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11/10/2023 11:25 AMIn a tightly contested race, Democratic first selectman candidate Carol Doak-Jones narrowly defeated Republican Kathryn Russell.
Jones clinched the race with 874 votes over Russell's 847 votes. Incumbent Democratic Selectman Duane Gates received 1,164 votes and will remain on the Board of Selectmen with his two new colleagues in Jones and Russell.
“I am so grateful to the Deep River community who came out to vote in large numbers. Thank you for electing me your First Selectman and allowing me to continue to serve the town,” said Jones. “We have work to do to keep Deep River moving forward and I am confident that by working together, we can achieve our goals.”
Russell, who will serve as third selectman, said she plans to “work closely with Carol Jones, Duane Gates, and town, regional, and state leaders on key challenges and opportunities for Deep River,” she said.
“I will continue to put Deep River first and will show Deep River residents the respect they deserve in our interactions and when determining how to spend their hard-earned tax dollars.”
McDonald was elected as one of the three new Library Trustees, winning 943 votes. He and petitioning candidate Jacqueline Nash, who won 374 votes, will replace outgoing trustees Stephani Award and Patricia Risinit. Alexa Jamieson will retain her position as a trustee, winning 770 votes.
Amy Winchell won as an unaffiliated candidate for another term as Town Clerk. She won 976 votes by petition. Republican Thomas Lindner will remain the Tax Collector, winning 1245 votes.
Democrats Jacquelyn G. Calamari and Michael T. Weglarz retain their seats on the Board of Finance, winning 1093 and 995 votes, respectively. Petitioning candidate Lawrence Stewart won 386 votes and will replace outgoing member John Wichtowski.
Democrats Patricia Maikowski and Melissa M. McIntyre were reelected to their positions on the Board of Education, winning a respective 1010 and 939 votes. Nicholas Rioux will retain his seat on the board with a total of 361 votes by petition. Petitioning candidate Kevin Harris and Republican Joel Harris will be new members of the board.
Democrat Cody Layton won 990 votes to become the newest member of the Municipal Ethics Commission. He will join the reelected Grace Joan Defilippo, a petitioning candidate who won 532 votes, and Republican John Greene, Jr., who won 985 votes.
Democrat Richard Daniels, Jr. won 1114 votes to retain his position as Deep River’s representative on the Region 4 Board of Education.
Five hundred fifty-five votes were cast in favor of a referendum to appropriate $622,947 “for the cost of the John Winthrop Middle School Security Project,” going towards the construction of a secure vestibule at the school. The project is meant to add an extra layer of security to the middle school and should be “compliant with all applicable building codes,“ said Superintendent Brian White. The project will see the installation of an exterior elevator leading to the vestibule. White said the project is expected by the district to begin its construction phase in the summer of 2024.