Himes Nominated by Acclamation
Fairfield Minuteman, Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Democrat Jim Himes was nominated by
acclamation Monday night to run for a second term as U.S. Congressman
from the Fourth District.
The nomination came at the Fourth
District Democratic Congressional Convention, held at Central High
School in Bridgeport. Himes gave an acceptance speech to several hundred
cheering delegates and supporters.
The Fourth District includes Fairfield, Westport and the rest of
Fairfield County.
Speakers praised Himes for his efforts in
promoting the Democratic agenda in Congress, including creating jobs,
helping economic recovery, and improving education.
Himes told
the crowd he expected a tough campaign against the Republican nominee
for the Fourth District seat. The GOP nominee will be chosen later this
month at a convention in Hartford. Dan Debicella of Shelton has said he
has lined up enough delegates to win the nomination. Also running are
Tom Herrman, Rob Merkle, Rick Torres and Will Gregory.
The
setting of the convention, in the gymnasium of Central High in the North
End of Bridgeport, was significant because Himes is hoping for a heavy
turnout among city voters in the November election. The strong turnout
in Bridgeport and the other big cities in the Fourth District helped
Himes defeat 10-term Republican Congressman Chris Shays two years ago.
In
that election, presidential candidate Barack Obama headed the
Democratic ticket, helping to boost voter turnout. That won’t be the
case this year.
“This will not be a cakewalk,” State Senator Ed
Gomes of Bridgeport told the convention delegates as he introduced
Himes.
In his remarks to the delegates, Himes cited the
accomplishments of President Obama and the Democratic leadership in
Congress, including the health care bill and progress in economic
recovery.
Without mentioning any possible candidate by name,
Himes said, “My opponent in November will argue that we should go back
to a health care system that ignores children like Ella, a four-year-old
in Monroe, who was turned down for health insurance because she had a
single asthma attack. Ella’s mom Kim asked me, ‘where does that put her
for the rest of her life?’
“My opponent will argue that Wall
Street can police itself and that Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, AIG and
the credit card companies can be trusted to do the right thing by
themselves,” Himes said. “My opponent will oppose protecting the
American consumer from scam artists, crooked mortgage brokers and
predatory lenders.
“Until last week’s oil spill in the Gulf, I’m
pretty sure my opponent’s energy policy would have been ‘Drill, baby,
drill.’
“You and I know that none of these ideas are in the
interest of the American people. These ideas may help health insurance
companies, or Wall Street, or big oil, but they put American families at
risk,” Himes said.
You and I know that government can be big and
wasteful, that if it grows too much, it can squeeze the private sector,
which is the real engine of our economic prosperity. But you and I also
know that government has a crucial role to play in keeping us safe, in
better educating our children, and in helping deliver on the promise of a
just and prosperous America.”
Prior to his service in Congress,
Himes ran the New York City branch of The Enterprise Community Partners,
a nonprofit dedicated to addressing the unique challenges of urban
poverty.
Himes has said that his experience at Enterprise spurred
his involvement in politics. He served as a Commissioner of the
Greenwich Housing Authority, ultimately chairing the board. He went on
to become an elected member of the finance board in Greenwich. He has
also served as Chairman of the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee.
Himes
began his professional career at Goldman Sachs & Co., where he
worked his way up to Vice President over the course of a 12-year career.
There he worked extensively in Latin America and headed the bank’s
telecommunications technology group.
Himes lives in Greenwich
with his wife Mary and two daughters Emma and Linley.
