Tom Egan, in a photo from Facebook.
ANSONIA – A lawyer new to politics received the official nod from Ansonia Democrats last week to challenge incumbent Mayor David Cassetti.
Thomas Egan, 35, was endorsed by the Ansonia Democratic Committee to run on the Democratic line in the Nov. 7 election.
In an interview with The Valley Indy this week, Egan said he decided to enter local politics after seeing a man die from a gunshot wound on Main Street last April. The man had been shot on the north end after the vehicle he was a passenger in was ambushed. The driver made it to Main Street before pulling over.
Egan said he contacted the mayor’s office but was not happy with the response.
“I didn’t want to get involved in politics, but I watched a kid die back in April 2022 outside my office due to gun violence. I didn’t know what to do, so I wrote a letter to the editor. I wrote a letter to Mayor David Cassetti asking ‘what are you going to do to stop this?’ I can’t have a business on Main Street with things like this happening.”
Egan said the mayor agreed to meet him to discuss the matter but didn’t show up.
“At that point, either intentionally or unintentionally, the gears started going forward,” Egan said.
Two people were arrested in connection to that 2022 drug-related shooting, and the administration said they’re working on a plan to install a sophisticated surveillance system on the north end.
When asked to respond, Mayor Cassetti said he did meet with Egan to discuss crime. He said Egan’s platform is to oppose everything without offering solutions, a message voters will reject.
“We offered to have him join us and come up with some solutions, but once again instead of trying to resolve issues, he merely wants to oppose issues,” Cassetti said.
The mayor said Egan should ask state Rep. Kara Rochelle, a Democrat who represents Ansonia in the state House of Representatives, why Democrats are soft on crime.
Egan is from New Fairfield and is a 2006 graduate of New Fairfield High School. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut, where he studied political science. His law degree is from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Tampa, Fla.
In between UConn and law school, Egan worked as a laborer in the construction industry for a few years, but said he always dreamed about going into law.
After law school he worked as a temporary law clerk at Superior Court in Meriden, and then as a lawyer for Allstate, the insurance company.
He opened a law firm – Egan Law, LLC – in Ansonia just about two years ago.
He said lawyering is a public service.
“I wanted to defend the innocent. I do a pro bono clinic here in Ansonia and Derby. Anyone that’s facing the threat of eviction, I take their case on, at no charge. It is part of me giving back to the community. It’s the least I can do.”
Egan is currently representing Matthew McGowan in a lawsuit against the city regarding the purchase and sale of property on Olson Drive, where a private sports complex is scheduled to be constructed.
Egan said his involvement with that issue showed him the Cassetti administration is not transparent.
“I got involved in this lawsuit regarding Olson Drive with the city blatantly saying ‘we’re going to go ahead and violate our own ordinances because we choose to.’ I realized something was wrong at City Hall. Something isn’t right,” Egan said.
The Cassetti administration has characterized the lawsuit as politically motivated. Both Egan and McGowan are on the Democratic Town Committee.
A judge ruled in Ansonia’s favor, but the case is on appeal.
Egan also said Ansonia Corporation Counsel John Marini has banned him from accessing city financial records.
“Something is wrong if a member of the public can’t inspect city records,” Egan said. “And that’s why I’m running. Something is not right in City Hall. If you can’t see what’s happening or where the money is going, it means that they are hiding something. Now what is it, I don’t know.”
Marini said the administration simply asked Egan to make an appointment, which is standard procedure.
“He can’t just stroll in and sit down at the computer,” Marini said.
Mayor Cassetti is a popular elected official.
His administration is skilled at marketing the mayor on social media; Main Street and the downtown is undergoing a transformation; community events are a constant; the mill rate is lower than it was when Cassetti was first elected, and; during the last election, the Democrats lost seats to ‘Team Cassetti’ on the Ansonia Board of Aldermen.
The criticism of city finances has been a cornerstone of Democratic campaigns against Cassetti since 2015. It’s had no impact on Ansonia voters.
The Valley Indy asked Egan whether the grievances he’s listed against the administration will translate into the votes needed to unseat a five-term incumbent everybody knows.
“If the people find out what their tax dollars are being spent on, I think they would wake up,” Egan said.
Egan specifically criticized a line in the city budget that lists $5 million in anticipated revenue in connection to the redevelopment of two old factories in the heart of downtown: the former Ansonia Copper & Brass, and the former SHW property.
He also pointed out that while the mill rate went down in Ansonia, people who own multi-family properties in the city will likely see their taxes go up. This is due to revaluation.
Egan said if elected he’ll look for opportunities to regionalize services with other towns to save money; conduct a review of all city-owned and leased vehicles, and; be more transparent during the city’s annual budget process.
McGowan, who is currently the temporary chairman of the Ansonia Democratic Town Committee, said that Egan works had at his profession and at building relationships in Ansonia.
“It is not only my opinion, but in the opinion of the whole Democratic Town Committee that Tom is the candidate to help solve many of Ansonia’s issues from bringing some much needed physical responsibility to making sure that our neighborhoods are safe and clean for all Ansonia’s residents and everything in between,” McGowan said.
Egan is single and lives in the Second Ward, not far from downtown.
Here is the complete list of candidates endorsed by the Ansonia Democratic Town Committee:
Mayor
Thomas Egan
Board of Aldermen
Ward 1
Alisha Freelove
Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg
Ward 2
Jaylen Daniels
Bill Phipps
Ward 3
Patricio Silva
Tom Finnucan Sr.
Ward 4
Angel Bailey (withdrew after being nominated, according to the town committee)
Rohan Brown
Ward 5
Rosemarie Huggins
Stevie Bobbitt
Ward 6
Daniel Stahl
Richard Tylinski
Ward 7
Steven Erlingheuser
Nunzio Parente
Board of Education
Chris Phipps
Stephanie Ocasio Gonzalez
Treasurer
Judy Nicolari
Town Clerk
Beth Lynch
Sheriff
Chris Grizzle
Sean Rowley
