WALLINGFORD — The Wallingford Community Women’s Club held the 2013 candidates forum on Tuesday, Oct. 15 in the Town Council Chambers of the Wallingford Town Hall.
Reporters from local newspapers, in addition to students from Sheehan High School, addressed questions to the candidates.
This session was the Town Council Candidate forum PART ONE
This story originally ran in the Record Journal on Wednesday October 12, 2011 under the title “Q&A for candidates set at two forums next week”
In the instances where the article reads “next week” please remember that it will be referring to THIS WEEK Wednesday October 19 and Thursday October 20.
By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225
WALLINGFORD — Voters will have a chance to hear candidates for mayor, Town Council and Board of Education at two candidate forums next week.
On Wednesday, council candidates will answer questions from students from Sheehan and Lyman Hall high schools and local reporters, with a similar forum Thursday for the mayoral and school board candidates. Both are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall Council Chambers.
The forums are being sponsored by the Wallingford Community Women.
“This gives people an opportunity to learn more about candidates,” member Jeanne McFarland said. “This is a chance to ask specific questions. It’s a more informal opportunity to get information.”
Republican Town Committee Chairman Robert Prentice said the forums are a valuable opportunity for candidates, too.
“This is a chance for everybody to say what they have to say,” Prentice said. “All the signs in the world don’t tell anybody about the candidates.”
The forums will be taped and broadcast on WPAA-TV in the weeks before the election.
Democratic Town Chairman Vincent Avallone said forums are good for newer candidates who aren’t familiar with the political process.
“For newer candidates, this makes a big difference,” he said.
Avallone said some candidates are nervous about being on television, but are excited to get their message across.
Prentice said he expects the entire Republican slate to be present both nights. Avallone said the only absence he was expecting was Valerie Ford, a school board candidate who has a work commitment.
McFarland said her organization — formerly the Wallingford Junior Woman’s Club — has helped run the event with the League of Women Voters before, but this year’s forum is the first time it has sponsored the event alone.
Candidates will be allowed two minutes to respond to questions from the panel. Each candidate will answer eight to 10 questions. At the end, each candidate will be allowed three minutes to summarize their platform.
The council forum is divided into segments, with Democratic candidates Nick Economopoulos, Don Harwood and Robin Hettrick and Republican candidates Vincent Cervoni, Craig Fishbein and Tom Laffin answering questions beginning at 7 p.m., and Democrats Debi Reynolds, John Sullivan and Jason Zandri joining Republicans John Le-Tourneau, Robert Parisi and Rosemary Rascati at 8 p.m.
Thursday’s forum will begin with school board Democrats Kathy Castelli and Jay Cei pairing up with Republicans Tanya Bachand, Michael Brooder and Christine Mansfield at 7 p.m., followed by David Leonardo, Patrick Reynolds and Michael Votto representing the Democrats, joined by Republicans Joe Marrone, Roxane McKay and Chet Miller at 8 p.m. The mayoral forum will follow at 9 p.m. with Democrat Vincent Testa Jr. and Republican Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr.
As published in the Record Journal, Sunday September 25, 2011.
This week’s FROM WALLINGFORD was written by Mike Brodinsky a former town councilor from Wallingford, chairman of the School Roof Building Committee, and host of public access show “Citizen Mike”
The Citizen Mike show airs on cable Channel 18 at 9 p.m. every night, except Sunday. It can also be viewed on demand at wpaa.tv. Comments or suggestions can be sent to citizenmiketv@gmail.com.
If you can’t catch the show on TV you can catch it online on their Video On Demand page.
The ballot is now set for the election of Town Councilors on November 8. The names of the six Democratic candidates for Council are in the top row. That’s Row A. Democrats get the top row because the Governor is Democratic. That’s the rule. The row of Republican candidates is below on Row B.
This format may make it appear to some that we have six individual, head-to-head contests with a Democrat on the top row facing off against the Republican directly below. But as experienced voters know, that’s not the case. Voters have nine votes, and they can select any candidate from Row A or Row B. A voter may spread nine votes around at his/her complete and uncontrolled discretion, regardless of the rows or positioning of the candidates within the rows Nevertheless, the ballot can cause pre-election angst for some candidates. Some may be concerned about their position on the ballot, which is chosen by lot. A candidate may fret, “Will I be first in the row or last? Who will be above (or below) my name? Will that matter?” They all want a good “draw.” But what is a “good draw” and what makes it good?
Republican Councilor Rosemary Rascati said she’d be looking at the name above hers because she is concerned that the “matchup” might affect her vote count. She is worried that some may vote for whoever is above her name and wrongly think that they cannot, therefore, vote for her. Newcomer candidate Democrat Debbie Reynolds’ name is above Rosemary’s. Debbie probably has similar thoughts about Rosemary’s name being below hers. Typically, a candidate wants to first on the row. There is no chance of being overlooked in that spot. Incumbent Councilor Craig Fishbein, however, downplayed his first-in-line spot on Row B, and he said that he’d rather be second in line. Maybe Craig is attempting to tamp down expectations. But the way Craig explains it, he thinks he might have a technical advantage if he had the second position on the ballot and not the first position. Incumbent Democratic Councilor John Sullivan is on top of Craig, first in line in Row A. I doubt that John is complaining about that draw.
Has any candidate ever said that he wanted to be at the end of the row? If any candidate said that, it might be Democratic Councilor Nick Economopoulos, whose name is dead last on Row A. He’s on top of newcomer, Republican Tom Laffin who drew the last spot on the Republican row. A last place draw on the ballot is a tough assignment for a rookie, according to conventional wisdom. Tom probably wants to say to voters, “Please do not use up all nine votes before you get to me.” But for being last, maybe Tom gets a beneficial underdog effect, whatever that is.
Even though candidates worry about it, the position of a name on the ballot makes no difference in Wallingford.
What makes the difference is lots of personal contacts and name recognition. With lawn signs and newspaper ads, and in some cases door-to-door campaigning, candidates try to create name recognition by being visible, hoping voters will perceive favorable distinctions while offering little substance. So, if you own a corner lot in a high traffic area, your property is very valuable to a candidate looking for a lawn sign location. Just don’t corner that candidate with a tough question.
Campaigns for Council are not based upon the issues, usually, because running on the issues is tough, risky, expensive — - and, therefore, rare. If a candidate gets too specific about where he stands, he could lose votes. Specific issues are very complicated. Ads and lawn signs aren’t. Ads and lawn signs add to valuable name recognition without the risks that go along with explaining issues. So issues get lost.
By the way, what are the issues in this campaign?
The Wallingford Democrat Town Committee meeting is going to be held TONIGHT Wednesday September 21, 2011 at 7:30PM at Democratic Campaign Headquarters at 62 Center Street
This is the formal “grand opening” and the public is invited and welcome to attend.
Most of your Democrat candidates are expected to be on hand this evening.
In the upcoming weeks on the public access Citizen Mike Show Mike Brodinsky will be interviewing candidates for the Town Council and Board of Education.
Brodinsky and Record-Journal Executive Editor Ralph Tomaselli also discuss the Simpson Court parking plan.
The show airs on cable Channel 18 at 9 p.m. every night, except Sunday. It can also be viewed on demand at wpaa.tv. Comments or suggestions can be sent to citizenmiketv@gmail.com.
If you can’t catch the show on TV you can catch it online on their Video On Demand page.
As published in the Record Journal, Thursday May 5, 2011
By Robert Cyr
Record-Journal staff
WALLINGFORD — Local elections are many months away and town councilors are waist deep in municipal budget deliberations, but many have already determined what they plan to do in November. Most of the Town Council members said Wednesday that they are interested in running again for their seats. This year, Democrat Vincent Testa Jr. will run for mayor, his second attempt at the office. Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr., a Republican and the second-longest serving mayor in the state, has said he has not even started thinking about whether he’ll run or not.
Testa’s bid for mayor precludes him from running for council, a position he’s held for eight years now. He said he enjoyed his spot there but has set his sights completely on winning — and then retaining — the mayoral office.
“We have plenty of good people to fill my council position and we’ll be fine,” he said.
Democratic Town Committee Chairman Vinnie Avallone said he was not worried about finding six strong Democratic candidates for council seats, the maximum amount either party can hold on the council. There are now three Democrats and six Republicans on the council.
“We hope we get six — both parties obviously have the desire to have a majority on the council,” he said. “We haven’t had any trouble in the past getting candidates and we haven’t seen any trouble so far this year.”
Avallone said he’s received two notices of interest for council seats, including Jason Zandri, who along with Republican Councilor Craig Fishbein helped save the Fourth of July fireworks display when the town cut funding for the event.
Official party endorsements are in July.
Fishbein said he started an exploratory committee to begin fundraising for his run this fall and will switch it to a candidate committee within 10 days after a possible party nomination. Other Republicans, such as Chairman Robert F. Parisi and Vice Chairman Jerry Farrell Jr., said they had not begun to think that far ahead, and were still uncertain whether to make their run official yet.
“I’m leaning toward running, but I’m not really ready to commit, to be honest,” said Parisi, who has a combined 33 years on the council.
Republican Town Committee Chairman Robert Prentice did not return calls Wednesday. Councilor Rosemary Rascati, a Republican, said she would seek a fourth term “if the party will have me.” Republican Vincent Cervoni, still in his first term, said he would seek another.
Democrat John Sullivan, also in his first term, said his last campaign cost more than $4,000, but he would likely run again.
“But it’s still kind of early in the game,” he said.
Democrat Nicholas Economopoulos said he also intended to run again.
Republican John Le-Tourneau, now in his second term, said he would seek a third.
“I feel like I still have some unfinished work to do,” he said. “The first term is a learning experience and the second term is rolling up your sleeves.”
