The Town of Farmington voted on Tuesday November 5, for new representatives on the Town Council, Board of Education (BOE) and many other elected positions. As the election for Town Council and the Board of Education could have swayed to either party, the Republican party took the lead for the Town Council, with five elected Republicans and two elected Democrats while the Board of Education elected two Democrats and two Republicans.

The previous Chair for the Town Council was Nancy Nickerson, a long-time local resident, who has been involved in public service for about 30 years. As Nickerson chose not to run for reelection, Republican CJ Thomas won with a total number of 3,535 votes, compared to

Charette’s 3,239 votes. Elected along with Thomas were Republicans, newcomer Joe Capodiferro, former twoterm Town Council members Peter Mastrobattista and Gary Palumbo, and Christopher Fagan, who is currently the chair of the Board of Education. Along with Democrats Brain Connolly, and incumbent Edward Giannaros were elected, all representatives of districts one and two.

Thomas shared his excitement of having a council filled with many experienced representatives.

“I believe all of the 2020 Council members have the best interest of our town in mind, and our decisions will be reflective of that,” Thomas said.

Thomas plans to get involved in the Building Committee’s projects and communicating with community members. All efforts taken are meant to give Farmington the best opportunity to involve residents in all aspects of the town.

Mastrobattista decided to run for Town Council again after serving two terms prior to the 2017 election. His driving force in his decision-making process was that he wanted to continue his work from past terms and his love
for the work. In his past political history, Mastrobattista has worked with Town Planning and Zoning, Farmington Gateway, Land Acquisitions, and the high school projects.

“As I move forward into my next term I hope as a council we continue the towns excellent services in public safety, education and finances, and to watch all projects come to a successful conclusion,” Mastrobattista said.

He plans to get involved in many of those projects and continue his work with them. The biggest difference he feels in this term will bring is the FHS Building Committee, the project will be running while the council is balancing the other town work like the budget, but he is looking forward to being involved, working with others to bring the final project to voters.

Elected seats on the Board of Education (BOE) went to Democrat Beth Kintner and Liz Fitzsimmons along with Republicans Sarah Healey and Christine Arnold. Following the leave of Christopher Fagan from the BOE to the Town Council, town officials are looking to appoint Sylvie Binnette a spot on the BOE.

As a past BOE member and chairperson, starting her first run back in 2015, Arnold ran for reelection for both her love of the work and her personal connections to the towns education system. Arnold’s family and friends were a vital force in her decision to run, ensuring that the town would have the best educational experience and opportunities in the future.

“Our schools are one of the most important assets of our community and supporting the work of our teachers, administrators and staff is vital to our continued success,” Arnold said.

Arnold has enjoyed working with all political parties and being allowed the opportunity to see the different perspectives. Joining the BOE had been a long time interest for Healy, as many of her family members are public educators. Her admiration for public educators inspires her to promote excellent educational opportunities for Farmington students. Another driving force for Healy are her two children as they begin to get involved in the public school system.

“As a mother of young children I am invested in the continued excellence of our schools and will want to mak sure that the same level of excellence is maintained in the future,” Healy said.

Kintner was elected a role on the BOE as well. Kintner previously served on the Town Council and in a leadership role in Farmington Future. However, her original involvement in town government advocated from the needs of Farmington’s schools with her involvement from Farmington Future. Kintner is prepared to work hard and be reliable, bringing her various skills to the BOE. Along with many of the other members of the BOE and the Town Council, Kintner hopes to continue her work on the FHS Building Committee. Kintner looks forward to working with the other members and leaving her mark on the BOE, as well as hearing feedback from students and town residents.

“Communication is a very important aspect of town government and one that I’m very interested in continuing to work on. There is always room for improvement, and with the changes in how we all receive information,” Kintner said.