Marcia Chambers Photo
Mike Leone Addresses the DTC.
The Democratic Town Committee (DTC) formally elected a new set of leaders last week whose plan is to rejuvenate and rebuild the party with the goal of recapturing town government in 2017.
In the aftermath of a 2015 election slaughter, the entire executive board of the DTC, with the exception of Maggie Bruno, the DTC treasurer, officially resigned in November. Chris Sullivan was the former DTC Chair. Bruno is the only hold-over from Sullivan’s executive committee.
A new interim DTC executive board was elected, one led by Mike Leone, an attorney. With Leone as the interim DTC chair were two vice-presidents, Fran Walsh, a popular former selectman and middle school principal and Ellen Michaels, a former BOE member. Erica Campbell was elected the new interim secretary.
“My goals are to rejuvenate the party,” Leone told the Eagle in an interview.
Last week the entire DTC interim slate was officially elected to their seats by DTC members representing the seven election districts. The vote was unanimous and no other candidates were recommended.
Leone, a former secretary of the DTC, said in December that he wanted to start early to build both the DTC and to put in place a new set of DTC bylaws. On Wednesday the by-laws were unanimously approved. Under the new bylaws, the DTC members may elect up to 107 members. Up to 30 members may serve in an at-large capacity. “We want to have more hands interacting with one another to put together and coalesce new ideas,” Leone said.
After a disastrous defeat in November, in which the Dems lost the first selectman’s race, the Representative Town Meeting (RTM)and even the Board of Education, Leone said it was clear the Dems needed “some new energy” and direction. “I was approached by some people and I agreed to take on the mantle.”
Republican First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove won handily as did selectman Joe Higgins, Jr. Jack Ahern, the town’s former fire chief, became the Democratic member on the Board of Selectmen, winning more votes than Mark Rabinowitz, a former school principal who was the Democratic candidate for first selectman.
Leone replaces Sullivan who remains the Democratic minority leader of the RTM. Sullivan told the Eagle recently that he plans to concentrate on RTM issues and is enrolling in a Master’s program at the University of New Haven.
In speaking to about 40 members of the DTC last week, Leone said a major priority are the upcoming state legislative races, which take place in this presidential year. State Rep. Lonnie Reed and State Rep. Sean Scanlon have officially announced their decision to seek office. State Sen. Ted Kennedy, Jr. who represents the 12th District, which includes Branford, has not yet announced but is expected to do later this year.
In a previous interview last November, Leone told the Eagle that the Dems will be starting early, far earlier to prepare for the next set of elections. “We will have a deeper involvement in the community,” he said, adding he plans to grow the party with new members across the age groups.
Leone said he planned to resume full monthly DTC meetings along with working committee meetings to move things along faster. He also intends to start fund-raising immediately.
He observed that the “entire Shoreline has gone Republican,” and he predicted that the next set of campaigns might well be “contentious.”
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