Hamden GOP Fields 16 Candidates

Promising fiscal discipline and real change in town leadership, Hamden Republicans Thursday night endorsed 16 candidates to run in November’s municipal elections.

The Republican Town Committee chose the candidates at a nominating convention held at Devonshire Hall.

Members of the RTC endorsed four potential at-large and six district Legislative Council representatives, five Board of Education members, and, for mayor, Ron Gambardella. Most of those candidates were previously announced at an RTC press conference in June.

There was no competition for any seat, so the Republican Party does not expect to hold a primary in September.

In a speech before the convention, Gambardella listed high taxes, unparalleled municipal debt, rising crime, deteriorating roads and sidewalks, and the need for a Hamden animal shelter as the top five top issues he plans to confront should he make it to the mayor’s office.

He also said he hopes to make Hamden ​“a safe place, as it once was, by fully supporting our first responders.”

“The town is at a crossroads,” declared First District candidate Laura Santino. ​“It’s the perfect time for Republicans to get Hamden back on the right road.”

Lesley DeNardis, Elizabeth Wetmore, Andrew Tammaro, and James Anthony will run in the Nov. 2 general election for the four available at-large spots. The Republican Party is guaranteed two out of the final six at-large seats, so whichever top two candidates get the most votes in November will serve on the 2022 Legislative Council.

Endorsed district representatives include Laura Santino, for Hamden’s First District; Nick D’Amato, for Hamden’s Second District; Justin Piper, for Hamden’s Fourth District; Cecilia Shea, for Hamden’s Seventh District; Pat Destito, for Hamden’s Eighth District; and incumbent Marjorie Bonadies, for Hamden’s Ninth District.

Tom Figlar and Ralph Nicefaro Jr. vowed to join Austin Cesare, who served on the Board of Education for eight years before moving to the Legislative Council for the most recent eight years, in a campaign to create curriculum that speaks to ​“all” students, among other points of concern. Cesare said he decided to leave the council because, as a social studies teacher, his primary interest has always been education. That choice mirrored the recent resignation of Council President Mick McGarry, who resigned mid-term last week after nearly eight years on the council in order to fill a leadership position in the Fairfield Teachers’ Union.

There are currently two vacancies within the BOE, left by Roxana Walker-Canton and Walter Morton. So Chris Acosta and Andrew Shea accepted nominations to act as placeholders should Republicans wish to run for those open positions down the line. Chris Acosta is an RTC member; Andrew Shea is the husband of Cecilia Shea. Acosta is saving a two-year term position while Shea is now holding a four-year spot.

Picking placeholder candidates means that future Republicans who might choose to run for the BOE would be exempt from a petitioning process that requires individual candidates to acquire 203 signatures from registered Republican voters in order to get their name on the final ballot. As RTC Chairman Frank LaDore put it, petitioning is a ​“much bigger pain in the butt.”

Both Cesare and LaDore offered introductions to Ron Gambardella before he addressed the crowd. LaDore noted that while Gambardella has already run for office two other times, in 2007 and 2009, he said he views those losses as ​“an asset, not a liability.” He said name recognition and pre-existing voter infrastructure should work to Gambardella’s advantage.

Cesare said that Gambardella’s MBA from the University of New Haven and four decades of financial experience as a tax accountant signify his fiscal expertise— which attendees of the convention consistently cited as one of the most important qualifications Hamden’s next mayor should have.

At the conclusion of the event, Marjorie Bonadies remarked on the heightened ​“diversity” of this year’s endorsed candidates compared to past elections. Justin Piper claimed to be the first Black Republican to run for an elected office in Hamden, while Cecilia Shea said she is the first Venezuelan woman to receive an endorsement from the RTC. Bonadies noted the wide age range of the candidates; Andrew Tammaro is the youngest candidate at 23, while some others have already served Hamden for decades.

Frank LaDore said he is hopeful that the Republican Party will not only win the mayoral office and fill their two guaranteed at-large seats, but maintain incumbent Bonadies’ Ninth District position while getting at least three more Republican candidates into open seats across Districts One, Seven, and Eight— areas with more generous numbers of conservative voters than the other six districts.

Cesare pointed out that Hamden’s last Republican mayor, Barbara DeNicola, won in 1997 after there was a split within the Democratic Party. The current three-way Democratic mayoral race, which may expand to include incumbent Curt Leng if he announces a run for reelection, is considered by many Hamden Republicans as grounds for hope.