The Mewling of Mary Glassman, Rowland Donor.

Mary Glassman (sometimes aka Mary Messina Glassman when she runs for office outside Simsbury) is not happy with many of her fellow Democrats. The former Simsbury first selectman is finding the race for the Democratic nomination for Congress in the 5th CD a struggle. Condescension has not worked. Calling National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes a “shiny new toy” was not well-received by the party faithful. New Britain’s Manny Sanchez’s campaign is a reminder that Glassman is decades from her youth in the Hardware City with few ties to active local Democrats.

The generous  John Rowland campaign donor’s newest campaign renovation is to run as an outsider, the last ditch for the flailing hopeful. Glassman has run for statewide office three times, twice for lieutenant governor and once for governor. In 2006, the DeStefano/Glassman ticket won just 38% of the vote. Four years later, Glassman dropped her bid for governor and became Democrat Ned Lamont’s running mate, only to suffer a primary drubbing from Nancy Wyman. Glassman sought to portray Wyman as an aging relic, an ill-considered tactic that still evokes stinging comments.

There’s nothing fresh or new about Glassman. She has long been an insider with an eye for a public sector job that imposes few requirements of effort or scrupulous attendance. Glassman has enjoyed the privileges of an insider, including her most recent post as manager of CREC’s Orwellian Office of Regional Efficiencies. She’s been working the Penske file for years.

Time’s cruel cull has made Glassman a distant figure, one who’s future is all behind her after three unsuccessful bids for statewide office and a succession of public sector safe harbors. The candidate whose calling card was “someone fresh” is now a figure of distant campaigns. Mary Glassman is many things, an anti-establishment outsider is not one of them.