OS RTC united on slate

Old Saybrook - There may be a divisive undercurrent in the town's Republican party, but the Republican Town Committee presented a unified front Tuesday when it unanimously endorsed a slate of candidates for the November election.

Leading the slate is current Board of Finance Chairman Carl P. Fortuna Jr., who is running for first selectman. Scott M. Giegerich, a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission, was chosen to run for Board of Selectmen. Longtime First Selectman Michael Pace and Selectman Bill Peace have both announced they will step down at the end of their current term.

Fortuna and Giegerich will run against Democratic selectman Carol Manning and running mate Steven Gernhardt, who were endorsed by the Democratic Town Committee at its caucus Tuesday.

Fortuna edged out political newcomer Derrik M. Kennedy, who last month expressed interest in running for the top elected seat in town. He said Tuesday that he had agreed to "put up the person with the most experience and electability" for the good of the party. Kennedy will instead run for Board of Finance.

Fortuna, 48, is a managing partner at the personal-injury and criminal-defense law firm Fortuna and Cartelli in Middletown. He has served on the finance board since 2001.

Fortuna said Tuesday he was "very happy to have the unanimous endorsement of the Republican Town Committee."

The RTC will hold its full party caucus at 7 p.m. on July 26 at the Old Saybrook Middle School auditorium.

Giegerich was on a family vacation Tuesday and did not attend the meeting. Pace, who has served as first selectman for 12 years, was also absent.

The RTC has a history of infighting, despite the fact that the Republican party is the dominant party in town. The committee was threatened in January 2010 when state Rep. Marilyn Giuliano, R-Old Saybrook, dismantled the committee's membership and kicked off a number of influential members, including Pace and Chairman Cal Caldarella. The RTC later regrouped and reinstated those members.

More recently, Pace and the Police Commission, led by fellow RTC member Christina Burnham, have butted heads over disagreements on budgeting and other issues.

Old Saybrook Police Chief Michael A. Spera, who is not an RTC member, earlier this month threatened to sue the RTC and its nominating committee chairman, Bradford R. Thorpe, for allegedly bad-mouthing him during interviews with potential candidates for town office.

Spera attended Tuesday's meeting in civilian clothes, but neither he nor Thorpe raised the issue of the threatened lawsuit.

The RTC slate also includes Derrik M. Kennedy and Thomas D. Stevenson for Board of Finance; Mario T. Gaboury, Kelly E. Kennedy and Bradford R. Thorpe for Board of Education and David R. Dunlap, Robert J. Finch and Ernest Sparaco for Police Commission.

j.cho@theday.com