Author Archives: Elizabeth Regan

TOP STORY: Lyme Democrats Support Unaffiliated Petitioning Candidate Christy Zelek for First Selectman

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The Lyme DTC this week announced a slate of nine candidates while pledging support to two petitioning candidates. From left to right are: (back Row) John Kiker, Walter Burhans, Jim Miller and Kristina White; and (front row) Anna James, Toni Phillips, Christy Zelek, Joan Motyka and Adam Brevoort. Not pictured: Carol House and Susan Leon. Photo courtesy of Lyme DTC.

Democrat Kristina White Seeks Reelection as Petitioning Candidate for Selectman 

LYME–The Lyme Democratic Town Committee (DTC) this week endorsed nine candidates for the Nov. 4 municipal elections, while pledging support to unaffiliated petitioning candidate Christy Zelek for first selectman and Democrat Kristina White for selectman. 

The group met in a Tuesday caucus to approve its slate, according to a press release. 

Zelek will face Republican Tom St. Louis in a rare contested race for first selectman. Election data from the Secretary of the State going back 25 years shows only two elections included challenges for the town’s top spot. 

Lyme DTC Chair John Kiker said Zelek will be the town’s first female first selectman if elected. 

“Christy Zelek has the skills to do a great job as our first  selectman and has our full support,” he said. 

A list of qualifications provided by the DTC show Zelek, who has raised three children in the school system since she moved to town in 2008, has held leadership positions in parent-teacher groups at the high school, middle school and elementary school level and in the local Boy Scouts organization.

She previously served as a member of the Lyme Ambulance Association Board of Directors for four years, including two as vice president. During her tenure there, the board created and expanded an investment program; pursued grants and private funding; and updated the retirement plan with the Lyme Fire Company.

Zelek works as an administrative assistant at Westbrook Middle School.

She told Democrats on Tuesday that she looked forward to the possibility of serving as first selectman. 

“I am grateful to have received the support of the Lyme DTC. I’m running for office because I love this town. My priorities will include keeping our town the beautiful, historic place it is; keeping our financials in check;  keeping our taxes low and supporting our schools; and continuing to address our town’s capital  needs, such as our roads, bridges and town equipment,” she said. 

Lyme DTC Nominating Committee Chairperson Liz Frankel touted the slate, which includes incumbent candidates John Kiker for selectman, Jim Miller for Board of Finance and Anna James for the Region 18 Board of  Education.

“All totaled, we are supporting a group of 11 candidates for each available board and  commission opening this year to ensure our values continue to be well-represented on town  boards and commissions,” Frankel said. “We are proud to support this talented group of individuals who are  not only highly qualified, but extremely interested in serving the town we all love and cherish.” 

Frankel said state election law dictates the committee can nominate only one candidate for selectman, so Democrats will once again run Kiker on the slate while “actively supporting Kristina’s reelection as a petitioning candidate.”

“They’ve both done an excellent job on the Board of Selectmen and we want to see them both continue to serve our town,” she said.  

Connecticut’s minority representation laws prohibit more than two members of the same political party from serving on a three-member board. In Lyme, each party may nominate only one candidate for selectman.

The following candidates were endorsed by the DTC to run on the Democratic ballot line in the November election. They are all serving currently.

John Kiker – Selectman 

Jim Miller – Board of Finance (U)

Walter Burhans – Board of Finance Alternate (U)

Anna James – Board of Education 

Carol House – Planning & Zoning Commission 

Toni Phillips – Zoning Board of Appeals 

Adam Brevoort – Zoning Board of Appeals Alternate 

Joan Motyka – Library Board of Directors (U)

Susan Leon – Library Board of Directors 

TOP STORY: Lyme Republicans Endorse Tom St. Louis for First Selectman

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The Lyme RTC this week announced a slate of 11 candidates. From left to right are: (standing) Mitchell Etess, Steven Deveaux, Tom St. Louis, Corey Lomas, Isaiah Griffith and Stephen Buccheri; and (sitting) Jennifer Tiffany, Mary Powell-St. Louis and Lannie Mossberg. Not pictured are Harry “Skip” Broom and Lori Caine.

Mitchell Etess, Retired Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority CEO, Tapped for Board of Finance

LYME–The Republican Town Committee (RTC) this week endorsed the husband-and-wife team of Tom St. Louis for first selectman and Mary Powell-St. Louis for selectman. 

The Republican’s 11-member slate also includes retired Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority CEO Mitchell Etess for Board of Finance. 

St. Louis will face unaffiliated petitioning candidate Christy Zelek in a rare contested race for first selectman. Election data from the Secretary of the State going back 25 years show only two elections included challenges for the town’s top spot. 

St. Louis on Wednesday said he retired from Pfizer two years ago as the director of a manufacturing group operating across multiple facilities. He cited familiarity with federal and state labor law and experience managing people and budgets. 

The candidate said he was compelled to run after the Connecticut General Assembly passed a comprehensive bill to make housing more accessible. Gov. Ned Lamont vetoed the bill largely because of opposition from town leaders, who didn’t want to be required to plan for more housing based on targets set by the state. 

He said he could see the local implications of the proposal from his seat as an alternate member of the Planning & Zoning Commission for more than three years. 

“It was apparent that the state was now clawing back at the autonomy that they had given us decades ago to manage our own zoning,” he said.  

He is not running for reelection to the Planning & Zoning alternate seat, which is up in November. 

St. Louis and Powell-St. Louis raised three boys in the local school system and served as longtime leaders in the Boy Scout organization. 

Powell-St. Louis, who is the RTC chairman, previously served two terms on the Region 18 Board of Education. She said she was spurred to run for selectman this year after successfully engaging the public in reversing a decision by the school board to eliminate a music teaching position from the district budget that she said would have a cascading effect on arts instruction across the district.   

She said the Republican slate includes a mix of experienced and first-time candidates. Among the newcomers is Etess, who expressed an interest in serving after being approached by St. Louis and Powell-St. Louis with the idea. 

“I think the Lyme Republican Town Committee is very enthusiastic about our slate,” she said. “We are very happy to be able to have options for the community of Lyme, and all of us that are on the slate are looking forward to serving.” 

The following candidates were endorsed by the Lyme RTC to run for election in November: (*incumbent, +current alternate)

Tom St. Louis – First Selectman

Mary Powell-St. Louis – Selectman

Mitchell Etess – Board of Finance 

Corey Lomas – Board of Finance Alternate 

Harry Broom Jr.* – Board of Assessment Appeals

Lannie Mossberg – Board of Education (U)

Jennifer Tiffany+ – Planning & Zoning Commission 

Steven Deveaux – Planning & Zoning Commission Alternate

Stephen Buccheri – Zoning Board of Appeals 

Isaiah Griffith – Zoning Board of Appeals Alternate 

Lori Caine* – Library Board of Directors

Editor’s Note: This article was updated with a name omitted from the slate.

TOP STORY: Old Lyme Republicans Announce Nomination of John Mesham in Rematch for First Selectman

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The Republican candidate for Old Lyme First Selectman is John Mesham. His running mate is incumbent Selectwoman Jude Danenhower Read (R), who is running again for the same position. Photo submitted.

OLD LYME–This year’s race for Old Lyme First Selectman will be a rematch between incumbent Democrat Martha Shoemaker and Republican John Mesham. 

The Republican Town Committee this week announced Mesham’s candidacy as part of a slate of candidates endorsed Tuesday at their new headquarters on Halls Road. 

John Mesham

Mesham, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, retired from the Connecticut State Police in 2020 as a master sergeant after 29 years in law enforcement. He is a member of the Inland Wetlands Commission and a deputy registrar of voters. 

The Republicans in a press release described Mesham as an experienced leader with “impeccable integrity” and proven management skills. 

“John will also bring much needed ethical standards and transparency back to leadership in Town Hall,” the party said. 

The victory in 2023 went to Shoemaker with 51.8% majority. She brought in 1,820 votes compared to Mesham’s 1,697. 

Along with Mesham, incumbent Republican Jude Danenhower Read will run for reelection to the three-member Board of Selectmen as they work to reverse the current Democratic majority. 

The Republicans said Mesham and Read were instrumental in resisting unpopular initiatives during Shoemaker’s term, including a plan from the Halls Road Improvements Committee to reenvision the commercial strip as a mix of apartments and businesses. 

Selectmen late last year voted 2-1, with Read opposed, to send the plan for the Halls Road Overlay District (HROD) to the Zoning Commission. It was rejected in a 4-1 vote by the commission after hours of testimony at a public hearing in front of 550 people, with more waiting in the wings of the Lyme-Old Lyme High School auditorium. 

“Together, John and Jude have forged relationships across partisan lines in Old Lyme including open and collaborative relationships with Democrats and unaffiliated voters in our town,” the party said. 

Jude Danenhower Read

The Republicans credited Mesham and Read with spearheading opposition “to back door land deals on access to Tantummaheag Landing” as part of a years-long dispute over the ownership of a spit of land bisecting a Tantummaheag Road property. The town going back to previous First Selectman Tim Griswold’s tenure has claimed ownership of the landing amid opposition from the owner, a prominent lawyer and government official with more than a half century of experience, who has signaled his intent to take the case to federal court. 

Republican Town Committee Chairman Randy Nixon in an email said a majority of committee members voted to endorse the slate of candidates, which was recommended by its nomination committee.

In response to a request for an interview with Mesham, Nixon said he would have the candidate reach out next week.

The party’s platform includes maintaining the semi-rural character of Old Lyme; fiscal prudence; control over land use decisions in town; resident access to water through town land; high quality education; environmental protection and transparency in town government.

The press release, which directed questions to campaign manager Shaun Mastroianni, emphasized the slate includes Republican and unaffiliated candidates, who were selected based on qualifications rather than party – “all of whom stood firmly and actively against HROD and are concerned about key issues affecting the public.”

Mastroianni moved to Old Lyme in 2023 from Stonington, where he was active in local politics. He ran unsuccessfully last year for the state Senate seat held by Martha Marx, D-New London.

The following candidates were endorsed with Mesham and Read for the November election: (*incumbent)

Town Clerk – Vicki Urbowicz*

Board of Assessment Appeals – Timothy C. Griswold*

Planning Commission – Harold Thompson*, Todd Machnik*

Board of Education – Jarod Bushey, Shaun Mastroianni, Brandy Campbell, Frank Pappalardo

Board of Finance – Matthew Olson*, J. David Kelsey*, John Flick

Board of Finance Alternate – Michael Presti, Maria Corrao Marchant, Bob Antoniac

Zoning Commission – Sloan Danenhower (U), Jane Marsh*

Zoning Board of Appeals – Stephen P. Dix (U)*

Zoning Board of Appeals Alternate – James T. Scott, Jill Pilgrim, Nicholas Fulton

Editor’s Note: The article was updated to correct the vote at the Halls Road zoning meeting and to clarify Nixon’s statement regarding a possible interview with the candidate.

TOP STORY: Old Lyme Democrats Announce First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker’s Bid for Reelection

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Full Slate of Candidates for November Election Unveiled, Shoemaker Will Not Run Again for BOE

Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker

OLD LYME–First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker, unanimously endorsed this week by Democrats in her bid for a second term, wants to keep trying her best for the town. 

“There are still things that I want to finish,” she said Thursday at the Town Hall. 

Shoemaker, who also serves on the Region 18 Board of Education, said she will not run again for the school board.

The first selectwoman cited several big projects she hopes will come to fruition in the next two years, as well as some new initiatives bolstered by volunteers committed to making the roads safer and the shoreline more resilient. 

“I’d like to see the sewer project through,” she said of the decades-long push to update several beach communities currently reliant on septic systems. “I’d like to see the Grassy Hill (Road) Bridge and the Emergency Operations Center completed.”

She said she’s excited to see the work being done by a reinvigorated Flood and Erosion Control Board. The group had been dormant for four years before she made good on a campaign promise two years ago to bring it back. 

“We live in an area that is prone to floods, and we need to do everything in our power to make sure that we’re keeping all water areas safe,” she said. 

She also pointed to the creation of the Road and Public Safety Committee earlier this year to address resident concerns about speeding and other safety issues. 

Shoemaker became first selectwoman in 2023 with a 51.8% majority. She brought in 1,820 votes compared to Republican opponent John Mesham’s 1,697. 

The Republican Town Committee on Thursday had not yet announced the slate of candidates approved at the party’s Tuesday endorsement meeting. 

Shoemaker acknowledged the past two years have not been without controversy. 

A plan from the Halls Road Improvements Committee to reenvision the commercial strip as a mix of apartments and businesses was widely panned. The Board of Selectmen, which had voted to send the proposal to the Zoning Commission, reacted to the subsequent outcry by putting the Halls Road committee on hold while considering a new path forward. 

The scaled-back focus now is on sidewalks, according to Shoemaker. She signed off in May on a grant application to the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) for $800,000 to install them on the north half of Halls Road. 

Also contentious was Shoemaker’s failure to promptly disclose public documents requested by the CT Examiner involving the independent Old Lyme Ambulance Association. Reporters for the media outlet told the state Freedom of Information Commission it took 168 days for Shoemaker to provide incident reports revealing allegations that an intern was touched inappropriately and repeatedly by an adult emergency medical technician. 

The state commission issued Shoemaker a $250 civil fine for not promptly handing over the public documents. The hearing officer at the time acknowledged Shoemaker had put corrective measures in place and agreed to annual transparency training.   

“I made a mistake,” Shoemaker said, without specifying where she went wrong. “I paid the fine. And we’ve revamped.” 

The Democratic Town Committee on Wednesday voted on a slate of candidates that includes incumbent Jim Lampos for selectman, according to a committee press release. 

Shoemaker said Lampos’ love for the town makes him an ideal running mate, again.

“He is so thoughtful in his comments,” she said of the business owner and author of several books on local history. “He has a historical perspective to anything that we are looking to do.”

Also endorsed were: (*incumbent, +current alternate)

Planning Commission – Michael F. Riggio

Board of Finance – Kimberly Thompson*, Candace A. Fuchs*

Board of Finance Alternates – Diane Y. Linderman*, Tom Walsh, Fred Behringer (U)*

Zoning Commission – Michael Fogliano (U)*

Zoning Board of Appeals – Michaelle Pearson+, Kip Kotzan*

Zoning Board of Appeals Alternates – Kathleen Tracy*, Richard Korsmeyer

Board of Assessment Appeals – Devin Berke+

Regional Board of Education – Jason L. Kemp*, Michael J. Hansen, Sheryl Shyloski and Cynthia Love McCollum

Editor’s Note: This article was corrected to show the Republican Town Committee endorsement meeting was held Tuesday.

Sing a ‘Ceremony of Carols’ at ‘SummerSings’ in Old Saybrook, July 28

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Guest Conductor for 7/28 is Kristine Pekar

OLD SAYBROOK—The lineup has been announced for the SummerSings series of casual sing-alongs that bring together acclaimed conductors, professional soloists and anyone who enjoys singing. 

SummerSings is co-sponsored by Cappella Cantorum and the Con Brio Choral Society. They bill the six-event series as an opportunity to enjoy choral works without the pressure of preparing for a formal performance.

The series of six 2025 SummerSings events will be held on Mondays in Old Saybrook at the First Church of Christ, 366 Main St., from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Registration begins at 7 p.m. 

  • June 23: Giacomo Puccini’s Messa Di Gloria with Conductor Steve Bruce, Con Brio Choral Society
  • June 30: Franz Schubert’s Mass in G with Conductor Irina Georieva, Cappella Cantorum
  • July 7: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem with Conductor Joe D’Eugenio, Greater Middletown Chorale
  • July 14: Elaine Hagenberg’s “Illuminare” with Conductor Edward Bolkovac, New Haven Chorale
  • July 21: Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Mass in C with Conductor Chris Shepard, Con Brio Choral Society and CONCORA
  • July 28:  Benjamin Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols” with Conductor Kristine Pekar, Old Lyme High School 

A $20 fee covers the cost of the event, including a musical score for attendees to borrow. The fee for students is $5. 

No advance registration is required.