Kristyn Hanewicz, left, and her brother Jeffrey Hanewicz, right, fill out candidate paperwork July 20 in Seymour with Democratic Town Committee Treasurer Ed Strumello.
Republican First Selectman Kurt Miller won’t have an endorsed Democratic opponent this November in his quest for a fourth term.
The Democratic Town Committee Thursday declined to endorse a candidate for the town’s top spot during their nominating convention at the Community Center, instead focusing on other races they believe they can win.
“This is a tough time for Democrats in the Valley, and in particular in Seymour,” said Stephan Behuniak, the chairman of the Democratic Town Committee, who also sits on the Board of Selectmen and is running for another term on that board.
Seymour’s a Republican town of late. The town voted Trump for president, and favored Republican candidate Tom Foley over Gov. Dan Malloy. The Klarides sisters — Themis and Nicole Klarides-Ditria — are both state reps from Seymour (though Themis Klarides lives in Derby).
So the Democrats are grooming candidates for future races, but none are ready to take on Miller this year, Behuniak said.
“Kurt is a very popular first selectman,” he said. “We ran a great campaign against him in 2015 and couldn’t beat him, so this year we are focusing on developing people to run, but we just don’t have anyone ready now.”
Despite that, the committee is growing in strength and numbers, he said, especially since last November’s presidential election.
“We have signed up more than a half dozen young Democrats in Seymour,” said Behuniak, who also is the vice president of the Naugatuck Valley Young Democrats. “We are very active and passionate.”
There are a lot of people who are upset about the results of the presidential election but don’t know how to get involved, Behuniak said, so one of their priorities is to “do a better job of getting the message out there.
“My vision is to get 50 percent of membership made up of people under 35, and we will get there sooner rather than later,” he said, “and that will spell success in the future.”
Robert Van Egghen, who also is a candidate for the Board of Selectmen, said he’s running to make a difference in his community. “I want to be part of the process,” he said. “I’ve lived here for four years and just got married and this is my home.”
“Our strategy is to nominate the best people for position throughout the slate,” Behuniak said. “We wanted to make sure that we got the right people in the right spots.”
The committee endorsed the following candidates:
First Selectman
None
Board of Selectmen
Stephan Behuniak
Robert VanEgghan
Karen Stanek
Board of Finance
John Stelma (four-year term)
William Sawicki (two-year term)
Kristyn Hanewicz (alternate)
Board of Education
Laurie Robinson
Fred Stanek
Ed Strumello
Planning and Zoning
Jamie Brennan
Jeffrey Hanewicz
Board of Police Commissioners
Frank Conroy
Colleen Fries
Board of Assessment Appeals
Thomas LaPaglia
Kwame Dunbar
Library Board of Directors
Audrey Lenhard
