Milardo re-elected with 200-vote margin

HADDAM — With a 200-vote margin, one-term Republican Lizz Milardo retained the town’s top post Tuesday, by 1,423 votes over her Democratic challenger, Middletown Police Capt. Sean Moriarty, who garnered 1,222 in unofficial results.

Petitioning candidate Jonathan Gates Wintsch earned just 51 votes.

Results were much different than in 2015, when Milardo won over former Democratic first selectman Melissa Schlag by just 25 votes. Schlag, who ran unopposed this time, won her seat with 1,371 votes; and Republican Larry Maggi won his bid for selectman without a challenger, with 1,691 votes.

Jeannine Lewis, a Democratic candidate for probate court judge, won her bid, 1,224 votes over Anselmo Delia, with 1,280. The district comprises Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Lyme, Old Saybrook and Westbrook.

Milardo was outside the Haddam Firehouse after lunch Tuesday in the chilly temps.

“I feel good,” she said. All morning, she said, voters were very responsive and pleased she ran a positive campaign.

“‘Thank you for not being negative.’ ‘Keep up the good work,’” they told her at the polls. “I just didn’t want to go there,” she said.

Schlag was very hopeful Tuesday evening that things would go in the Democrats’ favor, she said.

“It’s always tough to tell in Haddam. We’re getting a lot of thumbs up, a lot of smiles and waves, but you never know until the very last vote is cast,” she said. “I’ve never been more proud of our slate than I am this year. They’ve worked incredibly hard to reach out to voters and they’ve always taken the high road,” Schlag said.

Earlier in the day, Moriarty had been hopeful as well.

“It’s looking pretty good,

“It’s always tough to tell in Haddam. We’re getting a lot of thumbs up, a lot of smiles and waves, but you never know until the very last vote is cast.” Melissa Schlag

but you never know what the voters will do,” Moriarty said in the early evening Tuesday. He started off at the Board of Education central office district and had been “bouncing between the other polling places since.”

A 30-year veteran of the force, Moriarty had said he would retire in two weeks should he win.

“I love being a police officer, but I’m looking forward to a new challenge,” he said.

Running unopposed, Town Clerk Scott R. Brookes and Treasurer Robin Munster retained their seats.

Democratic Planning and Zoning candidate Peter Berg was eager to learn the results earlier in the evening — but wouldn’t predict the outcome.

“It all depends on turnout. Turnout for municipal elections is barely over 20 percent and sometimes under that,” he said.

Check back Wednesday for official results for all candidates.

Cassandra Day / Hearst Connecticut Media / Haddam First Selectwoman Lizz Milardo

Contributed photo / From left are Haddam Democrats Tanja Moriarty, who ran for Board of Assessment Appeals, Bob Waller, Planning and Zoning candidate; Sean Moriarty, first selectman candidate, and Melissa Schlag, who ran for selectman.