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11/08/2017 06:53 AMIn a sweep which gave each of the six Republican candidates a healthy winning margin of votes over the six Democratic candidates, North Branford voted to change the nine-person Town Council majority to Republican on Nov. 7. Republicans will also control the seven-member Board of Education, after four open seats were filled by three Republican candidates and one Democrat.
Due in large part to heavy 2016 presidential election registration, North Branford has nearly 1,000 more registered voters today than it did in 2015. That puts the 2017 municipal voting turnout of 24.6 percent, or 2,372 voters, slightly ahead of the town's 2015 turnout of 27 percent, or 2,365 voters. District 1 (Jerome Harrison School, North Branford) received 1,313 votes, a 25 percent turnout; and District 2 (Stanley T. Williams Community Center, Northford) gathered 1,059 votes for a 24.1 percent turnout.
With the Nov. 7 election results, Republican Michael Doody retained his title of mayor by receiving the night's highest number of Town Council votes (1,377), but that number was nearly matched by Republican Rose Marie Angeloni, who received 1,374 votes and will be sworn in as deputy mayor. Residents also convincingly re-elected incumbent Republicans Anthony S. Candelora (1,339 votes) and Alfred D. Rose (1,327 votes) together with two new Republican members, Bob Viglione (1,345 votes) and Thomas P. Zampano (1,336 votes).
With the sweep of six, North Branford Republicans unseated the 2015-'17 Town Council Democratic majority of five seats to four. The 2017-'19 Town Council will be rounded out by three Democratic incumbents re-elected to another two-year term, including Joseph Faughnan , who received 1185 votes and served the past term as 2015-'17 deputy mayor; together with Marie Diamond (1,080 votes) and George Miller (1,060 votes).
The election also secured a Republican majority on the seven-member Board of Education, which had four open seats with one Democrat and three Republicans on the ballot. Incumbent Republicans returned to the board were Elizabeth H. Siena with 1,367 votes and Shawna L. Papa-Holzer with 1,356 votes; together with Republican candidate Carolyn C. Candelora with 1,300 votes. The fourth elective seat returns Democratic incumbent Marcey Onofrio to the BOE with 1,257 votes.
Reporters Note: This story was updated to include voter turnout numbers townwide and at the polls.