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Caucuses coming: GOP seeks first selectman challenger

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With caucuses coming in late July, and a slew of seats on town boards and commissions up for election in November, Ridgefield’s political parties are scrambling — Democrats to fill out a full slate of candidates, Republicans to find someone for the top of their ticket.

“We’re still working that one,” Republican Town Committee Chairman Joe Savino said when asked about a challenger for first selectman.

“A ‘work in process’ — how’s that?

“What comes up in the conversation, you’re dealing with three types of considerations,” he said. “This is a career change, this is a full-time job. There’s a money aspect: The job pays what it pays. You’ve got to figure how to support your family. And the third thing is the effort to get yourself elected — it doesn’t happen by itself, and there are costs involved in that.

“It’s a career thing,” Savino said. “You have to be at the right point in your career and your life and your family stuff, where you can do that kind of thing.”

With incumbent First Selectman Rudy Marconi long announced for re-election, topping the ticket isn’t a problem for Ridgefield Democrats.

“We’re doing great,” Democratic Town Committee Chairman Susan Cocco said.

“I think it will be no disappointment to anyone who lives Ridgefield that Rudy Marconi is definitely running, and you will hear more from Rudy about the vision going forward, looking ahead to 2020 and all the future brings.”

The year 2020 may seem a long way off, but the contest for first selectman is about the future, Cocco said.

“This position is in front of the voters in November 2015, and it’s a four-year term, so you’re looking toward 2020 — what is the vision for Ridgefield over the next several years.”

But the election isn’t all about the first selectman’s office.

Town Clerk Barbara Serfilippi lists 31 town elected offices to be filled at the November election.

They range from paid town hall jobs like town clerk, tax collector and treasurer — all with longtime Republican incumbents — to 28 seats on seven different boards and commissions ranging from the selectmen, and the powerful finance and school boards to the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Police Commission and Board of Assessment Appeals.

Caucuses

Both parties must caucus between July 21 and July 28 to name their slates for the November election, under state election rules.

While the town committees put forward slates, at a caucus any member of the part may make a nomination, and vote. The party’s slate is determined by majority vote of all party members present at the caucus.

The Democrats have chosen July 27, a Monday evening. The caucus is scheduled to be in town hall starting at 8.

The Republican Town Committee has yet to set its caucus date.

“We haven’t nailed a date down,” Savino said.

“We’ve got to get the RTC together and nail the caucus date down. That’s all stuff that’s going to be happening in the next week to 10 days.

“Right now we’re still interviewing people. This is the big municipal year, so we’ve got a lot of offices to fill,” he said.

“We still have people stepping forward, to be honest.”

In an interview Tuesday, June 30, Savino that it’s too early to discuss specific Republicans who are and aren’t running this year.

A subcommittee of Republican Town Committee has been meeting, and interviewing people interested in becoming candidates.

“People come forward. We reach out, too,” Savino said.

Some of the discussions are pragmatic — things like time commitments.

“We describe the job,” Savino said.

“Board of Education, they meet twice a month and you’ve got to be on a subcommittee. Each of them, the boards have different time requirements.”

They also talk about beliefs.

“I want people who are passionate, that have a point of view and want to make a difference,” Savino said.

“We ask about their background, why they’re interested in a particular board, what are the issues they’re most passionate about with that board,” Savino said.

“And we look at: Do they have the temperament to be a board member? Do they listen to people? Do they want to work with people?

“And we tell them here’s the requirements of the various boards. And if after that conversation they still want to be in, they’re part of the final process,” he said.

“It’s a two-way conversation.”

He added, “We want people that are really good, that have points of view, and want to work with other people to make the town better.”

The subcommittee doing the interviews is made up of three town committee officers: Chairman Savino, Vice Chairman Cynthia Flood, and Dr. Geeta George, the committee’s executive secretary.

“We invite all the other RTC members to participate,” Savino said. “Whoever is in town when we do the interview, they show up. We want to have a bare minimum of several people.”

Savino said party members thinking of running for office may email him at josephsavino@sbcglobal.net.

“Just drop me an email,” he said.

“I’m in the phone book,” he added.

“The caucus is an open process, open to all Republicans.”

Democrats

Rather than talk process in a June 30 interview, Democratic Chairman Cocco was talking up party incumbents who are planning to seek office again.

“Our strong team on Board of Selectmen is running for election — I’m very proud of the two women who have been longtime public servants for Ridgefield and the contributions they’ve made. They’ve been excellent stewards for our town. They’re running for re-election. It’s Di Masters and Barbara Manners,” Cocco said.

“The Democrats on the Board of Finance who successfully worked for our town with Rudy and others to deliver a zero percent increase in the mill rate are running for re-election. That would be Dave Ulmer, Jessica Mancini, Paul Sutherland.

“They have not only managed to make Ridgefield financially the envy of others, but also have found ways to work with our resources, our revenue, the fund balance, to keep Ridgefield strong, keep it moving forward, keep our tax rate low, and have a zero percent increase. And this happened because we had a Democratic majority who led the way,” Cocco said.

“On the Board of Education, and Planning and Zoning, we have incumbents running for re-election and there will be some new faces running, as well,” she said.

Cocco was not ready to reveal who the newcomers are.

“You’ll find that out at the caucus,” she said.

“We’re in active conversation with outstanding Ridgefield Democrats who are interested in other elected positions in our town,” Cocco said.

“We think the Board of Education is an important board, and it is one where we are also looking to elect more Democrats who can make a strong contribution to the schools and to our town.”

“Board of Education incumbents Karen Sulzinsky and Fran Walton are running,” she said.

The third Democratic incumbent, Mike Taylor, is up for re-election.

The party also wants to challenge for some of the six seats now held by Republicans on the nine-member school board.

“There are seven seats coming before the voters on the Board of Education,” Cocco said. “It is unusual because so many of the currently seated members were appointed.”

There is a regular pattern of re-electing school board seats, which generally have four-year terms. But any time a member resigns mid-term, they’re replaced with a new member elected by the board — who must then run and win in the next election in order to retain the seat.

“That is why there are seven positions on the Board of Education that will be on the ballot in November,” Cocco said.

“Planning and Zoning is another board where we have strong incumbents, and we’re talking to other Ridgefielders, as well,” she said.

Like the school board, it’s a nine-member commission with three Democrats, so the party could re-elect its two incumbents and elect new candidates to three additional seats, without violating the state minority representation law’s limit of six board members from any one party.   

“Phil Mische and Tim Dunphy are both up for election and running for Planning and Zoning Commission. They’re outstanding commissioners. They bring a wealth of knowledge and technical qualifications to planning and zoning, and they’re esteemed by their colleagues,” Cocco said. “Talk to anyone on P&Z and they think very highly of both Tim and Phil.”

Democratic planning and zoning incumbent Joe Fossi isn’t up for re-election this year.

“For Police Commission, George Kane returns for another term,” Cocco said.

Democrats interested in talking to the town committee about seeking office may call 203-403-7080 or email  communications@ridgefielddems.org.

“Incumbents are running for all of the other boards,” Cocco said, “and we’re in active conversation with other Democrats who are considering running for the other boards.”

The post Caucuses coming: GOP seeks first selectman challenger appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.


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