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01/23/2018 02:00 PMFollowing a contentious municipal election in which two of three Republican Town Committee (RTC) choices for the Board of Selectmen were overturned at primary, on Jan. 11, the RTC elected the leadership that will shape the party’s direction for the next two years—and the election wasn’t favorable to the party upstarts.
In the primary preceding the 2017 municipal elections, Republicans Kirk Carr and Phil Sengle successfully challenged party nominees First Selectman Bruce Farmer and Selectman John Giannotti for their seats. In November, Sengle (a former RTC chair) won his seat; Carr did not. Neither was seated on the RTC, while Farmer and Giannotti retained their RTC seats.
The 35 individuals elected to a two-year term on the RTC and 30 elected to the Democratic Town Committee (DTC) are charged with nominating members for the various boards and commission in town and endorsing candidates for the municipal elections every two years.
RTC Chair James Staunton said there was little turnover for the party on Jan. 11 and that the committee added a few new members with a proven track record.
“They’ve been coming to the meetings, and been very active,” Staunton said.
Sengle said he believed he angered members of the party when he challenged the endorsed slate in 2017.
“This bothered the party regulars to no end. The existing RTC members were very angry with me and Kirk,” Sengle said.
Of Sengle, Staunton said his conduct during the municipal elections showed a lack of good faith.
“During the election, he had some deviations from the RTC campaign,” Staunton said, such as having campaign signs that did not support some of the endorsed RTC candidates after the primary.
“Phil was part of a separate campaign,” Staunton said.
Of not being nominated, Sengle said, “I was surprised and disappointed as a sitting BOS and former RTC chair...They always talk about getting together and healing the party, but then they did this,” Sengle said.
The Democratic Town Committee (DTC) also held its caucus on Jan. 11. Five new members—Jason Adler, Carrie Allen, Phyllis McGrath, Peter Niles, and Jonathan Wolfer—will join the committee, which also includes First Selectman Christine Goupil and selectmen Timothy Guerra and Jack Scherban.
For a complete list of the DTC members, visit clintondtc.org/about. Find the list of RTC members with this story at www.zip06.com.