Greenwich Election Results: Kelly Concedes, Meskers 'Elated'

RJ Scofield
Updated ·5 min read

GREENWICH, CT — A few hours after polls closed Tuesday night, Republican candidate Joe Kelly confirmed around 10 p.m. he had conceded in the race for the 150th House District against Democratic incumbent Steve Meskers.

Preliminary, unofficial numbers listed on the Secretary of State website early Wednesday morning indicate Meskers received 6,608 votes while Kelly received 5,150 votes plus an additional 277 votes.

"The numbers didn't seem to have any path for us to have a victory," Kelly said Tuesday night, "and we called Steve, who is a wonderful guy and a great opponent, and we conceded. I'm looking forward to him doing well."

Kelly was gathered with a small group of people at his home when results began trickling in.

"We had a great experience," Kelly said Tuesday evening. "We enjoyed the whole process...We took 2020 and made it into something very exciting, because we had never done something like this before, so it's a giant win for us. We're OK with [the results], and it's good that Steve's going on to do what he does in Hartford."

(The votes are currently being counted and continue to refresh this article for updates as the night progresses. To sign up for free real-time election updates from Patch click here.)

Kelly also thanked residents for voting and for their support.

"Everyone was so nice when we were going door to door," Kelly said, "and it was just a really great experience at the polls today. It was such a positive experience, everyone was so nice, and it reinforced my love for the town of Greenwich...everyone just made it worthwhile."

Meskers said Tuesday night he was "elated" and "thrilled" with the results.

Stay on top of all the returns from across Connecticut and our five congressional districts by checking these stories throughout the night.

Unofficial results early Wednesday morning also indicated Republican incumbent Harry Arora had pulled ahead in the race for the 151st House District over Democratic candidate Hector Arzeno.

According to the unofficial numbers, Arora received 7,212 votes and Arzeno received 6,388 votes.

"We feel comfortable, but we're still going to wait for the numbers to be called," Arora said by phone early Wednesday morning.

Though he was still waiting for official numbers before doing so, Arora said he felt comfortable saying he expected to declare victory.

"I feel very honored to have a second term, and I will try to work hard and earn a second term," Arora said. "I feel good that the district and the community has given me this opportunity."

If Arora declares victory, it will mark his second time being elected to the 151st House Dsitrict this year after previously winning the special election in January.

"They always say the first re-election is the toughest...I will work hard and leave no stone unturned to serve our community and advocate for it," Arora said.

In the race for the 149th House District, preliminary results on the Secretary of State website showed Democratic candidate Kathleen Stowe received 4,057 votes while Republican candidate Kimberly Fiorello received 4,651 votes, as well as an additional 185 votes.

The district also includes part of Stamford, where unofficial results indicate Stowe received 1,921 votes and Fiorello received 1,800 votes, plus an additional 107 votes, in that city.

"It was wonderful to see such voter engagement, both in my race and nationally," Stowe said Wednesday morning. "I am still waiting for the absentee ballots to be counted, but I am just so thankful to my wonderful family who stood at the various polling places, friends and volunteers."

The winner of this race will succeed Livvy Floren following her decision not to seek re-election after 10 terms in office, leaving the 149th House District seat up for grabs for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Both Stowe and Fiorello have previously served the town in an official capacity. Stowe currently serves as the Board of Education's vice chair while Fiorello has been a member of the Representative Town Meeting since 2017.

According to Stowe, the most pressing issues facing Connecticut are financial in nature.

"Connecticut faces real economic and fiscal challenges," Stowe said, "both in the short term as a result of the pandemic, as well as our long term fiscal position. At the same time, I see a tremendous opportunity to set ourselves up for a bright future. New families are moving here. Let's encourage them to stay and more to come by championing a strong local and state economy, by protecting our bucolic landscapes and by maintaining a top quality education system, all while preserving sound fiscal discipline."

She also noted the state's "work from home culture" and companies looking to leave New York could attract more businesses to Connecticut.

"We have an opportunity to grow our state," Stowe said, "and improve our fiscal health."

Fiorello also pointed to financial issues, declaring the most pressing issue facing the state is "fixing the economy for our taxpayers and businesses."

In response, Fiorello said she would be a "true budget hawk" and a strong defense against "new taxes and bad legislation."

She also said she hoped to "advance good legislation to reignite Connecticut's economy by making sure taxpayers and business owners can keep more of their hard-earned dollars."

According to the town Registrars of Voters office, 35,248 residents out of 41,560 eligible voters cast ballots in Greenwich, resulting in an 84.81% turnout rate.

Earlier in the day, Registrar of Voters Fred DeCaro said Greenwich went from a range of 4,000 to 5,000 absentee ballots to a range of 15,000 to 17,000 this year. He also noted his year's turnout is based more on residents' interest in the election than the manner in which they were able to vote.

"Studies show that new methods of voting have a small 'novelty effect' on voting," DeCaro said, "but, generally, turnout figures are based on interest."

Most local voters who shared their experiences said the process went smoothly Tuesday, despite new protocols in place due to the coronavirus crisis.

"I voted at Old Greenwich school. From start to finish, it may have taken 10 minutes," Betsy Kreuter said in a comment on Patch. "Line was short, moved quickly, poll workers well organized. Great job poll workers!"

This article originally appeared on the Greenwich Patch