Editor’s Note: Click here for the first installment of our newly revived Property Transactions section published Aug. 14.
8/29: 108-1 Hamburg Road, Adam J. Brevoort of Lyme to Christa L. Allen, $675,000.
8/25: 0 Norwich Salem Road, Jonathan Kenyon of Brooklyn, NY, to Thomas Chilton of East Haddam, $250,000.
8/8: 3 Avenue B, Ryan Brouwer and Anna Marie Brouwer of East Lyme to Timothy Michael Freitas Jr. and Sara Miller Halsey, $690,000.
To The Editor:
I am writing to inform the residents of Lyme of the recent dismaying development in the election campaigns for our town offices.
For the past month, I and the Republican Town Committee (RTC) have been planning to participate in a Lyme candidates’ debate, suggested in an email on Thursday, August 14 from olwenonline.com/ reporter Ms. Elizabeth Regan to the chairs of the Democrat Town Committee (DTC) and RTC. That same day, the RTC agreed to Ms. Regan’s suggestion and further proposed a split debate event that would include a First Selectman candidate forum followed by a Board of Selectmen forum. No DTC response was received.
After a morning town meeting Friday, September 5, while leaving the Center School building, I was approached by Mr. John Kiker, DTC Chair, who declared emphatically that his Democratic slate of candidates would NOT agree to meet in any public debate or voter question forum. I replied by suggesting multiple options to address Mr. Kiker’s numerous (and I believe unfounded) concerns about having his candidates face questions from all Lyme voters. Mr. Kiker threw up roadblocks to each, including a “Meet the Candidates” forum hosted by non-partisan reporters; Mr. Kiker just wouldn’t budge.
Notably, Ms. Christine Zelek, the DTC-supported First Selectman candidate, was present throughout this discussion yet failed to utter a single word, wholly deferring to Mr. Kiker. The DTC Chair’s troubling and puzzling refusal to permit his slate of candidates (especially his top candidate, Ms. Zelek) to be engaged by Lyme’s voters in an open forum is antithetical to the foundations of our democratic electoral process.
On Wednesday, September 10, I, Ms. Zelek, Mr. Kiker, Ms. Kristina White, and Dr. Mary Powell-St. Louis received a follow up email from Ms. Regan proposing a Candidate’s Forum sponsored by the Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce, OPEN TO ALL SELECTMAN CANDIDATES AND VOTERS. A response was requested from each of us by Friday, September 12. As with the August email exchange, the RTC response was quick and supportive of participation in such a forum.
This afternoon Ms. Regan expressed her sincere disappointment to me in a phone call that the Candidate Forum would not move forward because Mr. Kiker stated that Ms. Zelek and his DTC candidates for Selectmen will NOT participate in olwenonline.com/’s proposed open candidates’ forum to inform and benefit all Lyme voters.
I believe voters deserve to hear directly from their candidates on issues including: 1) what skills and experience does each candidate possess and how will they use their skills to execute the role, 2) how does each candidate’s record of public and/or organizational service demonstrate their commitment to sustain performance in the role, 3) the “why”…what motivation brings 1) and 2) together for this candidate at this time for this particular role, 4) what does the candidate view as the most pressing issues facing Lyme, and 5) what actions does the candidate believe Lyme should take to address these issues?
Fellow residents, I believe we are fortunate to finally have choices this November for important contested town board and commission roles. It’s crucial that everyone be fully and transparently informed about each candidate, their position on issues, and what is at stake. I encourage us all as voters to have open conversations about the experience and motivation of the candidates that we will elect to our important municipal boards and commissions: for you, for your family, and for Lyme.
I sincerely hope Mr. Kiker will have a change of heart (very soon) and permit his DTC slate to join us in a Candidates Forum to speak to Lyme’s voters directly.
Respectfully,
Thomas St. Louis
Editor’s Note: i) The author is the Republican candidate for Lyme First Selectman.
ii) Here is a reminder of our Policy on Letters to the Editor and our Policy on Comments.
Editor’s Note: We are delighted to bring back publication of Lyme property transactions. We know that readers enjoyed these in the past and are confident they will spark the same interest today. We will publishing them every two weeks going forward.
Publication Date: 8/14/25
7/30: 150 Brush Hill Road, Stephen R. Flanagan of Old Lyme to Samuel Granger and Rachel Granger, $975,000.
7/29: 24 Old Hamburg Road, Patricia Foley and Kaitlyn Czap of Old Lyme to Clipper Properties LLC of Saratoga, WY, $536,000.
7/15: 105 Cove Road, Carl Asman III and Amanda Asman of Key Largo, FL, to Eileen Doolin, $1,675,000.
7/9: 85 Beaver Brook Road, Allen Petri of Lyme to Nicholas R. Todaro, $300,000.
6/27: 31-4 Baker Lane, the Estate of Seth A. Weinstein to John A. Bysko and Jane L. Bysko, $1,000,000.
6/27: 66 Beaver Brook Road, Joan E. Lindeen and Charles A. Lindeen of Dayville to Andrew Nam Chul Osborne, $790,000.
6/27: 193 Grassy Hill Road, Michael R. Haley of Alexandria, VA, to Jodi L. Lott, $450,000.
6/24: 43 Cove Road, George Lynn of Palm Beach, FL, to James Shea of Lyme, $1,500,000.
6/20: 19 Birch Mill Road, David Shluger and Jacque Shluger of Niantic to Mark D. Jamieson and Stephanie B. Jamieson, $905,000.
6/12: 40 & 44 Ferry Road, James P. Schwartz and Sarah Graves Schwartz of Lyme to Edward A. Lent, $2,695,000.
6/11: 53-2 Brockway Ferry Road, James A. Behrendt of Uncasville to Whale Rock LLC of Lyme, $2,275,000.
6/9: 36-1 Sterling City Road, Terrence Maclaren and Lissa Maclaren of Essex to Mary Ann Loria, $750,000.
6/2: 19 Town St., Parker H. Lord and Diana R. Lord to Raymond S. Fusco Jr. and Maureen E. Raymo, $790,000.
5/29: 14 Clark Road, Joshua D. Karsten and Sorada Malawaijan to Jennifer Greiner, $730,000.
5/22: 67-3 Norwich Salem Road, Douglas Hampton-Dowson and Dianna Marie Hampton-Dowson of Clinton to Jessica Moreno-Palacios, $649,000.
5/20: 6 Ledge Trail, 6 Ledge LLC of New Haven to Rand Derek, $391,500.
4/30: 10 Hickory St., JL Team Properties LLC of Guilford to Monica Lee Giaconia, $540,000.
4/1: 103 Town Woods Road, Elizabeth F. Wadge and Geoffrey J. Wadge of Lyme to Erin E. Hackett of Old Lyme, $240,000.
3/28: 94 Brush Hill Road, Hunter Humble of Colchester to Roderick H. Clingman, $385,000.
2/19: 64 Elys Ferry Road, Paul William Boughton and Janet Grant Boughton to Jesse Dylan Falzone, $827,000.
2/19: 372 Grassy Hill Road, Scott Winslow Keel to George James Stathakis Jr., $725,000.
2/10: 23 Meadowlark Road, Brian M. Coffee and Brittany Leigh Coffee to Aaron Torrison, $1,210,000.
2/6: 62 Hamburg Road, David P. Lucey and Jeanne B. Lucey of Old Lyme to Nicole T. Carbone and Eric Anderson, $613,000.
1/24: 56 Mount Archer Road, Adam F. Stewart to Thomas McKinney and Jessica McKinney, $1,000,000.
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
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.