The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1939-10-28
Politics
in
Passing
~ RAYMOND y. FITZPATRICK

UMMA86AAg MAe hS9AAAAI - r.
this years Democratic ticket
would offer NEW faces" was more
than kept this week when the
city, town and school conventions
made up the slate Of candidates.
Only two Of those elected to OF
ice two years ago are retained,
Town Clerk Mary @. Kilmartin
and Registrar John T. Derwin.
The others have all been drop
ped, even the seven Democrats on
the board Of aldermen and the
four on the board Of education.
During his campaign for the
nomination for mayor, Mr. Soul
" declared that public opinion
demanded sweeping changes"
among the Democratic candi-
dates. But changes as broad as
he recommended to the cOnven-
tiors were mot generally ex-
pected.
MIR. Scully gives the members
Of his ticket his full personal
8 endorsement. He has expressed
his willingness to be held re-
sponsible for the selections
made. It is with this feeling OF
confidence in his associates that
he enters the campaign.
Many of the new faces" are
certainly generally unknown; 1t
will be the problem of Mr. Soul
" and his advisers to "sell" them
to the voters of the city. This
they feel they can do, holding
that each candidate is fully quail
flied for the office for which he
has been nominated.
The candidate for the second
most important office in the city
government, that of controller,
ID Thomas M. Conlon, political
newcomer. Associates say that he
Is fitted by background and ex-
perience to hold the position.
Joseph Happy" Shea, the
candidate for city clerk, has
never been particularly active in
politics, but he has the advan-
tage Of being extremely well
known through his years In
amateur athletics and his prom
inence in the Washington Hill
A. C.
Attorney Humber Mangini, the
candidate for tax collector,
Serge Belanger, candidate for
city treasurer, and Clayton Bril-
otti, candidate for city sheriff,
are all running for Office for the
first time.
The selection of these candidates
II not due to any accident; it is
the result Of strategy carefully
thought out in advance, and every
possibility of which has been eval-
uated as carefully as possible. Mr..
s,cully and his advisers feel that
the voting public wants to see new
blood in city affairs, even at the
expense Of dropping veteran office
holders against whom there was
not even a hint of the slightest
misconduct. 1t was realization of
this feeling that led to the drop
ping of some elected officials, in
GLIDING soma aldermen and some
school commissioners who had per-
formed excellent service.
Though the election is still two
and q half weeks off, the success
of the Democratic ticket will un-
doubtedly depend for the most
part on the campaign made by
Mr.. Scully and on his appeal to
the voters. It already seems OBJ
vious that the fire of the Repub-
Hcans will be centered on him,
and it would not be too surpris-
ing If he soon begins an early Of
fensive of his own.
As the election campaign gets
ready to 60 into high gear, there
are many candidates on both the
Republican and Democratic par
ties who have little or no need for
worry about the outcome unless
the Socialists should capture the
city Nov. IA. The reason is that
nomination in some cases is equiv
alent to election and in others that
1t Is almost equivalent to election.
The candidates of both major
parties for registrar Of voters are
assured of another term, for ex-
ample. The four constables nomi-
mated by each of the two parties
are also already "in" as is each
party's candidate for the board Of
library agents.
Each party nominated eight
men for the board Of aldermen.
OF these 16, only one will be de-
feated and the others all elected
unless that the Socialists come
first or second in the balloting.
The situation in regard to the
board of education Is the same.
Each major party has nominated
five persons; one only of these 10
nominees will be defeated unless
there Is an upheaval Of votes.
Two men each have been NOM
mated by each major party for
the boards of selectmen and tax
review, and only one Of the four
In each case will not be elected.
A victory of principle and of tao
tics was scored by Mr.. Scully when
he resigned as corporation counsel
promptly after receiving the DEM
ocratic nomination. His immedi-
ate action won extremely fin
comment, and placed the Republic
can candidate, Charles G. Foster
In Q rather less favorable light
since the latter had taken no steps
toward relinquishing his position
as secretary to the mayor. Mr., Fos-
ter then belatedly did resign, two
days after Mr.. Scully had set the
example and 10 days after he had
been nominated by the Republican
party. Failure Of Mr.. Foster to re-
tire earlier was especially criticized
because he had opposed for the
nomination the man who hired
him; Mayor Perriello.
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