Category Archives: Top Story

Plan Ahead: Early Voting, Absentee Ballots, and Election Day in Lyme, Old Lyme

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LYME/OLD LYME —We’re doing all we can over the next few weeks to inform you about this year’s municipal election through candidate Q&A features, profiles of key races and a Letters to the Editor section open to all viewpoints.

Now, it’s up to you to turn knowledge into power at the voting booth. Check out this schedule to learn everything you need to know about where and when to cast your ballot in Lyme and Old Lyme. 

OLD LYME

Early Voting

Where: Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall Meeting Room,  52 Lyme Street

When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Oct. 20–27, 29, 31

 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., October 28 and 30

 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., November 1 and  2

Election Day Voting

Where: Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School gymnasium, 53 Lyme St.

When: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

Same Day Registration

Those who are not registered to vote may register in person every day of Early Voting at the Town Hall. If you want to vote on Election Day but have not yet registered, you may register in person on Nov. 4 at the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School gymnasium. 

Absentee Ballots

Applications are available through the Town Clerk’s office. They can be returned by mail, deposited in the secure absentee drop box outside the town hall, or handed to the town clerk. Completed absentee ballots must be received at the Town Clerk’s office by 8 p.m. on Election Day. 

LYME

Early Voting

Where: Lyme Town Hall, 480 Hamburg Road

When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Oct. 20–27, 29, 31

8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Oct. 28 and 30

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 1 and 2

Election Day Voting

Where: Lyme Town Hall, 480 Hamburg Road

When: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

Same Day Registration

Those who are not registered to vote may register in person at the Town Hall during early voting hours and on Election Day. 

Absentee Ballots

Applications are available through the Town Clerk’s office. They can be returned by mail, deposited in the secure absentee drop box outside the town hall, or handed to the town clerk. Completed absentee ballots must be received at the Town Clerk’s office by 8 p.m. on Election Day. 

TOP STORY: Lyme Board of Selectpeople Candidates Respond to Our Questions

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Hopefuls Weigh In On Affordable Housing, Shrinking Volunteer Numbers and Taxes

A snapshot of the sample ballot from Lyme’s municipal election on Nov. 4. Early voting starts Oct. 20.

LYME–A rare contested election for the Board of Selectpeople is playing out on road signs spread across the town’s serene landscape in variations of red, white and blue. 

The candidates responded with a 350-word limit to four questions that we posed. We thank them for responding in a timely fashion and adhering to our rules.

Click on each name below to learn more about them in their own words. 

  1. Why are you running for the Lyme Board of Selectmen, and what skills or experiences make you the right candidate for that role?
  2. Lyme, like the other municipalities in the state, is being called upon to increase the availability of affordable housing. What is your view on the need for affordable housing in Lyme, and how should the town balance state requirements with local calls to preserve its rural nature? 
  3. Lyme proudly relies on its volunteers to create a safe and supportive community, from fighting fires and responding to medical calls to sitting on boards and commissions. With volunteer numbers shrinking and a limited pool to pull from, what ideas do you have for encouraging more people to serve the town? 
  4. In order of importance, what do you see as the top three challenges facing Lyme over the next two years?

Candidates for Lyme First Selectman

Tom St. Louis (R)

Christy Zelek (U–petitioning)

Candidates for Lyme Selectmen

John Kiker (D—incumbent)

Mary Powell-St. Louis (R)

Kristina White (D—petitioning incumbent)

In Lyme, all Board of Selectpeople seats are up for election every two years. Voters will be asked to vote for one candidate for first selectperson and one candidate for selectperson. The winner of the first selectperson contest wins the title, with the next two highest vote-getters securing spots as selectpeople. State law specifies no more than two members of the Board of Selectpeople can be from the same party.

Absentee ballots for the Nov. 4 election are available now. Early voting begins Oct. 20.

In keeping with our long-held tradition, we will not be making candidate endorsements.

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Old Lyme Property Transactions, 10/09/25

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9/30: 49 Brightwater Road, the Irene T. Brady Irrevocable Trust of Bristol to Kevin James Eagan of West Hartford, $910,000. 

9/30: 9 Longacre Lane, Elizabeth K. Wyckoff of Old Lyme to Christine Kitchings of Old Lyme, $400,000. 

9/30: 157-1 Mile Creek Road, Satnam Chaddha and Surinder Chaddha of Niantic to Tiffany A. Saunders and Lee T. Saunders of Waterford, $590,000. 

9/25: 69 Hartford Ave., Heidi Dinino-Fields and Dino Dinino of Lighthouse Point, FL, to Majors Coastal Holdings LLC of North Haven, $780,000. 

9/22: 5 Pickerel Cove Trail, Maria Purdue of Westbrook to Lawrence J. Holyst, $500,000.

TOP STORY: Old Lyme Board of Selectmen Candidates Respond to Our Questions

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Candidates Weigh in on Halls Road, Climate Change and Taxes

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OLD LYME–In a rematch of the election that put Democrat Martha Shoemaker in the town’s top spot two years ago, this year’s Board of Selectmen race promises lively discussions about successes, failures and each candidate’s vision for the future. 

The candidates responded with a 350-word limit to four questions that we posed. We thank them for responding in a timely fashion and adhering to our rules.

Click on each name below to learn more about them in their own words. 

  1. Why are you running for the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen, and what do you see as the most important challenges facing the town in the next two years?
  2. The pace and scale of development on Old Lyme has been a key issue in town, from the prospect of apartments on Halls Road to the implications that sewers might have for the shoreline gateway. How would you describe Old Lyme as it is today, and what is your vision for the town’s future?
  3. How important are shoreline environmental issues—such as flooding, beach erosion, water quality, and climate change—to Old Lyme’s long-term vitality, and what steps would you take to address them?
  4. What would you do to ensure that rising property taxes don’t make Old Lyme unaffordable for residents?

Candidates for Old Lyme First Selectman

Martha Shoemaker (D—incumbent)

John Mesham (R)

Candidates for Old Lyme Selectman

Jim Lampos (D—incumbent)

Jude Read (R—incumbent)

In Old Lyme, all Board of Selectmen seats are up for election every two years. Voters will be asked to vote for one candidate for first selectman and one candidate for selectman. The winner of the first selectman contest wins the title, with the next two highest vote-getters securing spots as selectmen. State law specifies no more than two members of the Board of Selectmen can be from the same party.

Absentee ballots for the Nov. 4 election are available now. Early voting begins Oct. 20.

In keeping with our long-held tradition, we will not be making candidate endorsements.

Lyman Allyn Art Museum Unveils ‘Allison Gildersleeve: Here Somewhere,’ on View Through Jan. 18, 2026

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The signature work of Allison Gildersleeve’s exhibition at the Lyman Allyn Museum is ‘Split Screen’, 2024, oil on canvas. The image above shows a detail from the painting. Photo courtesy of Lyman Allyn Museum.

NEW LONDON – On Friday, Oct. 10, the Lyman Allyn Art Museum hosted an opening reception for its newest exhibition, “Allison Gildersleeve: Here Somewhere.”

The collection – described by the museum as a series of richly layered paintings in which “time is not sequential, and location is not fixed” – will be on view through Jan.18, 2026.

The museum in a press release said Gildersleeve was raised in a colonial farmhouse surrounded by woods in southeastern Connecticut. The artist returns to the familiar settings of her childhood — wooded areas, home interiors, open highways, and backcountry roads — to show that repeated visits to the same place invariably result in wildly divergent depictions. 

“I paint environments as they present themselves to me: as dynamic, ever-changing places thick with anticipation, dread, happiness, calm,” Gildersleeve said. “These are experiential landscapes — settings filled with the presence of human activity and emotion even though no people are painted within them. I use photographs I have taken in the same locale over a tenyear period as source material, but the paintings are never derived from just one take.” 

The opening reception is free for museum members. Non-members are $10. To register, call 860-443-2545 ext. 2129 or email info@lymanallyn.org.

This exhibition has been made possible with support from an anonymous foundation. Funding is also provided by the Department of Economic and Community Development’s Office of the Arts.