Lauren Garrett has beaten the incumbent Mayor Curt Balzano Leng in Hamden's Democratic mayoral primary Tuesday.
Garrett received the local party's endorsement in the three-way race and was challenging Leng from the left.
"Democratic voters are ready for a change to get our finances under control and trust that their money, their tax dollars are going to good causes," Garrett said in an interview with NBC Connecticut on Monday.
Crime and taxes are two of the most pressing issues in the race.
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"We have a mill rate which is 52.44, which is incredibly high. We have over $1.3 billion in liabilities," Garrett said.
Leng said Monday the fiscal issue raised by his opponents was misleading.
"Hamden finished this year with a balanced budget and a nice surplus," he said.
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Garrett also beat Peter Cyr, who was the youngest of the three candidates and a newcomer to Hamden.
Garrett will face Republican candidate Ron Gambardella and Independent Party candidate Albert Lotto in the general election on Nov. 2.
For more local primary results, including first selectman and mayoral races, click here.
