Zeoli wins a third term in Orange

Written by Maggie Caldwell
Wednesday, 04 November 2009 13:19

In the First Selectman race in Orange that saw 59% of registered voters head to the polls Tuesday, Republican incumbent James Zeoli was elected to a third term, beating Democrat Trish Pearson.

Despite falling by 454 votes to Zeoli, Pearson won enough votes to get a seat on the Board of Selectmen.

Of the town’s 10,073 registered voters, 5,937 voted in this municipal election. Zeoli won with 3,167 votes, to Pearson’s 2,713.

“This has been a hard, hard battle,” Zeoli said Tuesday night after the polls closed, and he was unofficially announced the winner. “The voters recognized our hard work. I am humbled and flattered by their confidence to support me.”

The election was considered by many to be a referendum on the Stew Leonard’s issue. Pearson has been outspoken in her support of the dairy store coming to town, while Zeoli has been less so and contends that Stew Leonard’s was Pearson’s only issue in the race.

“I’m thrilled by being elected,” Zeoli said. “It just shows there is more to this town than that one item.”

Pearson thanked her supporters at Orange Democratic Headquarters on the Boston Post Road shortly after learning the results of the race.

“Now I cannot tell you why things turned out the way they did,” she said. “Politics is like a job interview, except with 10,000 people. Sometimes their decisions don’t make any sense.”

She encouraged everyone who got involved to continue to participate in future campaigns.

“Don’t let this be your last campaign,” Pearson said. “Don’t give up on the process... The people and I know we will live to fight another day.”

When asked what would happen with the plans for Stew Leonard’s, Pearson said that that was a question for Stew Leonard’s.

With Zeoli in the top spot, and Pearson taking one of five other seats, the Board of Selectmen is rounded out by Democrats Mitchell Goldblatt (3,075) and Joseph Blake (3,010) and Republicans Ralph Okenquist (2,894) and Judy Wright Williams (3,085), creating an even three-three board.

Other races

The Town Clerk was the only uncontested position on the ballot. Democrat Patrick O’ Sullivan won 4,371 to be elected for his seventh term.

For Tax Collector, Republican incumbent Sandra Pierson beat Democrat Regina Sauer, 3,266 to 2,454.

Every two years, half the Board of Finance comes up for election. Incumbent Republicans Kevin McNabola (3,133) and Joseph Nuzzo (2,966) retained their seats. Although the third Republican on the ballot, James Leahy (2,960), won more votes than any of the Democratic challengers, Democrat John Cifarelli (2,636) won the third available seat because of minority representation on the board. Also not elected were Democrats P.J. Shanley (2,562) and Kathleen Marie Taylor (2,409).

The Orange Board of Education is a 10-member body, that like the Board of Finance has half its seats up for grabs every two years. The top five vote-getters who won seats on the board are Republicans Debra Marino (3,062), Jeffrey Cap (2,644), and Scott Massey (2,669), and Democrats Jeanne Consiglio (2,817) and Amy Criscuolo (2,752). Newcomer Democrat Susan Noonan did not receive enough votes with (2,572)

For the Planning & Zoning Commission, incumbent Republicans Oscar Ozzie Parente and Walter Beau Clark both were re-elected with 3,054 and 3,125 votes respectively. Democrats Robert Vogt and Carole Annicelli received 2,582 and 2,537 votes respectively.

For Constables, the top seven out of the eight people running were elected. They are Republicans Jody Daymon (2,690), Michael Patrick Donadeo (2,577), Shonnie Smith DelloRusso (2,396) and Doris Knight (2,903), and Democrats Robert Shanley (2,599), Randolph Thomas (2,468) and Santo Joseph Galatioto Jr. (2,655). Not elected was Democrat Maria RoseAnn Papaluca (2,207).

Of the six candidates running for three Orange seats on the Amity Regional School Board, three were elected. The board consists of seven representatives from Orange, four from Woodbridge, and two from Bethany. The division of representatives is based on each town’s percentage of the student population in the high school.

Republicans Thomas Hurley (2,718), and Steven Demaio (2,897) and Democrat Sue Cohen (2,697) were elected. Not elected were Republican Howard Schachter (2,539) and Democrats Diane Brown (2,436), and Cynthia Butler (2,302).