Leng Beats Kaye 60 – 40

Curt Leng won a third term as Hamden’s mayor on Tuesday night, easily beating Republican challenger Jay Kaye with 60 percent of the vote.

According to the Independent’s vote tally, which includes results from all nine districts and absentee ballots, Leng captured 7,401 votes, compared to 4,975 from Kaye. Leng won in every district except for the ninth district.

In his victory speech at the Democratic headquarters at 4133 Whitney Avenue, Leng promised to ​“control tax increases and to help people that have lived here a long time to stay in Hamden ​‘cause they want to stay in this town that they love.”

He also made a bid for collaboration amidst stark divisions on the legislative council: ​“I want us all to come together as people that want to work together, and compromise together, and get things done.”

Meanwhile, in a back room at the Hamden Oak Lodge 40 Republicans gathered around a projector displaying the election totals, drinking beers and munching on cold pizza. Republican Town Chair Frank LaDore thanked the crowd on Kaye’s behalf while Kaye migrated around the room individually thanking supporters.

But the night wasn’t a total loss for Republicans. They won a total of three seats on the Legislative Council — one more seat than they currently have. Betty Wetmore and Austin Cesare, both Republicans, won two at-large seats on the legislative council, defeating a challenge for the council’s minority seats by Rhonda Caldwell and Laurie Sweet of the Working Families Party. Republican Marjorie Bonadies also won a seat representing the ninth district. Bonadies is currently an at-large representative on the council, but she decided to run this year to represent the ninth district, gambling that Republicans could win both that seat and two at-large seats.

Despite her win, Bonadies stressed that Republicans need more representation on the council. ​“The one seat we gained is not enough. It’s not a balance and does not represent voices equally,” she said. ​“When we have a tyranny of the majority, they can control the agenda and we have to sit back on the sidelines.”

Citing the town’s increasing debt and high taxes, Bonadies said that without more Republican representation, ​“shit’s going to hit the fan.”

Democrats Dominique Baez, Jody Clouse, Brad Macdowall, and Berita Rowe-Lewis won a majority of the at-large seats on the Legislative Council, in addition to the other eight district representative seats.

Sam Gurwitt and Lucy Gellman contributed to this story.