Two men entered the Republican Town Caucus at Edmond Town Hall on July 25 with hopes of being chosen the party’s candidate for first selectman. And after all the GOP ballots were counted, it was current Legislative Council Chairman Jeff Capeci who came out on top.

There were 173 registered Republicans present to cast a ballot, propelling Capeci over the top against opponent and fellow Legislative Council member Matt Mihalcik 124 to 48. One vote was not counted as it did not have a name written on it.

“I’ve never seen a caucus this large,” said Republican Town Committee Chairman William DeRosa. “This is democracy in action.”

Following the vote, Mihalcik was not down and out, however. Rather than challenge Capeci in a primary, as was his option, Mihalcik accepted an endorsement as one of the GOP’s District 2 Legislative Council candidates.

“We don’t want a primary if we can help it,” caucus Chairman Robert Hall said earlier in the meeting. Following Mihalcik’s endorsement as council candidate, Hall called it a “really nice turn of events.”

State Representative Mitch Bolinsky (R-106) nominated Capeci for first selectman, saying Capeci as first selectman was “the best path forward.”

“He will ensure victory is ours,” said Bolinsky, noting that all seven times Capeci has been a candidate for office in Newtown, he has won election. “He will keep the town in trusted, steady and responsible hands.”

Bolinsky called Capeci a “standard bearer” for both the Republican Party in Newtown and for conservative values, and that with his experience on the Legislative Council and Board of Selectmen, “he knows how the town is supposed to run.”

“Newtown is still a town of conservative values,” said Bolinsky.

Michelle Buzzi seconded Capeci’s endorsement, saying that Capeci has been part of every Republican campaign for the last 20 years, whether he was a candidate or not.

“He is a strong conservative and natural leader,” said Buzzi. “Town officials seek his advice on town issues. He puts his own needs aside, for Republicans and the town.”

Capeci said if he wins the election he will “preserve Newtown’s culture and values” and keep the town’s infrastructure growing to maintain a “viable tax base.”

The remainder of the Republican caucus was less dramatic, with current Board of Finance Chairman John Madzula being named Capeci’s running mate for the Board of Selectmen.

Incumbent DeRosa, Derek Pisani, and Jim Landy were nominated as District 1 Legislative Council candidates; Bryan Atherton and incumbent Matt Mihalcik as District 2 Legislative Council candidates; Ben Ruben, John Zachos, and incumbent Tom Long as District 3 Legislative Council candidates; incumbent Steve Goodridge and Stephen Csordas as Board of Finance candidates; Brennan Coakley, incumbent Shannon Tomai, and incumbent Todd Higgins as Board of Education candidates; and Rob Hawley as a Board of Assessment Appeals candidate.

Also nominated were incumbent Armel Kouassi for Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers; incumbents Brian Leonardi and Connie Widmann for Planning & Zoning Commission; Rance Thompson for Police Commission; John Robinson, and incumbents Tiffany Hawley and David Landau for Zoning Board of Appeals; and James O’Connor and Pete Wlasuk for Zoning Board of Appeals alternates.

Several party members were endorsed to ballot positions as placeholders according to Hall, allowing for the party to establish that they have a candidate for the seat before the deadline to submit paperwork.

Once a final candidate has been identified, Hall said the placeholder candidate then would resign to open up the ballot slot for a different aspiring candidate. He explained that this is necessary because of Connecticut Secretary of State protocols.

This year, both parties are using placeholders, particularly around the Board of Finance. Both parties have other open positions on the ballot they need to fill with interested candidates.

The placeholders are Charlie Gardner for District 2 Legislative Council; Carey Schierloh and Mary Atkinson for Board of Finance; and Robin Buchanan and Scott Reiss for Planning & Zoning Commission alternates.

DeRosa noted that there was “a lot of work ahead” for the party.

“This is the beginning of a long road,” said DeRosa. “This is a very serious election.”

Keep an eye on The Newtown Bee for ongoing election coverage as it develops.

Associate Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.