Llodra Leads GOP Sweep, IPN Captures First Finance Seat But Its Other Candidates All Lose

By John Voket, Kendra Bobowick, Eliza Hallabeck & Shannon Hicks

Republican First Selectman Pat Llodra decisively captured a second term in local voting on November 8, posting 4,330 votes to Independent Party of Newtown challenger and current Selectman William Furrier’s 692 votes. Mrs Llodra’s running mate, incumbent Selectman Will Rodgers and Democrat James Gaston, Sr, won the remaining seats on the Board of Selectmen with 2,695 and 1,599 votes, respectively.

IPN candidate Po Murray, who sought a selectman’s seat, received 823 votes.

Mrs Llodra helped carry fellow Republicans into almost every other open seat that the GOP could fill. The IPN, however, won its first seat on the Board of Finance with Carol Bosco Walsh outpolling incumbent Democrats Michael Portnoy and Martin Gersten and IPN newcomer Rudy Magnan.

And while his father will be meeting with fellow selectmen, Democrat James Gaston, Jr, will be taking a seat on the Board of Finance. He will join Republican newcomer Richard Oparowski, along with incumbent Republicans Harrison Waterbury, John Kortze, and Joseph Kearney.

Mr Kortze said he welcomes the new members of his board, but said Mr Gersten and Portnoy would be sorely missed.

“Marty’s legal advice and observations framed a lot of our discussions,” Mr Kortze said. “And I believe Mike is one of Newtown’s most valuable public servants. He provided analytical skills, and his advice was far ahead of its time on many issues from our pension plan to anticipated budget trends.”

“This is such a good win!” Mrs Llodra whispered as she squeezed through a crowded Republican headquarters Tuesday night.

The GOP also dominated Legislative Council races, with the top vote-getting Democrats winning minority seats in Districts 2 and 3. A recount in District 1 due to the tight race between Democrat Paul Lundquist and Independent Kevin Fitzgerald determined Wednesday that Mr Lundquist was the victor by eight votes.

The remaining council seat winners in District 1 were Republicans Robert Merola, George Ferguson, and newcomer Joe Girgasky. In District 2, the GOP frontrunners were Mary Ann Jacob, Kathryn Fetchick, and Dan Wiedemann, with Democrat Daniel Honan winning the final open seat.

In District 3, Republican newcomers Phil Carrol and Mitch Bolinsky along with incumbent Jeff Capeci won seats. Democratic incumbent Daniel Amaral also won reelection.

On the Board of Education, Republican Keith Alexander won in a separate race to fill a vacancy, and fellow Republicans Laura Roche and Cody McCubbin were victorious along with Democrat John Vouros.

Most of the underticket seats also went to GOP candidates, except where minority representation provided Democrats with seats.

‘A Party Sweep’

As polling numbers clearly defined her party’s victories, Mrs Llodra — with fellow candidates and supporters at the GOP headquarters on Glen Road — stepped up on a chair over the crowd beside running mate and fellow victor Will Rodgers to say, “What a party sweep.”

As the room quieted, she continued, “This says, ‘You’re doing the right work with the right team.’” From the crowd, Republican Sandy Motyka added, “Because we have the right lady…”

Mrs Llodra said, “This validates us.” Mr Rodgers followed her remarks saying, “I am proud of us all. It takes fortitude to get up and run.” He added that voters paid attention to the issues, “and now we’re here to deliver.”

Minutes earlier as numbers were beginning to show a Republican win, he had said, “I didn’t know how it would play out. I am humbled, and very gratified,” he added.

At Democratic Party’s headquarters on Main Street, selectman candidate James O. Gaston, Sr, and other candidates first watched intently as former first selectman Herb Rosenthal kept tallies of the voting results on charts positioned on a wall. Then, after the results for the municipal elections clearly revealed that Mr Gaston had been elected, he thanked the two dozen party faithful who assembled there.

The newly elected selectman, who is also the Borough of Newtown’s warden, then headed out to the GOP gathering accompanied by Representative Chris Lyddy to congratulate Mrs Llodra. Speaking about Mr Gaston, who gave up a seat on the finance board to run for selectman, Mr Kortze said, “Jim always has the best interest of the town at heart. I’m a better man because of his opinions and advice.”

Meanwhile, at a gathering at My Place Restaurant, the IPN was balancing the news of winning its first seat on the finance board with the fact that all other incumbents and challengers had been defeated.

Caught up in what he later suggested was the passion of disappointment, Mr Furrier stood on a table and referred to Mrs Llodra as a “snake.” He retracted the insult shortly thereafter, only to have IPN Chairman and unsuccessful council candidate Bruce Walczak then remark, “She’s sneaky.”

Mr Furrier also said that the local GOP, “now in power,” can choose to ignore the wishes of the people or choose otherwise. “I hope they will follow the wishes of the people, but I don’t think they will. We have seen it in the past.”

With fewer IPN officials now serving in elected office, Mr Furrier said the pressure on the Republican party from IPN members will be lessened.

Mr Furrier predicted the Republicans “will go back to their old ways,” before he added, “and elections have consequences.”

Ms Murray also spoke before the group of assembled IPN members, saying that it is important to still “stick together.” She also said her party has made a difference in Newtown in the last three years, and have brought concepts forward that other parties have begun to adopt.

As the GOP headquarters closed for the evening, no one representing the IPN had appeared to offer congratulations or concessions, according to those present through the evening. But the morning after the election, Mr Furrier contacted The Bee asking that his remark, already published online, be withheld from further news reports.

“My particular comments immediately following the vote were spoken in the heat of passion, were spoken to party members only, were not news and were quickly and seriously retracted,” Mr Furrier wrote.

 

Apology To Llodra

Later Wednesday evening, Mr Furrier recontacted the newspaper via e-mail, adding to his previous explanation, writing, “While speaking to a group of close supporters I chose my words very poorly and then quickly and forcefully retracted them, saying, ‘No, I don’t mean that.’ 

“My comments did not accurately reflect my or the IPN’s true opinion of Pat, and I regret making them, they were uncalled for,” Mr Furrier said. “For that I apologize to Pat and to the voters.”

When asked about his remark, Mr Walczak only replied, “The election is over, Pat had a great campaign and has been reelected. I posted congratulation comments… It was a moment of passion and disappointment that resulted in some unfortunate comments.”

P&Z Question Settled

One other open question from the election was also resolved Wednesday, regarding the Planning and Zoning Commission race between Republican contender Michael Porco, Sr, and Democrat Robert Poulin. That contest was eventually ruled in favor of Mr Porco by Town Clerk Debbie Aurelia, after receiving statutory concurrence by the town attorney about the commission’s minority representation.

Questions about the P&Z race outcome arose as to whether the minority representation requirement was applicable to the candidate pool exclusively from Tuesday’s election, or applicable to the entire board, even though members’ terms are staggered to ensure there are always some experienced members to help orient newcomers to the often complex minutiae that policymaking board handles on a regular basis.

Town Clerk Debbie Aurelia said after consulting with Town Attorney David Grogins, that Democrat Lilla Dean, who is up for reelection in 2013, satisfies the minority representation allocation on what will otherwise be an entirely Republican commission.

According to the town registrars, of the 16,103 registered voters in Newtown, 5,384 voted November 8, representing a 33.4 percent turnout. More than 600 of those ballots were cast in the final hour of voting between 7 and 8 pm Tuesday.

Newtown’s District 2 had the highest voter turnout with 34.4 percent voting, and District 3-2 had the lowest with only 26 percent of registered voters heading to the polls.

Unofficial voter totals are listed in the accompanying chart, which was provided to The Bee by Newtown’s Registrars of Voters. The counts are not official until certified by the town clerk, and are subject to change.

(Newtown Bee reporters Andrew Gorosko and Nancy Crevier also contributed to this story.)