Marcia Chambers Photo
Storm and Campbell.
The nominating committee of the Democratic Town Committee (DTC) last night chose Second Selectman Andy Campbell (at right in photo) over Representative Town Meeting (RTM) moderator Chris Sullivan to be their candidate for first selectman. But Sullivan isn’t going away yet.
The race between the two leading Branford Democratic figures — -Sullivan stepped aside as head of the DTC after he decided to run for the 1st selectman’s position — has the potential to split the party before the election in November. About five Democratic RTM members are now working on his campaign.
Campbell was smiling and confident after the announcement, telling the Eagle in an interview that he was thankful to the committee because they had a difficult job. He will be running with Dr. Bruce E. Storm, former superintendent of Branford Schools for 13 years. Storm was recently inducted into the Branford Education Hall of Fame.
Campbell observed that the leaders of the Democratic Party are running against each other. “It’s hard — because we are all doing this with friends. So I am thankful and I am very grateful, and I am greatly relieved because we have been running pretty fast up to this point, but now we get to go”
After the candidates were announced and the meeting ended, Sullivan (pictured at meeting) told the Eagle that he will go all out to convince the full DTC membership at its upcoming convention that he is the candidate for job. The DTC meets on July 17 to formally elect the candidates. All 96 DTC members are entitled to vote that night. In general roughly half of the membership has attended monthly meetings.
At the convention, Stan Konesky, Jr., the chair of the nominating committee, will nominate Campbell and the rest of the slate, but the floor is open to Sulllivan or any other candidate for any position.
“We discussed, we talked and we came back. We churned and we digested, and I think we came up with an extremely powerful ticket,” Konesky (pictured) told the group. The committee consists of the chairs of the 7 DTC districts in town, 3 at-large members and Konesky, the chair. He votes if there is a tie. Jim Perito, the acting chair, attends meetings but has no vote.
Sullivan said after the meeting: “We are positive ‚and we think we have a lot to offer the party and the town, so we want to let everyone hear what we have to offer before they make their final decision. The universe that we are targeting just expanded, that is all that has changed,” he said.
Asked if he would undertake a primary, which takes place in September, Sullivan said he was still “debating on that.”
Sullivan is running with RTM member and chair Yve Larrieu. They are running as a team, both said. Should he lose, she will not seek a selectman’s seat.
Asked about Sullivan continuing his quest for the DTC endorsement, Campbell said: “It is a right and a prerogative of any Democrat to seek the endorsement of the party. So I am respectful of that but I am not worried about it.”
Primary Is Looming Issue
Campbell drew a line in the sand when it came to a primary. “I believe that a primary would be hurtful to the party and would gravely decrease our chances of victory in November,” he said.
Earlier in the evening Warren Gould, a longtime political advisor to Branford candidates including state Sen. Ed Meyer, addressed the 50 or so members present.
“A primary in September is a loss in November this year. I want to make it clear,” he said to the group. “A fractured party could damage us.” He urged that at the next DTC meeting “the candidates on both sides of the discussion, all good people, come together, shake hands and start working.”
Taking all this in was Susan Cosgrove Barnes, a registered Democrat and daughter of Dan Cosgrove, once a leader of the Democratic Party in Branford and in the state. Barnes now finds herself in the position of supporting her nephew Jamie Cosgrove, who is seeking the Republican Party’s nomination for first selectman in July.
At the outset of the meeting, Perito, who is acting DTC chair because Sullivan had to step aside during his candidacy, welcomed Barnes and her friends to the meeting, noting all registered Democrats were entitled to attend.
The Slate
Pam Knapp, the chair of District 3, was officially nominated for the town clerk’s position. She thanked the members when they applauded her candidacy. The nominating committee rejected the incumbent Marianne Kelly because of her involvement in the gifting tables case and a decision by the U.S. Attorney’s office to subpoena her records last March. Kelly, a top vote-getter, did not attend the meeting. She is still thinking about next steps, she told the Eagle earlier this week.
The other nominees are incumbent Tax Collector Joanne Cleary and town Treasurer, Peter Banca. Joe Fazzino will seek a seat on the Board of Assessment Appeals and Lucy Bello, Eunice Lasala, Rhoda Loeb and Fran Walsh will run for constable.
The nominating committee also endorsed Dr. Kate Marsland, the chair of the Branford Early Childhood Cooperative (BECC), and John O’Connor, a retired school psychologist and Hall of Fame swim coach for both the girls and boys teams as BOE candidates. Frank Carrano, the chair of the BOE and Mary Grande, a member of the board are not seeking re-election.
During the meeting Perito presented Carrano with a plaque for his service to the Board of Education and to the DTC when he served the organization as chair.
Carrano said he was deeply appreciative of an award that shows his service to his life’s work in education and in government. “Putting these two things together means a lot…. I may have stepped on some toes between my responsibilities” to both, he observed. “I think we all understand those things happen. Thank you very much. This means a lot to me.” He received a standing ovation.
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