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Latest Op-Ed
Westport Republican Delegation Sides Tom Foley as
He Takes the Nomination for CT Governor
By Bob LaFleur - Westport Delegate
Tom Foley addresses supporters shortly after it became clear he had
assembled enough delegates to win the nomination.
Hartford, CT - May 22, 2010. The Westport delegation to the Connecticut Republican Convention got back to work Saturday after the exciting nomination contests for the US House of Representatives and the US Senate on Friday. The first vote up today was for Governor. The voting was close throughout the delegates call although I was clear that candidate Tom Foley held a slight edge throughout the process. It was also clear that none of the five candidates -- Duffy Acevedo, Larry DeNardis, Mike Fedele, Tom Foley, and Oz Griebel -- would get the required 50% plus one after the first round of voting. Once the initial votes closed, the switching began and Foley steadily attracted delegates who had initially gone with DeNardis and Griebel. When the final tally came in, Foley assembled a majority of the delegates and was declared the party's endorsed candidate for the Governor's race this fall. The final delegate tally was 5 for Acevedo, 16 for DeNardis, 427 for Fedele, 710 for Foley, and 243 for Griebel. Both Fedele and Griebel garnered enough votes to qualify for a primary should they choose to pursue one. The Westport Republican Delegation gave all of their 13 votes (including super delegate Jerry Doyle) to Tom Foley. The rest of the day will be spent selecting the Republican candidates for Comptroller, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Attorney General, and Lt. Governor.
CT GOP Convention Opens with Great Excitement for Westport Delegation
By Bob LaFleur - Westport Delegate
Michael Delli Carpini and Desiree Soli as the convention gets underway.
CT 4th Congressional Candidate Dan Debicella checks in
with the Westport Delegation
CT Republican Chairman Chris Healy gaveled up the 2010 CT GOP convention at 2 pm. The Westport delegation, led by delegation chairman Steve Violette and Westport RTC Chairman Bob Zappi, embarked on a two day adventure to nominate Republican candidates for US Senates, the CT 4th Congressional District, Governor, Attorney General, Treasurer, Secretary of State, Comptroller, and Lt. Governor. The first order of business today will be to nominate a candidate for the CT 4th congressional district. Afterwards, Governor Rell will address the delegates and then the convention will nominate a candidate for the US Senate later tonight. Tomorrow the delegates will will nominate our candidate for Governor and the rest of the statewide offices. The excitement was palpable as delegates strongly believe they have the best chance in years to win in state delegations that have been dominated by Democrats in both Hartford and Washington in recent years.
Shelton State Senator Dan Debicella won the nomination for US House of Representatives on the first vote, receiving over 72% of the delegate's vote. The Westport delegation was more evenly divided that the overall district, placing 8 of its 13 votes for Dan and 5 of its votes for his challenger Rob Merkle. Westport RTC Chairman Bob Zappi said, "The energy in the room was incredible and It was great to be a part of democracy in action. Dan truly understands the needs of Westport and we are confident of his ability to appeal to the broader electorate and bring the CT 4th Congressional district back into the Republican fold."
Westporter Jerry Doyle, the representative to the State Republican Party from the 26th District and also a super delegate to the convention added, "This overwhelming endorsement of Dan illustrates how united the Republican Party is in its effort to defeat Jim Himes in November."
The Westport GOP delegation includes the following individuals:
Gavin Anderson
Michael Delli Carpini
Jerry Doyle
Charlie Haberstroh
Karen Hess
Robert LaFleur
Shayne Phares
Vicki Slack
Desiree Soli
Rick Towers
Steve Violette - Delegation Chairman
Tim Wetmore
Bob Zappi - RTC Chairman
Alternates:
Nicole Pappas
Trevor Hawley
More updates to follow as the convention progresses....
Westport Republican Delegation Works Late Into the Night to Choose Linda McMahon for US Senate
By Bob LaFleur - Westport Delegate
Linda McMahon addresses delegates after securing the Republican Party's
nominate for US Senate early this morning.
Hartford, CT - May 22, 2010. The Westport Republican delegation worked late into the night last night as the nomination for the US Senate ticket went down to the wire. Under convention rules, the vote tallies for each congressional district are read out alphabetically by town. The districts go in order, however the first district to vote rotates each convention year. Candidate Linda McMahon jumped out to an early lead and after three of the state's five congressional districts (3, 4, and 5) voted as her lead over her closest rival, Former Congressman Rob Simmons grew to over 250 delegates. However, Rob's base of strength is in the eastern part of the State and, due to the order the districts were called, CT Congressional districts 1 and 2 were the last to be called. Simmons dominated these two districts in the delegate vote and by the end of voting McMahon's lead was down to a few dozen delegates. Moreover, it was clear that no candidate had achieved the 50% plus 1 votes of the nearly 1,400 delegates necessary to win the nomination. Then the fun began. Under convention rules, delegates are allowed to switch their vote from the first round. At this time, many supporters of Peter Schiff, a third candidate who had received over 100 votes in the first round, began to change their vote to either McMahon or Simmons. Some delegates switched their support to McMahon from Simmons and some when the other way. It was clear as the switches were read out by town that McMahon was gaining far more votes from Schiff than Simmons was and by the time the switches from the last Congressional District were read, it was clear McMahon would carry the evening. Around midnight, the convention chair announced that Linda McMahon would be the Connecticut Republican's endorsed candidate for US Senate. The final delegate tally was 737 votes for McMahon, 632 votes for Simmons, 44 votes for Schiff, and 7 votes for Vinny Forras. The Westport delegation delivered 10 of its votes (including super delegate Jerry Doyle) to McMahon and three of its votes to Simmons. McMahon will take on Democrat RIchard Blumenthal, who won his party's nomination at the state Democratic convention which held across town last night. Simmons won over 15% of the delegates at the convention, which makes him eligible to challenge McMahon in a primary should he choose to do so.
Click here to view photos from the 3 U.S. Senate
Candidates at the January RTC Meeting
PRESS RELEASE
SENATE BILL 1098 UNANIMOUSLY OPPOSED BY WESTPORT REPUBLICAN TOWN COMMITTEE
At its April 21 meeting, the Westport Republican Town Committee voted unanimously to oppose Connecticut Senate Bill 1098, "An Act Modifying Corporate Laws Relating to Certain Religious Corporations". The proposed law, introduced by the Co-chairmen of the Senate's Judiciary Committee, has been withdrawn for the remainder of the session. It was intended to force transfer of financial control of the Catholic churches of Connecticut from its bishops and priests to boards of lay persons.
RTC Chairman Bob Zappi states that "S.B. 1098 is a clear violation of our sacred Bill of Rights. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, in its initial sentence, declares that 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;...' "
The RTC also is strongly concerned that the radical and offensive approach of Bill 1098 could be extrapolated in the future to any non-profit group, not only to Catholics or religious organizations. The bill further is unnecessary, as present law addresses rectification of malfeasance within such groups. SB 1098 is a disturbing precedent which would insidiously over-reach into the control of our private lives.
Therefore, the Westport RTC opposes SB 1098 and, with our District 136 Representative Joe Mioli and District 26 Senator Toni Boucher, will work to ensure its permanent defeat. We are encouraged by the March 11 informational hearing called by the Judiciary Committee's ranking Republican members and actively supported by two of the Committee's Democratic members. We salute this bipartisan effort to hear the will of the citizens and to publicly oppose a bill that is clearly wrong. We look forward to more frequent examples of such collaboration in the governing of our State.
We citizens of "The Constitution State" have for centuries prided ourselves on our participation in democracy - but are all of us involved enough? For various reasons not enough of us are now staying informed about and participating in our own governance. Failure to do so can assess a severe cost: abdication of our voices would de facto default to those with stronger wills, regardless of the merit of their positions. Democracy has abundant room for - and by design benefits from - a variety of honest, well-informed views and respectful, clearly expressed opinions. But apathy is the enemy of all. We therefore urge all to invest the effort to stay informed about and to participate in our governmental process, and thus to help abate erosion of our freedoms, such as would occur under any unfortunate resurrection of S.B. 1098."'
Click here to view photos from this year's
Memorial Day Parade!
Continuing the Effort to Secure Westport’s Future by Selecting the Most Qualified Leaders, Westport RTC Calls for Board and Commission Nominees
The Nominating Committee of the Westport Republican Town Committee (RTC) announced Wednesday, April 29, 2009 that it is seeking nominees for the various Town Boards and Commissions for election this November. The Westport RTC recognizes what most Westporters do; that in these challenging economic times, we cannot afford to forego responsibility and accountability on our boards and commissions. We must make the tough and strategically sound decisions now to maintain excellence in schools and services and our top financial rating while saving taxpayers money. “I have tasked this committee with identifying the best, most qualified candidates to lead.” said Bob Zappi, Chairman of the RTC. “Now more than ever, we need board members and chairpersons who will avoid personal agendas and put Westport First.”
Positions opening this November include: Board of Finance, Board of Education and Planning and Zoning Commission. The Westport RTC has developed a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach of identifying candidates that is designed to objectively determine who are the most qualified to serve. Anyone interested should contact Jerry Doyle at 210-5148 or e-mail him at JKDoyle@optonline.net.
“We have no shortage of incredibly gifted and devoted Westporters who have the ability to lead our town’s boards and commissions, but I still want to stay true to the process and cast the net,” said Nominating Committee Chairman, Jerry Doyle. “The committee is excited at the prospect of bringing forth the best our great town has to offer.”
Eager to Bring Financial Experience and Accountability Back to the Selectman’s Office, Westport RTC reveals status of Nominating Committee deliberations
The Nominating Committee of the Westport Republican Town Committee (RTC) reported Tuesday March 17, 2009 that Gavin Anderson and Kristin LaFleur have been recommended to the RTC for nomination as First and Second Selectman candidates for election this November. The Westport RTC will vote to officially endorse candidates in July which is required by State election law regardless of party affiliation. “I am very pleased that Gavin Anderson and Kristin LaFleur are interested in running for First and Second Selectman. They are both devoted community servants, having represented Westport residents with distinction for many years; Gavin on the Board of Finance and Kristin on the Board of Education. They are the perfect team for these difficult times. A combination of financial wisdom and unwavering support for our highly rated schools.” said Bob Zappi, Chairman of the RTC.
Over the past several months, numerous meetings were conducted and thousands of questionnaires were mailed to residents. The prospective list of Selectman candidates had swelled to over 40 names. Each was contacted and interested candidates were asked to complete an extensive questionnaire that sought to pull deep insights into their qualifications and issues comprehension.
For several months, the RTC Nominating Committee had undertaken an extensive interview and evaluation process in order to select a team of candidates who are proactive leaders and possess the highest qualifications to guide Westport through these very difficult economic times. Nominating Committee Chairman, Jerry Doyle stated, “I am pleased to tell you that our Nominating Committee has unanimously agreed on a recommendation for First and Second Selectman. What we have are two people deeply involved in current town operations, one an established financial expert with executive experience and the other a proven force in education that will offer Westport far superior town stewardship than we’ve had over the past several years.”
Gavin Anderson addressed the full room stating “Kristin and I are running for the Office of Selectman to bring accountability back to Westport. We have to put behind us the days of waiting to tackle issues until only after public outcry. Hard choices need to be made and not ignored or hidden. We are prepared to take informed and decisive action. Over the coming weeks and months, expect to hear specifics on how we plan to move Westport forward. Expect more cooperation with the town boards. Expect more transparency with Westporters. Expect more non-partisan collaboration.”
Kristin LaFleur added; “This fall, Gavin and I will to bring proactive leadership to our town government, promote financial accountability, and maintain our superior schools. I believe these ideals are important to all Westporters and will move our town forward through whatever crisis may linger and those that lie ahead.”
About the candidates:
 Gavin Anderson has been a longtime resident and public servant who has served on the Westport Board of Finance, RTM, and Finance, Public Works and Ordinance Committees. He served as Chairman of the First Selectman’s Maintenance Study Committee from 1999-2007. Most recently he chaired the King’s Highway Special Maintenance committee over the past 2 years. Professionally, Gavin worked in New York City and around the world in top financial management positions at Colgate-Palmolive.
 Kristin LaFleur was elected to the Westport Board of Education in 2005 where she has played a leading role on many critical issues. She has held leadership positions and served on or chaired committees in the Westport Young Woman’s League, among many other community organizations. Professionally, Kristin held senior positions as bank auditor and compliance officer at GE Capital and Chase Bank.
Please visit www.andersonlafleur.com for more information.
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