’s as close to “green” as any Republican I’ve seen in awhile.

He’s a media man–he’s been a key staffer at Hartford Public Access TV for many years–and he wants to popularize Hartford as a place for independent film-makers to ply their craft. Hartford cable subscribers know him as a non-thumping on-air bible-reader. He approaches the book not so much as a holy tract but as a repository of lessons, rules, and advice, which he applies to modern living. As an atheist, I have never had any problem listening to him.

Kevin challenged Stan to address the suspicions of so many justifiably suspicious voters that he will abandon his progressive agenda and rejoin the Chamber of Congress the day after his election. Stan answered that he will almost certainly face a non-Republican city council and have to account to that body for everything he does. He professed a preference for two-party government, arguing that one-party rule hasn’t served Hartford well.

 

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