Petitioner’s Confirmation Makes

Top Of Ticket A Four-Way Race

By John Voket

A letter from the Connecticut Secretary of the State’s Office to Town Clerk Debbie Aurelia this week confirmed the top of ticket competition for first selectman will be increased to four candidates. Unaffiliated petitioner Patrick J. Heigel received a confirmed ballot spot after he submitted the required number of petitions to qualify as a contender this fall.

The contender, who resides on Crownview Drive in Sandy Hook, told The Newtown Bee in May that he was seeking to qualify for the leading ballot position. Mr Heigel then quietly set about collecting more than the required number of qualifying signatures to force a four-way race.

The petitioner will pit himself against a field of candidates that includes a second petitioner, Bruce Walczak, who is also a current police commissioner and the Independent Party of Newtown’s chairman. Democrats have endorsed former selectman Gary Fetzer, and the GOP has endorsed Patricia Llodra, who currently serves on the Legislative Council.

In an interview last May, Mr Heigel said he was motivated to run, in part, because there would be no incumbent officials on the November ballot. First Selectman Joe Borst, a Republican, is not seeking a second term, nor is Republican Selectman Paul Mangiafico.

Democratic Selectman and former first selectman Herb Rosenthal is seeking a seat on the Zoning Board of Appeals as an alternate.

The candidate previously said he studied to be aerospace engineer, but graduated at a time when that job market was in decline.

He retooled his expertise, switching to consulting and computer work. But like many affected by the post-9/11 slump in the economy, Mr Heigel said even that work dried up. So he again tapped his diverse skill set and opened a small construction company specializing in tile work, which he says is “what I really like to do.”

Mr Heigel said he has no political experience, no local volunteer background, and no local club or association affiliations. He is coming onto the local political scene as a totally unfamiliar contender.

“I never got involved in government before,” he said. “This is something new. I’m thinking maybe being outside of government I can offer some new ideas than somebody who is already in it.

“I can give a totally new look at things,” he added.

The petitioning candidate is planning to march in the Labor Day Parade, which is Newtown’s traditional launching platform for local fall elections with most, if not all, candidates for each party participating with their respective units.