Officials confirmed Wednesday that two petition candidates for elected offices in New Canaan filed paperwork ahead of a 4 p.m. deadline in order to get on ballots for the Nov. 3 election.
Town Clerk Claudia Weber said she verified 34 qualifying signatures submitted by New Canaan resident Michael Nowacki, who is running for first selectman.
Pearl Williams of the Connecticut Secretary of the State confirmed that New Canaan resident Roger Williams filed his signed petition for a seat on the Town Council. The signatures now will be forwarded to Weber for verification, Williams said.
If the Secretary of the State finds that the petitioning candidates have obtained the required number of signatures, Nowacki will face incumbent Republican First Selectman Rob Mallozzi and Williams, a Republican, will appear as a “petitioning candidate” for a Town Council seat. There are six Town Council seats up for election this year, with two expected to be occupied by Democrats and four by Republicans. New Canaan Democrats last month backed two candidates (Jim Kucharcyzk and Joe Paladino) and New Canaan Republicans endorsed four candidates (Ken Campbell, Steve Karl, Christa Kenin and Cristina A. Ross).
Mallozzi, who also received GOP backing, had announced in May that he and Selectman Nick Williams intend to seek re-election. Selectman Beth Jones also said in May that she is running for her seat, and received party endorsement from New Canaan Democrats.
Asked for basic information on his candidacy, Williams told NewCanaanite.com that following the Republican caucus, where just 285 ballots were cast and many of those had “targeted” voting (where people did not vote for as many candidates as they were allowed to), “I heard from many people, both people I knew and didn’t know, who sent emails or phoned me and the message from everyone was the same: Would I please consider running as a Republican petitioning candidate?”
“They felt my voice about fiscal responsibility was an important one that should continue on the Council as well as the other work I have been doing on the Council. So I listened to many people and offered to talk to others, and many offered to help on my campaign, so this is what led me to sending in a request for a petition last week and once it arrived, at the end of the week, collecting 62 signatures.”
Asked for information on his candidacy, Nowacki said in an email: “There are over 12,000 voters in the Town of New Canaan. In the last municipal election for First Selectman there were less than 2,800 voters for the most influential job in the Town of New Canaan.
“The Board of Selectman endorses the appointment the members of the Board of Finance which prepares the recommendation to the Town Council for final approval for appropriations that determine property taxes to fund those services to the residents and taxpayers as shareholder.
“My candidacy for public office is based upon two words: noblesse oblige…it is a honor to serve.
“It has been a very long time since voters were provided more than one choice for the Office of First Selectman.
“I look forward to providing information to voters, will trust in their ability to discern the factors impacting their property tax bills and assess the two candidates in a fair-minded manner in a robust debate between now and November 3 that will provide clear choices on election day for which candidate can provide the leadership and ingenuity to lead the Town of New Canaan to a reduction in property taxes by 5 percent or more commencing in the fiscal year starting 2016.
“The current administration has been in office for four years and the percentage of growth of property taxes is the highest in Fairfield County since 2013.
“New Canaan’s voters are among the most educated in the country. My trust will be placed in them to make choices that reflect respect for the constituencies we serve as public officials as defined in the Town Charter of New Canaan.”