Norwich parties endorse candidates
Daniels ousted from GOP school board ticket
Norwich — City Democrats and Republicans each held contested candidate endorsement meetings Thursday that included the ouster of veteran Republican school board member Aaron “Al” Daniels from the party slate.
Republicans needed paper ballot votes to endorse candidates for the Board of Education and City Council, while Democrats needed paper ballots to narrow the field of council candidates.
The 2023 election is midterm for four-year Republican Mayor Peter Nystrom, but because Nystrom is a voting council member, no more than four other Republicans can get elected this year under minority party representation requirements. No more than five non-Republicans can be elected, whether they be Democrats, unaffiliated or other party candidates.
For the nine-member Board of Education, no more than six members can be from one political party.
When seven Republican candidates were nominated for the Board of Education, some members sought to hold an open discussion on the candidates beyond their acceptance speeches. RTC Chairman Rob Dempsky asked members to express themselves with their confidential votes instead.
Incumbent board members Christine Distasio, Heather Fowler and the recently appointed James Paulsen were endorsed, along with newcomers Yamir Flores, Chris Milton and Brendon Mansaku. Daniels received only six of the potential 24 present committee member votes.
The endorsed candidates cited the need to ensure parental rights and to reduce the budget as issues they want to address. Daniels, the longest-serving board member of either party and chairman when Republicans held a majority for one term, has been a vocal supporter of increased funding to school programs.
Daniels, completing his 14th year on the board, declined to comment on the result but said he would not seek an alternate route to the ballot.
“This is still my team,” Daniels said.
Republicans endorsed incumbent City Council candidates Stacy Gould, William Nash and Grant Neuendorf and unsuccessful 2022 state Senate candidate Pietro “Rocky” Camardella for the council ballot spots. Local his
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tory writer Ken Keeley was not endorsed.
Democrats too saw a contested City Council endorsement vote. Endorsed were incumbent aldermen Joseph DeLucia, Swaranjit Singh Khalsa — who will use the shortened name Swarnjit Singh on the ballot — and Tracey Burto along with current school board chairman Robert Aldi, Shiela Hayes and former Alderman Mark Bettencourt.
Former Alderwoman Ella Myles was not endorsed. She said she would not seek a primary.
The Democratic Town Committee endorsed school board incumbents Carline Charmelus, Gregory Perry, Mark Kulos, Kevin Saythany, former school board member Jesshua Jarmon and new candidate John Iovino, who recently retired as student affairs director at Norwich Free Academy.
Republican Robert Buckley will run unopposed for city treasurer, succeeding Republican Michael Gualtieri, who is not seeking reelection. Buckley has been in banking for 25 years and now works in the commercial lending arm at Dime Bank.