Chester Gives Overwhelming Support to Gister
Chester voters gave incumbent Democratic First Selectman Lauren Gister a strong vote of confidence in today’s election. With 33.77 percent of the 2,626 registered voters participating, Gister defeated Republican challenger Carolyn Linn by a more than tow-to-one margin, 797 votes to 358.
For the open Selectman seat, incumbent Democrat candidate Charlene Janacek got 765 votes while challenger Republican James Grzybowski got 382. Both will be seated. First selectman candidate Linn did not receive enough votes to claim a seat as a selectman.
Board of Finance was won by Michael Joplin (D) with a total number of votes of 757. Challengers John O’Hare (R) and Michael Sanders received 376 and 150 votes, respectively.
The Planning & Zoning Commission four-year term seat will go to Democrat Elaine Fitzgibbons who got 745 votes over Republican Samantha Grass’s 346.
Two seats on the Library Trustees will go to Elizabeth Tucker and Margaret Carter-Ward. They had 679 and 652 votes while Kathy Merola got 486.
Zoning Board of Appeals winners are Democrats Errol Horner (631 votes) and John DeLaura (467). Republican John O’Hare’s 376 votes did not win him a full seat, though he may be appointed to one of two, two-year seats; Democrat Erik Anderson will take the remaining two-year seat.
Full-term seats on the Water Pollution Control Authority will go to Democrats Edward Ward III (670 votes), Edmund Meehan (804), and Samuel Chorches (725); Republican Meredith Devanney won 433 votes and may be appointed to an empty two-year position.
For the regional Probate Court, Democrat Jeannine Lewis won locally and regionally over Republican Anselmo Delia; in Chester the vote was 776 to 316.