By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT–The Westport Republicans held their first event in the 2025 campaign for town offices on Wednesday with a kickoff meet-and-greet with first selectman candidate Donald O’Day and his running mate, Selectwoman Andrea Moore.

About 20 people attended the event held in the newly opened Gruel Britannia restaurant, and several of them said they were there to learn more about O’Day. O’Day had been a life-long Democrat before changing his party affiliation in May.

Here to learn

“I’m here to learn more about him. I haven’t met him yet,” said Michelle Paquette, who is running for a seat on the Planning and Zoning Commission on the Republican ticket. She said she was not concerned about the entry of Independent Party candidate David Rosenwaks into the race for first selectman. “I’m in favor of bipartisanship versus voting in blocs,” she said.

Also unbothered by the race now having three candidates for first selectman was RTM member Jimmy Izzo. “Westport has always been about people, not politics,” he said. “For Don and Andrea, Westport does come first. They make a great team,” he said.

Just what the town needs

Board of Finance member Liz Heyer said she was “super excited” about the Republican ticket this year.  “Don and Andrea have the experience,” she said. “They are just what this town needs.”

 At the gathering   O’ Day spoke about his goals for Westport, listing five planks in his platform for first selectman.

They are:

• Modernize the infrastructure of schools and town facilities in a fiscally responsible way.
• Address capital projects, keeping interest rates as low as possible.
• Examine how the P&Z addresses building and capital projects, and discuss “how to bring in affordable housing in an appropriate way.”
• Enhance and maintain the town’s parks, beaches and other facilities. “The Longshore Clubhouse is in bad shape,” he said.
• Improve traffic management including better timing for traffic lights, better bike and pedestrian safety, and employing police or others to direct traffic in heavily trafficked intersections.

“We’ve been stuck on a lot of major issues in town,” O’Day said.

Two scenarios for Hamlet

During the campaign event’s question-and-answer segment, O’Day gave two possible outcomes he saw for the Hamlet development project in Saugatuck. The plan submitted by Roan Development Ventures was turned down by the P&Z on July 28.

The best solution, he said, would be for Roan and the P&Z to work together to come up with a smaller project. “I would encourage Roan to come back with another proposal that the P&Z could get behind,” he said.

Not a lot of options

The second, less desirable plan, would be if the developer would submit an affordable housing plan under the 8-30g regulation that would be acceptable to the town. “We don’t have a lot of options,” O’ Day said. “But it’s definitely not over.”

O’Day also called for a closer relationship between the first selectman’s office and the school superintendent. “The path between the selectmen’s office and the superintendent’s office should be well worn,” he said.

O’Day and Moore are running against Democrats Kevin Christie for first selectman and Amy Wistreich for second selectwoman, in addition to Rosenwaks. Both Westport Democrats and Republicans announced their slates on July 15.