Southbury’s First Selectman is seeking his sixth term in office.
Jeff Manville, backed by Southbury’s Republican Town Committee, spoke to his base at the town’s senior center on Wednesday night about his vision for another term in office.
“I’ve always campaigned on progress and preservation,” said Manville. “Progress is constant improvement.”
He cited the three major disasters that the town had recently endured: a tornado in 2018, navigating a global pandemic, and recovering from historic flooding less than a year ago.
“Despite all of that, Southbury has made tremendous progress. Roads are second-to-none in the state; bridges are being repaired,” said Manville.
He noted the town’s AAA bond rating and a fiscally stable governance, even with the loss of the town’s top taxpayer, IBM.
The IBM property on Kettletown Road, having been recently rezoned for industrial use, is already fielding interest, he added.
“I’m getting the industrial property filled,” said Manville.
The incumbent Republican said he would like to implement the concept of “demand management” to run the municipality more like a company or corporation.
He said he had already met with the town’s Public Works Director and Chief Financial Officer to discuss implementing the concept in town governance.
Manville said the idea would aim to get capital projects vetted completely, so the town knows and understands the true cost and feasibility of future plans.
“There are no municipalities that would ever, or have any idea of how to implement demand management,” said Manville. “But if demand management comes into play, and we do a better job, we’ll be doing a better job of budgeting.”
For the position of First Selectman, it will be a rematch from 2023.
Selectman Tim O’Neil will have the support of the town’s Democratic Town Committee for the town’s highest elected office.
In 2023, Manville garnered 3,236 votes compared to O’Neil’s 2,657 votes received, as 42 percent of eligible voters turned out.
The remaining seats on the Board of Selectmen will be up for grabs, as the Republicans nominated their current slate of sitting Selectmen: Jason Van Stone, Anne Armeno, and Holly Sullivan.
Van Stone was appointed to the Board of Selectmen in September, filling a vacancy left due to the retirement of Greg Kuehn. Armeno was appointed to the board in December, filling the vacancy left behind by then State-Representative-elect Jason Buchsbaum.
The Democratic slate for the Board of Selectmen race will include a lineup of Cathy De Carli, Kelly Keenan and Wendy Bernard.
Current Selectman Justin Bette will not seek re-election to the Board of Selectmen.
Democratic Town Committee Chair Michael Carrington spoke briefly to his base at Town Hall during the committee’s caucus on Wednesday night. He thanked volunteers for stepping up to run for commissions and elected boards.
“I think we have quality people at every position,” said Carrington, who is running for a seat on the town’s Board of Finance. “It’s traditionally Republican territory, but we’ve been making a lot of strides as a party.”
O’Neill was unable to attend the his party’s caucus on Wednesday night.
De Carli, who last ran for a seat on the Board of Selectmen in 2019, said she would like to see more emphasis on improving the town’s economic development.
As a member of the Board of Finance, she says she didn’t agree with how the town handled the decision to defund the Economic Development Director position during this past budget cycle. She says she’d like to see the position returned and fully-funded.
“On the Board of Finance, you have the opportunity to say yay or nay to any policy, but you don’t necessarily have the opportunity to present any policies,” De Carli told The Record on Wednesday. “I feel like I’ve got a good view on how things are going in the town and things I’d like to lend my voice to see change in.”
Voters will also see a number of Charter Revision questions on this year’s ballot, which includes a change to the First Selectman’s term starting in 2027. It would have no effect on this year’s municipal election, but would see the term extended to four years going forward.
Another proposed edit to the Charter would remove a clause that allows for the unsuccessful candidate for First Selectman to claim a seat on the Board of Selectmen. This would have no effect on a municipal election until 2027, if passed.
The following candidates were nominated at their respective party’s caucus on Wednesday night:
| Position | Republican Candidates | Democratic Candidates |
| First Selectman (Two-year term, *Unsuccessful candidate can still claim seat on BOS) | Jeff Manville | Tim O’Neil |
| Board of Selectmen (Vote for Up to Three; Five to be Elected*) | Anne Armeno Holly Sullivan Jason Van Stone | Cathy De Carli Wendy Bernard Kelly Keenan |
| Board of Finance (Vote for Up to Three) | Brian Emerick John Kelly Steven Giacomi | Michael Carrington Gerry Leventhal |
| Board of Finance Alternate (Vote for One) | Casey Docherty | Vivian Templeton |
| Region 15 Board of Education (Vote for Up to Three) | Marion Manzo Heather Rodgers Tom Marks | (No Candidates) |
| Board of Assessment Appeals (Vote for One; Two to be Elected) | Gabby Addison | Diane Barros |
| Planning Commission (Vote for Up to Three) | Ron Conti | Nancy Clark Robyn Greenspan Roberta Stewart |
| Planning Commission Alternate (Vote for One) | Mary Korsu | Stephen Huntley |
| Zoning Commission (Vote for Up to Three) | David Dicks Frank DiPerna | Katrina Sweezea Andrew Sidhu |
| Zoning Commission Alternate (Vote for One) | David Henn | Dominick Fatibene |
| Zoning Board of Appeals (Vote for Up to Three) | Gary Garofalo David Pittari | Chris Smuden Lisa Antrum Jennifer Wysoki |
| Zoning Board of Appeals Alternate (Vote for One) | John Allen | Kat Smith |
| Inland Wetlands Commission (Vote for Up to Three) | Dan Slywka | Donna Lesch Thomas Weldon Jason Hoyt |
| Inland Wetlands Commission Alternate (Vote for One) | (No Alt Candidate) | Matt Linnell |
| Town Clerk (Vote for One) | Alice Maisano | Alice Maisano |
| Pomperaug Valley Water Authority (Vote for One) | (No Candidate) | Rich Boritz |
The Southbury Record 