Mar 27, 2008
Democrats: Surprised Dunn may be done as registrar
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Darien Democrats are looking to make a change at Town Hall. And one of the last men to find out is the man whose job might not be renewed.
Thomas Dunn, who for 14 years has served as the town’s Democratic registrar of voters, was recently told by the Democratic Town Committee that the party intends to endorse Kathy Hammell, a former Board of Finance member, for his job.
“At the end of his last term, we talked to him and told him this would likely be the last term,” John Davis, the DTC chairman, told The Darien Times on Monday. “And told him that we would like to pass the baton on to someone else. I think Tom has done a great job. This is something we talked about a couple years ago.”
Davis said Dunn agreed to that back then. Today is a different story.
“I have absolutely no recollection of that,” Dunn told The Darien Times on Tuesday. “It is possible I said it. I didn’t know what was in store for me. That is the most honest way for me to answer that.”
Dunn said that Mimi Griffith, chairman of the DTC’s nominating committee, came in to the registrars office “a few weeks ago and said it was time for a change and they have nominated someone else. I was quite surprised, frankly.”
Griffith told The Times on Monday the nomination process is not over but the DTC nominating committee has identified Hammell as its next registrar candidate.
The town elects it registrars of voters — one Republican and one Democrat — in even-year elections. The new term would begin in January.
“The process is that the nominating committee will interview candidates and nominate candidates at the caucus at the end of May for municipal candidates,” Griffith said. “The two offices for which we will be nominating are the registrar of voters and the Board of Education — Heather Shea’s term expires this year. I know Heather is willing to be nominated. We haven’t completed the process yet.”
Griffith said Hammell identified herself as a candidate for the registrar job. “We put notices in the paper,” she said. “We will formally interview candidates who put themselves forward. Tom hasn’t told me he wants to run again.”
Don Smith, the Republican registrar, sent an “Open letter to the Democratic Party of Darien” questioning the party’s apparent decision. [That letter appears as letter to the editor on page 4A.]
In the letter, Smith notes that he and Dunn have worked well together the past 14 years and that politics “has never come into the operation of these offices as directed by the secretary of state under strict guidelines.”
Smith notes the town is in the “midst of switching over to electronic voting statewide as well as being under intense scrutiny by the state legal and enforcement departments.”
He later writes: “The progression of personnel within state-wide offices usually is done on a gradual basis after many months and sometimes years of preliminary training and exposure to the complicated procedures under which our office operates. There is no room for error and mismanagement at the state level under which we are regulated. The switch over to electronic voting took many hours of intense training and demands strict adherence to principles set by the regulatory bodies within the state.
“I ask you, as an ‘interested by-stander,’ to re-consider your decision for the good of your party and the town of Darien.”
What Smith says is true, but a change wouldn’t happen until after the next election, Griffith said. “There has been a lot of complex change. Tom Dunn has done a great job working with his Republican counterpart bringing the town through this change. The primary was successful and we are ready for this November election. We feel comfortable looking forward to this change in January.”
Griffith said when the nominating committee looks at candidates — for competitive or noncompetitive races, “we plan ahead and all factors come into account. Ranging from time in office to their age, we think it is important to provide opportunities for members of the community to serve.”
Dunn, who says he is “well over 70,” is not sure he wants to step aside yet. “Frankly, I would like to get one more term. There are so many changes in the new system. It will take two or three more elections to get things sorted out.”
Asked if he will seek the nomination, Dunn said: “I don’t know yet which way I’ll turn... It’s a possibility.”
Since he took over the job, Dunn said the job has grown. “We have a lot more work to do than we did in the past,” he said. “We still need more time to tune it up... I am a little leery of turning over the job.”
He echoed Smith’s statements that the two work well together. “In a lot of towns there is a lot of fighting between the Republican and Democratic registrars,” he said. “We have our differences but can work them out pretty well. We split up the work. And when we have differences we sit down and work them out.”
Dunn said he loves working with the residents. “During the elections it is always exciting,” he said. “I always try to treat people fairly, openly and honestly. We get all sorts of questions and people coming in.”
The presidential primary held in February was a busy time for the registrars, who had 440 additions, subtractions or other changes to make to the voter rolls. “We had around 80 people coming in the Monday before the election — before the cutoff day to register.”
Dunn was surprised he was not at least asked to interview for the nomination. “Normally you have some sort of interview with these people,” he said. “It was funny because no one had talked to me previously.”
In a follow-up interview on Tuesday, Davis said nothing is final yet but the party doesn’t normally ask people to interview. “We put a notice out in the newspapers,” Davis said. “If he had asked, we would have interviewed him. He is welcome to come in to interview. If he calls me and says he wants to interview, he can come in and interview... I have never spoken to him about any of this at all. The caucus isn’t until May 27.”
Griffith said Hammell is “one person who would be great for the job. We would be delighted to consider her for this post. But there may be others out there.”
Those Democrats interested in either of the two potential openings, should contact Griffith at 655-7940 or mimi@mimigriffith.com.
“The DTC has the legal right to nominate anyone they want,” Dunn said. “The only thing I feel is they should interview anyone interested. They should take the most qualified. I’m not a Joe Leiberman. I don’t feel the job is mine forever.”
A message left Wednesday on Hammell’s answering machine was not immediately returned.
E-mail Darien Times editor Joshua Fisher at editor@darientimes.com.
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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