Politics & Government

Republicans Endorse Jeff Hogan for Council Chairman

Caucus ends James Pogson's 25-year zoning career with GOP.

More than 100 Republican voters filled the police station Tuesday night to approve a slate of candidates for the November elections, in the process overturning Republican Town Committee’s recommendations and putting an end to one man's quarter-century in elected office.

To replace Town Council Chairman Mike Clark, who in his bid for Connecticut’s Fifth District Congressional seat will not run again, Republicans endorsed two-term former council member Jeffrey Hogan. Hogan is Northeast Regional Manager at Rogers Benefit Group and assistant fire chief for the Farmington Volunteer Fire Department.

The Republican Town Committee also endorsed the party’s incumbents for Town Council – Patty Stoddard and Charlie Keniston in the Second District and Nancy Nickerson and CJ Thomas in the First.

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But Jon Landry, who currently serves on the Board of Education, challenged Thomas, and in a written ballot count, Nancy Nickerson won 40 votes, CJ Thomas 22 and Jon Landry 48 to put Landry and Nickerson on the ballot in the First District. Landry is Information Technology Director at The Simon Konover Company as well as a Farmington Rotary and Exchange Club member.

Landry said he didn’t expect the amount of support he got but he also wasn’t surprised.

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“I had a lot of people from the community reach out to me who wanted to see me run for that seat,” he said.

Republicans were a little taken aback by the challenge. Though Landry had asked to be considered for the council when William Wadsworth left his seat to take over as state representative, he did not seek the nomination this time around. In the winter, when Thomas was nominated to take over Wadsworth’s seat, Landry said he was told he was needed on the Board of Education.

“We tried to fill out the slate with the right people all the way across the board,” said Hogan, who headed the screening committee.

Past Farmington Taxpayer Association President Sam Iritano was pleased with the change.

“This is great for Jon Landry; the most clear-thinking member of the Board of Education will now be on the Town Council, the town’s chief elected, fiscal body,” he said.

The biggest surprise of the evening came when candidates for Town Plan and Zoning Commission were announced and James “Skip” Pogson, current commission chairman, was not among them. Pogson has held a seat on the commission for 25 years.

“I’m shocked,” Pogson said. “Three weeks ago they told me I was running and then they told me I wasn’t.”

Hogan said the committee felt, after 25 years, it was time for change and that the commission needed to lean more toward economic development.

“We’ve had great development in this town that fits the town,” Pogson said. “I’ve never opposed development — only if it’s in the wrong place.”

Some said the move may have to do with the way the meetings are run.

“I’ve heard rumblings from people who’ve appeared before the commission that they were not happy with certain elements of the commission,” said Phil Dunn, who also sits on the zoning commission.

Instead the committee has put forward new candidates Donald Doeg and James Leblanc, who offer impressive credentials, Hogan said. Doeg is an attorney and professional engineer and president of the Connecticut Society of Professional Engineers. Leblanc is a landscape architecture designer for a civil engineering company in New Britain.

Ron Harrison moved to put Pogson up for reelection, saying “He’s been a very good chairman. One reason the town looks the way it does is because of Skip Pogson.”

The nomination was followed by resounding seconds but after a written vote, Doeg and Leblanc each got 87 votes to Pogson’s 37. After reading the results, Town Committee Chairman Bill Mastrogiovanni paused to thank Pogson for his years of service to the town.

For the Board of Education, Republicans endorsed incumbent Paula O’brien, who is filling a term after a resignation, and newcomers Thomas Lyons, an attorney and former New York City teacher and Nitya Chakraborty, a University of Connecticut Health Center cancer researcher and member of Farmington Volunteer Fire Department. Three-term council member Bernard Erickson is a past Tunxis Hose fire chief and will also run for the Board of Education.

For Town Plan and Zoning, the committee endorsed incumbent Robert Jarvis, who had recently become town engineer for the Town of Windsor and Peter Mastrobattista, a captain in the Farmington Volunteer Fire Department.

Ron Llewellyn, Farmington Midas owner and Zoning Board of Appeals alternate, has been endorsed to run as a regular member along with Carry Callahan, an attorney working in construction litigation. John Brockleman and Jon Carrier have been nominated as alternates.

Mark Simpson won the nomination for Board of Assessment Appeals and the committee endorsed Geno Avenoso and Diane Rogers to run for constable.

Mastrogiovanni said he’s confident the party has put together an effective and electable slate.

“It’s a good mix of incumbents and experienced people who are new to town politics,” he said. “Donald Doeg and Jim Leblanc have never run before but have impeccable credentials. Carry Callahan is an impressive lawyer and we have a small business owner like Ron Llewellyn, so it’s a very balanced, very experienced slate.”


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