WESTPORT — A Republican member of the Planning and Zoning Commission has been endorsed to challenge incumbent Democrat Jonathan Steinberg for the 136th District seat in the state House of Representatives this November.

John Bolton, a lawyer who has served three years on the P&Z, was nominated by the local GOP at a May 21 caucus although results of that nominating session were not disclosed until Bolton announced his endorsement in a statement this week. The Westport Journal had reached out to Patrizia Zucaro, the town committee chair, the day after the caucus in an effort to report the results, but she did not respond.

Bolton, in his statement issued Monday, said his endorsement was “unanimous.”

Bolton was appointed an alternate member of the P&Z in 2021, but lost an electoral bid for a commission seat last November, finishing last among the three GOP candidates seeking election to the P&Z. However, he regained a seat on the commission the following month when the Republican Town Committee recommended that he be appointed to fill an open seat created when Amie Tesler resigned.

The 136th District is the largest of two Westport districts in the state House of Representatives, and has been held for the last six terms by Steinberg, who announced his re-election candidacy in February. Steinberg won election to his current term in 2022 by a better than two-to-one margin. A year earlier, however, he lost a close race for the town’s first selectman office to Republican Jennifer Tooker.

Bolton, in his statement, pointed to his P&Z record that he said “has consistently promoted a holistic planning approach dedicated to preserving the town’s unique character and charm,” which he described as “contrary” to what he called Steinberg’s “prioritization of special interests in Hartford.”

Over the last decade, Bolton also said, “Our representation in Hartford has continually pursued an agenda of misplaced priorities by promoting special interests before the needs of Westport.

“From Day 1, my policies will focus on rising public safety concerns, retaining local control in planning and zoning — specifically — the affordable housing debate and the accompanying unfunded mandates that ignore Westport’s long history of foresight in addressing social and economic issues, securing state funding for upgrading our local infrastructure while echoing the desires of our community,” he added.