Greenwich Election Results 2023: Republicans Score Big Wins

All results are preliminary

GREENWICH, CT — It was a good night for Greenwich Republicans on Tuesday, as First Selectman Fred Camillo was elected to a third term in office and the GOP retained control of the Board of Estimate and Taxation, according to preliminary results published by the Greenwich Registrars of Voters. Republicans also scored wins across the board in other key races.

Camillo, a Greenwich native, defeated Jill Oberlander in 2019, Bill Kelly in 2021, and now has defeated Democratic challenger Laura Erickson, a current member of the BET, 11,620 votes to 7,876.

Additionally, Camillo's running-mate, Selectwoman Lauren Rabin, won re-election (10,667 votes), as did Democratic incumbent Janet Stone McGuigan, according to preliminary results.

Stone McGuigan scored the third highest vote total (8,417) out of the four selectmen candidates, which places her on the three-person board.

"I'm very, very grateful to have another opportunity to serve my town. I can't thank all the residents enough for coming out and voting, not only showing confidence in me, but for all of my teammates," Camillo told Patch Wednesday morning.

Camillo noted that he's excited to get back to work with Rabin, a childhood friend and classmate, and get more people involved in town happenings. He noted that in the four years he's been in office, around 300 people have been appointed to boards, committees and commissions.

"The last four years, Lauren and I have been really reaching out and working hard to get more people involved," Camillo said. "We're very proud of that and the way we reach out to the community, and try to have more areas of our town represented. No matter who is on the board, we're there for the whole town and that's certainly something we don't take lightly."

Camillo and Erickson exchanged text messages Tuesday night.

"She was very, very nice as always. I look forward to working with her in another capacity hopefully in the near future," Camillo added.

Erickson conceded the race Tuesday night.

"This has been an amazing experience. I am so appreciative of all the residents who voted up in this local election - 51 percent is a great turnout for an off year election," Erickson said in an emailed statement to Patch.

"Congratulations to Fred Camillo, Lauren Rabin and my running-mate Janet Stone McGuigan who have been elected for another term. We offered voters choice in this election with a strong slate of qualified, committed candidates. We ran on important issues of public safety, local control and the importance of long-term planning to address town and school infrastructure needs," Erickson added.

"The elected Democrats remain committed to these core principles. I hope that all elected officials, including the RTM, will work together in a collegial manner to address the issues that matter most to residents."

Voter turnout this year outpaced the 2021 municipal election. In 2021, the turnout percentage was around 40 percent. On Tuesday, according to the Greenwich Registrars of Voters live voter tracker, the turnout percentage was about 51 percent.

All 12 seats on the BET were up for grabs Tuesday.

The new BET will feature Democrats Stephen Selbst, Elliot Alchek, David Weisbrod, Matt DesChamps, Scott Kalb and Leslie Moriarty; and Republicans Harry Fisher, Lucia Jansen, David Alfano, Karen Fassuliotis, Nisha Arora and Leslie L. Tarkington.

According to preliminary results from the Greenwich Registrars of Voters, the Republicans garnered the highest vote total — 57,003 to 54,444 for the Democrats — which allowed them to keep the chairmanship and the tiebreaking vote.

Republican Town Clerk Jacqueline A. Budkins won re-election over Democratic challenger Lucy von Brachel, 10,846 votes to 8,260, according to preliminary results, as did Republican Tax Collector Heather Smeriglio. She defeated Democrat Joe Huley, 11,135 votes to 7,805.

Four candidates ran for four seats on the Board of Education.

Democrat incumbent Karen Hirsh and Democrat Sophie Koven were elected. Republicans Wendy Vizzo Walsh and incumbent Karen Kowalski will join them.

Democrats William Grad and Huley, and Republicans Kit Mill, Mark Pruner and Jeff Reardon will all head back to the Board of Assessment Appeals.

Donnie Romeo and Dawn Fortunato, both Democrats, and Charles Thivierge and Donna Maloney, both Republicans, return as Constables. Joining them will be Republicans Dan Sinisi and Tom Waurishuk.

Representative Town Meeting

There were 336 candidates across 12 districts for 230 seats on the Greenwich Representative Town Meeting, the town’s legislative body.

For preliminary RTM results, check out the Greenwich Registrars of Voters website.