nothin New Haven Independent | Cosgrove Seeks Third Term; Kraus Wins Tax…

Cosgrove Seeks Third Term; Kraus Wins Tax Collector Nomination

Marcia Chambers Photo

(L- R) Selectman Joe Higgins, Jr. and First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove.

First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove won the enthusiastic support of the Republican caucus Tuesday night, promising as he did four years ago to follow the words of his legendary grandfather, Dan, to go do some good.”

In seeking his third two-year term in office in the November election, Cosgrove, 44, will be running with incumbent Republican selectman Joe Higgins, Jr., a retired New York City fire official. Cosgrove called Higgins, my right hand man.”

Both were enthusiastically endorsed by scores of Republicans who came to fire headquarters to vote in the Republican Town Caucus. 

This marks the official start of the campaign for various town offices, the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) and the Board of Education. 

The Democrats hold their caucus tonight (Thursday). Caucuses begin at 6 p.m at each of the seven district meetings to be held at the place where you vote. The full caucus for all seven districts begins at 7 p.m. at the Canoe Brook Senior Center, 11 Cherry Hill Road.

A Battle for Tax Collector’s Job

Marcia Chambers Photo

RTM member Frank Twohill talks to a voter.

The drama at the Republican caucus, attended by nearly 200 people, came at the outset of the evening when Ray Ingraham, chair of both the Republican Party and the caucus, took nominations for the position of tax collector. Most of those attending were there to vote for their choice for tax collector. About 165 people voted. It was standing room only when the caucus got underway, with lines out the door. 

Joanne Cleary, current town Democratic tax collector, was cross endorsed by both Republicans and Democrats for the past two elections. The long-serving tax collector recently announced her retirement. 

Marcia Chambers Photo

(L-R): Former First Selectman John Opie and Bob Imperato

Bob Imperato, a member of the RTM and chair of two of its committees, put his name before the RTC nominating committee to run for the tax collector position. 

Marcia Chambers Photo

Sandy Kraus

So did Sandy Kraus, a finance manager, who told the Eagle that when she heard Cleary was retiring she felt this was the job for her.

In an interview yesterday Kraus said that the day she heard that Cleary was retiring, she looked up the description for tax collector and said to herself, This is the perfect job for me. I have the perfect skills and I would love this job.” Ten minutes after I heard she was retiring, I called someone on the RTC (Republican Town Committee) and said I would like to be considered for this. What do I need to do?”

Marcia Chambers Photo

The RTC knew early on of her plans. And once it did, she began to reach out to scores of people in town, asking them to support her at the caucus. Before the caucus began, she invited many of them to a gathering at the Stony Creek Brewery so she could get to meet them. Afterwards she caught up with people in the room. Here she says hello to Town Counsel Bill Aniskovich.

Kraus Becomes a Republican: The Day Before 

But it wasn’t until Monday, the day before the Republican caucus, that Kraus, who had long been an unaffiliated voter, actually became a Republican, she told the Eagle. I thought about it over the weekend and I switched on Monday,” she said.
 
I felt that out of respect to the Republican Party and the fact that I was seeking the Republican nomination that I should switch to Republican. I don’t think it matters in the general national election. I believe at the local level, people vote for people, not the party. Some of my biggest supporters for this job were Democrats. Many Democrats said I will vote for you, many Republicans, many unaffiliated said the same. I wanted to be loyal to the party so I switched to Republican.”

Asked how folks learned about the Tuesday caucus, Kraus said she got the voter list and starting calling people. She spent a lot of time on the phone talking to people across Branford. She said she got 90 people there, and it took way more than 90 phone calls…I talked to people face to face and made a lot of phone calls, and it worked.”

And for those who had not met her, she held the small meet and greet at the Brewery before the vote. They put Sandy tags on their jackets that read, Sandy Kraus for Tax Collector.”

She said I did a huge amount of work. It is how I approach my life and how I will approach the tax collector’s job.”
 

Marcia Chambers Photo

Andrew Kraus

Kraus and her family are strong Cosgrove backers. She has held fundraisers for the Cosgrove campaign and her son, Andrew, helped navigate Cosgrove’s 2015 campaign. Andrew Kraus also served as campaign manager for Republican Paul Cianci when he sought the state representative’s seat held by Democrat Lonnie Reed. That campaign gave Sandy Kraus a sense of government again, she said. Her father had been an early member of the RTM in the 1960’s, she said.

Kraus, a current alternate on the Inland Wetlands Commission, was nominated by Lisa Arpin, the town clerk, who is running for re-election this year. We are blessed with two terrific candidates,” Arpin said of Kraus and Imperato. Her person was Kraus, whom she said had earned an MBA in finance and would be the perfect person for the job of tax collector.

Marcia Chambers Photo

There was no voice vote. The voting was by paper ballot, enabling a secret voting process. Voters who had signed in earlier were called by name and went to the front of the room where Lori Nicholson. the caucus secretary, gave each of them a paper ballot. After the votes were counted, Ingraham announced Kraus as the winner.

Marcia Chambers Photo

RTC Chair Ray Ingraham

Asked yesterday if he would give the final vote count between the two contenders, Ingraham told the Eagle that as chair of the party it was not his policy to do so. 

It was a vote that pitted Republicans against one another, both on the nominating committee and within the Republican ranks of the RTM. Imperato had the support of two veteran Republican leaders, Kyle Nelson and Robin Sandler, stalwarts of the Republican Party. Nelson nominated Imperato and spoke of his skills, his deep involvement in every election, his dedication to the party and to the town. He noted his personal demeanor, who he is and how he acts and how he goes about his day.”

Sandler, who sits on the RTM, seconded the nomination, spoke of Imperato’s financial experience, his command of the budget and his attention to detail and the comprehensiveness of his reports to the RTM.” His command of budget numbers, he said, was amazing.”

But Imperato’s dedication to government and to his party apparently were not enough.

Marcia Chambers Photo

Bill Aniskovich, town counsel (pictured), told the audience he was proud to be here for the third time to nominate the person who has brought Branford to the better place we are talking about today.” He put into nomination the slate of candidates. It gives me great pride to place in nomination James B. Cosgrove.” The audience burst into applause.

Cosgrove thanked Aniskovich and thanked his wife and told the audience, This is really a team effort, a team approach that began four years ago.” Then he thought about his grandfather, Dan Cosgrove, the legendary powerhouse in the Democratic Party before he founded the taxpayer’s party in Branford. Dan Cosgrove died in April 2016. He was 98.

After he was elected in November, 2013, Jamie Cosgrove said, quoting Dan Cosgrove, I was given a charge to do some good.” Click here to read the story.

He continued, I am proud to stand before you tonight and look back on our record and that’s what we are going to be judged on and say that this team did some good. In the last four years we have accomplished a lot. I want to thank you. We are continuing as a team to do some good. We are going to continue to work to make this a better town to raise your family and to have a business. We really focus on the quality of life in Branford and that is a priority for after November as well.”
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