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Several Competitive Races in Westbrook’s November Elections

On Tuesday, Nov. 7, registered voters will choose candidates to fill municipal positions and for the new Judge of Probate for the Saybrook District.

The top of the ticket is seeing the most competition. While the Democratic Town Committee did not nominate or endorse a candidate to compete against Republican Town Committee-endorsed candidate incumbent First Selectman Noel Bishop. T Bishop, two challengers have stepped forward to compete for the slot.

The first is petitioning candidate Colin Bennett; his candidacy is not affiliated with a political party. The second is a candidate promoting a write-in campaign, Ben Liberatore. Liberatore filled out paperwork with the Secretary of the State’s office in the first week of October to qualify as a write-in candidate for first selectman of Westbrook. Profiles of the first selectman candidates are below. Profiles of all candidates who’ve chosen to participate are in our Online Voters Guide, along all Harbor News political letters, and elections coverage at Zip06.com/election.

The other major board facing more than one candidate for open slots is the Board of Finance (BOF). Three candidates—incumbent Democrat Kate Gilstad-Hayden, incumbent Republican Anthony Cozza, and challenger Chris Ehlert, a former selectman, are competing to fill two open full-term slots. Running for the two-year BOF vacancy are two candidates; Democratic challenger Anne Hay seeks to oust incumbent Republican George Pytlik for the two-year BOF slot.

Under state law governing Board of Education (BOE) elections, voters can only cast ballots for two of the three candidates listed on the ballot—Democrat Zack Hayden and Republicans Kim Walker and Michelle Lynn Palumbo. However, with three openings on the BOE to be filled, all three will be elected as long as each receives at least one vote.

Four candidates are running for three openings on the Library Board of Directors: Democrat Julie Labbadia, and Republicans Paul Winch, Lynda Tragakes, and Melinda Xenelis.


Running in the special election to fill the Judge of Probate slot for the Saybrook District are Democrat Jeannine Lewis and Republican Anselmo Delia. The special election was called after former Probate Judge Terrance DeLomme reached the mandatory retirement age of 70.

Uncontested races will see the following candidates seated: Town Treasurer Jane Spanilo Butterworth (R), Tax Collector Kiberly Bratz (R), Board of Assessment Appeals Michelle Neri (R), Planning Commission—Bill Neale (D) and Eric Reeve (R), Zoning Commission—Lee Archer (R) and Dwayne Xenelis (R), and Zoning Board of Appeals—John Bech (D) and Devin Xenelis.