Ledyard DTC to Advertise for Candidates

While Ledyard Republicans seem to have a surplus of candidates for mayor, Democrats in town are still waiting for a qualified mayoral candidate to step forward.

Now, with caucus season only weeks away, town Democrats have decided to advertise for potential candidates. “We’re opening up the process,” said Democratic Town Committee Chairman Ed Lynch.

This week Republican Town Committee members endorsed John Rodolico as their candidate for mayor, choosing him over Republican incumbent Mayor Fred B. Allyn Jr. by a vote of 27-9.

Although surprised and disappointed, Allyn said afterward that he is a long way from dropping out of the race.

The DTC advertisement states the committee is seeking candidates to run for office in the November 2011 election, and asks all Ledyard residents and voters interested in being considered for nomination to please call Ed Lynch at 860 245-3666. He also can be contacted by email at catalyst05@comcast.net. 

Good opportunity

If you have ever seriously considered running for mayor, this could be your chance, “This would be a good year to run, with the Republicans split between two candidates,” Lynch said.

The advertisement describes the office of mayor as “a particularly good opportunity for the right person.”

“It is a full time, paid position (about $74,000 per year). It is a position of great personal fulfillment because of its leadership role in the future of our community,” the ad states. 

Democrats are looking for a candidate with these qualifications:

• Knowledge of the Town and its people;
• Good communication, leadership, and management skills;
• Familiarity with government and politics. 

Until this week, many Democrats had hoped school board member Michelle Hinton would be their mayoral candidate. “She would have been the perfect candidate,” Lynch said.

But Hinton declined on Monday, saying the timing is not right.

Draft Mayor Allyn?

There is a precedent in Ledyard for Republican mayoral candidates to switch parties, as the late Wesley Johnson successfully did. Asked if the Democrats have considered recruiting Allyn, Lynch said there has been some discussion.

“We talked about it. We’re thinking he’ll probably answer this ad,” Lynch said. “I’m sure we would interview him if he did, but there would be a lot of questions.”

Another potential candidate is David Holdridge, a Town Council fixture, who once ran for mayor in 1979, losing to J. Alfred Clark Jr.

“It’s very unlikely,” Holdridge said Wednesday.

“But we do feel a concern about putting forward a qualified candidate to give voters a choice,” Holdridge added, “so we will do whatever we can to come up with a viable candidate.”

In the other races, the Democrats are in pretty good shape, with a full slate of six candidates for Town Council, and five candidates for Board of Education – leaving one slot left to fill.

For council, the candidates are Sharon Wadecki, Bill Saums, Mary McGrattan, David Holdridge, Naomi Rodriguez and Ed Monahan.

For school board, the candidates are Sharon Hightower, Michelle Hinton, John Phetteplace, Stephanie Calhoun, and Rebecca Graebner.

It’s just that top spot that remains a question. Lynch said the nominating committee will meet Sunday to see who, if anyone, has been lured out of the woodwork by the ad.

“We have a fall-back position, but we’re still hoping someone will step up,” he said.

Either way, he added, “we will definitely have a candidate. That much I can guarantee.”