(AP) Democrat Ned Lamont's campaign manager said he would apologize to the mayor of Waterbury for describing the city that backed his opponent, Sen. Joe Lieberman, as a place "where the forces of slime meet the forces of evil."
Tom Swan said the comment made Tuesday, after the city voted heavily for Lieberman in the Democratic Senate primary, was in the context of a broader discussion of state politics in which former Mayor Philip A. Giordano was the "slime" and former Gov. John G. Rowland was the "evil."
Giordano is serving a prison sentence on federal child sex charges and Rowland, a Waterbury native, was forced to resign in 2004 and served a federal prison term for corruption.
Swan said that his statement was not meant to be reflective of the city and that he would send an apology Friday to Mayor Michael J. Jarjura.
Jarjura became aware of Swan's comments Thursday when the Lieberman campaign sent his chief of staff an Internet link to a Connecticut political news site where the comment appeared. Lieberman, who lost the primary and is now running for re-election as an independent, made Waterbury his first post-primary campaign stop on Thursday.
Lamont campaign spokeswoman Liz Dupont-Diehl said Swan will not be reprimanded or fired.
"This is a misunderstanding that we'll certainly seek to resolve," she said. "What Tom was talking about was not any current elected officials and certainly not the people of Waterbury."
Tom Swan said the comment made Tuesday, after the city voted heavily for Lieberman in the Democratic Senate primary, was in the context of a broader discussion of state politics in which former Mayor Philip A. Giordano was the "slime" and former Gov. John G. Rowland was the "evil."
Giordano is serving a prison sentence on federal child sex charges and Rowland, a Waterbury native, was forced to resign in 2004 and served a federal prison term for corruption.
Swan said that his statement was not meant to be reflective of the city and that he would send an apology Friday to Mayor Michael J. Jarjura.
Jarjura became aware of Swan's comments Thursday when the Lieberman campaign sent his chief of staff an Internet link to a Connecticut political news site where the comment appeared. Lieberman, who lost the primary and is now running for re-election as an independent, made Waterbury his first post-primary campaign stop on Thursday.
Lamont campaign spokeswoman Liz Dupont-Diehl said Swan will not be reprimanded or fired.
"This is a misunderstanding that we'll certainly seek to resolve," she said. "What Tom was talking about was not any current elected officials and certainly not the people of Waterbury."
