The North Haven Democratic Town Committee held its convention on Monday evening at the Recreation Center to nominate its slate of candidates up for election in November.

Chairman Peter Criscuolo led the enthusiastic crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance and then turned the gavel over to the vice chairman Jerry Feinberg, who he credited as the primary organizer of the event. As he presented the names on what he called the under ticket, Feinberg indicated that the team that had been assembled was the result of a great deal of work over the past several months.

He began by focusing on the position of Town Clerk/Tax Collector because Alan Sturtz has determined that he would not seek re-election, despite what Feinberg called “the highest collection rate in the history of North Haven.” Brian Cummings, who holds a degree in business, will seek that post.

Theresa Ranciato-Viele will run for the seat on Planning & Zoning vacated by Dominic Palumbo, who is stepping down after serving for numerous years in the position. A new candidate, with “an outstanding resume” running for the Board of Education, is Ruth Bryant.

Feinberg boasted that there were two uniquely qualified commissioner candidates, indicating that Walter Spada, running for the Fire Commission, and Chris Longley, for the Police Commission, are both graduates of the School of Law at Quinnipiac University. Attorney Longley is actually a retired policeman. Prior to requesting that one vote be cast to approve the lengthy slate as presented, the audience gave standing ovations to two past Town Committee chairmen – Arthur Concilio and Dominic Palumbo.

Criscuolo then praised the leadership of State Rep. Steve Fontana, and noted that he has brought “lots of money” to the community. Stating that it was an honor to nominate Fontana for the position of Second Selectman, Joseph Cappucci described Fontana as “the most honest man” he has met in 20 years. In seconding the nomination, Bernard McLoughlin said that Fontana has done a “tremendous job…totally committed to the town…and has shown tremendous leadership.” Asking if she could “third the nomination,” Janet McCarty added, “He is my mentor, my teacher. We could not do better!”

The affirmative vote was raucous and, once again, clearly unanimous. Assuring his listeners that he would be brief, Fontana thanked them for their support and reminisced for a moment about first approaching the DTC over 17 years ago regarding his interest in serving the people of his hometown. He continued with words of support for First Selectman Janet McCarty saying that, “The town couldn’t be in better hands. There are just so many things that she has accomplished. It is a pleasure to work with her.” He closed by asking for everyone’s support for the entire team.

Criscuolo then turned his attention to McCarty’s record. “Janet has proven herself over and over again in the past 18 months,” he said. “Most recently she brought a paramedic program to the town, after opposing politicians fought it for years. Even the police finally got the bike they wanted. Janet saved hundreds of thousands of dollars on insurance premiums by putting contracts out to bid. She’s fostered new businesses in town, despite the poor economy. She’s brought in more state and federal grants than anyone in the past 20 years. She’s renovating the Senior Center.”

“She’s saved countless thousands of dollars on electricity with new street lighting and facility upgrades,” Criscuolo continued. “As she promised, Janet brought transparency to local government, and saved lots of money while doing it. It’s all about providing better living conditions for the community, and she did it with a zero tax increase.” With that the crowd burst into applause as they quickly rose to their feet.

Christopher Duby, the assistant town attorney, was called upon to make the long-awaited nomination. He began by saying that he had been in North Haven for 11 years and had gotten to know the leaders of the Democratic Party immediately because they reached out to him and made him feel welcome. He said that the past 18 months have been interesting, and that it was an honor to work with Janet McCarty.

“There’s a difference between people who only try to impress, and people like her who avoid dealing in personal attacks,” Duby said. “She makes the decision for the team, while listening carefully to what others have to say.”

He forewarned the crowd that their negative adversaries would be on the attack, but advised that they be asked to prove their accusations. He concluded his remarks saying, “I am immensely proud to nominate Janet McCarty for First Selectman.”

Alicia Clapp, a retired local educator and member of the Board of Education rose to second the nomination. She said, “It is with enormous pride that I second the nomination. I started the long journey with her. She was willing to learn. She would listen to others and was always open to suggestion, even though she might decide to do something else. Art Concilio once said, ‘There is an enormous difference between a politician and a statesman. Democrats run statesmen.’ Janet held her head high in repeated defeat. They are hungry. They want the building back. It was a long time coming, but it was worth it to finally see victory.”

Once again, the crowd jumped to their feet in thunderous applause for their nominee.

McCarty opened her acceptance speech taking a moment to recognize a longtime chairman of the committee who had been stricken with a debilitating stroke several years ago.

“It is remarkably inspiring to have Art Concilio with us this evening,” McCarty said. She went on to describe the training and support she had received from him starting in 1993. His cherished advice to her was “to work hard, gain some control, and frame the future.”

She told her supporters that it was somewhat overwhelming for her to stand before them so many years later actually asking that they re-elect her. From there she launched into a detailed explanation of why she has chosen the campaign slogan, “Keep the change!” She said that another sweep in November would mean that, “We can truly frame the conversation.”

“I am very proud to be your nominee and trust we will win again,” she said in closing.

In a follow up conversation about her vision, McCarty said, “We have to finish the job we started. We can’t afford to go back to what we had. We’ll do it with more grants, but no tax increase, and we’ll be even more efficient and effective. Further combining of education and town services will be undertaken to save even more money, just as we did with the plumbing and electrical work. Sharing facilities, as well as technology are next in line. Care for children before and after school will also be expanded, including a focus on programs for those who are not college bound. Our goal is to provide more dollars directly to children.”