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
