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07/19/2019 12:00 AMVeteran public servant and Representative Town Meeting (RTM) member Raymond Dunbar tops Branford Democratic Committee's (DTC) November 2019 election slate as its sole selectman candidate, but quite notably is not being positioned for a First Selectman's run. Instead, the DTC is putting into play a new strategy that focuses on bringing "a little more balance" to the Representative Town Meeting (RTM), which is the "purse-strings" of the town, said DTC chair Lynda Mollow.
"We all agree that the Town runs a little bit better when there's balance and the decisions aren't all coming from one place, so we would really like to try to have a greater say in the way we spend money in town and other [RTM] decisions," said Mollow.
Currently, Democrats hold a minority of 12 seats on the 30-member RTM, with the GOP holding the majority (18 seats).
Branford's three-person Board of Selectmen (BOS) is currently led by Republican First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove with Republican Selectman Joe Higgins, both in their third consecutive terms. Branford's Republican caucus is set to convene to endorse the GOP's November 2019 municipal election slate on Monday, July 22.
Branford's 2019 municipal election will take place on Tues. Nov. 5, 2019.
On July 16, the DTC also thanked current Democratic Selectman, Jack Ahern, for his years of service. Ahern gave the DTC ample notice that he did not wish to seek a third consecutive term with the BOS, said Mollow.
Having Dunbar on the November 2019 ticket as the DTC's only selectman candidate, atop a full slate of Democratic RTM candidates and other town-wide candidates, is a strategy meant to "...change the dynamic of the campaign," said Mollow, who was the DTC's candidate for First Selectman, with Ahern as her running mate, in the 2017 race won by Cosgrove.
"Ray has a vast amount of experience and knowledge; and he certainly is leading us, but it does put a lot of responsibility on the rest of the ticket to really step up and see what they want and what they're going to fight for. So it's a huge shift in the way people are seeing their participation in the campaign," she told Zip06/The Sound.
In a press release announcing Dunbar's endorsement and the DTC slate, Mollow noted he is 38-year member of the Branford Police Department (BPD) who will retire as a Captain on Thursday, July 19. Dunbar was nominated by former First Selectman Anthony "Unk" DaRos on July 16, and unanimously endorsed by the DTC. Dunbar currently represents District 2 as a member of the RTM.
DaRos, who served as Branford's Democratic First Selectman for a total of 12 years (1997 – 2003 and from 2007 – 2013), took note of Dunbar's deep roots in the community, his decades of service to the town, and praised his service on the RTM from 1997 to 2005 and again from 2017 through 2019, according to the DTC press release. DaRos also emphasized Dunbar's thorough knowledge of the town and its processes as well as the wide respect he's earned for his contributions to the successful management of the police department, according to the release.
Prior to joining BPD in 1985 as a patrol officer, Dunbar served in the U.S. Navy. The Branford resident and his wife, Cynthia, raised their two daughters in town. Dunbar has been a member of Branford Elks Lodge 1939 for 26 years. Mollow said Dunbar's considerable service to the country, town, and community have helped develop his leadership skills, appreciate the roles and responsibilities of town departments, and understand the needs of the citizens they serve.
Mollow stated she's seeing an enthusiastic and talented team coming together that's already benefiting from Dunbar's "institutional knowledge," together with the experience of many seasoned RTM candidates on the 2019 Democratic ticket.
"We have been fortunate that many former and current RTM representatives will be running again and sharing their experience with the team," said Mollow.
The full slate of RTM candidates endorsed July 16 includes District 1 candidates Maggie Bruno, Michele Sember, Alisa Waterman and Richard Saltz; District 2 candidates Rebecca DeAngelo and DeeDee Hakun; District 3 candidates Peter Jackson and Linda Erlanger; District 4 candidates Cynthia Lombardi and Shahida Soomro; District 5 candidates Kathi Traugh, Laura Noe and Tracy Everson; District 6 candidates Chris Sullivan, Nancy McCormack and Vijay Adhikari and District 7 candidates Tom Brockett and Donna Laich.
The DTC also endorsed current Branford Tax Collector Roberta Gill-Brooks, a Democrat, for re-election to a second consecutive term; and endorsed Kurt Schwanfelder as its candidate for Treasurer. The DTC further endorsed the re-election of Joseph Fazzino to the Board of Assessment Appeals, the election Board of Education (BOE) candidates Meredith Gaffney and Ellen Michaels (Michaels currently serves on the BOE due to being appointed in Jan. 2018 to fill vacated seat). The DTC also endorsed Constable candidates Chuck Tiernan, Francis Walsh, Ronald Washington and John O'Connor.
The DTC convened with an "impressive turnout" July 16 and all nominees were endorsed without any contest during the meeting, said Mollow.
In the press release, she noted she's been looking forward to "this particular slate of candidates" as it also includes several new RTM candidates who volunteered and "became energized" by the national Democratic party's success during the 2018 midterm election.
"They are eager to work hard to get elected, and return some balance to the RTM," stated Mollow, adding said she felt the entire slate of 2019 Branford Democratic candidates, "...seem to be a true snapshot of Branford, representing the diversity of our backgrounds, gender, experiences, and values here in town."