Government & Politics
GOP Caucus January 2016

Overturned: Five in Leadership of Darien Republican Town Committee Voted Out

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When the results of Monday night’s Darien Republican Caucus were read out to an auditorium with few but the candidates still present, the top 21 vote-getters who won seats on the Town Committee did not include five members who were in leadership positions. RTC Chairman Karen Armour didn’t make the cut; nor did Vice Chairman Vin Burke; nor Secretary Laurie Williamson; nor Publicity Chair Nanci Natale; nor Recruitment Chairman Malcolm Hall Jr. (Treasurer Bert von Steulpnagel was re-elected, one of two candidates with the fourth-highest vote total.)

All eight petitioning candidates were elected: James Demark, Belinda Bewkes Metzger, Jane Nedder, Alexander Davidson, Christine Simpson Stone, Walter Cusick Donovan, Thomas Bell and Jacqueline Calabro. Candidates for seats were asked to stay in the Town Hall Auditorium to hear the results and sign a statement that they had heard them. After thie vote was announced, at about 9:30 p.m., the room was, for the most part, very subdued, apparently in respect for the members who didn’t win election. One person waved and gave a brief shout, and that was about it.

Government & Politics
GOP Logo

Here Are the Candidates for Election to the GOP Town Committee at Monday’s Caucus

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Eight more candidates have stepped forward for seats on the Darien Republican Town Committee, to be elected at Monday night’s GOP Caucus in Town Hall. These are the candidates with their addresses and districts (in order of district):

James J. Demark — District 1 — 57 St. Nicholas Road

Belinda Bewkes Metzger — District 1 — 36 Ox Ridge Lane

Jane R. Nedder — District 1 — 7 Dew Lane

Alexander Davidson — District 2 — 71 Delafield Island Road

Christine Simpson Stone — District 3 — 37 Stephanie Lane

Walter Cusick Donovan — District 5 — 57 Fairfield Ave. Thomas G. Bell — District 5 — 37 Fairfield Ave. Jacqueline A. Calabro — District 6 — 6 Tulip Tree Lane (Calabro already sits on the committee but had not participated in the process to get the nominating committee’s endorsement, RTC Chair Karen Armour said.)

The GOP Town Committee’s nominating committee for the caucus had already endorsed 18 candidates for seats (see list below).

Government & Politics
GOP Elephant

GOP Town Committee Releases List of Endorsed Candidates for 2016 Committee, Caucus on Jan 11

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Darien’s Republican voters are invited to the Republican caucus on Jan. 11 that will pick members of the Republican Town Committee, either accepting the RTC’s endorsed candidates or voting in others. The list of 18 candidates endorsed by the RTC (the full list is at the end of this article) includes veterans on the (nonpartisan) Representative Town Meeting — Karen Armour, the current chairman of the RTC (and former moderator of the RTM), along with RTM members Seth Morton, Nanci Natale, Bert von Stuelpnagel and Frederick Conze, who is also the former chairman of the Planning & Zoning Commission. The legal notice for the meeting was published Monday by Darienite.com, here. A previous GOP caucus, which met on July 27, overwhelmingly rejected some candidates that the RTM had endorsed for seats on the Board of Selectmen.

Government & Politics
Susan Marks

Selectman Susan Marks to Challenge GOP Endorsement of McIlmurray for Her Seat

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After the Republican Town Committee recently decided not to endorse Selectman Susan Marks for re-election, instead throwing its support to Spencer McIlmurray, Marks decided she wasn’t stepping down without a contest. So on Sunday Marks announced she’s throwing her hat back into the ring, saying she’ll contest that endorsement at the upcoming GOP Town Caucus. The caucus is open to any registered Republican. It meets to nominate candidates on July 27. “I will be a petitioning candidate at the upcoming Republican caucus,” Marks said in a news release issued Sunday.