Darien Election Results 2023: Town To Have New First Selectman

All results are unofficial

DARIEN, CT — The town of Darien will soon have a new first selectman.

Republican Jon E. Zagrodzky, a current member of the Darien Board of Selectmen, ran unopposed to be the town's chief elected official. He'll take over for fellow Republican First Selectman Monica McNally, who announced this past summer that she would not seek a second term in office.

McNally was elected Tuesday as a selectman.

Zagrodzky is a former chair of the Board of Finance. He is currently the Chief Operating Officer of a private equity firm and has plans to retire on Dec. 31. He was first elected to the Board of Selectmen in 2021.

"I have the experience, relationships, credibility, and vision to lead Darien to new heights. Whether it is Great Island, our business districts, our parks and fields, our schools, or our natural assets, we have many opportunities before us to make Darien even better," Zagrodzky said last month. "Importantly, though, we also need to preserve what we have already built. This means continued attention to our infrastructure, roadways, town facilities and municipal services. In short, I will work to protect what we have while building for the future."

Aside from the flip-flop between Zagrodzky and McNally, the rest of the town government will look pretty much the same since many races were not contested.

Incumbent Democrat Selectmen Michael Burke and Sarah Neumann will round out the Board of Selectmen.

Republican Town Clerk Christa Sheehan McNamara was re-elected according to unofficial results, as was Republican Town Treasurer Joan Hendrickson.

Kathleen Larkins, also a Republican incumbent, will once again serve as tax collector in Darien.

On the Board of Finance, current Chair James R. Palen Jr., a Republican, was re-elected along with Vice Chair Dan Bumgardner, a Democrat. Republican Taylor Carter will also head back to the finance board.

The Board of Education will receive a new member in Republican Gregory D. Grambling. Republican Dennis J. Maroney and Democrat Sara Parent were re-elected, too.

The Planning & Zoning Commission will also see a new member as Republican Jamie Zionic was elected to close out a two-year term. Democrat Vice Chair George A. Reilly, and Republicans Amy Barsanti and Michael Nedder were re-elected.

Richard Dolcetti, a Republican, was the lone candidate for the Board of Assessment Appeals.

Republicans John D. Goodwin Jr., and Alan Hyatt will serve as Constables.

There was only one competitive race for the Representative Town Meeting in District 6. As of late Tuesday night, 75 percent of precincts were reporting results.

Representative Town Meeting Candidates

There are candidates for the non-partisan RTM in several districts.

District 1 - vote for up to 10: Patrick Keane, Karen McNicoll, Deirdre McGovern, Patti Finn Bumgardner, Lois J. Schneider, Luisa Brakman, Bert von Stuelpnagel, Jenny Schwartz, Jessica Cahill, William A. Clarkson.

District 2 - vote for up to seven: Ann-Gail Hult, Jeffery Hudson, Millyn Gaaserud, Vincent Arguimbau, Peter Marousek, Jacqueline L. Miller.

District 3 - vote for up to 12: Bill Dunn, Beth Lane, Anne King, Adele M. Conniff, Thomas Moore, Kirk Ruddy, Kari Cardone, Seth Morton, Sue-Ellen Mitchell, Eric Golus.

District 4 - vote for up to nine: Jim Cameron, Joseph Miceli, Dan Guller, Andrew Millar, Christine Castles, Rolf C. Obin, Frank Kemp, Paige Crist, Sandra Savage.

District 5 - vote for up to 11: Erika Procaccini, James M. Patrick, Tony Larino, Susan J. Marks, Rohit Parwal, H. William Smith, Holly Huang, Kenneth A. Fiveson, Amy Zabetakis.

District 6 - vote for up to nine: Verna Young, Janet Grogan, William Van Loan Jr., Mary Nevin Gauthier, Elizabeth Lucas, Laura Pesce-Gray, Barry Baldwin, Peter Mihopoulos, Martha Caroline Luz, Peter Orphanos, Theresa Vogt.