According to the Oxford registrar’s office, 30 residents previously listed as independent switched to Republican in the weeks leading up to the primary.
It’s not possible to say with 100 percent certainty, but those 30 freshly-minted Republicans just might have given George Temple the GOP nomination for First Selectman.
Temple, an attorney, beat David Yish by 17 votes after a Republican primary Tuesday.
The unofficial tally:
Temple: 425
Yish: 408
Temple may have also been helped by his running mate, Jeff Haney, who is now officially the Republican candidate for the Board of Selectmen.
Haney was the top vote-getter in Oxford Tuesday, with 462 votes.
Haney bested Yish’s running mate, Lila Ferrillo, who received 368 votes.
Temple and Haney will face the Democratic line-up of Joseph Calabrese for First Selectman and Dave McKane for the Board of Selectmen.
Voter turnout was decent, relatively speaking. About 32 percent of the Oxford’s eligible GOP’ers voted Tuesday.
The Associated Press carried a story Tuesday night forecasting the state average to be about 20 percent.
Of note in Oxford — both Yish and Ferrillo are Republicans who currently serve on elected boards in town.
Yish is the only Republican member of the Board of Selectmen, while Ferrillo is chairwoman of the Board of Finance.
Also of note — Temple and Haney received more votes than Yish and Ferrillo, even though a majority of members of the Oxford Town Republican Committee supported Yish and Ferrillo.
Temple had also received more votes than Yish in a Republican caucus in July, but Yish collected enough signatures to force Tuesday’s primary.
The uphill battle wasn’t lost on Temple, who received word of his win through a phone call at his house.
“I ran against the Town Committee-endorsed candidate. They have a lot of resources I don’t have. So there were no guarantees,” Temple said in a brief interview.
Here are a few remarks Temple made to supporters who gathered at his house:
“I feel overwhelming gratitude to the people that supported me, worked with me, voted for me, showed the confidence in me that is very humbling,” Temple said. “I’m proud to be a Republican and proud to be part of Oxford.”
Temple also said he respects Calabrese, the Democratic candidate to replace First Selectwoman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers, who has opted not to run for a third term.
“I think it will be a campaign run between two gentlemen,” Temple said of Calabrese. “And I think it will be a campaign that is going to be rich in issues, rich in what’s best for the Town of Oxford, and absolutely devoid of rancor or personal criticism.”
