Will Duff Collects Required Signatures, Will Be Candidate in Upcoming GOP Primary

Report by Paula Antolini
August 10, 2015 11:35AM EDT

Will Duff Collects Requisite Signatures and Will Be a Candidate in the Upcoming GOP Primary, September 16

August 10, 2015 - Today Will Duff delivered his petition, with over 200 signatures, to Republican Registrar Tim Beeble, after signing the official papers in front of Town Clerk Lisa Bergh in the Clifford J. Hurgin Municipal Center. This means Duff will be a candidate in the upcoming Republican Primary Election on September 16, 2015 that will decide who the Republican candidate is to run for First Selectman of the Town of Bethel, CT, against the present First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker.

Knickerbocker was chosen to be the Democratic First Selectman candidate during the Democratic caucus, which was on the same night as the Republican caucus, July 23, 2015.

Will Duff is the endorsed candidate of the Republican Town Committee (BRTC). Duff is presently the Republican Town Committee Chairman and also on the Bethel Board of Education and a former selectman.

Regarding the Primary election, Duff was very pleased to be handing in his petition this morning. He was still in the process of completing the paperwork signing when Bethel Advocate got the news.

Duff said, “The response to the petition has been overwhelming. We will be turning into the Registrar of Voters the over 200 signatures for more then the 149 signatures we need. I look forward to Bethel’s nearly 3,000 Republicans having the opportunity to decide this nomination in an all day primary in the privacy of the voting booth!”

According to Duff, “People in Bethel are angry and concerned because they love Bethel and they don’t like what’s happened to Bethel these last several years. I have the ability and the experience in town government to know that we can hold the line on taxes and spending. We can reduce the size and cost of government. We can get control of our debt and maintain our infrastructure at the same time. Working together, we can create a better Bethel!”

On July 23, 2015, Pat Rist was endorsed as the candidate of the Republican caucus, to run for Bethel First Selectman in November 2015, but now will be in the upcoming Republican Primary to decide the final candidate to run against Knickerbocker. Rist is presently the Chairman of the Bethel Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) and President of the Bethel Historical Society (BHS).

Read more and view photos here.