Republican Candidate Drops Out Of New London Board Of Education Race

A Board of Education candidate in the upcoming New London election has withdrawn from the race, leaving the Republicans with two vacancies on their slate.

Ian C. Thomas, one of four Republican nominees for the Board of Education race, has withdrawn his name from consideration in the election. Thomas is the editor of The Scope Magazine, an online publication with periodic print issues.

“He thought that he had too much going on, with his magazine and everything else,” Republican Town Committee chairman and City Council candidate Bill Vogel said of Thomas’ decision.

Thomas is the second Republican candidate to withdraw his name from consideration. Gordon Videll, a New London attorney, left the City Council race last month. He said he was a placeholder candidate to allow the GOP to find additional candidates and was also irked by allegations made by columnist David Collins, according to The Day.

“I think Gordon would have been a really good candidate so I was sorry to see him drop out,” said Vogel.

Vogel said no one has come forward in recent weeks to run for the Board of Education. The current slate includes incumbent secretary Jason Catala as well as Mirna Martinez and Casey Giesing. Vogel said election rules allow for someone to be named to fill the vacancy between now and mid-October.

Martin Olsen, a former Republican city councilor and the city’s last ceremonial mayor, was not chosen for the GOP slate but has expressed his interest in running. Olsen says he has had a petition certified by the Republican registrar of voters and city clerk's offices to send the slate to a primary vote, but Vogel said that if the vacancy caused by Videll’s departure is not filled by the end of the week that Republican Registrar of Voters Barbara Major will cease preparations for the primary and include Olsen on the Republican slate.

Besides Vogel, the Republican candidates for City Council include Dennis Downing, Mike Doyle, Keith Robbins, and Katelin Teel. The Republicans also nominated Marie Friess-McSparran, an incumbent councilor who was not returned to the Democratic slate.

Bill Satti, chairman of the Democratic Town Committee, said no changes have been made to the party’s slate. Council President Michael Passero, Council President Pro Tempore Wade Hyslop, and Councilor Anthony Nolan will run for re-election. Other Council candidates on the Democratic slate are Efrain Dominguez Jr., Laura Natusch, Erica Richardson, and Michael Tranchida.

Democratic candidates for the Board of Education are incumbent Board President Margaret Curtin, incumbent Board members Elizabeth Garcia-Gonzalez and Sylvia Potter, and candidates Reona Dyess, Robert Funk, Scott Garbini, and Arcelis Vazquez-Haye.

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