#MiddleburyCT #ElectionDay #November7 #Vote
By MARJORIE NEEDHAM
Middlebury voters will elect people to a number of municipal positions Tuesday, November 7, but the race for two offices – selectman and Region 15 Board of Education – likely are the most interesting races on the ballot. Four people are vying for the two selectman positions, and two Democrats are challenging the Republicans for seats on the Board of Education (BoE).
Another consideration for this election is the effect the ongoing controversy about a proposed distribution center in Middlebury will have. Emotions are running high and it’s possible one result will be a higher than normal voter turnout November 7.
This election presents voters with some firsts connected with the two selectman positions. In the past, when voting for two selectmen positions, voters could choose only one. This year, for the first time, they can vote for up to two candidates.
Other firsts are that selectman terms have increased to four years from two years, and that selectmen are no longer elected the same year a first selectman is elected. The current first selectman, Edward B. St. John, will not be up for reelection until 2025. He was elected to his first four-year term in 2021. He announced to the local daily in June of this year that he intends to run for reelection in 2025. All these changes stem from the most recent town charter revisions.
This year voters may choose two candidates from among the Democratic-endorsed candidate, J. Paul Vance; the Republican-endorsed candidate, Elaine Strobel; petitioning Republican candidate Shannon Cavallo; and petitioning unaffiliated candidate Jennifer Mahr. However, since the first selectman is a Republican, only Strobel or Cavallo can serve at the same time as three Republicans cannot serve.
Town Clerk Brigitte Bessette said the ballot says only “petitioning candidate” for Cavallo and Mahr, but their underlying party – Republican for Cavallo and unaffiliated for Mahr – comes into play when minority representation is considered.
Minority representation means at least one of the two seats will go to either Mahr or Vance because unaffiliated and Democratic candidates are considered minorities in a town where the first selectman is Republican. Possible winning combinations are: Cavallo-Mahr, Cavallo-Vance, Mahr-Strobel, Mahr-Vance, or Strobel-Vance.
Strobel and Vance surprised some by placing their signs side by side, accompanied by hay bales, pumpkins and cornstalks, despite being competitors in the race. Strobel said they did this because, “We like working together. Each one of us has our own strengths we bring to the table. They mesh very well together, and that’s why we put our signs together.”
Mahr issued a statement saying in part, “According to this sign (the two side by side), it’s safe to say that the current incumbents, Republican Elaine Strobel, and Democrat J. Paul Vance, have apparently endorsed each other for their positions. Bipartisanship or not, this lawn sign sent a direct message to voters: the incumbents don’t care about voter concerns, they only care about getting re-elected.”
Looking at the Board of Education positions, they are the only elected positions that don’t require minority representation. All four Middlebury positions are held by Republicans. The most recent Democrat to serve on the Board of Education was Dan Fitzgerald, whose term ended December 1, 2011.
On the ballot this time are Democrats Sally D. Romano and Allison Kimble-Cusano and Republicans Jeffrey D. Olsen and John Janusaitis. Romano and Kimble-Cusano are running for BoE seats for the first time.
Olsen was endorsed to fill the position formerly held by Peter Vaccarelli, who chose not to run for reelection. Incumbent Janusaitis serves as secretary for the BoE. Republicans Shannon Cavallo and Richard Spierto hold the other two positions; their terms will expire December 1, 2025.
In what appears to have been an attempt to turn voters against Kimble-Cusano, an anonymous October 19 post on the Middlebury CT Neighborhood Facebook page shared a link to a June 2021 article on racism and white privilege she had authored and asked, “Is this really who you want on our board of education? Writing an article to the Hartford Courant about racism and white privilege. No matter what side your (sic) on, a conversation like this should not be in our school system. This person is running for Middlebury BOE.” In response. before moderators closed comments on the post, the majority of those commenting said Kimble-Cusano was precisely who they want to represent them on the school board.
Getting a Democrat elected to any office other than one guaranteed due to minority representation is a real challenge in Middlebury where Republican voters outnumber Democratic voters. A June 2023 Economic Development Commission presentation on volunteerism stated only 24% of Middlebury’s registered voters were Democrats, while 38% were Republicans and 37% were unaffiliated voters. The key to Democratic candidates winning seats seems to lie in gaining votes from unaffiliated voters, whose numbers almost equal those of registered Republicans.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 7. Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. at Shepardson Community Center at 1172 Whittemore Road in Middlebury. Absentee ballots are available.
To obtain an absentee ballot, you must first fill out an application. You can fill out the application and obtain a ballot at the Town Clerk’s office. Or you can go online at Middlebury-ct.org to Government, Town Clerk, Elections/Referenda, where you can download and fill out the application or apply for an application through the Secretary of the State’s office. When you apply online, the town clerk’s office mails you a ballot the next business day. Town Clerk Bessette said as of October 30, there is still time for ballots to be mailed out, but time is getting short for mailing it back. Those worried about the time can put their ballots in the town hall drop box.
Bessette also said people need to come to town hall in person to apply for and receive a ballot. Spouses, for example, cannot pick up ballots for each other.
Bessette said there seems to be some confusion this year about early voting versus absentee ballots. Early voting will not begin until 2024. Absentee ballots are used by voters who will be unable to vote personally on November 7.
