KENT, Conn.—With few contested seats for municipal positions, Election Day results yielded few surprises Tuesday night.
After an hour-long wait while poll officials reconciled figures from the four voting machines and absentee ballots, they announced that the new Board of Selectmen will consist of party-endorsed candidates Eric Epstein (D), first selectmen, incumbent Lynn Mellis Worthington (D) and Lynn Harrinton (R). Edward Matson, who ran as a petitioning candidate, trailed in fourth.
Epstein received 844 votes, Worthington, 657, Harrington, 208, and Matson, 116.
Approximately half of the town’s registered voters—1,014—turned out for the election and vote tallies reflected the heavy percentage of electors who register as Democrats in the town.
Incumbent Town Clerk Darlene Brady, who ran as a petitioning candidate, received 622 votes. Brady, who is unaffiliated, was not endorsed by either party this year because the Democratic Town Committee adopted a bylaw after the last election cycle saying it would not endorse any candidate who is not a Democrat.
Brady was told that the Republicans, who have cross-endorsed her previously, opted not to officially nominate her because they believed she might not want to be listed only on the Republican roster.
Brady has said she sees her job as “apolitical.”
Longterm Tax Collector Deborah Devaux (D) was unopposed and received 843 votes, while Glenn Sanchez, who stepped down as a selectman this year, ran for the Board of Finance and received 769 ballots. Incumbent finance chairman Nancy Odea Wyrick received 442 votes.
Democrat Heather Brand got 686 votes for her seat on the Board of Education while Anthony DiPentima scored 291 votes. Both will be seated and Democrat Cinda Clark, who received 794 votes, will fill out a two-year vacancy.
Gary Ford (D), with 679 votes, defeated David Yewer (R), 252 votes, for the Board of Assessment Appeals. Democrat Darrell Cherniske, 740, and Republicans Karen Casey and Donna Hayes, 466 and 461 votes respectively, were all seated on the Planning and Zoning Commission. Hayes replaces Wesley Wyrick, who stepped down this year.
For the Zoning Board of Appeals, Democrats Steven Pener received 722 votes, Justin Potter, 707, and John Johnson, 637, beating out Republican candidates Nick Downs, 331 votes, and Mark Cowan, 221, who failed to be seated. Democrat Adam Manes, running for ZBA alternate, scored 756 votes.
Democrats Elissa Pots and Kathy Mazza were both returned to the Sewer Commission, with 764 and 718 votes respectively. Republican Carmin Karina Omeara received 266 votes and failed to gain a seat.
