This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

Democrats Pick Candidates For Municipal Elections

Some longtime incumbents are joined by fresh faces on Town Council and school board slates.

The Democratic Party of Enfield held a caucus at Town Hall Tuesday to endorse its slate of candidates for the upcoming municipal elections. 

The nominated candidates for Town Council are Jill Krawiec (District 1), incumbent William "Red" Edgar (District 2), Charles Ladd (District 3), and Steve Palmer (District 4). 

Palmer said he is bringing “a lot of new ideas, fresh perspective, and a lot of energy to the race.”

Find out what's happening in Enfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In the only contested vote, at-large council candidates will be incumbents Cindy Mangini and Patrick Crowley, along with Tom Arnone and Sue Warner. Bob Lemay, who had been endorsed by the nominating committee, fell short in the runoff vote.

Jeanne Smith nominated Mangini, saying she has proved her popularity among voters, since she has held her position for the past 18 years. “We need Cindy in this position to help win the majority in the coming election,” she said. She said Mangini has “earned respect” and has stood up to the slings and arrows from the public for defending the First Amendment.

Find out what's happening in Enfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Arnone, a former school board member, was unsuccessful when he ran for the District 4 Town Council seat in the last election. He was also defeated on March 21 in a party line vote to replace Rep. David Kiner, who vacated his Democratic Town Council seat when he was elected to the 59th House District seat last November. Kiner officially resigned Jan. 4.  

Board of Education member Judy Apruzzese-Desroches, who is not seeking re-election, said Arnone is “a passionate advocate for Democratic issues and for our community.” He will bring “his passion, experience and knowledge of the community to the town council,” she added.

Warner, a former Board of Education member and most recently Judge of Probate, said she was ready to work with the slate that was put together Tuesday night.

Democratic Town Chairman Tony DiPace said that there is “a lot of work to be done to take back the council.”

DiPace said there didn’t have to be any voting for the Board of Education or Constable candidates, since they had the right number of people for those categories.

Candidates for the school board are incumbents Vinny Grady and Joyce Hall, and newcomers Tina LeBlanc, Tim Neville, and Jen Rancourt. Current board member Stacy Thurston did not seek re-election.

Rancourt said she is “excited about becoming a school board member.” Neville retired in June as principal of John F. Kennedy Middle School.

Constable candidates are DiPace, Mike Daley, Al Harrison, and Ted Plamondon.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?