Community Corner
Street Rally Draws Crowd for Devoto's Primary Candidacy
The primary election challenger for Middletown Planning and Zoning stood with supporters outside Democratic headquarters Thursday in reaction to the town committee's message urging party members to help call voters.
With five days remaining before the primary election, about three dozen people with green signs held aloft stood on Main Street Thursday behind Wesleyan Professor Stephen Devoto's zoning board candidacy.
Devoto, a petitioning Democratic challenger for Middletown Planning and Zoning, rallied with supporters outside Democratic headquarters at Main Street Market, in reaction to a Democratic Town Committee Facebook post urging party members to help call voters in support of endorsed primary candidates.
The Democratic Town Committee approved Rob Blanchard, current commissioner Daniel Russo and Paul Turenne for the zoning board.
Devoto calls the DTC call effort "exclusionary," adding, "I am in their view not a Middletown Democrat, solely because I am running for Planning and Zoning as a petitioning candidate. This is a terrible message to send to Democrats in our city who are eager to participate in local politics," Devoto says. “I hope to show that we view the Middletown Democratic party as bigger and stronger than some think it is.”
According to Devoto's biography, he has lived in Middletown since 1997, has been active in the Westfield Residents Association for 15 years, and a co-founder of The Middletown Eye volunteer-run blog. He has attended most Planning and Zoning Commission meetings in the past five years and when not endorsed by the Democratic party nominating committee, he collected the signatures of 717 registered Democrats on a primary petition.
He's a professor of biology at Wesleyan University; he and his wife, Joyce Powzyk, have two children and will appear on the November ballot under the Realistic Balance line after earning its endorsement last month.
He learned earlier Thursday he was also denied Working Families support.
On Sept. 10, polls will open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. Absentee ballots are now available and in order to be counted for the municipal primary, they must be received by the town clerk's offices no later by 8 p.m. on Sept. 10.
Related Stories
- Voters: Important Deadline Ahead for Zoning Primary Election
- Zoning Primary Debate Canceled for Lack of Attendance
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