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08/01/2017 12:00 AMThe next time you’re at the grocery or the beach or just mowing your lawn, don’t be surprised to find a friendly neighbor approaching with a clipboard in hand. This summer, Clinton voters may be asked to sign a number of petitions that promise to shape the town and its government in the years ahead.
Compared to neighboring towns with few contested seats, Clinton has options aplenty for voter engagement. At press time, Clinton voters could sign onto petitions for seven candidates seeking seats for three parties and two petitions for direct action by the town.
For political parties, incumbent Democrats Lynn Pinder, Willie Fritz, and Leah Saunders are seeking to force a primary for a place on the ticket. Pinder is challenging endorsed candidate Christine Goupil for the first selectman seat, Fritz is seeking to primary Tim Guerra and Jack Scherban for his selectman seat, and Saunders is seeking to retain her Board of Finance seat against John Olsen, Dara Onofrio, and Michael Smith.
On the Republican side, Kirk Carr and Phil Sengle are collecting signatures to primary First Selectman Bruce Farmer and incumbent selectmen John Giannotti and Carol Walter, respectively.
Shoreline Green Party endorsed candidates Hugh Birdsall and James Connolly are collecting signatures to appear on the ballot for a seat on the Board of Education (Birdsall) and the Planning & Zoning Commission (Connolly).
Another petition circulating calls for the town to add the Charter Revision Committee’s recommended changes to town government to the November ballot. The Board of Selectmen declined to forward the proposed changes, which would add a professional, accredited town manager and a town planner, to voters in November; the Charter Revision Clinton Charter Reform Coalition (www.clintoncharterreform.com) is hoping to reverse that through petition.
A final petition calls for a public hearing and referendum on the Planning & Zoning Commission’s recent and controversial CVS settlement.