In Ledyard, 19 of 22 candidates are winners
Ledyard — A little more than a quarter of the town's registered voters elected nine Town Council members and nine Board of Education members in Tuesday’s balloting.
All eight of the incumbents running for the council — six Republicans and two Democrats — were elected, along with newcomer Tony Sabilia, a Democrat. Re-elected were Republicans Linda Davis, the top vote-getter; Steve Eichelberg; Kevin Dombrowski; John Marshall; Andra Ingalls and Tom Malone, and Democrats Mary McGrattan and Bill Saums.
Democrat Naomi Rodriguez lost her bid for a council seat.
In the school board race, five incumbents won new terms, including Republicans Anthony Favry, the top vote-getter; Mike Brawner; Robert Guerrera and Jesse James, and Democrat Stephanie Calhoun. Non-incumbents elected were Republicans Brittney Hedges and William Snyder Jr. and Democrats Gordon Strickland and Kate DiPalma-Herb.
Democrat Janis Vajdos and petitioning candidate George Hosey failed to win school board seats.
Mayor Fred Allyn III, a Republican, was unopposed in his bid to complete the remaining two years of former Mayor Michael Finkelstein's four-year term. Finkelstein resigned earlier this year to take the police chief's job in East Lyme. Allyn, son for former Mayor Fred Allyn Jr., took over as interim mayor May 1.
Allyn garnered 1,830 votes, the most of any candidate on the ballot.
As he waited for returns at Ledyard Center School, the 1st District polling place, Allyn, a former councilor, said his six months in the mayor’s position had “opened his eyes” to the intricacies of the job. He said he has enjoyed the work and likely would consider running for a full term in 2019.
“Time will tell,” he said.
Unofficially, 2,287 of the town’s 8,536 registered voters cast ballots, a turnout of 26.8 percent.
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