Category Archives: Politics

Elected Officials, Candidates, Potential Candidates Turn Out for Annual Lyme DTC Picnic

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Congressman Joe Courtney and Lyme Selectman Candidate John Kiker at the LDTC picnic. Photo by Shauna MacDonald.

Congressman Joe Courtney, Secretary of State Denise Merrill, State Representative Matthew Lesser,  two potential 2018 gubernatorial candidates – Jonathan Harris and Chris Mattei – along with District 33 probate judge candidate Jeannine Lewis and Lyme First Selectman Steve Mattson were among the speakers at the Annual Lyme Democratic Committee (DTC) Picnic held this past Saturday, Aug. 19.  The event was emceed by John Kiker, the Democratic candidate for Lyme selectman, at the Sunset Hill Vineyard.

The speakers addressed the need to turn out Democrats for the upcoming municipal elections on Nov. 7 and to more actively engage local Democrats year round in their state and local governments.  Lewis, Mattson and Kiker are all up for election in November in Lyme as, respectively, District 33 probate judge, first selectman and selectman.

Lyme First Selectman Steve Mattson (2nd from left) and District 33 Probate Judge Candidate Jeannine Lewis (speaking) at the LDTC picnic. Photo by Shauna MacDonald.

Mattson said, “As we move toward this November’s election, I believe this is the message you will hear. Get involved in your town.  Love your town.  That is the reason I agreed to run for first selectman and I know John shares the same objective as he runs for selectman.”

Kiker said he hoped to encourage more residents to actively participate in discussions and decisions that could potentially affect the town – by serving on and attending the meetings of our boards, commissions and committees – so Lyme remains the beautiful, historic community it is.

The Lyme DTC’s mission is to support and strengthen the Democratic Party in the Town of Lyme and the State of Connecticut.  The committee meets on the third Thursday of every month at 7:30 p.m. in the Lyme Town Hall. The meetings are open to the public and all registered Democrats are encouraged to attend.

Essex Attorney Selected as Official Democratic Candidate for District 33 Probate Court Judge

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Attorney Jeannine Lewis

On Thursday, July 20, delegates representing nine towns within the 33rd State Senate District, which includes the Town of Lyme, selected Jeannine Lewis, an attorney at Hudson and Kilby, as the Democratic candidate for the upcoming vacancy of District 33 probate court judge.  As well as Lyme, Connecticut’s 33rd Probate Court District includes Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Old Saybrook and Westbrook.  The probate court for District 33 is located in Old Saybrook.

In announcing her selection, the District 33 Democratic Town Committee delegates commended Lewis for her extensive experience and expertise in Connecticut probate law; her deep understanding of the issues and responsibilities involved; and her personal and professional commitment to protecting the rights of – and serving the needs of – area residents who require the assistance of the probate court.  The delegates also thanked the other three individuals who had been vying for this nomination – attorneys James Carey, Sean Donlan and Stephen Sheehan. 

Probate judges typically handle estates, trusts, adoptions, name changes, and the termination of parental rights and conservatorships, among other important matters. All candidates for the position must be members of the Connecticut bar. 

Upon receiving the nomination, Lewis said, “Since I first applied to law school, it has been a dream of mine to serve my community as judge of probate.  If elected to this position in November, I plan to dedicate my time outside of the  court’s daily duties to mentoring new attorneys, and to providing assurances that our elderly and disabled community members are properly cared for and protected.”

Lewis, in addition to her law practice – which is focused on probate matters, estate planning and elder law – is the Chair of the Continuing Legal Education Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association’s (CBA’s) Elder Law Section, and serves on the Integrity of the Practice/Pro Bono Committee of the CBA’s Estates and Probate Section.  She is a board member of the Shoreline Soup Kitchens and Pantries, and provides pro bono legal counsel to Sister Cities Essex Haiti, a local charity that helps residents of the town of Deschapelles, Haiti.

Lewis will face Republican and other challengers in the Tuesday, Nov. 7, special election later this year.

Eno Retires, Mattson Sworn in as First Selectman of Lyme

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At yesterday’s Lyme Board of Selectmen meeting, Steve Mattson raises his hand while taking the oath of office as First Selectman of Lyme. Photo by M. Mattson.

At yesterday’s Lyme Board of Selectmen’s meeting, Democrat Steve Mattson was sworn in as first selectman of Lyme after the current first selectman Ralph Eno, a Republican, had read his resignation letter. Mattson will serve the remainder of Eno’s term through November of this year.

Eno is retiring after serving a total of more than 20 years as first selectman.

Selectman Parker Lord will also continue to serve on the board.

Mark Wayland, another Republican, was appointed by Mattson and Lord to serve in the now vacant selectman’s position.

 

Lyme DTC Recommends Jeannine Lewis as 33rd District Candidate for Probate Judge

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Attorney Jeannine Lewis

The Lyme Democratic Town Committee (DTC) has announced that it would be recommending Jeannine Lewis – an attorney at Hudson and Kilby – as the preferred Democratic candidate for the soon-to-be-vacant position of District 33 probate court judge.  (The official Democratic candidate will be determined later this summer at a nomination convention attended by representatives from all the DTCs in District 33.)

Lewis, along with three other Democratic candidates, recently addressed the June meeting of the Lyme DTC, where each presented their qualifications for the position and responded to questions from the committee.  Lyme DTC Chairman John Kiker said, “In our opinion, Lewis demonstrated she had extensive experience in probate law, a thorough understanding of the issues and responsibilities, and a personal commitment to helping protect some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”

In addition to running a law practice focused on probate matters, estate planning and elder law, Lewis serves on the Continuing Legal Education Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association’s (CBA’s) Elder Law Section, and on the Integrity of the Practice/Pro Bono Committee of the CBA’s Estates and Probate Section.  She is a board member of the Shoreline Soup Kitchens and Pantries and provides pro bono legal counsel to Sister Cities Essex Haiti, a local charity that helps residents of the town of Deschapelles, Haiti.

Probate judges typically handle estates, trusts, adoptions, name changes, and the termination of parental rights and conservatorships, among other important matters. All candidates for the position must be members of the Connecticut bar. The probate court for our District is located in Old Saybrook and serves the towns of Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Lyme, Old Saybrook and Westbrook.  Terrance Lomme, the current probate judge for our District, is retiring on July 18, 2017. 

The candidate selected at the nominating convention later this summer will go on to face Republican and other challengers in the Tuesday, Nov. 7, special election. Whoever wins the election will serve the remainder of Judge Lomme’s term, which ends Jan. 9, 2019.

The Lyme DTC’s mission is to support and strengthen the Democratic Party in the Town of Lyme and the State of Connecticut.  The committee meets on the third Thursday of every month at 7:30 p.m. in the Lyme Town Hall. These meetings are open to the public and all registered Democrats are encouraged to attend.

Lyme DTC to Interview Candidates for Probate Court Judge Tonight

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Lyme Town Hall

In preparation for a special election to be held this November, the Lyme Democratic Town Committee has announced it will be interviewing four Democratic candidates for the soon-to-be-vacant position of probate court judge on Thursday, June 22, at 8 p.m. in the Lyme Town Hall, during the committee’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting.

The public is invited to attend the meeting and listen to the candidates’ presentations and responses. The four probate judge candidates, who will speak at the meeting are James Carey, Sean Donlan, Jeannine Lewis and Steven Sheehan. Each will deliver a five-minute presentation on their qualifications, then respond to questions from members of the Town Committee during a brief Q & A period.

Probate judges handle such important matters as estates, trusts, adoptions, name changes, and the termination of parental rights and conservatorships, among others.  All candidates for the position must be members of the Connecticut bar. The probate court for the district in which Lyme falls is located in Old Saybrook and, in addition to Lyme, serves the towns of Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Old Saybrook and Westbrook.

Terrance Lomme, the current probate judge for the district, is retiring on July 18, 2017.

The four candidates have made – or will be making – similar appearances before other Democratic Town Committees in the district.  Each committee will send delegates to a nominating convention to vote for the candidate of their committee’s choice.  At this convention, the official candidate of the Democratic party will be selected and announced.  The candidate from the nominating convention will go on to compete in a primary on September 12 – if there are other Democratic contenders for the position (who may enter the election by collecting signatures in a petition drive).  The winner of the Democratic primary will then go on to face Republican and other challengers in the special election.

The special election for the probate judge seat will be held Tuesday, November 7.  Whoever wins the election will serve the remainder of Judge Lomme’s term, which ends Jan. 9, 2019.

The Lyme Democratic Committee’s mission is to support and strengthen the Democratic Party in the Town of Lyme and the State of Connecticut.  The committee meets on the third Thursday of every month at 7:30 p.m. in the Lyme Town Hall. These meetings are open to the public and all registered Democrats are encouraged to attend.