Old Lyme — Tim Griswold, former longtime Republican first selectman, announced he will once again vie for the town’s top office this week, setting up a rematch with Bonnie Reemsnyder, who unseated him from the position in 2011.

Despite missing the Republican Town Committee's endorsement deadline on July 23, Griswold’s name will appear on November’s ballot as a Republican after he sought signatures as a petitioning candidate last week.

Griswold collected 189 signatures, Republican Registrar Catherine Carter said Wednesday. The tally represents 100 more signatures than the required amount to appear on the ballot as a petitioning candidate: 5 percent of the town's 1,680 registered Republicans, or 85 signatures in total. Carter also verified that the secretary of the state's office had been notified of his petition and its required signatures, confirming that Griswold's name will be on the ballot.

“Obviously, it’s very heartening that there are so many people who felt strongly enough to sign the petition,” Republican Town Committee Chair David Kelsey said Tuesday, explaining that there were two other Republican candidates interested in vying for the town’s top seat, but ultimately did not want to take the leap. “It was a little bit of an open deal, so we are happy to have a candidate that has experience and really knows the town.”

Because Griswold was the only Republican candidate to petition, a Republican primary will not be necessary, Kelsey said.

News of Griswold potentially putting his foot into this year’s election race came last week, after word spread that he and fellow Republican supporters were collecting signatures for his petition throughout town, including at a signing spot at Lyme Street’s Chocolate Shell sweet shop.

"There's an excitement in the air that Tim is running again," Chocolate Shell owner Barbara Crowley had said to The Day last week.

Griswold’s decision to collect signatures also came just days after Reemsnyder, who recently had been appointed chairwoman of the Connecticut Port Authority, was asked to resign by Gov. Ned Lamont after news reports came out that the authority paid her daughter $3,000 for six photographs.

Griswold said Thursday his decision to run “had less to do with the scandal and more to do with the sand dial running out of sand with our chance to run a candidate.”

“I was hoping that there would be someone in the party who would step up, but when that failed to materialize, I felt we couldn’t reconcile letting an incumbent have a free pass,” Griswold said. "I think it's important that there's a choice for the voters.”

Reemsnyder, who is a Democrat, is seeking a fifth term as first selectwoman, with selectman Mary Jo Nosal as her running mate. The Democratic Town Committee unanimously endorsed her last month.

Reemsnyder was not immediately available by phone Friday, but had said in an interview with The Day last week that she is up to the challenge, having had opponents for most of her election campaigns. She said she knows Griswold well, has worked with him and has campaigned against him. She said she would be running on her record of accomplishments in town, and that as far as the "news items" are concerned, "I look forward to setting the record straight."

The Board of Selectmen has three members, one of whom must come from the minority party. Griswold, therefore, will run for office with the party's endorsed sitting Republican selectman, Christopher W. Kerr.

Griswold, who is 74, has stayed active in Old Lyme politics since losing his seat as first selectman. He now serves as the town’s treasurer and is on the Board of Assessment Appeals. He served as first selectman for 7 terms from 1997 to 2011, after having previously served on the Board of Finance for 18 years.

“It is very gratifying to see the amount of support I’ve received to run again,” Griswold said. “I would say having 14 years in the last 20 as first selectman shows that I have a good feel for how the town works and its budget process, which is an important aspect. I know the drill. I’ve been the treasurer, so I keep up. It’s not like I’ve been in Antarctica for the last 8 years.”

Asked what his goals and ambitions will be, if elected, Griswold said he didn't have any new ideas to put forward but rather that “It’s time to pull in the horns and take care of the things we have to do — doing more to take care of our needs and resisting our wants as much as possible.”

Adding to that, Griswold stressed maintaining fiscal responsibility — something he said he is remembered for while serving as first selectman — while also stating that a closer eye needs to be taken over spending from the Region 18 school district. He explained that with diminishing state aid and with the potential of having to pay teachers’ pensions, the town must be diligent in its spending moving forward.

And while Griswold said regionalizing certain services would be worthwhile to help in that goal, he also said he was highly skeptical of combining police forces with East Lyme, stating, “doing something like that needs to be looked at really carefully.”

In terms of moving forward on the Halls Road Improvements initiative, which has been partially set into motion by Reemsnyder, Griswold said, “It seems like a lofty goal, and I don’t know yet if the economics of it are viable. But I think it's worthwhile to have these discussions and envision these concepts.”

“I would say keep the rural flavor of the town, investing in infrastructure and equipment,” he said.

m.biekert@theday.com