Stratford Democrats Snub Councilman Then Take Him Back

Don’t call it a change of heart.

Yes, Jason Santi now has the backing of the Democratic Town Committee (DTC) to run as its endorsed candidate for the Fourth District on the Stratford Town Council.

But the nomination to maintain the incumbent’s seat on the town’s top governing body comes with a caveat: to uphold the ideals of the Democratic Party.


“You have all the makings of a great councilman, just find a way back here,” DTC Chairman Richard Buturla told Santi at a party caucus Wednesday night.

Siding with Republicans

Santi has gotten a lot of flak from fellow Democrats who say he sides with the Republican majority too often on key Town Council votes.

That sentiment reached a tipping point last month when the DTC gave political newcomer Andre Ely the party nomination over Santi, who in turn petitioned successfully to force a party primary that was scheduled for Sept. 10.

But then it surfaced that Ely owed the town about $10,000 in real estate and vehicle back taxes, leading the endorsed candidate to drop out of the race.

Rumors that the vacancy could be filled by former Councilwoman Emma Brooks – who was the one to bring Ely into the bureaucratic fray – were quashed when it was determined she no longer lived in the Fourth District.

Round Two, Three Options

It all added up to a party caucus Wednesday night at the Baldwin Center, where Chairman Buturla said Democrats could do one of three things: they could endorse Santi, they could endorse someone else or they could do nothing.

Since Santi petitioned successfully for a September primary, if the DTC decided not to act, the incumbent would win the party endorsement by default, Buturla said. The chairman said choosing that option would be “a symbolic move.”

DTC member Susan Collier made a motion to nominate Santi for the endorsement.

“He works so hard. I know you guys don’t see it,” said Collier, who’s also the town’s finance director. “I think he’s not understood as much as he should be.”

District v Town

DTC member Ariana Rawls Fine spoke next.

“I feel you have not aligned yourself with the ideals of the party,” she directed toward Santi, who stood listening. “You’re not voting as a Democrat. What you’re doing is in the interest of your district and not in the interest of the town.”

Rawls Fine said Republicans, who hold an 8-2 majority on the 10-member Town Council, were “holding bait in front” of Santi with the rumored closure of Franklin Elementary School, which is in the Fourth District.

“And you voted with them because of that,” she said.

In a post on Stratford Patch after the vote, a post titled, “Why I Voted ‘Yes’ on the Budget,” Santi wrote: “Even though there wasn’t any direct public threat this year to close (Franklin), there were times, I had heard privately, the school may be closed if funding was cut.”

“In this day of partisan politics,” he continued, “a politician can either be partisan and get nothing done or be practical and be successful for his or her district…Just to be partisan, without ideas, you will never get anything done.”

'A Hungry Man Eats Dirt'

While some DTC members were hesitant to give Santi the party nod, others just wanted to get on with it and end the political in-fighting.

“A hungry man eats dirt,” said Ron Langdon, referring to Rawls Fine’s “holding bait” comment. “I don’t understand why you want to fight.”

In the end, Santi was only one vote shy of a unanimous endorsement. The lone dissenting vote cast came from Emma Brooks.

“I do not change my morals or values or principles,” Brooks said afterwards. “I believe in integrity and I had a stance. I stuck with that stance.”

Brooks admitted she did not thoroughly vet Ely before the nomination. She said has apologized to the DTC for her error.

'I'll Go With My Conscience'

Santi said he was thankful for the endorsement.

“You have to work together and vote with the majority to get anything done,” he said after the meeting adjourned.

“If it’s going to hurt my district, I’m not going to support it," Santi said. "If it’s a good idea, I’m going to go for it. I’ll go with my conscience.”

Before he's back on the Town Council, however, Santi will have to beat Linnea Scheck, the endorsed candidate of Stratford Republicans, in the November municipal election.