TOP STORY: Lyme Republicans Hold Forum As Democrats Take Message to Streets

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LYME–On Saturday, Oct. 4, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the Republican Town Committee (RTC) will host an Open Candidate Forum at the Lyme Public Library while the Democratic Town Committee knocks on doors.

Republican Town Committee member and First Selectman candidate Tom St. Louis in a Monday email said the candidate forum is open “to any and all municipal candidates and Lyme voters.” 

The Republicans said Town Engineer Don Gerber will moderate the forum.   

The race for first selectman, which is contested for the first time since 2017, pits St. Louis against Democratic Town Committee-endorsed unaffiliated candidate Christy Zelek. 

Selectmen candidates are Republican Mary Powell-St. Louis, who is Tom St. Louis’ wife, and incumbent Democrats John Kiker and Kristina White. White is running as a petitioning candidate with the Democratic endorsement.  

The Democrats and Democrat-endorsed candidates running for the Board of Selectmen will not be participating in the Republicans’ forum, according to a letter from Kiker to forum organizer Stephen Buccheri. Kiker also serves as the DTC chairman. 

Kiker said they’ll be knocking on doors instead. 

“This way of reaching out to and connecting personally with Lyme residents is important to our candidates and, based on the responses we’ve been receiving, it’s meaningful to voters as well,” he said. “So we are declining your invitation and will continue to focus on creating more opportunities to have these rich, one-on-one conversations with constituents.”

The DTC took to social media on Tuesday to inform voters they’ll be making house visits on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

“Ask questions. Get answers. Meet the candidates. Talk one-on-one about the issues that matter to you,” the message reads.

The DTC previously declined to participate in a candidates’ forum hosted by LymeLine and the Greater Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce for the same reason.

The proposed format for the Republican forum includes drawing straws to determine response order, followed by a 3-4 minute introductory statement from each candidate. Questions from the audience will be addressed to an individual or panel response as warranted. 

St. Louis in his email to LymeLine said it is unfortunate that the opposing candidates would not participate in an “open public forum,” which he described as much different than one-on-one door knocking.

“Town leaders must be able to make decisions and respond to critical situations…and to stand before their constituents to bear responsibility for actions taken and outcomes realized.” 

Letter to the Editor: Shoemaker, Lampos Have Achieved Much in Short Time, Deserve Re-election

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To the Editor:

Two years is a brief time for any town leader to accomplish ambitious goals, yet First Selectman Martha Shoemaker and Selectman Jim Lampos have made noteworthy progress in their first term. Their achievements include enabling online meeting access, addressing deferred maintenance, tackling flood and erosion issues, repairing the Hawk’s Nest sluice gate, using grants for our emergency operations center, supporting Senior Center renovations, and improving accessibility and safety at Sound View.

Martha and Jim put Old Lyme first—let’s re-elect them on Nov. 4.

Sincerely,

Mary Jo Nosal,
Old Lyme.

Editor’s Notes: Mary Jo Nosal is a member of the Old Lyme Democratic Town Committee. She is also a financial supporter of olwenonline.com/, but has no input to the editorial process, which remains completely independent.

Soccer Roundup: Mixed Bag for Lyme-Old Lyme Soccer

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OLD LYME — They won, they lost and they tied.

On Friday, Sept. 26, the Old Lyme girls beat Haddam-Killingworth, 3–2, in a home game. Brooke Burgess, Addy Morosky, and Anna Bussman scored. Goalkeeper Reagan Christopher made three saves.

Payton Kaplowitz and Cali Mitchell scored for Haddam-Killingworth and goalkeeper Jordan Belanger made eight saves.

The girls fell 2-1 to Portland High School at home on Monday, Sept. 29. Bussman scored for Old Lyme, with an assist from Vivian Boller. Goalkeeper Grace Osborne recorded two saves.

Portland’s Lea Rivera scored both goals, with goalkeeper Gracie Dering making 12 saves. 

The Lyme-Old Lyme girls’ overall record is 4–5–2. 

On Tuesday, Sept. 30, the Lyme-Old Lyme boys were in Portland for a 1-1 draw. Ian Maeby scored with an assist from Elliot Dunn-Sims. For Portland, Evan Piascik scored. 

In goal, Liam McCormick and Sam Edmed combined for eight saves. Portland goalkeeper Ethan Wells made 19 saves. 

The Lyme-Old Lyme boys team is 4–4–1 overall and 3–3–1 in the Shoreline Conference.

Alliance for American Leadership to Present Former Congressman Sam Gejdenson a Lifetime Achievement Award in Old Lyme, Sunday

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Bipartisan Group Honoring Gejdenson for Dedication to International Assistance, Tickets to Event on Sale Now

OLD LYME — On Sunday, Oct. 5, the Alliance for American Leadership (A4AL) will celebrate former Congressman Sam Gejdenson with a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his service to the United States and the world at large. The award ceremony is part of the program of events for the State of Connecticut Launch Party for the Alliance, to be held at 4 p.m. in Old Lyme, Connecticut. 

Born in a displaced persons camp in Allied-occupied Germany, Sam Gejdenson represented the State of Connecticut’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 1981 to January 2001. In this capacity, amongst his voluminous accomplishments in service to the People of the United States were a range of contributions to the U.S. international assistance apparatus, such as restoration of funding to the United Nations Population Fund; legislation to combat human trafficking; and the initialization of funding for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), which has globally saved an estimated 26.9 million lives.

To recognize the former Congressman’s dedication to international assistance and American leadership, to include his continued tenacity fighting for positive change, A4AL is honored to present Sam Gejdenson with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

“Congressman Gejdenson’s lifetime of service,” said Asher Moss, Executive Director of A4AL, “including twenty years as a Representative for the State of Connecticut, demonstrated American commitment to international assistance. Sam Gejdenson’s leadership in preventing and mitigating pandemics, saving lives, and keeping America safe is why he truly deserves this Lifetime Achievement Award.”

A4AL, formed after the shutdown of USAID, is a bipartisan coalition dedicated to restoring American leadership through smart, strategic, and effective international assistance. After its launch receptions in the District of Columbia and New York, A4AL is now launching its next chapter in Connecticut. The reception will gather a select group of leaders committed to advancing principled U.S. global engagement. 

A4AL invites young and senior professionals to connect with fellow champions of American leadership, and meet members of the Alliance’s growing national network. With more than 700 advocates in all 50 states, A4AL is on track to mobilize 10,000 advocates by the 2026 midterm elections.

For security reasons, the address of the event is not being published. Respond to this email to request the address or RSVP at https://givebutter.com/CTLeadership.

The Alliance 4 American Leadership is a bipartisan coalition dedicated to restoring American leadership through smart, strategic, and effective international assistance.

For further information, visit https://a4al.org 

To purchase tickets for the event, visit https://givebutter.com/CTLeadership

SECWAC Hosts Historian Julia Irwin to Speak in Old Lyme on Her ‘Catastrophic Diplomacy’ Book

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Historian Julia Irwin

OLD LYME–On Monday, Oct. 6, the Southeast Connecticut World Affairs Council (SECWAC) will host historian Julia Irwin for a talk on her book, “Catastrophic Diplomacy: US Foreign Disaster Assistance in the American Century.”

Irwin’s presentation will begin at 6 p.m. in the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme and online. It will be preceded by a reception at 5:30 p.m.

SECWAC in an event description said Irwin, a history professor at Louisiana State University, will discuss her account of how the United States came to use foreign disaster assistance as a key instrument of diplomacy throughout the twentieth century. 

Spanning the early 1900s to the mid-1970s, the book examines how the U.S. government, military, and voluntary organizations responded to major international catastrophes—including earthquakes, tropical storms, and floods—and how these efforts shaped the broader landscape of American foreign relations. 

By weaving together diplomatic, military, environmental, and humanitarian histories, Irwin reveals the complex politics behind emergency aid and situates U.S. responses within a larger global context. Her work demonstrates the central, and often overlooked, role that disaster relief played in advancing American influence abroad.

Irwin earned her doctoral degree in history from Yale University and is a founding co-editor of The Journal of Disaster Studies and the book series InterConnections: The Global 20th Century. Her scholarship has been recognized with numerous national honors, including the Stuart L. Bernath Lecture Prize from the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations.

SECWAC members are free. Non-Member in-person attendance is $20. Non-Members may visit this link to register. A post-presentation dinner will follow at the Old Lyme Inn for members only. 

For more information on SECWAC, visit their website.