by Anne White
Monday and Tuesday caucuses to elect members of the Republican Town Committee (RTC) turned out to be less predictable than many assumed. After a year of Republicans winning back the state senate seat in a special election and winning local offices by large margins, many town committee members who worked on those campaigns were looking forward to a quiet caucus and celebrating some hard fought victories.
Instead, the caucuses were viewed by many as what one Republican insider referred to as “the red wedding” where many long-time RTC members were not re-elected including incumbents Nisha Arora and Tom Michaud who lost their seats as well as party stalwarts who lost in other districts which included Stephen Walko, Dr. Carl Carlson, RTC Treasurer John McShea, Kimberly Salib, Randy Caravella, Linda Mosher, and Irene Dietrich. In the end, more than 20 incumbents lost their seats, taken by surprise on the heels of what they believed was a very successful election year.
The seismic shift was in some measure brought about by the Greenwich Patriots, who showed up in large numbers to elect well-organized slates. This year’s caucuses drew over a hundred people in some districts which previously saw just fifteen or twenty participants even as many who wanted to participate said they could not due to COVID concerns or quarantines. All registered members of the Republican Party were eligible to vote in their district.
One of the biggest shifts came in District 8 where Carl Higbie chaired the caucus although he did not run for a seat. Higbie, a former Trump adviser and Navy SEAL said, “This is the mark of a new party, we welcome the folks we voted out to work with us, but the new direction of this party is a conservative agenda. We want government control out of your wallet, out of your bedroom and off your face. We want our schools to be the best and our taxes to be low. That is the new reality of Greenwich Republicans.”
Dan Quigley, the current RTC Chairman, won re-election by just one vote. In a statement he congratulated all of the candidates who won acknowledging that it took focus and commitment to organize their effort. He made a point of thanking all of the outgoing RTC members “for their service to the party, their counsel and their hard work during what has been a very busy and extremely successful election year.”
Quigley made it clear he believes he and the RTC deserve credit for the success of Republican candidates last year saying, “In 2021, we flipped a State Senate seat with Ryan Fazio which prevented a Democrat super majority in Hartford, re-elected our First Selectman Fred Camillo with a 70% popular vote and swept our local elections including the BET. The RTC has a lot to be proud of. We have fought hard to defend the Republican values that represent those of our constituents, and I am hopeful this will continue as we move forward.”
Republican National Committeewoman, Leora Levy, said she was very pleased with such widespread engagement. “It was exhilarating to see the large number of people who came out on a very cold January night to participate in the election.” She went on to say, “The enthusiasm was palpable and bodes very well for our grass roots activism and engagement in future elections.” [Her full statement can be found on the editorial page.]
The Greenwich Patriots, who have been at odds with the RTC over the past year on a number of issues, especially those having to do with education, sent out an email blast ahead of the caucus encouraging their supporters to show up in person to vote in their districts.
The group had been operating mostly on social media but has become more visible, particularly at BOE meetings where they voiced their opposition to social and emotional learning and called for an end to mask mandates in schools. Their behavior was widely criticized by school leaders and some teachers who said at the time that their attacks had taken an ugly and personal turn.
On Wednesday they claimed victory in an email congratulating “the many PATRIOTS who won.”
While the focus among many in the Republican party throughout town was on the number of people who came out to participate, the Greenwich Patriots declared that they are now in charge saying in an email to supporters, “the good news is that with Patriots now in control, transparency will undoubtedly be brought to this process going forward, making it more fair, and easier for new people with fresh ideas to get involved in local politics. This is only the beginning!”
Jane Sprung, who was active in volunteering for RTC candidates last fall, won in District 10. She said, “We were delighted to see the unprecedented turnout in District 10 and in other districts across town for the RTC Caucus. The Greenwich RTC did very well in November getting candidates elected. The large number of newcomers to the caucuses and the election results, reflect reignited interest in being a Republican and the desire for some change.”
Steve Warzoha, a former vice-chair of the RTC, was elected as a member again after stepping away for a number of years. He said that he believes the Republican party in town is still strong “as evidenced by the hundreds of active and dedicated people who came out to the caucuses this week and by the overwhelming victories in November and taking back the State Senate seat. I know that the best days of our party are still ahead of us and that by working together, we will be able to grow our party, re-elect and increase our delegation to the State House and Senate.”
Currently the RTC Chair is Dan Quigley; Vice Chairs are Marc Ducret and Jackie Budkins; the Secretary is Fred DeCaro; and the Treasurer is John McShea. All were re-elected as members except John McShea.
One option being discussed is a primary to challenge some of the newly elected RTC members which would reopen the voting process to all Republicans in each district. Individuals have the option of initiating a primary if they can collect signatures from five percent of registered Republicans in their district. The deadline to submit signatures is Jan 26.
On March 7, the new RTC members will take over and elect new district leaders and a new Executive Committee which will in turn recommend candidates for Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer and Secretary to the full RTC. That body will then be responsible for nominating Republican candidates in elections for the next two years including elections for state representatives and state senate as well as all local elections.
Republican Town Committee winners:
District 1:
Christina Vanderlip, Cheryl Resnick, Frederick Lee, Russell “Trey” Reynolds, Dan Quigley
District 2:
Susan Schieffelin, Michael Basham, Joseph Kelly, Jill Kelly, George Hvitz
District 3
Marianne Anderson, Granit Balidemaj, Carmella Budkins, Jackie Budkins
District 4
Diane Roth, Andrea Blume, Kristin Niemynski, Matthew Popp, John Thompson
District 5
Nancy Ozizmir, Bill Drake, Brian Peldunas, Dan Ozizmir, Paul Olmstead, Marc Johnson
District 6
Debra Hess, John Oberg, Aaron Kennon, Linda Whitridge, Marc Ducret
District 7
Karen Fassuliotis, Lucia Jansen, Beth MacGillivray, Wynn McDaniel, Sage Withrow
District 8
Joseph Solari, Adele Caroll, Kiera Lynch, Caroline Oliver, Andrew Oliver, Gail Lauridsen
District 9
Carol Zarrilli, Mike Brescia, Patti DeFelice, Steve Warzoha, Dan Sinisi
District 10
Deneen Borelli, Allyson Cowin, Hilary Haroche, Ramya Hopley, Jane Sprung
District 11
Michael Spilo, Tim Busler, Laura Darrin, Mita Spilo, Jon Redmond, Erin Spiess Chang
District 12
Fred DeCaro, Rich DiPreta, Megan Galletta, David Alfano, Andrew Walsh, Peter Sherr
