{news} Nancy Burton in Danbury News-Times

[David Bedell]

http://news.newstimes.com/story.php?id=66103

2004-10-27

Nancy Burton runs on her name
Lawyer campaigns for State House

By Fred Lucas

THE NEWS-TIMES

Of all the third party candidates competing in elections this year, Nancy 
Burton could have the most valuable political asset: name recognition.

Burton, of Redding, established a reputation in Connecticut after 20 years 
of practicing public interest law, taking on developers, power plants, 
judges, cities and towns.

Though her license to practice law in Connecticut was suspended in 2001, she 
has not slowed down in being an activist.

This year, she is the Green Party candidate for state representative in the 
135th House District, covering Redding, Easton and Weston.

Like most third party candidates, the odds are against her as she faces 
six-term Rep. John Stripp, R-Weston.

Stripp has no Democratic opponent. Burton hopes to capitalize on her name 
recognition and being the de facto Democratic candidate in the district.

"When I attend events and shake hands, we talk about the national race 
between George Bush, John Kerry and Ralph Nader," Burton said. "I tell them, 
I have pledged my vote to John Kerry, not the Green Party candidate. Once 
they hear that, they are friendlier."

In 2000, Nader ran as a presidential candidate for the Green Party and was 
blamed by many Democrats for causing Al Gore to lose. The liberal Green 
Party focuses on environmental and labor issues.

Burton's campaign slogan is "Clean Air, Clean Water, Clean Government." 
That's because her key issues are closing down two nuclear power plants and 
enacting stronger laws against public corruption.

Burton is a long-time opponent of the Millstone Nuclear Power Station in 
Waterford and the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant in Buchanan, N.Y., near 
the Connecticut border. She said the two plants pose a health threat to the 
state.

While she hasn't won anything at the ballot box, Burton had a victory last 
week in Danbury Superior Court against the town of Redding.

The town removed her political signs and told her to stop putting them up, 
citing the town zoning ordinance.

But the court ruled she had the right to put the signs up.

She said the court victory energized her campaign.

"My campaign was injured when they illegally took down my signs," Burton 
said.

"Anyone injured is entitled to monetary damages," she continued. "I waived 
those monetary damages to vindicate my First Amendment rights and the rights 
of other political candidates."

Burton said she has spent less than $10,000 on the campaign.

Her license to practice law in Connecticut was suspended in 2001 for five 
years. She was disbarred for allegedly misleading a group of residents to 
file a class action lawsuit against the town of Monroe and a developer to 
overturn a zoning decision.

Burton said the group knew what it was signing, but some Monroe residents 
said they were led to believe they were signing only a petition against the 
development. Burton can still practice law in federal courts and in New York 
courts.

Contact Fred Lucas
at flucas at newstimes.com
or at (203) 731-3358.

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