Danté Jean Craig Bartolomeo (born 1969) is an American politician. Bartolomeo, a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, began her political career as a member of the Meriden City Council from 2008 to 2012. She then held the

Connecticut Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Sena ...

seat for the 13th district from 2013 to 2017. In January 2019, she was appointed deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor. Bartolomeo's promotion to commissioner took effect in July 2021, and she was formally confirmed to the position in February 2022.

Early life and education

Bartolomeo's father Craig Self was a Republican who served as town chairman of

Wallingford, Connecticut Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, centrally located between New Haven and Hartford, and Boston and New York City. The population was 44,396 at the 2020 census. The community was named after Wallingford, in En ...

. Bartolomeo attributed her political positioning as a fiscal moderate to his influence, and her mother, Barbara Calza Self, for her views on social liberalism. Bartolomeo has a sister, Elizabeth Mercedes Craig Self. Bartolomeo is a 1987 graduate of Mercy High School in Middletown and earned her bachelor of arts degree in psychology from

Colby College Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanthr ...

in 1991 with a ''cum laude'' distinction. She and her husband Doug Bartolomeo, a retired police officer, have two children.

Political career

Bartolomeo was a member of the Meriden City Council from July 2008 to December 2012. She succeeded Michael Rohde as representative of Area 2, after Rohde had been elected mayor. During her first state legislative campaign against incumbent state representative

Len Suzio Leonard F. Suzio Jr. (born January 4, 1948) is an American politician from Connecticut. Personal life Suzio attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Shortly after graduation, he married Kathryn. Suzio was active in the C ...

in 2012, Bartolomeo claimed that his supporters were using push polls to gain an advantage. Suzio's win in a 2011 special election was considered a "fluke", due in part to the fact that Suzio's predecessor Thomas Gaffey had violated electoral law. Bartolomeo defeated Suzio, and took office as a Democratic legislator representing the thirteenth district of the

. She faced Suzio for a second time in 2014, and won reelection. Bartolomeo's 2016 campaign was unsuccessful, and Suzio, backed by the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, returned to office. In January 2019, Ned Lamont appointed Bartolomeo deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor. After Kurt Westby announced his intention to retire, Lamont promoted Bartolomeo in June 2021. The Connecticut Senate confirmed Bartolomeo to the position in February 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartolomeo, Danté Connecticut city council members Living people Politicians from Meriden, Connecticut People from Wallingford, Connecticut 1969 births Women state legislators in Connecticut 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians Women city councillors in Connecticut Democratic Party Connecticut state senators Colby College alumni State labor commissioners in the United States