Connecticut Local Politics

“We can’t come up here and ask the state for more money and we can’t go back to our communities and ask our taxpayers for more money.”
Simsbury First Selectwoman Mary Glassman, on the plight municipalities are facing this year.
The article, over at CTNJ, is definitely worth reading, as it explores a lot of the [...]

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Naugatuck is back.

Former Rep. Kevin Knowles will seek the nomination of the Democratic Town Committee to run for mayor in May.
Knowles, 52, filled out a registration form over the weekend to start a candidate committee called “Knowles for Naugatuck.” A town committee member filed the form at the town clerk’s office Monday. (Singley)

Naugatuck is one [...]

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Former GOP city Rep. Michael Pavia has filed papers for a mayoral exploratory committee in Stamford, setting up what could be one of the most fascinating races of 2009. Mayor Dan Malloy has said he’ll seek a fifth term while possibly running for governor.

If Pavia does run, he will have better name recognition and a [...]

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Dan Malloy is acknowledging he’ll be running for mayor next year, while possibly enmeshed in a second run for governor.
This could set up a situation much like 2005, where both Malloy and John DeStefano were running for mayor of their respective cities while at the same time running for governor. A major issue raised [...]

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Paul Vance officially kicked off his mayoral campaign with a fundraiser yesterday, and had this to say:
[T]he vast majority of Waterbury voters don�t care how much money you�ve raised. They want to know what ideas you have and what you intend to do once in office. I have been gaining support and momentum by visiting [...]

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During his case claiming fraud in the September, 2007 Bridgeport mayoral primary, Rep. Chris Caruso claimed there were more ballots cast than people who voted.
Guess what? The Connecticut Post looked into the matter… and Caruso was right.
In the midst of a heated court battle over last fall’s Democratic mayoral primary, state Rep. Christopher Caruso’s legal [...]

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Deciding between two “top-shelf” candidates, former Bridgeport Democratic City Councilman Thomas A. Mulligan Jr. and Bridgeport Republican Town Chairman Robert D. Russo III, for the 22nd State Senate District special election on March 11th to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Bill Finch after he won election as mayor of Bridgeport, the Ct [...]

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Five�months after being defeated by Sen. Bill Finch for the Democratic nomination for mayor of Bridgeport, Rep. Chris Caruso’s journey has come to an end.�
The State Supreme Court today declined to overturn a lower court ruling and order a new primary.
From the AP:

They say Caruso did not meet the heavy burden of proving that understaffed [...]

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The East Haven Politics blog reports on the final tally (for real this time) in East Haven:
April Capone Almon is the new Mayor of East Haven. She defeated Joe Maturo 4010-3985. The final tally was within 4 votes of the original tally on election night.

Susan Bysiewicz has a theory about where the trouble with the [...]

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Recounts

should be done manually

should be done by the optical scan machines

pollcode.com free polls

Discuss.

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From the East Haven Politics blog:
The original machine count had given the Democrat, April Capone Almon, a 21 vote lead. The recount shows her with a 65 vote lead. However, as noted above, there are more votes for mayor than people that voted according to the tally sheets and voting machines show. There could be [...]

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Yesterday I was discussing the optical scan machines with a co-worker who regularly votes but wouldn’t consider herself politically active. She was upset by what she felt was a complete lack of privacy. The poll worker had looked at her ballot as she fed it into the machine, and it made her highly [...]

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Republicans made gains in larger towns last night, and in a few areas where they had been out of power for a few years. But Democrats made gains in small towns and in more traditionally conservative areas of the state, including Simsbury, Cromwell and a surprise win in East Haven. Kind of a mixed bag [...]

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A big congratulations to CGG and disgruntled_republican, who both won their respective races tonight!!!

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Election returns are pretty much done, and there aren’t too many surprises or upsets to report. Council control changed hands in several towns, as did top offices. But just from what I’m seeing, there weren’t any really remarkable trends. I may have a different opinion when I make the 2007 municipal election maps, which I’ll [...]

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10:45 I’ll probably have to stop soon, as returns are down to a trickle. Fun night! More wrap-up tomorrow. Check here for more results, and post them here if you’ve got ‘em.
10:38 The West Hartford Blog has results for town council there.
10:32 Results have slowed down to a crawl. MLN says that Democrats have won [...]

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I voted. The machine worked fine. It was a little strange not to have the old machine, but the new paper ballot and scanner were pretty easy to use.
There wasn’t a line. Turnout, apparently, has not been strong today. The number on the machine when I left was 697.
I wanted to post one [...]

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Yes. Rain.
The rain caused minor problems with new optical scan voting machines at polling places in South Windsor, Hartford, and New Britain, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz said.
Voters brushed their paper ballots against wet coats or other wet surfaces, then tried to feed them through voting machines, causing the machines to jam. In those [...]

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Voters in most cities and towns across Connecticut go to the polls today. Don’t forget to vote!!!
…But then again, I barely have to tell you that.
Have stories from the polls? Reports about turnout, or about problems with voting machines? Put ‘em here.

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Rep. Chris Caruso suffered yet another setback in his quest to get the results of the September mayoral primary overturned when the Supreme Court denied his request to delay tomorrow’s election.
The state Supreme Court this afternoon unanimously denied Bridgeport State Rep. Christopher Caruso’s request to postpone the city’s municipal election so he could challenge his [...]

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