Erin Stewart faces questions as documents detail use of city purchase card while New Britain mayor

Erin Stewart is facing questions about how she used a city-issued credit card while mayor of New Britain.  

NBC Connecticut obtained expense reports, through a Freedom of Information Act request, detailing how she issued the card, also called a P-Card.  

The documents, first reported by the Hartford Courant, show purchases for clothing, party invitations, and a trip to Washington, D.C., prompting questions as she seeks to secure the Republican endorsement for governor at Saturday’s party convention.  

The released documents include purchases of office supplies shipped to city hall and food from various New Britain restaurants.  

They also include women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing, makeup, and other items shipped to her home.  

The reports also include charges to a makeup artist and a company that specializes in invitations, just months before her wedding, as well as 40th-birthday-themed supplies, weeks before her husband turned 40.  

Additional purchases include a $531.62 “working lunch” on her birthday in 2023 at the Capital Grille and thousands of dollars on a membership at the Hartford Club.  

The documents also outlined how Stewart purchased airplane tickets for herself and campaign advisor John Healey to fly to Washington, D.C., and back on the same day in April 2025. Healey has not worked for the city since 2015.  

Stewart issued a statement Monday afternoon saying the expenses were included in the budget and review as part of audits.  

She also called the release of the records part of a political attack by both Gov. Ned Lamont (D) and Republican hopefuls who are worried she is the most likely to win.  

“Meanwhile, Lamont’s own wealth has exploded while insiders around him cash in on state contracts, but they want voters focused on office makeup and working lunches,” she said in a statement. “And instead of talking about why voters should support him, Ryan Fazio decided to spend Mother’s Day attacking this conservative mother of two with a proven record of fighting for taxpayers.”  

Fazio, a state Senator also running for governor, said Republicans want to put the focus on what they call a “culture of corruption” under Lamont, so voters deserve answers about Stewart’s record.  

“If we do not have a candidate with a clean slate and who is above reproach in that regard, then we will not be able to wage the strongest campaign for change in Connecticut,” Fazio said.  

When reached for comment Monday, fellow Republican Betsy McCaughey kept her focus on her campaign pledge to eliminate the state income tax.  

“I keep hearing questions like should we axe Erin Stewart, and I always say, ‘I’m just going to axe the tax,’” McCaughey said. “I’m going to axe the state income tax.”  

Lamont, meanwhile, said he wants to let New Britain’s investigation play out.  

“Leave no stone unturned and let the chips fall where they may,” he said.  

The state Democratic party, though, criticized Stewart’s response to the reports.  

“As usual, Erin Stewart blames everyone else in the room because she cannot possibly explain her abuse of office,” spokesman Ian Clarke said in a statement.  

The revelations come as New Britain is expanding its investigation, which initially focused on whether the former tax collector allowed taxpayers to backdate checks and avoid penalties for late payments.  

State police are not investigating those claims, but it’s unclear when the city will conclude its investigation into the use of purchase cards.  

“For too long, there was a culture in city hall where certain individuals appeared to believe different rules applied to them,” Mayor Bobby Sanchez (D) said. “That era is over.” 

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