First Selectman DaRos Keeps Seat and Offers Campaign Reflections

When all was said and done and he retained the First Selectman’s seat by just under 1,000 votes against Republican Challenger Joy McConnell, DaRos said “I’ve never seen like this one.”

Reflecting on the at-times tumultuous campaign between the Republicans and Democrats, he said, “It’s like national politics got into the local politics where they’d rather go out and attack rather than stick to an issue.”

Putting some of the other issues aside for the moment, including Wayne Cooke’s placement of around town, DaRos he was disappointed with McConnell’s press release regarding the town’s lawsuit against the Marcus law firm.

“For Joy to write some of that stuff that she wrote was the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen,” commented DaRos.

Patch did not interview McConnell last night on her campaign actions but will bring you a post election story later today.

DaRos lamented of the Republicans, “When people do these things, there’s a point where there’s political rhetoric and there’s where you cross the line and they crossed the line more than once.”

Regardless of their differences, DaRos said he congratulates McConnell for her courage to run. “Believe it or not, it takes courage to go out there and run for public office. This last display will show you even more why it takes courage to do that and for that I will congratulate her.”

The biggest downfall of the campaign said DaRos was an inability to in a way he would have liked to.

“It seemed like every issue they were raising were the wrong ones. The raised the issues of the financials of the town; the tax rate of the town; the of the town. I mean these are the ones that no way are you going to compare us to any other town and not find us to be on top.”

After learning of this win, DaRos addressed the crowd at the campaign party at the Italian American club thanking them for their support through the election. Responding to his address, the group chanted, “Unk, Unk, Unk….”

The last thing Patch asked DaRos was how he was going to address the civility in town meetings a issue brought up by both parties.

Of some of the boisterous behavior of citizens and members, DaRos said in the next two years, “It’s just not going to happen.” Of Cooke he said, “He had enough attention.”

Check back for an interview with McConnell and a more in depth look DaRos’ plans for the next two years.