WESTPORT — In the hotly contested race for the Board of Education, write-in candidate Jill Dillon, boosted by an alliance with local Democrats, rode a surging tide of support to claim the third school board seat up for grabs in Tuesday’s municipal election.
Dillon, with an unofficial count of 5,292 write-in votes, joined Democratic incumbents Lee Goldstein and Neil Phillips rolling to a big win.
Goldstein, the school board chairwoman, tallied 6,392 votes, and Phillips, the board secretary, 6,361 votes.
Republicans Camilo Riano, with 2,088 votes, and Jamie Fitzgerald, 2,171, finished far behind.
“It seems like a good night, not for me, but for Westport,” Dillon said after write-in tallies appeared to show she had clinched the third school board seat on Tuesday’s ballot.
The contest for Board of Education seats over the last several weeks had turned ugly. The battle mirrored many of the arguments — and divisions — that have flared nationally over educational philosophy and parental vs. professional control of schools.
Dillon, who entered the race late after the major parties had endorsed their candidates, ran as an unaffiliated voter to prevent one of the two GOP nominees from gaining a seat. Otherwise, one of them would have under the charter’s provision guaranteeing minority-party representation.
Even several prominent Republicans, such as First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker and Board of Education member Robert Harrington, did not support Riano’s candidacy because of earlier controversial statements.
Harrington, in fact, declined to back both Republicans, saying Tuesday during a visit to one of the polls: “I am not supporting the candidates my party nominated. They’re too extreme. It’s very frustrating.”
Republicans gathered Tuesday night at Rizzuto’s Oyster Bar and Restaurant in Saugatuck. Many appeared subdued, gloomy even, as the poll watchers forwarded information. An unofficial tally was kept on a laptop with a second larger monitor next to it.
At the Spotted Horse on Church Lane, Dillon and her quickly mobilized campaign team gathered to await the results. She got applause and a seemingly endless series of hugs after walking in shortly after the polls closed. The crowd seemed encouraged by reports from the field, even though winning as a write-in candidate is no easy task.
Democrats gathered at the Little Barn on Post Road East. The mood was festive.
“It was a fantastic night for the Democrats,” said Danielle Dobin, chairwoman of the Planning and Zoning Commission who won a seat on the Board of Finance. “I’m very grateful for the widespread support at all the polling places.”
Around 10:30 p.m., Republican P&Z member John Bolton, who lost his seat, arrived to concede, buoyed by Patrizia Zucaro, a fellow Republican on the commission. There were hugs, handshakes and kind words.
By the numbers: Vote totals from Tuesday’s balloting (* denotes incumbent)
BOARD OF FINANCE: Democrats Danielle Dobin and Jeffrey Hammer easily won seats, with Republican Liz Heyer, moving from the Board of Education to claim a third seat up for grabs. Newcomer Rich Hightower, a Republican, also was elected, while incumbent Perry Winter lost his seat.
Danielle Dobin (D): 6,083
Jeffrey Hammer * (D): 6,002
Rich Hightower (R): 3,171
Liz Heyer (R): 3,475
Perry Winter * (R): 2,713
PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION: Three incumbent members were re-elected — Paul Lebowitz, an unaffiliated candidate backed by Democrats, and Republicans Amie Tesler and Patrizia Zucaro, with the addition of a new GOP member, Michael Calise. Incumbent Republican John Bolton lost his seat.
Paul Lebowitz * (D): 5,907
Amie Tesler * (R): 3,052
Patrizia Zucaro * (R): 2,980
Michael Calise (R): 3,203
John Bolton * (R): 2,758
Joseph Strickland Jr. (CW): 1,629
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
Three elected
Jim Ezzes * (D): 5,955
Michelle Hopson * (R): 3,433
Liz Wong * (R): 3,618
BOARD OF ASSESSMENT APPEALS
One elected
Joseph Sledge * (R): 3,500
REPRESENTATIVE TOWN MEETING
Top four vote-getters elected in each district (* denotes incumbent)
District 1:
Andrew Bloom: 421
Chris Tait *: 413
Kristin Mott Purcell *: 372
Richard Jaffe: 293
Matthew Mandell *: 438
District 2:
Mike Perry *: 356
Harris Falk *: 342
Louis Mall *: 436
Jay Keenan *: 364
Melissa Levy: 543
District 3:
Jimmy Izzo *: 543
Don O’Day *: 466
Lyn Hogan: 446
Ross Burkhardt *: 418
District 4:
Noah Hammond *: 362
Jeffrey Wieser *: 422
Andrew Colabella *: 434
Clarence Hayes: 320
District 5:
Peter Gold *: 442
Claudia Shaum *: 404
Karen Kramer *: 409
Dick Lowenstein *: 447
District 6:
Seth Braunstein *: 423
Alma Sarelli: 268
David Rosenwaks: 510
Brien Buckman *: 165
Jessica Bram *: 356
Louis D’Onofrio Jr.: 162
Candace Banks *: 522
District 7:
Brandi Briggs *: 503
Lauren Karpf *: 504
Ellen Lautenberg *: 480
Jack Klinge *: 477
District 8:
Rachel Cohn *: 483
Julie Whammond *: 433
Ari Benmosche: 501
Wendy Batteau *: 483
District 9:
Douglas Enslin: 401
Jennifer Johnson: 523
John Suggs: 366
Kristin Schneeman *: 431
Rachel Halperin: 281
Sal Liccione *: 432
Nancy Kail *: 511
Congratulations to Jill, Lee and Neil! You have saved our schools from extremism, bigotry, hate, and political propaganda. You have remained steadfast, strong, kind, and level headed through this storm and these attacks! Thank you for protecting our schools, teachers, superintendent and students. Now we can continue your path of making Westport Schools the highly ranked and well respected district that we are!
Good work! It all paid off!
That was hilarious. The democrats mounted a character assassination campaign against Camilo Riano and painted Jamie Fitzgerald as an extremist because they called out the far left, socialist direction the schools have been heading. Politics were brought into this campaign by democrats. Anyone paying any attention at all knows that DEI and SEL are not just in schools. They are part of government policies from local to federal, in woke corporations and in the woke military. It has infected all areas of our lives and is promulgated almost exclusively by the Democrat party. That would be the definition of bringing politics into the campaign. Congratulations, you won. Unfortunately we all lose, including you and you don’t even know it.
MS Wylie: The election is over. Please stop the vitriol. Enough already. Go in peace.
You don’t get to decide what anyone can say. I decide what I say, you what you say. I agree, go in peace but just go
“When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less.” — Paul Brown
Refer to the above response.
“There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.” Oscar wilde
Here’s another Oscar Wilde for you, “people are neither good nor bad, they are either charming or tedious”.Guess which democrats are?