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11/03/2021 12:00 AMIt was long and stressful evening for candidates in Madison on election night as ballot counting stretched until after midnight. It all came down to the absentee ballots, and when finally counted, those ballots were the deciding votes for incumbent Democrat First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons, who pulled ahead for a victory.
The race was fairly close with Lyons winning by a little more than 700 votes over current Republican Board of Selectman member and challenger Bruce Wilson.
Both candidates’ campaigns were generally free from the level of contentiousness that pervaded several other area elections. Wilson has run several times for town and state offices, and even though he had an early lead in the voting, he did not manage to maintain that after all of the absentee ballots were counted.
Lyons said her victory is a win for the town and that she is already working on bi-partisan cooperation on town issues and plans.
“I am so grateful that the voters of Madison have given me the opportunity to lead our beautiful town for another two years,” said Lyons. “We ran a campaign focused on a positive message of proven leadership, accomplishments, and progress for our town and I am grateful that resonated with voters. I am also excited to be working with all of the candidates who won their positions on different town boards. We are here to serve our community and I look forward to all of us coming together to move forward with a vision for our future.”
Wilson said that he was disappointed with the results, but vowed to keep working across the aisle and seek what is best for Madison residents.
“When you start these things, you have to be honest with yourself that it may not go your way. You simply put your head down and do your best,” Wilson said. “Clearly we were out matched. As well as we did in increasing our numbers, they increased their numbers even more. Every two years, somebody wins and somebody loses and then we get back to doing the business of the town. We have a long history in this town of coming back together and getting back to business rather quickly and not carrying grudges. So I have every expectation that that’s the way it will be now.
“When I started this I knew it was going to be kind of an uphill battle. I gave it my best effort,” Wilson continued. “I thought we ran a good campaign and it was a wonderful opportunity to connect with residents. I am honored that I had this opportunity and consider myself fortunate.”
Madison’s Board of Selectman elections provide for an interesting win/loss scenario. Though Wilson technically lost his bid for first selectman, his vote total allows him to retain his current seat on the BOS.
The race for Board of Selectman seated the following other candidates; Bruce Wilson gains his seat back; Democrats Scott Murphy and Al Goldberg also maintained their seats; and former BOS member Noreen Kokoruda (R) also successfully obtained a seat on the board, replacing Republican Erin Duques, who did not run for her seat.
In the Board of Finance race, Democrats Cindy Breckheimer and Katie Stein won seats and Republican Jean Fitzgerald maintained her seat.
In the Board of Education (BOE) race, Republican Maryanne Connelly retained her seat and Republican Jennifer Gordon won a seat on the board. Democrats Maureen Hackett Lewis and Steven Pynn were added to the board, and Emily Rosenthal won her seat back on the BOE.
The Zoning Board of Appeals saw Democrat Richard Gilbert and Republican Jason Brown maintain their current seats on the Board. The Board of Assessment Appeals saw both candidates who ran seated: Republican Bill Lewis and Democrat Shirley Taylor.
Dylan Stella, 18, succeeded in his write in campaign for alternate on the Zoning Board of Appeals. Though not yet verified, his win is considered by most election observers as the youngest person in recent history elected to town office in Madison.