File Photo
Chris Sullivan, the moderator of Branford’s Representative Town Meeting ( RTM), wants to be the town’s first selectman. And he plans to ask the Democratic Town Committee (DTC), which he chairs, to endorse him.
Sullivan’s decision follows the announcement that First Selectman Unk DaRos will not seek reelection. Sullivan, 36, then decided he would enter the race, he said in an interview Monday.
Sullivan became the second Democratic candidate in recent days to publicly announce that he wants the town’s top job. Second Selectman Andy Campbell, an attorney and a former RTM member, told the Eagle he has submitted his application to the DTC for the top post. Campbell, 47, is a former chair of the DTC.
“When an incumbent doesn’t run is a good time to go for an open seat,” Sullivan said. He has long aspired to the first selectman’s seat, but, he said, he needed to learn more about town government, which in recent years he has, first as RTM member and now as moderator of the town’s legislative body.
Sullivan is an environmental analyst for the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP.)
The emergence of a second candidate on the Democratic line for the town’s top administrative position sets in motion the possibility of a party primary.
It is possible more Democratic candidates besides Campbell and Sullivan may emerge by Friday, the deadline set by the DTC to submit applications for the November election.
“Look at New Haven.” Sullivan said. “[Mayor John] DeStefano steps back, and eight people want it. If Unk was involved, well, I would forget it. You don’t challenge the incumbent.”
He called it “healthy to have more people running for a seat. Certainly it is better for the party to develop leadership and get people involved and excited about a race … so that can be a positive.”
Two years ago, when DaRos was the first selectman candidate, Campbell and Sullivan sought the second selectman’s slot. Campbell got the party’s nod. Meanwhile, Sullivan continued to serve as RTM moderator and recently became chair of the DTC.
“It came out that I was interested in the first selectman’s seat when I went for the second selectman’s nomination two years ago,” he recalled. “The first question they asked the candidates was will you run for the first selectman’s position in two years. I answered yes.”
The nominating committee of the DTC, which consists of the chairs of the town’s seven election districts and several others, will interview potential candidates for all elected posts. The nominating convention is typically held in June or July.
On the Republican side, Republican Third Selectman Jamie Cosgrove, 40, a former RTM member, is preparing a campaign for the first selectman’s position. Ray Ingraham, 50, a member of the RTM and the chair of the Republican Town Committee, is seeking the second selectman’s position.
A third candidate, Jaycey Wyatt, plans to run for the first selectman’s office as an independent candidate. She has held no prior elected positions. Click here to read about her.
###