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11/06/2019 11:00 PMIn an uncontested race for first selectman, incumbent Republican Michael Freda won his sixth term in office with 4,789 votes last Tuesday. Rounding out the Board of Selectmen will be Republican incumbent Second Selectman William Pieper with 3,473 votes and Democratic incumbent Third Selectman Sally Buemi with 1,896 votes.
Voter turnout was 32 percent, with 5,678 of the town’s 17,745 registered voters participating, according to election officials.
“I am humbled and honored to have once again won another election,” said Freda. “I am grateful that we have retained all of our boards and commission seats under my administration.”
Freda attributed his lengthy stay in office to his high energy level and competitive spirit that stems from his corporate business career.
“We can never get complacent,” he said. “We always have to do better. I want to continue to produce positive outcomes for North Haven.”
In the past two years, “successes revolve around top-line revenue growth with new businesses coming to town—Amazon is a part of that. The economy here is humming along and the town has a low unemployment rate,” he said.
The town’s AAA credit rating, which Freda describes as a “gold standard,” will serve the town well, he said. Municipalities with this high rating can typically ride out weak economies and fare better in economic downturns, according to municipal credit analysts.
Freda’s priorities for the next two years will include tightening security for students, faculty, and staff at the elementary schools. He also plans to take advantage of the state’s brownfield municipal grant program, potentially clearing contaminated parcels of land to encourage greater business development.
“I would like to commit to the citizens of North Haven that we will continue to be well run financially. We will continue to improve our town’s infrastructure and make it a wonderful place to live,” he said.
Although the top of the ticket was unchallenged, most remaining races were competitive.
With 3,732 votes, incumbent Republican Town Clerk and Tax Collector J. Stacey Yarbrough beat out Democrat Kathy Spinato-Grant, who had 1,652.
For town treasurer, incumbent Republican Laurie-Jean Hannon defeated Democrat Stephen Gifford with 3,722 votes to his 1,650.
For Board of Finance, Republican incumbents Richard Monico (3,455 votes) and Timothy Doheny (3,538 votes) with Democrat Nancy Barrett (1,906) were elected, over Democrat Patricia Ann Brown with 1,750 votes.
For the Board of Education, two Republicans, current Chair Anita Anderson with 3,373 votes and Eleni Diakogeorgiou with 3,231 votes, earned two of the seats while Democrat Jennifer Cecarelli earned the third with 2,210 votes.
For Board of Assessment Appeals, Democrat Danielle Morfi had 1,884 votes while incumbent Republicans Jane Andrews 3,637 and Michael Fletcher 3,696; all will be seated.
For the Planning & Zoning Commission, Republicans Richard Wilson with 3,349 votes and Brian Cummings with 3,734 and incumbent Democrat James Giulietti with 2,115 votes were seated.
Zoning Board of Appeals incumbents Republican Donald Clark with 3,444 votes and Democrat Albert Wambolt with 1,699 votes will be re-elected. Alternate candidates Republican Andrew Gorry with 3,435 votes and incumbents Democrat Kenneth Quick with 1,897 votes and Republican Carolyn Yaccarino with 3,867 votes also earned a seat.
For Board of Police Commissioners, incumbent Democrat Marc Calafiore with 1,962 votes and Republican Robin Wilson with 3,127 votes were re-elected.
For Board of Fire Commissioners, incumbent Republican Mary Jane Mulligan with 2,161 votes and Democrat Jennifer Caldwell with 1,647 votes beat out write-in candidate and incumbent Democrat Peter Criscuolo, who had 1,309 votes.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Democrat James Giulietti was not re-elected to the Planning & Zoning Commission.