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Cheryl Shain (lower left) tabulates vote totals as other Ansonia election officials look on.
Ed Norman, a candidate for Ansonia Fourth Ward Alderman, conceded the Republican primary to incumbent Richard Kaslaitis after a recount confirmed the two had tied with 27 votes apiece.
Kaslaitis will join Martin Dempsey on the Republican party’s line on the election ballot for Fourth Ward Aldermen. But Norman will still be on the ballot as a petitioning candidate for the post.
The results of last week’s primary showed Kaslaitis and Norman — who were endorsed by Republican Town Committee members at a July 20 nominating convention — tied at 27 votes apiece.
Their challenger in the primary — incumbent Alderman Martin Dempsey, who was not endorsed at the party’s convention in July — won the race overwhelmingly, with 57 votes.
The recount took place 5 p.m. Monday (Sept. 18) in City Hall.
After election officials tallied the votes again by hand, they showed Norman and Kaslaitis still tied.
Republican Registrar of Voters Nancy Valentine said the normal procedure in that case would be a runoff between Kaslaitis and Norman, which had tentatively been scheduled for Oct. 3.
But Norman stood to announce he’d concede the primary to Kaslaitis, making the runoff unnecessary.
The two men then shook hands.
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Ed Norman and Richard Kaslaitis watch a GOP Primary Recount Sept. 18 in City Hall.
Norman said a runoff between him and Kaslaitis wouldn’t make sense because he supports Kaslaitis’ candidacy.
“To go to another primary in October is kind of ridiculous against the person I was actually running with,” Norman said.
A former Alderman and member of the tax board and housing authority, the 66-year-old Norman said he’ll now focus on convincing residents to vote for him in November.
Last week’s primary was the clearest contest yet between two camps within Ansonia’s Republican Party — one aligned with Mayor David Cassetti and another aligned with Board of Alderman President Phil Tripp. The mayor’s camp won big.
Dempsey is a member of “Team Cassetti.” Kaslaitis and Norman were supported by Tripp.
Dempsey won more votes than Kaslaitis and Norman combined.
In the primary’s other race, Team Cassetti challenger Tracey Ann DeLibero bested incumbents Vinnie Scarlata and Aretta Kotalis.
In the Fourth Ward race, the results still mean a member of each camp will have a party line on the Nov. 7 election ballot.
Meanwhile, two other candidates — Norman and Ray Knott, a petitioning candidate who didn’t run in the primary but is a member of “Team Cassetti” — will also appear on the ballot.
The Democratic Party did not endorse any candidates for the Fourth Ward Aldermen’s race.
