In what is being termed a "very contentious vote" over whether to count an absentee ballot, Republican Common Councilwoman Deborah Kleckowski won the endorsement of Middletown's Independent Party for the 100th Congressional District of Connecticut.
She prevailed 5-4 Thursday evening over incumbent Democratic state Rep. Matthew Lesser of Middletown, who has held the seat for two terms.
The vote this evening was a close one. Fred Carroll, party Chair John Kilian said, voted to accept Kilian's wife Beth's absentee ballot for Kleckowski and then voted for Kleckowski, bringing the vote to 4-4.
"The four supporters for Deb just recently joined the Independent Party," Kilian said, "so we basically doubled our party membership just tonight."
"At that point in time," Kilian said, "it looked like the night was going to Lesser" and Kilian, who had supported Lesser during the process, had to break the tie. He sided with his wife, voting for Kleckowski, "to take the risk that there would be a contest."
"I am very excited and honored to be endorsed by the Independent Party," Klekowski said. "This nomination is important because I believe the issues are community-based and not party-based and we all need to work to ensure the problems that we face are reconciled through solutions and not party ideology."
Chairman John Kilian said the party stands for, "transparency and it is a party that empowers people who are not in the special interests of the major parties, who aren't in the public unions, who aren't in the chamber of commerce — that sort of thing."
They met last Thursday but didn't have a quorum, Kilian said.
During this election cycle, the Independents could have nominated candidates for the 100th and 13th Districts, Kilian said, but chose not to. "In the past we have run our own for governor, for instance, for president."
The Independent Party qualified this election year for only the 100th and 13th Districts, after receiving more than 1 percent of the vote last election.
Middletown's Independent Party members are: Kilian, Christine Carta, Jeff Knackel, Lauro Girosoulo, Peter Girosoulo, Joyce Rossitter, Councilman Ron Klattenberg, state Sen. Len Suzio, R-13th, and Carroll.
At last week's caucus, the party endorsed Suzio for the 13th Senatorial District in November, with members from Meriden, Middletown, Middlefield and Cheshire voting.
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