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Carfora Wins Second Term as East Haven Mayor

In the 2021 municipal elections, the Democratic Party claimed almost every seat that was up for grabs as Mayor Joe Carfora was reelected to his second term with nearly 70 percent of the votes with 4,244 over Republican candidate Sal Maltese’s 1,881.

“East Haven spoke loud and clear and gave us a resounding victory. It tells us that they like the journey that we have started,” said Carfora. “With such a mandate comes responsibility and, with that in mind, we intend to move forward in accountable manner. I take great pride in the team that we assembled so it was a rewarding that they won as well.”

One of the closest races of the night was for town clerk. In the end, Democratic challenger Lisa Balter had 3,045 votes to incumbent Stacy Gravino’s 2,821.

Each of East Haven’s five districts saw three candidates elected to the Town Council. In all but District 4, each seat was won by the Democratic candidates. In District 4, Republican Samantha Parlato rounded out the top three candidates with 549 votes following Susan C. Stacey with 611 and Michael Ginnetti with 550.

In every other district, the three Democratic candidates collected more than 60 percent of the votes. The winners included Beth Capotorto, Ashley Lesco, and Kimberly Glassman in District 1; Joseph E. Deko, Karen A. Martin, and Joe Santino in District 2; Louis G. Pacelli, Marianne Cesare, and Josh Balter in District 3; and Jennifer Ruggiero, Ray D. Pompano, and Albert Vollono in District 5.

The Board of Finance saw Democrats Richard A. DePalma, Richard Esposito, Christopher M. Perdo, and Alfrd Purzycki elected. Each of the Democratic Party’s six candidates for the Board of Education received over 9 percent of the votes. Those elected to the Board of Education include Jack Stacey, Patricia (Tia) DePalma, Dominic Milano, Michele Delucia, Karyn Putney, and Erika Santino-Santiago.

Of East Haven’s 16,917 registered voters, 6,080 turned out to the polls for the 2021 municipal elections for 38.91 percent voter turnout, above the statewide average turnout of 30.17 percent.

As Carfora looks forward to his second term, he and his team plan to continue the momentum they have built in their first two years leading East Haven.

“Our top priority is always the safety of our citizens so making sure that police and fire are staffed and properly trained is a top priority,” said Carfora. “But like the leadership in any corporation, we will sit down and evaluate the way we work and establish our lists of priorities moving forward.”