DERBY — Gino DiGiovanni’s defeat of three-term incumbent Mayor Richard Dziekan in a Republican primary earlier this week was upheld after the votes were recounted Friday in Derby City Hall.
The final recounted tally — 202 votes for DiGiovanni, 192 for Dziekan — did not change from the Tuesday primary.
The primary win means that DiGiovanni, a Second Ward Alderman in his first term, will appear on the November ballot under the Republican line. Dziekan already collected enough signatures to get on the November ballot as a petitioning candidate.
The Democrats have nominated former Alderman Joseph DiMartino for mayor. In addition, resident Sharlene McEvoy is running as a petitioning candidate.
Friday’s recount was automatic under state law because the primary results were so close. Recounts are not unusual in Derby, Connecticut’s smallest city. But Friday’s routine recount was attended by a large contingent of press, including various Connecticut television stations, public radio, and a reporter from The New York Times.
The press is paying close attention to the Derby mayoral race because DiGiovanni has federal misdemeanor charges pending in connection to entering the U.S. Capitol building during the Jan. 6 insurrection.
After the recount ended, Dziekan, who conceded he lost but did not approach DiGiovanni in the room where the recount took place, said DiGiovanni comes with a lot of “baggage,” presumably referring to the federal case.
Dziekan also said he has no plans to drop out of the race to support the Republican nominee, something suggested on Tuesday by local Republican Sam Pollastro, who once served as Dziekan’s campaign manager.
Reporters at the recount asked Dziekan whether Republicans will split their votes now that both he and DiGiovanni are on the ballot.
Dziekan said he plans to win.
In Derby, 35 percent of registered voters are Democrats and 19 percent are Republican. But 44 percent aren’t affiliated with the two major parties.
“Now we have the independents, the unaffiliated. It’s going to be a tough battle for him, with his baggage that he’s carrying right now,” Dziekan said.
DiGiovanni said his background isn’t in politics, so he’s confident he can get voters in Derby to cross party lines. On the Board of Aldermen & Alderwomen DiGiovanni represents Derby’s Second Ward, which is heavily Democratic.
“In 2021, I pulled in a lot of Democratic votes. I’m pretty much straight down the middle when it comes to the electorate,” he said.
Regarding Dziekan’s “baggage” comment, DiGiovanni said it’s good to have all eyes on Derby.
“This is the first time in Derby’s history this race is on a national scale,” DiGiovanni said. “If everybody in the country, nationwide, not just statewide, wants to interview me and put Derby on the map, I’ll take that.”
Election Day is Nov. 7.