New Haven’s Director of Public Health has decided to run for Secretary of State, according to Sunday reports.
“Maritza currently serves as the Director of Health for the City of New Haven,” Bond’s campaign website says. “In this role, Maritza has been on the front lines of the fight against Covid, educating City residents on the importance of wearing masks, being socially distanced, and getting vaccinated.”
“Maritza Bond is the ONLY candidate for Secretary of the State with significant government executive management leadership experience,” it continues. “She has also advocated for major policy changes in Connecticut over the last 20 years and has successfully implemented new government initiatives.”
Bond seeks to replace outgoing Secretary of State Denise Merrill, who announced in June that she will not seek reelection.
State Representative Stephanie Thomas (D-Norwalk) is the only other Democrat seeking the nomination for the state’s third-highest office. The primary election will be held on August 9.
Bond’s time as New Haven’s Director of Public Health has not been without controversy.
Most recently, she has been criticized for insisting that children in the New Haven School District continue to wear masks in schools. The school district has kept mask mandates in place, despite the fact that 85 percent of districts statewide have dropped mandatory masking.
“Masks continue to be the most effective way to reduce disease,” Bond told the school board at the time. “Our recommendation is that we continue with the mask mandate for the foreseeable future.”
Deaths from COVID-19 in children remain extremely rare, totaling only 933 throughout the entire pandemic, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“My first concern is that there doesn’t seem to be a definition or description of what it would take to end the mask mandate,” School Board Member Darnell Goldson said in response. “Does getting 70, 80 or 90 percent of the students vaccinated with second shots or boosters get us to that point?”
The mask mandate in the city has been lifted in most spaces, except for municipal buildings and schools.
Last May, Bond took a mysterious weeks-long medical leave from her position. The reason for her leave of absence has never been revealed.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Connecticut Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Maritza Bond” by Goodwin University. Background Photo “Connecticut State Capitol” by Shah Ronak S. CC BY-SA 4.0.
