New Haven Independent

The turnout in the Short Beach community, (District #3), the smallest of Branford’s five Democratic Districts, was extraordinary because these decisions are usually made by a small group. The voters stood in long lines on a warm summer evening to nominate two members to the RTM who will stand for election this November. Smith would have made it a three-way contested race between himself and newcomers Alinor Sterling and Doug Hanlon. When the race became uncontested, the ballots were put away. Sterling and Hanlon won by voice acclamation.

Afterwards, Warren Gould, a long-term political consultant who has been helping the new District 3 candidates, said: “I would say this is the first step in the end of the Ed Marcus-Cheryl Morris-John Smith regime.” He added that the sentiments across town reflected a town’s deep desire for change.

Frank Carrano, the chair of the Democratic Town Committee (DTC), told the Eagle the people in Short Beach “put a tremendous effort” into getting out the vote. “People cared enough to come out and have their opinions heard and that is very important.”

The DTC convention, where Unk DaRos is expected to be endorsed for First Selectman, begins at 7:30 tonight at the Community House, 46 Church St. There is some speculation that State Rep. Peter Panaroni may be nominated from the floor. As for Mrs. Morris, she is still playing coy.

Mrs. Morris recently appointed Smith, who has served on the RTM for 16 years, to a top town job as a department head and facilities manager, a move that evoked accusations of cronyism and has led to an RTM inquiry into the town’s hiring processes. Smith’s refusal to step down from the RTM after being appointed to his $58,000 a year job may well have led voters to make the choice for him.

In two other districts a similar message was sent. In the First District, in downtown Branford, voters were told they could select only six of the seven nominees on the ballot. Bruno, a controversial RTM Moderator, received nine votes, the lowest number, and was denied the endorsement. There were roughly 28 people at this caucus. Bruno’s wife Maggie and Lisa Avitable, both Morris supporters were nominated. Dorothy Maynard was also nominated along with three newcomers.

In the Fourth District, there were eight candidates for six slots, and the two Morris-Marcus followers, Ralph Coppola, Jr. and Jan Doyle both lost . Doyle, who did not show up, received four votes. She was nominated by Coppola who had nominated himself. He declined to address the group when invited to do so. He received only three of 38 votes. The winning nominees were Gail Chapman-Carbone, Dorothy Docknevich, Anthony Giardiello, Chris Sullivan, Lonnie Reed and Sandra Reiners.

In the Fifth District, where Bruce Morris, Cheryl’s husband, is the chair of the committee, Scott Thayer and Kevin O’Donnell, two strong Morris supporters, were again nominated for the RTM. There was a third empty slot, and it appeared it would remain empty until Maria Storm, a District Chief in the Unk Block captain organization, agreed to run. Gail Infantino and David Baker, Democrats in the Second District in Stony Creek, also Unk supporters, won nominations to the RTM. Other Unk supporters, all new to the RTM line-up, include Troy Rondinone, Claire Torelli, Laurel Merrick, Josh Brooks and Grady Keefe.

The Short Beach meeting went by the book. Hanlon, a cancer researcher at Yale University and Sterling, a lawyer, were each nominated from the floor.

After their nominations were seconded, Pam Knapp, the designated chair, asked: “Are there any other nominations?” There was silence in the room.

Meanwhile, Smith asked his wife, Connie, if she would nominate him. She declined. He asked another friend if he would. He said, “I can’t.” Apparently Smith did not consider nominating himself. The audience waited.

Knapp asked twice more if there were any other nominations and hearing none, Gould said: “Madame Chair, I move the nominations be closed.” Knapp then closed them. Catherine Jackson seconded the motion.

“May I speak to the group, Madame Chair,” Smith asked. Knapp said “yes.” You could hear a pin drop as he walked to the center of the large room. Smith began by defending his right to hold his new town post as facilities manager while at the same time serving on the RTM. He said he was qualified for the job, citing strong experience in construction work.

In what was sounding like a stump speech, he listed his accomplishments, his success in soccer—related activities and his appointment to the Branford Sports Hall of Fame. He also spoke of trying to reduce taxes for seniors. He closed by saying “that is why I was hoping to run again with the Democratic Party if that was possible so that I could continue that type of service. Evidently, I am not going to have that opportunity with the Democrats at this point. I am not even going to have an opportunity for a vote. So I would ask if anyone would like to nominate me.”

The audience was stunned by the request. Smith stood in the middle of the room, waiting. The room was silent. A few seconds passed. No one nominated Smith. The audience seemed uncomfortable.

Finally, Gould said “they’re closed, John.”

“Excuse me,” said Smith.

“They’re closed,” added Richmond Browne, a resident.

“They were not voted closed when I came up here, I don’t believe,” Smith said.

Pam Knapp replied: “Yes, they were. I said it three times. Yes, they were.”

Smith seemed shaken. “Well, then you have given me my moment in time to talk and I appreciate your listening and I wish that there was an opportunity for a vote. So thank you all.” He turned and quickly left the room.

Former RTM member Peter Jackson asked if he could speak. His effort, he said later, was to try to give a human perspective to a turn of events that no one entering the room could have predicted.

“I served on the RTM with John for eight years and we never had an ill word between us. We were in harmony. We both were advocates for education; we worked for common causes and John has devoted a great deal to Short Beach. As you know the problem is not his devotion or his work for Short Beach. The reason I feel the need to stand up and say something is John would have you believe that the law states that it is okay for him to be running.”

Jackson said “The law doesn’t state that it is okay for him to be running at all….What John wants to do is to be in the town’s executive branch and the town’s legislative branch at the same time and it is very much a part of why we are all here tonight.”

As they filed out, people seemed baffled by the fact that Smith had not arranged to have someone nominate him. “It is standard operating procedure,” said Eve Perkins, co-chair of the Short Beach DTC. And here was a long-time, experienced politician who arrived at his caucus apparently expecting to be nominated on the fly. It doesn’t make sense unless Smith, along with the other Morris-Marcus loyalists—Bruno, Doyle, Coppola and perhaps others—-have another election scenario in mind.

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