By: Charles Stannard

DEEP RIVER– Town Democrats and Republicans have selected new town committees for the 2010-2012 term at party caucuses held this week. Democrats named a 28-member town committee that includes eight new members. Republicans picked a 20-member town committee with seven new members.

The town committee reorganizations come after a municipal election last year where Democratic First Selectman Richard Smith was uncontested for a record 11th term.

Republicans regained a seat on the board of selectmen that was lost after the local party failed to nominate candidates for the board in 2007. Republican Selectman David Oliveria outpolled Russell Marth, who had been elected to the minority seat on the three-member board in 2007 under the banner of the Deep River Independent party. Democrat Arthur Thompson, who had been serving as tax collector, was elected to the board, replacing former Selectman Richard Daniels Jr.

But the biggest change from last year’s election was the two-vote victory of Republican Amy Winchell for the position of town clerk over Democratic nominee Nancy Talbot. Winchell, whose four-year term began Jan. 4, replaces Democrat Jeanne Nickse, who had served as town clerk since 1994.

Incumbents returning to the Democratic town committee include Sarah Adams, John Bairos, Carmela Balducci, Leigh Ann Balducci, Richard Balducci, Mary Jane Daniels, Richard Daniels Jr., Nancy Fischbach, Joanne Grabek, Jonathan Kastner, Mary Maraschiello, Jeanne Nickse, Valerie Nucci, Alice Proctor, Jean Ressler, Donald Sampson, Smith, Patricia Strange, Nancy Talbot, and Thompson.

New members include Lisa Bibbiani, who was elected tax collector last year, John Dickson Jr., Bruce Edgarton, George Howard, Robert Jenkins Ann Joy, Mark Reyher, and David Talbot. Leaving the committee are Wendie Colvin, Fred Hellmers, Betsy James, Marilyn Malcarne, Shaun McNally, and Karol Tulp-Magee.

Incumbents returning to the Republican town committee include Gregory Alexander, Douglas Dopp, Margot Gamerdinger, William Harris, Town Treasurer Thomas Lindner, Oliveria, Rolf Peterson, Donald “Skip” Routh, Cleon Springer, Grace Stalsburg, Cynthia Stannard, and Rosemary Unan.

New members include Louise Cowen, Robert Edgeworth, Janice Kmetz, Joyce Metz, John Townsend, Winchell, and Mary Brownleen. Leaving the town committee are former Selectman Richard Faust. Frances Strukus, Kenneth LaRoche, Henry Hotkowski, Laurie Grieder, and Patrick Gilbert.

By Charles Stannard

DEEP RIVER— A recount conducted Monday confirmed Republican Amy Winchell as the winner for town clerk on a 703-701 vote over Democrat Nancy Talbot.

The recount conducted at the Deep River Puiblic Library polling place showed a one-vote gain for each candidate, but did not change the result recorded on election night, when Winchell led Talbot on a vote of 702-700. The recount process took nearly four hours, as poll workers checked each ballot by hand for anomalies or errors, and then ran each ballot through the optical scan voting machine.

Winchell, 48, will become the first Republican to hold the position in more than 30 years when she takes office for a two-year term on January 4. She replaces Democrat Jeanne Nickse, who has held the job since 1993. The position has a salary of about $42,000 per year.

Winchell, who currenly works as a pre-school program para-educator at Essex Elementary School, said she is “very excited” by the election win. “I am ready to start this new chapter in my life and I’m confident I can do a good job,” she said. A 40-year resident, Winchell is the mother of three children ages 12, 15, and 17.

Talbot, who works as the town’s park and recreation director/building department clerk, said Monday she is “definitely very disappointed,” by the result. “I hope people realize that every vote does count,” she said.

Talbot was the unanimous pick of the Deep River Democratic Town Committee for the open town clerk nomination, but faced a challenge within the Democratic Party from Stella Beaudoin, a clerk for the Essex judge of probate. Talbot was also endorsed by the July 26 nominating caucus and defeated Beaudoin on a 194-125 vote in a Sept. 15 primary.

Talbot said she believes the primary was a factor in the election result, while adding that “pointing fingers now is useless.” Democrats prevailed in most other contests on the ballot in an election where Democratic First Selectman Richard Smith was uncontested by town Republicans for an 11th term.

Arthur Thompson, the Democratic town chairman who was elected to the board of selectmen last week, said he is not certain whether the primary contest was a major factor in the town clerk result. “Both candidates worked very hard and one candidate got more votes than the other,” Thompson said, adding that he accepts the decision of the voters.

By Charles Stannard

DEEP RIVER— A recount is set for Monday in a close race for town clerk where Republican Amy Winchell led Democrat Nancy Talbot by two votes, 702-700, in the result from Tuesday’s election. The recount will be held at 10 a.m. at the Deep River Public Library polling place.

The apparent town clerk result, and another victory for a Region 4 Board of Education seat, were bright spots for town Republicans in an election where Democratic First Selectman Richard Smith was unopposed for a record 11th term, and Democrats won most other contest races on the ballot.

Talbot, who currently works as the town’s park and recreation director/building department clerk, had won the Democratic nomination in a September 15 primary over Stella Beaudoin. Talbot had been the unanimous pick of the Deep River Democratic Town Committee to replace Democratic Town Clerk Jeanne Nickse, who is retiring after holding the office since 1993.

Smith received 1,088 votes Tuesday. Democrat Arthur Thompson, ther current tax collector, with 716 votes, and Republican David Oliveria, with 401 votes, were elected to the board of selectmen. Oliveria outpolled incumbent Selectman Russell Marth, an unaffiliated voter who ran on the Deep River Independent Party line. Marth, who received 313 votes, was elected in 2007 after town Republicans did not nominate candidates for first selectman or board of selectmen.

Democrat Lisa Bibbiani was elected tax collector over Republican John Townsend on an 873-521 vote. Thompson has served as tax collector since 1993. Republican Town Treasurer Thomas Lindner was returned for a new term, defeating Democratic challenger John Dickson Jr. on a 996-421 vote.

In the Region 4 contest, Republican Laurie Ann Tomlinson, who served previously on the board in the late 1990s, defeated Democrat Patricia Conwell on a 707-628 vote. Conwell had been appointed to the regional school board last spring to fill a vacancy.

Incumbent Democrats George Eckenroth and Richard Balducci were re-elected to new terms on the board of finance, with Democrat Nichole Coutant winning a two-year vacancy term on the finance board over Republican Joyce Metz on a 702-634 vote.

Democrat Leigh Ann Balducci was elected to a full term on the board of assessment appeals, defeating Republican Darlene Pollock on a 692-644 vote. Democrat Mark Reyher was uncontested for a four-year vacancy term on the board of assessment appeals.

All four candidates for the Deep River Board of Education will be seated on the board, including Democrats Elizabeth Tracy and Arthur Robbins, and Rpublicans Mark Malcarne and Karen Nelson-Oliveria. Democrats Alice Proctor, James Davis and Mary Maraschiello were elected as library trustees, with Republican Rolf Peterson elected to a two-year vacancy term as a library trustee.

By Charles Stannard

DEEP RIVER– Nancy Talbot, the candidate supported by the Deep River Democratic Town Committee and the July nominating caucus, Tuesday turned back a primary challenge from Stella Beaudoin to win the Democratic nomination for town clerk.

Talbot defeated Beaudoin on a 194-125 vote, with just under a quarter of the town’s 1,065 registered Democrats turning out for the day-long balloting. Talbot will face Republican candidate Amy Winchell in the Nov. 3 town election. Democratic Town Clerk Jeanne Nickse, who supported Talbot as her successor, is retiring after 16 years in the position.

Talbot, a ten-year member of the town committee who works as the town’s building department clerk/park and recreation director, captured the party endorsement over Beaudoin on a 50-21 vote at the July 27 nominating caucus. Beaudoin works as a clerk for Essex Judge of Probate Deborah Pearl.

Talbot said she is “excited and happy for the support the voters gave me.” Beaudoin said she was pleased with her showing after running as a “one woman show” against a town committee-backed candidate.

Beaudoin offered her congratulations to Talbot and pledged to support her in the Nov. 3 election. Talbot expressed appreciation for the offer of support. Both women had campaigned door-to-door among Democratic households since the beginning of August and spent primary day greeting voters outside the Deep River Public Library polling place.

Video by Meredith Rizocki

DEEP RIVER — Tuesday, September 15th is primary day in Deep River. Two candidates, Nancy Talbot and Stella Beaudoin, are seeking the Democratic nomination for the office of Town Clerk. The successful candidate will then face Republican Amy Winchell in the November 3rd general election vote.

Take a look at what Nancy Talbot says about her qualifications and intentions for the office and how she is reaching out to the community. An interview was attempted but could not be scheduled with Ms. Beaudoin. We will continue our attempts to schedule an interview with Ms. Beaudoin before Tuesday’s primary.

By: Charles Stannard

DEEP RIVER— Nancy Talbot and Stella Beaudoin will face off Tuesday in the town’s first-ever municipal primary in a contest for the Democratic nomination for town clerk.

Talbot, who currently works at town hall as the building department clerk/park and recreation director, was unanimously endorsed by the Deep River Democratic Town Committee and won the party endorsement over Beaudoin on a 50-21 vote at the July 28 nominating contest. With Democratic First Selectman Richard Smith uncontested for a record 11th term, the contest to succeed retiring 16-year Democratic Town Clerk Jeanne Nickse has become the leading race on the Nov. 3 municipal election ballot. The winner of the Sept. 15 primary will face Republican town clerk candidate Amy Winchell.

Talbot, a married mother of two daughters ages eight and ten, is from a family that has been active in Democratic politics in Deep River for decades. Her father, Dick Daniels, was a selectmen during the 1970s, and her brother, Richard Daniels, has served on the board of selectmen with Smith since 1991. Daniels is not seeking re-election this year after nine terms on the board.

Beaudoin, a New York City native, has lived in Deep River since 1993. Like Talbot, she is a married mother of two daughters ages 14 and 16. Beaudoin has worked for the past decade as a clerk for Essex Judge of Probate Deborah Pearl. She has also worked as a paralegal, and for seven years in the 1980s was an assistant town clerk under long-time Haddam Town Clerk Ann Huffstetler.

Beaudoin said her work in Haddam, recording land transactions and training with the Municipal Town Clerks Association, gives her an edge in experience over Talbot. She also objects to the decision of the town committee not to interview her for the position. “In the interest of equity I felt this was worth pursuing,” she said.

Talbot said she has extensive experience running elections, another duty of the town clerk. After serving 15 years as an election moderator and in recent years as a deputy Democratic Registrar of Voters, Talbot said she was “flattered” when Nickse urged her to run for town clerk earlier this year. Talbot acknowledged that her decade of service on the Deep River Democratic Town Committee probably gave her an edge when the committee was considering the town clerk nomination. “Committees often look for candidates internally first,” she said.

Both candidates have been campaigning door-to-door, targeting the households of registered Democrats, since the beginning of August. Both are running without a candidate committee. Beaudoin filed an exemption to state requirements for a candidate committee because she plans to raise and spend less than $1,000 on the contest. Talbot is running as part of the town committee’s 2009 election slate, which had $1,896 on hand according to a Sept. 8 campaign finance report.

Beaudoin said she expects to spend just under $1,000 in personal funds on a campaign she describes as a “one woman show.” Arthur Thompson, Democratic town chairman, said the committee expects to spend less than $1,000 directly on the primary. Both campaigns plan mailings to all of the town’s registered Democrats.

The primary will be conducted Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Deep River Public Library polling place. About 1,065 registered Democrats are eligible to vote in the primary.

By: Charles Stannard

DEEP RIVER—The town’s first primary for a municipal position will be held Sept. 15 as party-endorsed candidate Nancy Talbot and challenger Stella Beaudoin face off for the open Democratic nomination for town clerk.

Acting one day before the Wednesday deadline. Beaudoin made the contest official Tuesday by submitting petition signatures from 57 registered Democrats to the town’s Democratic registrar of voters and Town Clerk Jeanne Nickse. She needed 53 signatures, representing five percent of the town’s 1,068 registered Democrats. The Sept. 15 vote that is open to all registered Democrats will be conducted from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Talbot, who currently works as the town’s building department clerk & park and recreation director, won the party endorsement on a 50-21 vote at the July 27 nominating caucus. Talbot had previously been endorsed by the Deep River Democratic Town Committee.

The seat is left open this year with the retirement of Nickse, who has held the job for the past 15 years. The winner of the primary will face Republican candidate Amy Winchell, a special education aide in the Region 4 school sysrtem, in the Nov. 3 election.

Arthur Thompson, the town committee chairman, said the committee would be working closely with Talbot during the five-week campaign. “It’s part of the process but we’ve got a good strong candidate and we’re going to let people know about her record of service to Deep River,” he said. Thompson said the committee would sponsor mailings to registered Democrats, along with public events and some door-to-door campaigning.

Beaudoin, who works as a clerk for Essex Judge of Probate Deborah Pearl, could not be reached Tuesday for comment on the details of her campaign plans.

By: Charles Stannard

DEEP RIVER— Nancy Talbot won the Democratic nomination for Town Clerk at Monday’s party caucus but is expected to face a Sept. 15 primary challenge from Stella Beaudoin.

Talbot, a Board of Assessment Appeals member who works as the town’s park and recreation director/building department clerk, won the caucus endorsement on a 50-21 paper ballot vote.

Beaudoin, who currently works as a clerk for Essex Judge of Probate Deborah Pearl, said after the result was announced that she would petition for a primary to decide the nomination. To force a Sept. 15 primary, Beaudoin must submit petitions signed by five percent of the town’s registered Democrats by an August 5 deadline.

Talbot, who is the sister of Democratic Selectman Richard Daniels, was nominated by Town Clerk Jeanne Nickse, who is retiring after 16 years in the position. Beaudoin was nominated by resident Maura Carver. Talbot had received a unanimous endorsement from the Deep River Democratic Town Committee earlier this month.

Talbot said she has been anticipating a primary contest for the open nomination. “I think the Democrats spoke tonight but I am ready and willing to do what I have to do to secure the nomination,” she said.

The contest for the town clerk nomination overshadowed a unanimous nomination for First Selectman Richard Smith to seek a record 11th term. Smith was first elected to the top job in 1989.
Democrats nominated Arthur Thompson, the current tax collector and chairman of the Democratic town committee, to be Smith’s running mate as a candidate for Board of Selectmen. Thompson, who has served as tax collector since 1993, replaces Daniels, a 14-year incumbent who decided not to seek a new term.

Democrats nominated Lisa Bibbiani, a lifelong resident who currently works as an assistant town clerk, for Tax Collector. John Dickson was nominated for town Treasurer.

Democrats nominated incumbents Richard Balducci and George “Bud” Eckenroth for new six-year terms on the Board of Finance. Balducci is a former Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives from Newington who moved to Deep River in 1996. Eckenroth served on the Board of Selectmen during the 1980s. Nicole Coutant, who served previously on the Region 4 Board of Education, was nominated for a four-year vacancy term on the finance board.

Balducci’s daughter, Leigh Ann Balducci, was nominated for a six-year term on the Board of Assessment Appeals. Mark Reyher was nominated for a four-year vacancy term on the Board of Assessment Appeals.

Patricia Conwell was nominated for Region 4 Board of Education. She was appointed in May to fill a vacancy on the board. Elizabeth Tracy and Arthur Robbins were nominated for the local board of education that supervises the operation of Deep River Elementary School. Incumbents Mary Ann Maraschiello and Alice Proctor were nominated for Library Board of Directors, along with new candidate James Davis.

Town Republicans are scheduled to nominate candidates for the Nov. 3 election at a caucus scheduled for Tuesday July 28 at 7 p.m. in the Liberty Bank meeting room.

By Charles Stannard

DEEP RIVER– The Democratic Town Committee has endorsed Nancy Talbot for the party nomination for the open position of town clerk.

Talbot, 40, received a unanimous endorsement from the town committee Tuesday. The endorsement is subject to confirmation at the party nominating caucus scheduled for July 27 at 6:30 p.m. in town hall. Democratic Town Clerk Jeanne Nickse is not seeking re-election this year after nearly 16 years in the position.

Talbot, a lifelong town resident, is the sister of Democratic Selectman Richard Daniels, a nine-term incumbent who is not seeking re-election this year. The married mother of two children ages 8 and 10, she currently works as the town’s building department clerk and park and recreation director.

Talbot holds a bachelors degree in communications from Central Connecticut State University and serves on the town’s elected Board of Assessment Appeals. She also serves as a deputy Democratic Registrar of Voters and is a volunteer for the Shoreline Soup Kitchens and Meals on Wheels programs.

Talbot is one of two Democrats to express interest in the town clerk nomination after Nickse announced her decision to retire. The other prospective candidate is Stella Beaudoin, who is currently the clerk for Essex Judge of Probate Deborah Pearl. Beaudoin has worked as a probate clerk in Essex for about 11 years, and was an assistant town clerk in Haddam for about 5 years during the 1990s serving under longtime Haddam Town Clerk Ann Huffstetler.

Beaudoin said Wednesday she was never formally interviewed by the town committee after submitting a written declaration of interest in the town clerk position. Beaudoin said she is undecided on whether to pursue her candidacy at the caucus, where nominations from the floor are permitted, or by petitioning for a Sept. 15 Democratic Primary to decide the nomination.

Democrats are expected to nominate First Selectman Richard Smith for a record 11th term at the caucus, with current Tax Collector Arthur Thompson expected to receive the nomination as the party’s candidate for board of selectmen.

Town Republicans are also expected to hold a nominating caucus between July 21 and July 28. The GOP is expected to nominate candidates for board of selectmen, town clerk, and other positions, but has not announced a challenger to Smith for the First Selectman position.

Selectman Russell Marth, who was elected under the banner of the Deep River Independent Party in 2007 after Republicans failed to nominate candidates for First Selectman or Board of Selectmen, is expected to seek a new term on the independent party line. The Deep River Independent Party has not announced candidates for first selectman or other positions on the Nov. 3 ballot.