Barbara Smyth, Democratic nominee for Norwalk mayor, door-knocking with State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff on September 8th, before the Democratic primary. Source: Bob Duff/Facebook

Table of Contents

Early Voting

Early Voting begins today, October 20th, for local municipal elections. This offers registered voters two weeks to cast ballots for local mayors, selectmen, council members, and board of education members ahead of Election Day. Election day will be on November 4th.

The times of Early Voting are listed below:

Mon Oct 20th to Mon Oct 27th, Oct 29th, Oct 31st to Nov 2nd – 10:00am to 6:00pm

Tuesday Oct 28th, Thursday Oct 30th – 8:00am to 8:00pm

Election Day – Nov 4th – 6:00am to 8:00pm

Early voting locations can be found here. Each town has one designated location for early voting.

Voter registration is offered at early voting sites, and absentee ballots can be requested by visiting myvote.ct.gov/getmyab.

Overview

Though I cannot cover all elections taking place on November 4th, I would love to dive into elections in the state’s six largest cities.

I will have another article later in the week discussing some competitive races across the state.

By population, the state’s largest cities are Bridgeport, Stamford, New Haven, Hartford, Waterbury, and Norwalk.

It is important to note that not every city or town has a mayoral race this year. In those cities, we will talk about council races and other local races if applicable.

Let’s dive in!

Bridgeport

Longtime incumbent Democrat Joe Ganim is not up for re-election this year. Ganim ran in four separate elections in 2023-24 to claim another term after his initial Democratic primary win was marked with ballot irregularities in a race that garnered national attention.

Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas launched a special advertising blitz to remind city residents how to properly cast their ballots. This is an effort to not have another election marked by allegations of ballot fraud. 13 Individuals have been charged in connection with the misuse of mail-in ballots in the last two mayoral elections. Thomas wants voters to know the legal rules of returning absentee ballots.

There are races this year for the positions of Board of Education, City Sheriff, and Councilmen.

There are also two charter revision questions. Question 1 asks voters to approve a charter amendment to strengthen ethics, reform civil service, and establish uniform standards for departments and boards. Question 2 asks voters to discontinue the election of the positions of Town Clerk, City Clerk, and Municipal Sheriffs by 2031, after which they will be filled by a non-partisan civil service selection process.

Board of Education

Bridgeport 2025 Ballot for Board of Education and City Sheriff. Source: Secretary of State

Bridgeport is a very Democratic city. Kamala Harris won here 73-26 last year. However, unlike some other towns, Independents have gotten a decent portion of the vote across all races, running ahead of the Republican ticket.

Mayoral challenger John Gomes was about 200 votes short of Joe Ganim on their election day bout as an independent. The Independent candidates for city sheriff got more votes than the Republicans also in 2023. Independents all got about 3,000 votes, while Republicans got around 1800 votes. The result was similar on the Board of Education.

This year, incumbents Joseph Sokolovic and Robert Traber are running on both the Independent and Working Families ballot lines.

Chair Jennifer Perez will run as a Democrat. She was named chair last year after former chairperson Christine Baptiste-Perez faced criticism and lost a vote. She was supported by Traber and Sokolovic, along with two other members. Democrats are basically a lock for the three majority seats available this election.

The two minority seats will be between the Republicans and incumbents Sokolovic and Traber. Joe Sokolovic won on the Working Families line 4 years ago, and Independent Willie Medina won 2 years ago. As seen in the 2023 results, Republicans have been lagging behind Independents for the last two seats. This year will be another test, but Sokolobic and Traber are likely favored.

Councilmen

Democrats are heavily favored in all council districts. Though they are independents running in some districts, they will struggle despite the controversies with some incumbent council members. Of the 13 individuals charged with the absentee ballot investigation, this includes incumbents Alfredo Castillo and Maria Pererira. Despite this, Pereria won her primary in September, and both have continued to win re-election despite their controversies and the ongoing investigation.

Stamford

Mayor

Incumbent Democrat Mayor Caroline Simmons is running for a second term. She faces Republican former Board of Education member Nicola Tarzia. Simmons will also be on the Independent Ballot line.

Simmons won a difficult 2021 campaign against Independent former MLB manager Bobby Valentine. After successfully primarying Incumbent Mayor David Martin in a landslide 63-36 victory. Simmons won a close 53-47 victory against Valentine in the general election.

Simmons and her faction have won multiple battles on issues ranging from charter revisions to city committee primaries. She and her allies were also able to oust two local state representatives who disagreed with them. In the recent Democratic primaries, Simmons endorsed allies all won their primaries, as she has successfully installed her allies in all committees across the town through multiple primary elections.

At a recent debate, Simmons and Tarzia both said they were interested in developing the South End of the city. A question on the train station in the south end, Simmons talked about continuing parking opportunities and rezoning land around the station to create new housing. Tarzia mentioned how he said there should also have been more amenities around the station.

Tarzia, a former member of the board of education for a decade (from 2000 to 2004, and 2016 to 2022), told the CT Examiner how the city’s government is a monopoly dominated by Democrats, and due to that, the party dominance has meant the city government isn’t improving. He hopes to bring ‘balance’ and bring other voices into the mayoral-appointed committees.

Since this is a typical party-line race, unlike her 2021 race, Simmons is expected to easily beat Tarzia in this 63-36 Harris-won city. Pavia had optimism he could win in an upset, in his interview with the examiner. The last Republican to win the mayoral office in Stamford was Michael Pavia in 2009, who served for one term.

Boards/Town Clerk/Constable

There are several other races on the ballot in Stamford. This includes the Town Clerk, Board of Finance, Board of Education, Constable, and Board of Representatives.

Democrats are favored in the races for Town Clerk, Board of Finance, Board of Education, and Constables.

For the Board of Representatives, some districts are closer than others. In 2023, District 18 had a 7-vote margin of victory for Democrat Karen Camporeale against Republican Stephen Garst.

In 2021, there was a close race in District 17 where Democrat Bobby Pavia beat Republican Maria Fedeli 52-48, showing how it really depends on the district.

New Haven

Mayor

In New Haven, Democratic Incumbent mayor Justin Elicker is running fourth term against Republican challenger Steve Orosco.

Elicker will also be on the Working Families Ballot Line. Orosco will also be on the Independent Party Line.

This was the first time in his tenure that Elicker did not face a Democratic opponent in a primary.

At their September 30th debate, Elicker and Orosco discussed topics ranging from crime to affordable housing to federal government intervention.

Orosco said he intends to improve crime statistics by fulling staffing and funding the police department. He said, “Everything is a band-aid, we are not attacking the root of the problem,” while discussing why more police enforcement is needed. Orosco also discussed making sure Yale is accountable to pay more taxes. Elikcer said Yale has been accountable.

Elicker talked about the city’s ongoing effort to increase affordable housing.

On discussions about ICE, the two candidates varied. Orosco said he believes ICE activity will be a non-issue after recent changes on enforcement, and said he would accept help from the National Guard if needed. Elicker said ICE is not welcome to the city, and help from the National Guard is not needed or wanted.

Elicker is heavily favored to win a fourth term in one of the most liberal cities in the state. Kamala Harris won New Haven in an 81-17 landslide last year. The last time a Republican was elected mayor of New Haven was in 1953. Elicker has also never gotten less than 70% of the vote in his last three mayoral races.

Alderperson/City Clerk/Board of Education

Democrats are heavily favored to hold all of their seats. Republicans don’t hold any seats on the 30-member board of Alders.

Republicans are also only running candidates in Ward 3, Ward 8, Ward 12, Ward 13, Ward 18, and Ward 30.

The reddest Ward in New Haven is the 18th, but even the 18th Ward was 59-41 for Kamala Harris. This will likely be the most competitive race of the Alderperson races due to partisan lean, but Moore is expected to win. Zelma Harris, who lost to Moore in the September 9th primary, is on the ballot as a petitioning candidate.

An Independent is running in Ward 16, Rafael Funtes Jr.

There is a race for City Clerk between Democrat Michael Smart and Republican Deborah Reyes-Quinones. Smart is also on the Independent ballot line.

There is also a race for the Board of Education District 1 between Democrat Edward T Joyner and Republican John Carlson.

Democrats are favored in both races.

Hartford

Board of Education

There is only one race on the ballot in the state’s capital city. Hartford Mayor Arunan Arunanpalam won a 4-year term in 2023, so he won’t be on the ballot this year along with the rest of the council.

In the Board of Education race, the four candidates running are Democrats Francoise Deristel-Leger, Cristher Estrada-Perez, Tyrone Walker, and Working Families Candidate Shonta Browdy.

Voters can vote for up to 3 candidates, but since there are 3 majority seats and 1 minority seat, all four candidates will win. No Republicans filed for this office.

Waterbury

Democratic Incumbents Michael Dalton and Stephen Conway are both running unopposed for the positions of City Clerk and City Sheriff.

Incumbent Democratic Mayor Paul Perenerswki won’t be on the ballot this year, as he secured a four-year term in 2023.

Board of Aldermen/Board of Education

After a contentious primary on the Republican side, where seven of the ten endorsed Republican candidates prevailed over primary opponents, Republicans hoped to unite in the hope of making gains on the Board of Aldermen.

The current make-up of the fifteen-seat board is Democrats hold ten seats, Republicans hold three, an independent holds one, and an unaffiliated voter holds the last one.

In District 4, Republican incumbent George Noujaim and his running mate Paul Konas won their primary after not getting the Republican endorsement. Noujaim did not receive the endorsement of the Republican Town Committee because he was seen as “too cozy” with the Democratic majority. The 3rd challenger that will be on the ballot is Brian McEntree in the 5th district.

Though GOP chair of Waterbury, Dawn Maiorano, is hopeful to make gains on the boards, the issue is that Waterbury voters haven’t elected a Republican mayor or a Republican Board of Aldermen majority is the last 25 years. Republicans, though, see an opportunity since 4 Democratic incumbents on the Board of Aldermen, and 2 on the Board of Education, are not running again

In 2023, Democrats did the best in District 2 and District 5, winning by large margins. The margin in District 3 was smaller, but comfortable. Republicans did well in District 1 and District 4. The closest races will likely be in those two districts. 4 candidates are running in each district (Five in District 2), and the top 3 will win a seat on the board.

On the Board of Education, five seats are up for grabs. Six candidates are running: three Democrats and three Republicans. The top five of the six candidates will win a seat on the Board of Education.

Norwalk

Mayor

The marquee race on the ballot in Norwalk is the open-mayoral race being vacated by Democrat Harry Rilling, who is retiring. Democrat Barbara Smyth is facing off against Republican Vinny Scicchitano.

Common Council President Smyth won a tough Democratic primary against Common Council member Darlele Young by a mere 75-vote margin. She will also be on the Working Families ballot line.

Petitioning Candidates John Kydes and Erik Vitagilone will also be on the ballot. Kydes is a former council president.

At a recent debate with the four candidates, they shared their visions of the city’s future. Smyth noted how her experience in both the classroom (as a former teacher) and in city government gives her a unique perspective to understand the city’s needs. Scicchitano said he is there to represent the 40% of the community who feel like they are disenfranchised from the process. He said he was the most qualified to unify the community.

Vitaglione said he is there to represent the households that make less than $75,000 a year, the renters who are cost-burdened, and the residents who haven’t participated in city politics before. Kydes said he joined the race because he felt the city is going down the wrong path, and his experience is necessary.

They all cited affordability, education, and taxes among the city’s challenges. However, they had different approaches to some of the issues. On affordable housing, Vitaglione called for a more diverse array of “housing stock”. Kydes questioned how the new developments affect schools and affordability. Smyth proposed a housing consortium, Scicchitano said the city needs to define its goals before expanding any further.

Norwalk’s Democratic delegation endorsed Smyth for mayor, including State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff.

Though Norwalk is also very blue at the federal level, voting for Kamala Harris by a 64-35 margin. In the 2023 mayoral race, Rilling won a 55-45 victory over Scicchitano. Since Scicchitano is running a second time, he might benefit from name recognition among voters. Smyth is still favored, but the mix of petitioning candidates along with a strong challenge from Scicchitano could lead to a closer race than expected.

Ballot Questions and Other Offices

Norwalk has a long two-page ballot this year. There are several races, including City Sheriff, Councilmen-At Large, Councilman, Board of Education, Constable, Taxing District Commissioner, and Treasurer.

The one race without much anticipation is for Incumbent Town Clerk Richard McQuaid. McQuaid is on both the Democratic and Republican ballot lines after being cross-endorsed, so he will be victorious on election day.

For the Councillmen and Board of Education, there is a slate of Independent candidates running. Though this could make the margins between Democrats and Republicans more competitive, during the 2023 race, however, the Independent candidates only got about 1% of the vote, far behind the other two parties on the ballot.

A district-by-district guide can be found here from the Publication Nancy on Norwalk.

There are also three ballot questions this year. There seems to be a movement in some cities to move elections to 4-year terms instead of two. This passed in New Haven last year, and some other towns also have these questions on their ballots. Question 2 will create a four-year term for Mayor and Town Clerk in 2029, and the Council in 2031. Another change on Question 3 will amend the charter to provide council members with compensation of 3% of the mayor’s budgeted salary from 2029.

Question 1 on the Charter Change is longer and includes a couple of changes, so I will put the text here below.

Democrats are favored in most races in Norwalk, though it will be interesting to see how the petitioning candidates do in the mayoral race.

Thanks for Reading!

Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons. Source: City of Stamford Website

Overview

We’ve talked a lot about Democratic primaries over the last couple of weeks. But there is another one we have to discuss in Stamford.

Stamford has had an active couple of Democratic primary cycles between a faction led by Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons and an opposing faction. The two factions have had a number of disagreements around a variety of issues over the past few years.

Issues included amendments to the City Charter, conduct of town endorsements, and general consensus with the Mayor or opposition.

Mayor Caroline Simmons is running for a second term. She will face the Republican-endorsed candidate Nicola Tarzia in November. Simmons did not get a primary challenge from former Stamford police sergeant Michael Loughran. Loughran told reporters, after the town committee endorsed Simmons, that he’ll gather signatures to force a primary. However, Loughran did not gather enough signatures to force a primary for the mayoral race.

However, there will be a Democratic primary on September 9th for the Stamford Board of Representatives in five districts. Some districts have an incumbent who did not receive the town endorsement and are challenging the endorsed slate.

Stamford Mayor

Caroline Simmons has been a rising star in the Connecticut Democratic Party. The former state representative won a tough 2021 race against Independent Bobby Valentine. Valentine received the support of the Republican Party and benefited from outside spending to aid him in his race. Simmons won the race 53-47 and became the first woman to win the Stamford mayoral race.

Before her mayoral tenure, she was the State Representative for the 144th District.

Simmons outlined her 2nd term priorities, which included rebuilding Westhill High School and Roxbury Elementary. She also talked about increasing investment in major infrastructure projects and the city’s parks.

Simmons has received criticism about some issues, such as a failed affordable housing proposal, zoning laws, and her opinion on the local charter revision process. However, she remains generally popular.

Charter Debate

One of the biggest recent debates in Stamford was about the city’s charter. According to city law, every ten years, the charter (which defines the functions, powers, and organizations of the city), needs to be approved by the voters.

Democrats in the city quickly split into two factions. One was led by Mayor Simmons, who told city voters to vote “no” on proposed changes set by the City’s charter revision committee and the Board of Representatives. The other faction, led by the aforementioned Board wanted city voters to vote “yes”.

Simmons and her allies wanted voters to vote “no” as the charter made it easier for residents to appeal and reverse zoning approvals for developments. In addition, they felt that several proposed provisions had issues. One was it would let any city owner sign a petition to appeal planning and zoning approvals (and not just neighbors).

Stamford and Westport are the only municipalities in the state that allow a direct appeal of planning and zoning decisions by a committee. In Stamford, that is the Board of Representatives (BOR).

A majority of the Board of Representatives and State Rep. David Michel told reporters, the proposed revisions were valuable by providing checks and balances for the people. Though the mayor said several projects couldn’t have occurred under these proposed rules, the majority leader of the BOR, Nina Sherwood, called Simmons’ fears overblown.

Simmons went to the state legislature to block some parts of the charter revision. House Speaker Matt Ritter (D-Hartford) and State House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora (R-North Branford) both agreed with Simmons, saying some of the proposed charter proposals go too far and could set a dangerous precedent in other towns. They noted it would pit local home rule against state authority, and would pit slower development against ambitious development.

Though successful, many other proposals, like how much power the Board of Representatives could have, and how appointments are conducted, were still on the ballot in November of 2023. Though some criticized Simmons for not appealing to the voters directly, and her opponents called her secret measure a “rat” (as in benefiting one person or group). Some felt it was just statewide policy.

During the November vote, Simmons and her allies came out victorious, winning a 57-43 vote “no”, with a majority of the city’s voters opposing the changes to the city’s governing document. Sherwood told the press that a lot of money was spent to tell people to vote against what she believed was in the city’s best interest.

Some other controversial proposed changes included the appointment process for non-elected boards and commissions. The proposed change would give any one of the Board of Representatives the power to nominate a candidate when the mayor fails to appoint a member. Some felt it was a proposed power grab by the Board.

Democratic City Committee Primaries March 2024

The feud continued between Democrats in Stamford during the Democratic City Committee Primaries a few months later.

Not every town has this process, but in Stamford, voters elect the members who are on the city’s Democratic Party committee. This committee endorses candidates, provides candidate support, and is part of the town party leadership and strategy to mobilize and get voter engagement. Some members are part of the Board of Education, the Board of Finance, and the Board of Representatives

Most members running were split into two groups: Stamford Dems for Responsive Government, and Democrats United for Stamford. Mayor Simmons and DCC Chair Robin Druckman supported the United Team.

One of the major disagreements between the two groups was the practice of members endorsing themselves for board positions. Very important in a state where an endorsement means easier ballot access.

The United Team was taking aim at 14 members of the Board of Representatives who were on the Responsive Government Slate for being “double dippers” on endorsements. The endorsements are important for determining who gets the rubber stamp of party endorsement on the ballot for state legislature races in the city and municipal elections in 2025.

Dual Op-Eds by BOR Rep. Carl Weinberg and BOR Majority Nina Sherwood showed opposing oppositions. Weinburg targeted his colleagues for endorsing themselves. Sherwood said it’s not a pretty situation; however, the party has allowed this situation because of “predatory behavior against anyone that doesn’t toe the line“.

Members were split amongst the two sides, as they all had different perspectives on the situation they faced. Some said they wouldn’t double dip, and only retain one of their current positions; others disagreed.

During the March 2024 election, however, the United Slate swept the election. The group aligned with Mayor Simmons won 27 of the 34 seats up for grabs. The incumbent Board of Representatives fared poorly during the election, with only three of the fifteen incumbents winning their districts. Simmons now had many more of her allies on the committee.

State Reps. Ousted in 2024 Primaries

Simmons and her allies on the committee now had the votes to not give endorsements to two local state representatives with whom they had many disagreements. State Rep. David Michel and State Rep. Anabel Figueroa. Both were on the outs with the town committees, along with three other members of the State House delegation. However, out of the 9 contested primaries for State House and Senate that involved an incumbent legislator in August 2024, only Michel and Figueroa lost, signaling it was far more than just internal disagreements.

Figueroa, in particular, garnered national attention after remarks she made about her opponent, Jonathan Jacobson. Figueroa, who already looked in danger of losing her seat, told voters in a Spanish ad that, when translated, was “we cannot permit a person who is of Jewish origin, of Jewish origin, to represent our community. It’s impossible”.

Figueroa found herself in national headlines after those remarks, which were described as very antisemitic. She was encouraged to apologize, but Jacobson did not accept her initial apology until she offered an unconditional apology after she spoke with a rabbi. However the damage was done and Figueroa lost in a 37-63 landslide against Jacobson.

Michel’s opponent, Eilish Collins Main, was part of that faction that Mayor Simmons was a part of. His loss could be due to disagreements he had with Mayor Simmons, as Michel was known as a liberal Democrat, but Main was just more popular with voters and had a strong background in local politics. Michel lost by a large margin 44-56.

Who is in the September Primaries

Party-Endorsed Candidates Marked With A *

In all districts, voters have to vote for up to two candidates on their ballot.

Find the ballot on the State’s Secretary of State Website listed here.

District 5

Nicole Beckham*

Kierra Dorsey*

Bonnie Kim Campbell

District 6

Ryan Hughes*

Parker Johnson*

Lindsey Miller

Denis W. Patterson

District 10

Felix Gardner*

Stephanie Sylvestre*

Brittany Lawrence

District 13

Amiel Goldberg*

Eric Morson*

Dave Adams

District 17

Lewis Finkel*

Bobby Pavia*

Sean Boeger

Rosa Colon

Notable Points About Challenges

With all the recent infighting over the past few years, it is no surprise that challengers emerged against the party-endorsed candidates.

In the 5th District, Incumbent Campbell will challenge the endorsed slate. She was elected to the board in 2021.

Similarly, in the 6th District, Incumbent Paterson will challenge the endorsed slate. He has been on the board since 2015. He will run alongside Lindsey Miller, who was previously on the board in the neighboring 7th district for a decade before resigning due to moving out of said district.

Surprisingly, there is currently no race in the 8th district. At the last minute, Board President Nina Sherwood said she was withdrawing from the race. Former State Rep. Figueroa was looking to challenge Sherwood and her fellow endorsed member, Theo Gross; however, it looks like she did not make the ballot.

Another incumbent, Sean Boeger, will challenge the endorsed candidates in the 17th district due to how redistricting worked in 2022.

The rest of the candidates have interesting profiles and experiences that they will have to use to appeal to voters, for what is likely a very low turnout primary in September. You can find out more about the other candidates in this piece by the Stamford Advocate.

Overview

Based on recent elections, I would say that the candidates who have the party endorsement are likely to beat out their challengers, even if they are incumbents. However, I wouldn’t be too surprised if one or two incumbents make it through. I think most of the endorsed candidates will prevail at the end of the day.

Stamford has had a long history of Democratic infighting in the city, and it will only continue into the following weeks. I look forward to seeing what happens in these downballot races.

I will soon have articles on primaries we are looking at on September 9th, and will try to make some predictions in the bigger races.

Thanks for Reading!