Groton — With Democrats maintaining "a supermajority" on the Town Council for the third election in a row, candidates from both parties weighed in Wednesday on the results.

Republicans said they were still assessing why they didn't win more seats, but named former President Donald Trump and running for election in a blue state as factors. Democrats said they felt their platform of investing in schools, climate resilience and economic development resonated with voters.

Candidates said the Mystic Oral School was a top issue among residents living near the state-owned property, but issues from child care to property taxes were the top concerns in other parts of Groton.

Incumbent Democrats Portia Bordelon, Aundré Bumgardner, Rachael Franco, Juliette Parker and Juan Melendez and new Democrats Melinda Cassiere, Edward Jacome, Bruce Jones and David McBride and Republican candidates Diane Barber, Kathy Chase, John Scott, Robert Boris, Scott Westervelt, Bill Furgueson and Jennifer White sought council seats this year.

On Tuesday, eight Democrats — Bordelon, Bumgardner, Franco, Parker, Melendez, Cassiere, Jones and McBride — and one Republican, Westervelt, were elected to the council. Democrats had won all nine seats on the council in 2017 and 2019.

Republicans assess losses

Republican Town Committee Chairman John Scott, who was elected to the RTM but not the council, said Republicans still were trying to figure out what "the secret sauce is in Groton," but are happy Westervelt picked up a council seat. Scott noted that Westervelt has a lot of support outside of the party, since he is chairman of the Mystic Oral School Advocates.

Scott said the national political climate experienced in 2017, when seven Republicans lost seats on the council, did not help. He wasn't sure if that still was influencing Groton but "ever since then, we've been on the outs."

Barber, who was elected to the RTM, said she had mixed emotions about the results. "I just think it's very difficult to run as a Republican in a Democratic state," she said, adding that she congratulates everyone who won and gives them credit.

Chase, who also was elected to the RTM, agreed that "everybody still has Trump in mind" but said Trump has no bearing on what local Republicans want for Groton. 

Chase said it was a close race, and while she was surprised that opposition to the Mystic Oral School didn't yield more seats for the Republicans, the party made progress with one Republican elected to the council. She said the council needs the "diversity of thought" that only comes with a better ratio of Democrats and Republicans. 

Boris, who made his first run for public office, said he was disappointed he didn't win but had realistic expectations and the race was close. "I also think that although we didn’t win the seats we wanted to, I think we were successful in shifting the agenda." He pointed to examples of oversight of the Mystic Oral School and discussions about revising the request for proposals process for vacant properties.

In a town with many Democrats and independents, Westervelt agreed that Republicans "understand that we have to work harder to get our message out."

"Our people worked very hard and even taking one seat is better than last time," he said. "It shows that we do have the ability, and if we put the work into it, it will come."

In addition to MOSA, Westervelt has visibility in the community from his involvement with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Youth Orchestra. He said the Mystic Oral School was "a pretty big factor" in the election but not the biggest factor, as voters returned to office all the Democratic incumbents who ran.

Furgueson said the oral school was a key tipping point in the election for people living near the property, but property taxes were a key issue he heard from residents of other neighborhoods.

He said that while campaigning, he made friends with both Democratic and Republican candidates who were focused on making Groton the best town it can be. "When you have that in common its easy to talk to each other," he said.

Democrats point to messaging, campaign

Democrats attributed their message, candidates and campaign strategy among the reasons for their win.

"I think the Democratic slate's message of investing in our schools and continuing to pursue economic development with the planning department, and our pursuit of green policies resonated with the residents of Groton," Melendez said. 

Cassiere agreed that Democrats' "message of economic growth, protecting our coastline from climate change, preserving open space, science-based (COVID-19) responses, quality human services, community policing and developments that fit Groton neighborhoods resonated with voters."

Democratic Town Committee Vice Chairwoman Natalie Burfoot Billing attributed the wins to two factors that go hand in hand.

"Groton has become a pretty solidly Democratic town with many voters rejecting the direction the Republican Party has taken both nationally and locally," she said, "and the Groton Democrats have spent decades building an expansive, diverse, energized group who enjoy working together and a pipeline of candidates who serve on the RTM to learn and gain experience and then step up to serve on the Town Council. We run excellent, organized campaigns, and our candidates are willing to do the hardest work of going door to door to talk to voters."

Democrat Bruce Jones said he and other new candidates went out to meet as many voters as they could — knocking on 1,700 doors and walking 263 miles — to gain exposure as candidates.

He thought the Mystic Oral School would be more of a factor in the results, with Republicans campaigning on the issue. But he said while he was campaigning, he found the former school was a "huge issue" in areas close to the property; residents farther away brought up topics that included downtown Groton, short-term rentals, school buildings and Thames Street.

Bordelon, who was the top vote-getter in both the Democratic primary that she petitioned for and the general election, thanked everyone who supported her, congratulated her fellow candidates and councilor-elects and said she looks forward to working with the new council.

"The results of both the primary and the general send a resounding message that any political party needs to remember that they have a duty to represent the community," she said. "I have met so many amazing people on this journey, making many new friends and gaining many new insights along the way."

Bumgardner said he's excited to get to work on behalf of residents and especially excited to work with the new candidates. He said the election of Westervelt sends a strong message that there are voters who want a balance of parties, and he looks forward to working with him.

Bumgardner found that in Old Mystic, the Mystic Oral School was first and foremost on voters' minds, whereas on the south end of Groton City, residents named child care as a concern.

Jacome said the election had a good outcome because Democrats held on to their council "supermajority" but not a perfect outcome because it would have been nice to win all nine seats. He said people were excited to see a younger person with fresh ideas, but it wasn't enough to put him over the finish line, though he won a spot on the RTM. Melendez called Jacome "the future of Groton" and hopes he runs for a council seat in the next election.

McBride said the results "showed that voters believe that the Democratic candidates provided a strong, unified, diverse and experienced team."

"Now it's time for all nine of us to come together as one council, respect each other's opinions and opposing viewpoints when they arise, and behave as a team of professionals — and get to work," he added.

k.drelich@theday.com