Politics & Government

Groton Republicans Select November Ticket

Five incumbent town councilors among those endorsed; some spots still open

Groton’s Republican Town Committee met Wednesday night to endorse candidates and discuss ongoing strategy for the upcoming November election. 

Among those chosen to run for Town Council are incumbents Bruce Flax, Deborah Peruzzotti, James Streeter, Frank O'Beirne, Jr., and Harry Watson.

Finding candidates willing to run has been a difficult endeavor for Matt Morton and the nominating committee.

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“We haven’t been able to fill all the seats in all the districts,” said Morton, who heads the nominating committee. “From what I’m hearing the Democrats have the same problem, but that’s no consolation to just sit back and do nothing.”

“If we don’t fill in a certain period of time we can petition it,” said Kevin Trejo, Republican Town Committee chairman, “but I would have to check exactly how that works.”

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Committee members voted to give Trejo and the nominating committee power to add candidates to the Republican slate without town committee approval.

“This committee needs some help before we even get this slate going,” said Trejo. “We have $1,200, we need people to work on the campaign, I have to find a headquarters, and we need people getting onboard and helping out.”

All nine Town Council seats are up for election, as well 41 seats on the Representative Town Meeting, and five seats on the board of education.

A statute dictating minority party representation limits the number of seats Republicans can take in both the board of education and the Representative Town Meeting.

The Groton Town Council has been working on a number of goals since the 2009 election.

“In the past, goals were to keep taxes down, provide safety,” said Streeter in his report on work at the council. “That’s not goals. Those are responsibilities.”

Committee members have established eight priorities to accomplish before the end of term.This includes a recent blight ordinance up for consideration by the Town Council.

“We’re presently working on economic development. We’re also working on the disposition of two schools: Groton Heights and Noank. The climate change committee has submitted a report," Streeter said. “We have taken care of the Phase II referendum."

“We’ve got some returning,” said Morton, on the number of incumbents on the Republican ticket, “Bruce McDermott was on the RTM years ago. He’s off and now he’s coming back again.”

“I am a teacher. I am a parent in town,” said Sherri Brady, newly-endorsed candidate for the board of education. Brady said she knows what students need and what teachers need or expect from leadership.

A sole member of the town committee voted against the board of education slate—the evening's only opposition vote.

“I was the vote against,” said Andrew Laver. “There’s one person on the slate that I wouldn’t want on the board of education.”

After a brief discussion on the candidates, the Republican Town Committee voted to approve the following slate:

Town Council

Dean Antipas

Bruce Flax (Incumbent)

Karen Morton

Frank O’Beirne, Jr. (Incumbent)

Deborah Peruzzotti (Incumbent)

Heather Bond Somers

James Streeter (Incumbent)

Harry Watson (Incumbent)

Board of Education

Sherri Brady

Dan Campbell

Shelly Gardner

Nancy Gilley

Representative Town Meeting

District 1:

Karin Adams

Dana Parfitt (Incumbent)

District 2:

Keith Hedrick (Incumbent)

Jackie Massett (Incumbent)

District 3:

Neal Gardner

Chris Monaco

Irma Streeter (Incumbent)

Archie Swindell (Incumbent)

District 4:

Nancy Barnhart (Incumbent)

District 5:

Mike Johnson (Incumbent)

Betty Prochaska (Incumbent)

Joan Steinford (Incumbent)

Lori Watrous (Incumbent)

District 6:

Rosanne Kotowski (Incumbent)

District 7:

Luanne DeMatto (Incumbent)

Bruce McDermott

Tim Plungis (Incumbent)

Kevin Power (Incumbent)

Rob Warn (Incumbent)

District 8:

Lynn Hubbard (Incumbent)

Jack Sebastian (Incumbent)

Parties have until 4 p.m. on July 27 to endorse their candidates. As of this report, no Republican nominee has filed paperwork with the Town Clerk.

The Groton special election takes place on August 16. The town council, board of education, and RTM election takes place on November 8.


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