The Branford Republican party once again endorsed Jamie Cosgrove for first selectman, who will be seeking his sixth term as the towns first selectman.
Angie Higgins was once again endorsed as Cosgrove’s running mate. Higgins is seeking her second term since replacing her husband, Joe Higgins, after his passing in 2020.
The top of the ticket remains the same form 2021, with Lisa Arpin nominated for town clerk and Deb Conklin nominated as Treasurer.
Two incumbents on the Representative Town Meeting were not nominated: Marc Riccio in the 4th district and Carolyn Sires in the 5th.
The 2021 election saw a landslide victory for Cosgrove as voters showed support for the direction of the town, as well as rejecting what is considered one of the more dishonest campaigns run by the Democrats and their candidate, Tom Brockett. The Democratic campaign saw mailers that attacked the police departments handling of a live shooter incident, make misleading claims about economic development and even level false accusation on Cosgrove, alleging that money was being funneled from the town to him personally. None of the claims were supported with facts, and voters saw through the political game being played.
The Cosgrove tenure has seen a strong focus on infrastructure, the environment and education in town, with major projects coming to completion. Some of the accomplishments include a new Walsh Intermediate School, a new Cosgrove Animal Shelter, a new Community House/Senior Center. Currently projects include upgrades to the police station, a town center improvement project, new fields at Walsh and a major review of all fields in town.
It is unknown if the Democrats plan on running a candidate against Cosgrove; The DTC convention is next week.
For Board of Education, Republicans endorsed incumbent Laura Troidle, and added newcomers Adam Greenberg and Kevin Reiss.
A change this year will be the absence of the tax collector on the ballot. The town made a change, making the position hired, not elected, after significant issues were found in the performance of a previous tax collector via a state audit. Bob Imperato, who was elected in 2021, has been credited with fixing many of the issues that existed, will not be on the ballot but will likely be a candidate to be hired for the position.