The Ansonia Republican Town Committee will not run a candidate to oppose incumbent Mayor James Della Volpe. Instead, party leaders will focus on winning seats on the Board of Aldermen.
“Rather than put a lot of money behind a mayoral candidate, we’d like to see members on the Board of Aldermen. We need more Republicans on the Board of Aldermen,” said Joan P. Radin, chairman of the Republican Town Committee, after a brief party caucus Tuesday at John J. Sullivan’s restaurant.
The Republicans hold few offices in Ansonia.
Two years ago it had a Republican challenger to Mayor James Della Volpe, Judy Larkin Nicolari, but this year the party had no candidate strong enough to run for the challenge, Radin said.
The GOP did not have a party member on the Board of Aldermen for 10 years, until two years ago, when Republican John P. Marini won a seat in the Third Ward.
Marini has moved and he was nominated Tuesday for to run for the Seventh Ward. That ward is currently represented by Aldermanic President Stephen Blume and David Knapp. Both are Democrats.
Marini spoke at the GOP caucus Tuesday, saying the city needs more economic development to ease the property tax burden off homeowners.
More than a decade of Democratic monopoly has not helped the city, he said.
“We are the party of higher expectations. From tonight on, we are the party that puts aside politics as usual and puts Ansonia first,” Marini said.
He expressed hope the GOP will win more seats on the Board of Aldermen.
“As you might know, I’m slightly outnumbered on the board right now. It gets a little lonely out there. But tonight the call for reinforcements has gone out and something tells me that I’m not going to be alone when I get back to City Hall after Nov. 8,” Marini said.
The GOP did not nominate candidates for town clerk/city clerk, city treasurer, Third Ward Aldermen or Fourth Ward Aldermen.
“We don’t have a lot of candidates, but we have strong ones,” Radin said.
The following is the Republican slate:
First Ward Alderman
Jennifer Drauss
Randolf Carroll
Second Ward Alderman
Lt. Col. Philip Tripp
Charles Stowe
Fifth Ward Alderman
Joan P. Radin
Sixth Ward Alderman
Irving Reed
Seventh Ward Alderman
John Marini (incumbent from the Third Ward)
Board of Education
Robert Caruso (incumbent)
William Nimons (incumbent)
Sheriff
Piotr Gujski
Well, this is truly disappointing news. At a time when voter discontent is pretty high, the Ansonia GOP cannot even muster up a candidate to run for Mayor? You really cannot talk about needing a change at City Hall when you cannot even field a full slate of challengers for the BOA.
I think it’s time the Ansonia GOP takes a good look inside itself and begins to make wholesale changes from the top down. You need to do something to inject life into this party. If I were Radin I would step down today and let someone else take over.
There was a golden opportunity laid out right in front of you and you blew it GOP. There is no hope for change in Ansonia now thanks to your ineffectiveness.
Truman you are 100% right. The GOP needs a new faces and fresh, bright ideas. Ansonia could be so much more but with the same people in office I don’t think Ansonia will ever see change for the better. Good luck to everybody running for alderman. Maybe if some or all get elected, there will be a chance for change.
Truman:
You are right- the Ansonia GOP does need a new start.
But for that to happen, Ansonia residents have to stop being afraid of the Democratic majority and be brave enough to sign up and run as Republicans.
Truman, please be part of the solution to this problem. Please contact the party at: Ansonia.GOP@gmail.com.
There is a meeting at JJ Sullivan’s on Thursday, August 4th. Feel free to attend.
And that goes for anyone else reading this board.
If you’re too afraid to get publicly involved, then you’re just as much to blame for the mess we’re all in.
Remember, this isn’t the national GOP. It’s not even the state GOP. It’s the Ansonia Republican party.
If you want an opposition party strong enough to achieve change in town, do your part and join up.
@AnsoniaResident58:
Well, for starters I am an Independent who leans toward the Republicans on most issues (but that’s a whole other thread for a different time).
But to the point – perhaps other residents were under the same impression I was, and that is that the GOP was functioning as a party that was full of life and energized by an opportunity to make some much needed headway in eliminating the one party system in Ansonia. Instead, we find out that it’s time to start CPR as the GOP is near death.
A New Haven Register article quoted Radin a few weeks back and she said the GOP had a few candidates who had expressed an interest in running for Mayor. Maybe others, like myself, were not apathetic, but rather hopeful that you had a plan in place. What happened between then and now that you have no one to run?
If you are in need of new life, then why haven’t you advertised such? Perhaps a letter to the residents of Ansonia asking for people to be more involved? Perhaps a letter to the editor of local publications? Run a fundraiser and meet with the community to make your issues known? I don’t know…just a few ideas that pop into my head at the moment.
I am involved in a few other civic minded areas in town so I did not have time to commit to something else, but perhaps it is time to re-think priorities?
I’m just very disappointed because I feel like the GOP quit on the citizens of Ansonia, and because as an American I cherish the opportunity to express my opinion/desires through voting. And when I don’t even have that opportunity it is frustrating.
Truman:
The Ansonia Republicans are a larger and more energized group then they were even 2 years ago. That being said, they are still rebuilding their party and regaining trust with the voters.
This year, they have intentionally and strategically chosen to set their sights on the Board of Aldermen. They want their strongest candidates vying for those seats.
You make a lot of fair points- but the Ansonia GOP is nowhere near giving up. They are more committed than ever to changing Ansonia.
I will say that there are many independents “leaning Republican” these days. Perhaps more so than actual Republicans. This is fine- but it makes it difficult to put together a party to match the democrats, who have an almost 2 to 1 registration advantage in town.
If you want to see a strong Republican party–or if you really want change–then you need to consider joining. I’m sure you would be more than welcome there.
Fence sitting could mean another 12 years of the same for Ansonia.
@AnsoniaResident58:
Well, like I said, being an Independent voter is for a whole other thread entirely and would derail the discussion in this one, but suffice it to say I am unhappy with the Republicans on a national level and that is why I changed to an Independent. It has nothing to do with fence sitting.
And there may be a 2-to-1 advantage of Dems to Repubs in Ansonia, but I hope that is not the reason the GOP decided to forego a mayoral candidate. I believe you could have taken a majority of the Independent voters, and even some Dems I talked to have said they want change.
You are more involved than I, so I will give you the benefit of the doubt and trust that this strategy is something you feel can be successful. In my opinion, you have a tough road ahead of you. You are asking the voters to pull the Dem lever for Mayor and then switch over and pull the Republican lever for the rest? I know we don’t use levers anymore, but you get the idea :). I would have thought you would have wanted the mayor to sweat a little rather than hand him the election in July.
But like I said, I will trust your judgement due to your involvement. I would just encourage you to have your candidates hit the streets HARD and make your names known. Hammer on the issues now in the months leading up to the election. Use every resource available to get your message out starting now and hopefully you have a chance to unseat these people.
…and maybe you will see me in the near future. Until then, good luck!!!!
@Truman:
Thanks. I can tell you that your recommendations will be followed. Hope to see you around!
I think this is a smart strategy.
John Marini has only been alderman for one term. He doesn’thave the experience or recognition that Mayor DellaVolpe has. If he ran for Mayor and lost, Ansonia would again be all Democrats from the top down. By running for Alderman, a position Marini has proved he excels at, it will keep the Republican party in Ansonia politics. After some more time and experience, Marini can then challenge DellaVolpe (or whomever the Democratic nominee is).
As a side note, I’m sure the Democratic party would love for Marini to run for mayor. Because as an Alderman he is both a short term and long term threat for the monopoly the Democrats have had on Ansonia politics.
I welcome the prospect of a two party system back to Ansonia – the way democracy was meant to be. Good luck!