Parties narrowing New London candidate slates ahead of November municipal elections
Jul. 16—NEW LONDON — Municipal candidate slates for the November election are being finalized this week by Democratic, Republican and Green Party town committees expected to field nominees for mayoral, City Council and school board seats.
On Nov. 7, voters will cast ballots for seven at-large council seats and the same number of Board of Education slots — all currently held by Democrats — as well as decide whether to send Democratic Mayor Michael Passero back for a third term in office.
Democratic Town Committee Chairman Zak Leavy said six city councilors — Reona Dyess, Jocelyn Rosario, John Satti, Efrain Dominguez Jr., Alma Nartatez and Akil Peck — have expressed an interest in being re-elected and are likely to be endorsed by the party. He said Councilor James Burke will not seek another term.
School board members Bianca Alexis, Nathan Caron, Danni Cruz, Bryan Doughty and Elaine Maynard-Adams are all expected to run for re-election with Jefferey Hart and Frank Silva bowing out this election. Hart, however, plans a City Council bid.
"We're working on a nomination for that seventh council seat, as well as for the two open Board of Education seats, today," Leavy said on Sunday.
The committee will endorse its candidates at 6:30 p.m. on July 25 at the New London Senior Center, 10 Brainard St.
Leavy said he expects the nominating committee will "absolutely" endorse Mayor Passero's re-election bid.
"He's done a great job," Leavy said.
Passero, a Democrat seeking his third four-year term this election cycle, served three terms on the council before his first successful mayoral run in 2015. He defeated Republican Marty Olsen and Green Party candidate Frida Berrigan in a 2019 re-election race that ended with him attracting 54% of the vote.
Passero will have at least one challenger this year after the New London Green Party on Saturday formally nominated Leon "Eddie" Long as its mayoral candidate and Seanice Austin for a City Council seat.
Long, the continuity director at Cumulus Media New London and co-chairman of the New London Arts Council, ran unsuccessfully as a City Council candidate in 2021 when he garnered 462, or 2.66%, of the total ballots cast, according to the Connecticut Secretary of the State's election results webpage.
Kat Goulart, chairwoman of New London's Republican Town Committee, said she expects her group will endorse municipal office candidates at its nominating meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the city's senior center.
"We're just not sure right now how many and it's unlikely it will be a full slate of candidates," she said on Sunday. "We've always preferred quality over quantity."
