(
Note: This explanation of Easton's Board of Selectmen race also ran in local press.)
Many people moved to Easton recently. Welcome! If you’re unfamiliar with Easton elections peculiarities, you’re not alone — many long-time residents are confused too.
The Board of Selectmen (BOS) has three members, headed by the First Selectman, or “town CEO.”
Incumbent First Selectman Dave Bindelglass-D is opposed by Wendy Bowditch-R. In ballot column two, incumbent Selectman Kristi Sogofsky-R is opposed by Nick D’Addario-D. That’s the BOS race.
But wait, those are only two elections to fill a 3-person board?
Here’s the trick: of the two people who lose those two races, whoever has more votes becomes the third member.
Suppose Dave defeats Wendy, Kristi defeats Nick. Dave is First Selectman, Kristi is “Second Selectman.” If Nick has more votes than Wendy, THEN Nick is Third Selectman. These are not separate races.
You might say “Who cares? Either way Dave is CEO.” But if Wendy bests Nick, the BOS has a Republican majority making commission appointments.
Is it a big deal if there is a Republican majority? If you’re asking that, you probably don’t know that the Republican Town Committee demonstrated strong alignment with Easton’s vocal minority right-wing movement.
Sorry, you may not care much about local politics, and you’re just getting used to Easton. But if you don’t show up Nov. 7 to vote, you might get some outcomes that will make you wonder about what you got yourself into. Protect your values, protect your community, protect good and responsible government. Register to vote and get out to vote Row A.
Ira Kaplan
Easton
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