When the Stonington Board of Selectmen was deciding last month who to appoint to the vacancy created by the elevation of Democrat George Crouse to first selectman, a few well known political figures in town were rumored to be under consideration.

But when Crouse and Republican Rob Simmons named the replacement on Dec. 16, it was an unaffiliated voter and a political newcomer who last name happens to be synonymous with town government who was their choice.

Mike Spellman's late father Jim was first selectman from 1961 to 1985. Until he died in 2012 at age 92, he was the man that local Democrats turned to for advice about campaigning and town government.

And although Mike Spellman grew up in the presence of well known Connecticut politicians such as Chris Dodd, John Dempsey and Bill O'Neill, he instead has spent his career in law enforcement after graduating from Stonington High School in 1981. He spent 25 years with the Connecticut state police before retiring as a lieutenant in 2012. For the past year he has been working as a patrolman with the Groton City police department saying he was too young to retire or work part time.

"I still have some tread on these tires and I've always loved law enforcement work," he said. "It's a lot of fun. It's nice working with the young guys and seeing them pick up the job skills. It's been a great community to work in."

So why did the 51-year-old Spellman, who is married with two children, a son in college and a daughter in high school, decide to get into politics after all these years.

""I just felt it was my time to serve," he said, a comment that one would have expected to hear from his late father.

"I love my hometown. I chose to come back here, buy a house here and raise my kids here," he said. "I want kids at Stonington High School to be able to stay in Stonington and have the opportunity to put down roots here like I did."

Spellman and his two fellow members of the Board of Selectmen have been using the phrase "tripartisan" to describe how they will tackle issues, saying it will help them be more effective.

Spellman said having an unaffiliated selectman on the board means a large block of voters who often are not represented by either party will no longer feel disenfranchised.

He said the tripartisan arrangement means neither party can caucus and make decisions in secret while effectively eliminating the minority selectman from a role in decisions.

He said it would also "dial down" any potential partisanship.

"It's governing the way it's supposed to be," he said. "People want the parties to work together."

Spellman had been a Democrat most of his life before switching to the Republican party four years ago because he felt the Democrats had "gone to the left of me in recent years." The day he was appointed as a selectman he left the Republican party and became an unaffiliated voter. He said members of both parties approached him about being on the board.

The state Elections Enforcement Commission is now investigating the legality of Spellman's appointment after Charter Revision Commission member Ashley Gillece filed a complaint. She has charged that Spellman's appointment violates state law because it stipulates a three-month waiting period before a person leaving a party can be appointed to a body. Crouse and Spellman have said they checked with Town Attorney Thomas Londregan before the complaint was filed as was told it was legal.

J.WOJTAS@THEDAY.COM

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