Incumbent West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor has been re-elected with the highest vote total as Democrats, who retain all six seats on the Town Council by a sizable margin, will be joined by three new Republican Council members.

By Ronni Newton

As the vote tallies began pouring in following the 8 p.m. closing of the polls Tuesday night, the atmosphere at West Hartford Democratic headquarters was joyous, as all six Town Council candidates won their seats by a large margin over Republican challengers. Democrats will retain their 6-3 majority on the Council.

Five of the Democrats elected to the Council were incumbents – including Mayor Shari Cantor, who was again the top vote-getter, with 11,543 votes according to unofficial totals that included early voting, absentee ballots, and same day registrants. It is anticipated that after the new Town Council is sworn in on Nov. 18, Cantor will be re-elected as its president and retain the role of mayor.

Re-elected Democrats also include Deb Polun, who had the second-most votes based on the unofficial results, Tiffani McGinnis, Ben Wenograd, and Barry Walters. They will be joined by newcomer Lisa Lazarus. Current Democratic Town Councilor Carol Blanks did not seek re-election.

By the time the results from votes cast Tuesday at the town’s eight districts were tallied, the resounding Democratic victory was clear. Democratic Town Committee Chair Peter Andrews said this election was about issues that included affordability, housing, pedestrian safety, and the quality of the schools, “but for me this election was also about who we are as a town and what we value. And so clearly tonight the voters of West Hartford have chosen Democrats to lead our town and not the Republicans.”

In his official statement, Andrews said, “Even as the national conversation continues to be shaped by the divisive and dangerous rhetoric of Donald Trump and his allies, West Hartford voters have sent a clear message: we choose a different path. By electing Democratic leaders committed to inclusion, integrity, and progress, our residents have shown that strong, responsible local government is the best defense against the threats facing our democracy at every level.”

Each of the winning candidates thanked their campaign staffers, their families, and the voters for their support, and spoke about the current political climate.

“There is not anything average about what’s going on right now in our country and what’s happening to our communities,” said Cantor.

“We need to treat each other with even more respect, more responsibility, and more understanding, and that’s what I know that we will continue to do with people like you that support us and the leaders on my team that have been elected,” Cantor added.

Three Republican newcomers will be sworn in as members of the West Hartford Town Council later this month. They include John Lyons, Jason Wang, and Gayle Harris. Lyons and Wang have not held office previously, and both joined the Republican Party just this summer. Harris was previously a Republican member of the West Hartford Board of Education, but chose to instead seek the Town Council seat this year.

Alberto Cortes, who was a two-term incumbent member of the Town Council, was not re-elected, and Republicans Ben Lewis and Kyle Zelazny also failed to win seats. Neither incumbent Mark Zydanowicz nor Mary Fay were on the ticket this year.

Republican candidates and their supporters gathered at Ocho Cafe to await the results. “The greatest thing is that I am going to have a minimum of three Republican councilors who all get along and know how to get stuff done,” Republican Town Committee Chair Shawn Daly said, calling the results “a tremendous win for us.” All six candidates got along really well, he said.

Daly added two additional key takeaways from the election results: “Secondly we were able to get Democrats to vote for Republicans. I think that’s huge. And I think third was we opened ourselves to a whole new area of our party, and I think that’s a positive message that we can send to the voters of West Hartford.”

Lyons received the most votes among Republicans, and will likely become the minority leader. “I’m gratified,” he said, thanking West Hartford voters. “My whole message was: ‘Are we a community or are we a cause?’ and I think we proved tonight that we are a community.”

Lyons said it will be important to build bridges after a rough campaign. “I represent everybody in West Hartford. I’m not concerned about your party affiliation … I’m here to represent the town and I want to work with the Democrats.”

Democrats will retain their 5-2 majority on the Board of Education, where there were the same number of candidates running as open seats available. Board of Education terms are four years, and members are elected on a staggered basis every two years. Four seats were open this year.

Incumbent Jason Gagnon will be joined by newcomers Jonathan Weiner and Jennifer Herz, all of whom indicated their excitement about their upcoming  terms. Democrats Lorna Thomas-Farquharson and Clare Neseralla did not seek re-election.

Harris decided to run for Town Council rather than seeking re-election to the Board of Education, and Republican Miriam Bleich was elected to her open seat.

Polling places were busy throughout Tuesday afternoon and turnout, according to the unofficial results, was 34.98% – several percentage points higher than the 31.4% for the 2023 municipal election. Turnout includes 3,620 ballots cast during the early voting period this year, as well as absentee ballots and same day registrants.

“Tonight, our community made it clear they want to keep building on the progress we’ve achieved together,” Democratic Town Committee Vice-Chair Megan Wallett said in a statement. “West Hartford’s strength comes from leaders who listen, collaborate, and never lose sight of what matters for our families and neighborhoods. There’s a lot to be proud of in this community, and we look forward to what comes next.”

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