New Britain herald., 1927-06-04
COLORFUL HISTORY
 OF C|TY'S POLITICS
Hanoran, Quigley, Curtis and Paonessa Outstanding Figures

The political history of New Brit ain for the past decade has be n featured by numerous sdelights of a highly interesting nature. probably the outstanding one being the cer- tainty with which the passing of the years produced figures whose lcad- ership rose to great heights, but why, after a period Of power, bowed to the inevitable and returned to places in the ranks. there to view the rise of successor.
 Of late. it is said by observers the progress of the times political, that public affairs do not possess the magnetic properties they contained in the days gone by, and incident. ally or consequently, according to the viewpoint, there appears to Have been developed a system into which politicians have gradually but sure ly worked themselves. whereby the group is near the axis about which management revolves, and the sev- era1 individuals constituting the or ganization are more powerful than men in similar positions a decade ago were permitted to be.
 Less than twenty years ago, Jo- seph M. Halloran was unquestion- ably the exposure of the public eye. locally. As a member of the com mon council from the Fifth Ward, he attracted attention through his ability to handle matters of pubic nature. and on great wave of pub lie feeling expressed in ballots. he rode into the office Of mayor despite the fact that the local branch Of the democratic party was then. as it is now, greatly in the minority. Two years later, he was reelected to the mayoralty and his popularity was further attested when he was elected state senator. He Is the only man in the citys' history who filled these important offices at one time.
 While Mir. Halloran was being acclaimed on all sides and making his mark with no uncertain thor oughness. another young man was rapidly forging to the front and al- though those who were opposed to his progress fought hard to set him back, George A. Quigley-forceful. intelligent. and in many ways bril- liant became the mayoralty nominee on the republican ticket and de- feated Mir. Halloran when the latter tried for a third term. For three terms. Mir. Quigley occupied the mayors office and made history. Few executives have experienced times as stormy as those he wealth cred, and the propellers Of many of the shafts that were hurled towards him during the political warfare were affiliated with his own party.
 Thrust after thrust he cast aside in the republican primaries until it seemed as though he must have been destined to rule New Britain forever. but on his fourth attempt at reelection, an old enemy who had tried often to upset him succeeded in accomplishing the feat and Or son F. Curtis became the republican mayoralty nominee in one of the most bitter fights the city has ever known. Quigley was the favorite in the pre-primary forecasts but the followers of Curtis knew their poli- tics well and the mayor was shown the date for his departure from the mahogany furnished office in City Hall
 Strangely enough, Mr. Curtis, who had tried to attain the high office years prior to the advent of his younger opponents into politics, was opposed on election day by Mir. Halloran. who had defeated him several years before. Mr. Curtis was elected by a comfortable majority and served one term. He was not spectacular in the conduct of the office and the fact that he had been active politically over a long period of time, while Mir. Halloran and Mir. Quigley had made the grade in sky rocket fashion. detracted somewhat from the clamor with which the new