Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz stopped by to talk with our candidates.

Town Councilor Jason Zandri Resigns from Wallingford Democratic Town Committee

Wallingford, CT (June 2, 2021) - Town Councilor Jason Zandri resigned from the Wallingford Democratic Town Committee (WDTC) on Tuesday, June 1, and is no longer seeking the WDTC endorsement for the upcoming election.

Immediately after the last election cycle, in November and December of 2020, the WDTC Officers and Executive Board started planning for the 2021 municipal elections. The very first thing to decide was how many candidates to run. Parties can run up to nine per slate, but the At-Large Voting system makes this a complicated decision.

The Officers put the question to the Executive Board to debate. The Executive Board voted that the WDTC should select six candidates for Town Council and six for Board of Education and ask them to run as a united slate. The exploratory candidates will decide among themselves who of them should be the final six candidates on the slate. The Officers and Executive Board have agreed to accept their recommendations.

The reasoning behind this decision is as follows:

1. In the At-Large System, no party can win more than six seats, as the other three are reserved for the minority party, if they do not win enough votes. If you run six candidates, all six are guaranteed a CHANCE to win.
2. We want the Democratic candidates to run as a slate. If nine people are running but three are guaranteed to lose, this sets up a competitive process.
3. The WDTC is financially supporting the slates. There is a big difference between splitting resources twelve ways versus eighteen ways. In addition, the extra six people (three town council and three BOE) who are running are spending an enormous amount of their personal time, energy, and resources only to be guaranteed to lose.

The non-incumbent exploratory candidates—aspiring candidates seeking the party’s endorsement—and the returning incumbents knew from the beginning that the candidate field would be narrowed down to six for each slate. 

All exploratory candidates were expected to act as team players. It was hoped that incumbents would support new exploratory candidates and in turn learn from them.

Unfortunately, Jason Zandri did not accept the WDTC’s stance, nor did he participate in activities to connect with voters. This resulted in his decision to part ways with the WDTC, stating:  “If running all nine is not the decision of the Democratic Town Committee and they are only going to endorse six, I will solve the issue for one person seeking an endorsement; I will drop out of seeking the nomination from the DTC and I will petition to run without the endorsement.”

We are disappointed that Mr. Zandri will not be participating in the process with the WDTC but wish him well on his future endeavors.

***

Media Contact

Alida Cella, Chair, WDTC

alidacella@hotmail.com

203-676-0819

ATTENTION! Join us on June 5th at 1pm for the Save Our Pool rally! Wallingford’s Community Pool is closed PERMANENTLY unless we can put enough pressure on the mayor to put the renovation project back out to bid, and that is exactly what this rally is intended to do.

We will be gathering outside across the street from the pool, so please spread the word. There will be designated speakers to highlight the importance of our Community Pool, as well as arts and crafts materials for children to make their own “Save Our Pool” signs and chalk drawings. I hope to see you there

Dear Neighbor, Anyone living in Connecticut can now  save on the cost of insulin by accessing an ID card through the State of Connecticut Drug Discount Program, regardless of insurance status or health care provider. Connecticut residents can create a personalized discount card online through the program to obtain certain forms of Novo Nordisk insulin at 50 % less than the retail cost. Create a Personalized Discount Card Here To receive the discounted prices, residents must simply present their card when purchasing their insulin medication. Discounted medications available through the program include: Novolin R 10ml vial ($25) Novolin N 10ml vial ($25) Novolin 70/30 10ml vial ($25) NovoLog® 10ml vial ($120) NovoLog® PenFill Cartridge - 5x3ml ($180) The discount cards will be accepted at all participating Connecticut network pharmacies. As always, please feel free to reach my office by email at mary.mushinsky@cga.ct.gov and be sure to “LIKE” my official Facebook page for updates. Sincerely, Mary Mushinsky State Representative

Thursday, May 20, 2 pm ET /11 am PT

Voter turnout in the 2020 elections broke records - the most votes ever cast and the highest percentage of eligible voters turning out in over a century. This is great for democracy, communities, and representation, and a trend we need to keep up in 2021 and beyond. Important elections are happening across the country and across the calendar this year and while these mostly local elections will have huge impacts on government and services, turnout has historically been low: in 2017 in Ohio, less than a third of registered voters participated in the election. Texas saw 12% turnout in 2019. With the pandemic still looming as more Americans receive vaccines and after a contentious 2020 battle, what will 2021 turnout look like?

RSVP NOW

Join us on Thursday, May 20, at 2 pm ET/11 am PT for our webinar "The Benefits of Voting in Local Elections" as we cover WHY this is the right year and right time for your organization to engage voters. We'll give you tips, techniques, and messaging strategies to find, engage, and entice voters to turn out for local races. Nonprofits and communities stand to gain huge benefits if they are fully represented in local elections and every vote counts.

All RSVPs will receive a recording and slides from the webinar the following week.

SAMPLE SOCIAL MEDIA

Please help us spread the word by using the social media samples below!

Leading up to the webinar:

Is your organization looking for tips on how to ensure voters turn out for local races? If so RSVP to @npvote's May 20 Webinar 'Benefits of Voting in Local Elections' to get the answers you need! RSVP TODAY: http://bit.ly/BVLE_web

Day Of Webinar:

It's not too late! You can still sign up for @npvote's "Benefits of Voting in Local Elections'' Webinar TODAY at 2pmET. Sign up using this link: http://bit.ly/BVLE_web

As we mark the first 100 days of the Biden Administration this week and prepare for President Biden’s joint address to Congress, it’s time to think about what comes next. Republicans are working tirelessly right now to end our Democratic House and Senate majorities — winning in next year’s elections will require early investments in the next generation of political activists, organizers, and leaders. I’m excited to announce that my campaign is recruiting fellows for Democracy Summer, a project of Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin focused on training college and high school-aged students as organizers and volunteer activists in Democratic political campaigns. Please read on for more information about Democracy Summer, then click here to find my campaign’s application form. Fellows in this virtual program will learn from political leaders like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez along with activists, Democratic policy experts, and top political and community organizers across the country. From Monday, June 21st to Friday, July 31st this summer, fellows will receive an intensive practical training in the key skills of Democratic campaigning including: Electoral strategy Field organizing Door-to-door canvassing Phone banking Text banking Policy development Campaign messaging Social media and digital strategy Rally and online organizing Event planning Scheduling Campaign management All activities will take place virtually on a Monday-Thursday week primarily between the hours of 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. ET, with occasional weekend and evening events. My campaign is offering a $500 stipend to all Fellows for their organizing work — if you know of a young person who would be a good fit for this program, please click here for the application form. DEMOCRACY SUMMER APPLICATION If you don’t know anyone who would be interested in participating in this program, you can support this important work by sponsoring a 2021 Democracy Summer fellow. Will you chip in $10 now to sponsor a fellow? Your donation will enable more young people to get involved in the political process and is a direct investment in the future success of Democratic candidates and campaigns across the country: SPONSOR A FELLOW Thank you for supporting Democracy Summer! — Rosa

Clean A Road on April 24th, 2021.

Supplies (bags, vests or gloves) available at town hall until Friday, April 23rd at Town Hall, 40 So. Main St, Room 311 9am to 5pm (Please Call ahead at 203-294-2060)

After the cleanup, call 203-294-2060 to say where bags were left, including street name and Electric Pole number.  

https://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Wallingford/Wallingford-News/Wallingford-Democrats-name-potential-candidates-seeking-local-office-this-fall