Parties Announce Candidates With Some Surprises

For weeks, I’ve been hearing about the rumored candidates for office in Stafford. Since the announcement of municipal candidates is generally a pretty dry affair, I was eager to see how it would all play out. From one week to the next I was hearing different things about who was running and who wasn’t. While some incumbents had second thoughts about spending a few more years having vitriol hurled at them, and other names seem to have disappeared from the slate before they even got started, the slate of candidates is now final. Perhaps most surprising – at least if you haven’t been privy to some of the scuttlebutt about the inner workings of the parties – are the endorsements that cross party lines. Let’s get down to it. 

First & Second Selectmen

Stafford’s current First Selectman, Bill Morrison, a Democrat, is seeking re-election, but not without having given a lot of thought to what two more years in office will mean, especially after a rough budget season. This year, however, he has a new running mate, Anthony Armelin, better known to most Staffordites as Tony. 

The Republican Town Committee (RTC) is nominating Brian Bagley for First Selectman, along with running mate Tim Cromwell. This, however, was one of the surprises, at least to me, as they had previously posted a picture on Facebook suggesting that Nick D’Amato would be their candidate for First Selectman. (I can no longer find that post, and unfortunately, it’s one of the few things I didn’t screenshot.) 

Update: Since this article was initially published, RTC Chair Dave Galotto commented on a Facebook post about this story, saying that to his knowledge, the RTC never made a post like the one I mentioned above. (See below.)

He's right, as I mentioned above, Morrison had second thoughts about running (for the reasons mentioned above), and for weeks before the official announcement, I heard conflicting, secondhand reports (also mentioned above). No public announcement was ever made, nor was another candidate ever put forth. However, readers remember seeing some of the same Facebook publicity around an alternate RTC candidate for First Selectman and have sent me the screenshot they took back in June. (This isn't the one I remember, which is described in the post.)

No candidate is official until the committees vote, the papers are signed, and filed. And I hope all parties are engaging in healthy debates about the best candidate lineup for the town. Still, that's generally why campaigning does not begin until the candidates are officially announced.

Board of Education

The RTC put forth several incumbent candidates: Aaron Hoffman, Erica Bushior, and Chris Paradiso. They have also added Chris Rhodes to the slate of candidates. 

Stafford’s Democratic Town Committee (DTC), however, is putting forth entirely new blood: Jennifer Vail, Elizabeth Dobson, James Greene, and Kathy Bachiochi. Current BOE Chair Sara Kelley’s term is up, but she is not among the candidates. My sources tell me that was a much-debated decision.

Planning and Zoning Commission

This is where things get really interesting. Dave Palmberg and Richard Shuck, both sitting Republican members of the PZC (Palmberg is the Chair) are running for re-election, but they are being endorsed by the Democrats. I spoke with Shuck to confirm that he is, in fact, still a Republican, and he is. I didn't catch Palmberg in time, but as far as I know, his party affiliation remains the same. 

So, who is the RTC running against the other Republican candidates? David Roy and Jim Lyon. I don’t know much about them, but I look forward to learning more about Roy and Lyon when I send out our candidate profile questions. 

As someone who sits in PZC meetings, I was pretty shocked when, a few weeks ago, I heard the Republicans were not endorsing Shuck and Palmberg. I would consider them among the most qualified people to hold elected office in town, let alone on the PZC. Both have served/do serve in various zoning enforcement and related fields. Their encyclopedic knowledge of state and local statutes is evident in just about every PZC meeting. So, it will be interesting to see how this Republican v. Republican race plays out.

Board of Finance

This is a race of incumbents… sort of. The RTC is running Robert Proulx and Matthew McKenney. The DTC is running Shelley Hurchala West and Tony Armelin. Proulx and West are currently alternates, and McKenney and Armelin are on the BOF. Of course, you may be realizing that Armelin’s name has already appeared in this article as a candidate for selectman. If he were to win both races, he would have to make a choice between the offices. 

Zoning Board of Appeals

• Dennis Kaba (R)

• Jeffrey Ramsey (R)

• Jennifer Davis (D)

• Andrew Mordasky (D)

Board of Assessment Appeals

• Peter Pelczar (R)

• Gene Julian (D)

Town Treasurer

• Danele Rhodes (R)

• Neil Hoss (D)

Constables

• Matthew Bushior (R)

• Mark Richens (R)

• James Ravetto (R)

• Sage McPherson (R)

• Gary Quinn (D)

• Dale Maynard (D)

• Patrick Soucy (D)

• Harold Blake Hatch (D)