Donnelly brings experience in security systems, zoning code, military service to campaign

By Scott Benjamin

BROOKFIELD – Although he never got on the floor at Adam’s Apple – 61st Street and First Avenue, where the patrons discoed to the sounds of K.C. & The Sunshine Band doing “(Shake, Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty under pulsating strobe lights - Alan Donnelly says he mastered “The Hustle.”

“You could Hustle to almost anything,” said Donnelly, who was a part-time guest director at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio in Danbury from 1983 to 1998.

Donnelly moved in with his uncle, Jerry Terracino, in Brookfield in the early 1980s.

Terracino became like a father to him. He was a member at Arthur Murray – specializing in The Hustle - and encouraged Donnelly to join, saying, “You could meet a lot of girls.”

As a guest director, Donnelly said he had to learn the steps for both the males and females for everything from the Swing to the Cha Cha.

He commented that it was emotionally rewarding to see his students “have a good time” on the dance floor. Some even entered competitions.

He is now chairman of the Brookfield Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA).

Since ascending to that position, Donnelly, 59, said that he has been working 50 to 80 hours a month – mostly nights and weekends – on ZBA issues. Entering the 2025 municipal election cycle, he said that he was “leaning” toward not running for another four-year term.

However, when Karl Hinger, the vice chairman of the ZBA and a friend, decided to seek the Republican nomination for first selectman, he chose to become one of five candidates to be interviewed by the Brookfield Republican Vacancy Committee for a seat as one of the Other Selectmen on the three-member Board of Selectmen.

“Karl’s decision was a big motivation,” Donnelly commented.

Hinger and Donnelly were recommended this spring by the Republican Vacancy Committee and then the Republican Town Committee and each won by about a two to one margin at the party caucus in July over real estate asset manager Austin Monteiro and Tara Carr, an Other Selectman, respectively.

Hinger and Donnelly wanted to avoid the divisions of the 2023 municipal election when Carr, then the Republican incumbent first selectman, was challenged by former Board of Education Chairman Matt Grimes in a primary. Before that primary Carr said she didn’t think that Grimes was someone that she would want to “associate” with and Grimes declined to make a call to concede on primary night.

Monteiro said minutes after losing in caucus vote this July, “I wish Karl and Alan well. As far as me helping: I’m not going to be negative in any way, shape or form. But I’m going to take a short break at this point in time.”

Since then, Carr, who served one term as first selectman, changed her registration from Republican to unaffiliated.

However, Hinger said that, “We’ve spoken to a number of people who supported Austin and Tara at the caucus. They have told me that they are supporting us. I think we have successfully unified the party.”

Hinger and Donnelly now will face Democratic incumbent First Selectman Steve Dunn and Other Selectman Bob Belden in the November 4 election.

Donnelly said that Hinger, who has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, is savvier about politics and social media.

Donnelly said although technology is a “time-saver” it also is a “time vampire,” since often people have to respond to comments – critical and otherwise – that are posted.

He said he had limited activity on social media, but at the urging of local Republicans he has become more active on Facebook to promote the campaign.

Donnelly said that the ZBA is “a little more formal” and is “quasi-judicial,” since it rules on applications that have not been approved by the Zoning Commission.

“[We’re the] last resort before it goes to the court system,” said Donnelly. “They’re seeking relief from us” for additions to their homes, for pools and sheds.

Donnelly said he has been comfortable being on the ZBA because, “My career has been in code and regulations.”

He worked as an installations and service manager from 1983 to 1992 for Terracino, who operated Guardian Security. He has owned Donnelly Security since 1992. The company installs burglary and fire alarm systems in homes through much of western Connecticut, extending to East Hartford, and parts of New York state.

Nevertheless, when Donnelly was elected to the ZBA in 2021 he watched two and half years of videos from the ZBA meetings. He commented that Democrat Robert Marconi, who has been an assistant state attorney general since 1991, was “a fantastic chairman.” He continues to watch videos from meetings of ZBA’s in other municipalities and has studied Robert’s Rules of Order.

“Every single applicant is treated in a fundamental, fair way,” he commented.

Donnelly, who was vice chairman for a year before ascending the chairmanship about three years ago, said that the board has received letters of commendation and a handful of applicants have stopped Donnelly while shopping to offer thanks

“We haven’t had a lawsuit,” he remarked.

Terracino who had been in the U.S. Army Reserve, recommended that Donnelly join the military.

He entered the Army National Guard in 1983 and stayed through 1989, reaching the rank of Sgt.

“I learned how to take and to give orders,” Donnelly related. “I leaned about the need to respect all other people.”

He also did wire and radio installations, which has been valuable in his career in security systems.

When she became first selectman, Carr, who served in the U.S. Army for 25 years, tasked Donnelly to establish an Honor Wall for the town’s military veterans similar to the one in the Roger Sherman Town Hall in New Milford. He has continued that task under Dunn.

Donnelly said that while canvassing 300 homes with Hinger before the caucus, the most discussed issues by residents were overdevelopment, having the lowest possible tax increase, expanding police facilities and the plans for the former Center Elementary School (CES).

On fiscal issues, he said many residents recognize that it is difficult to maintain the same tax mill rate from one year to the next due to inflation and pay increases for municipal employees.

Donnelly praised the Board of Finance and finance director/controller Marcia Marien for maintaining a low tax mill rate.

Regarding other municipal issues, he commended the work of the ad-hoc committees that are studying the need for larger police facilities and the panel reviewing the future use of the site where the former Center Elementary School (CES) has been for generations.

Donnelly said after recently walking through CES he would seek to “condemn” the building.

“It is that bad,” he exclaimed.

The ad-hoc committee reported earlier this year that it is doing a structural review of the building, which had been the oldest school in Connecticut and the last wooden school. Dunn has said it may become a community center, library, recreation facility or even the home for a new police headquarters.

The police have sought to expand their facilities for almost a decade. Dunn has said the current headquarters on Silvermine Road does not conform to federal standards. Jay Purcell, the former police chief, chairs the ad-hoc committee. He recently told the selectmen that the panel is studying whether to expand the current headquarters to build a new facility at another site.

Dunn has indicated that he will seek to have the selectmen hire a consultant to address the moving parts in addressing the future of police facilities and the CES site. He has said that potentially you could have both an empty police headquarters and an empty library on Whisconier Road, since those services might be transferred to the CES site. You also could have both ad-hoc committees indicate that they want the CES site.

Dunn added that the first selectman oversees 15 municipal departments and the town hall on Pocono Road has vaults for the town clerk and the land-use office that are full of documents that need to be maintained. The Parks & Recreation Department, which for decades had been in the town hall, was moved some years ago to the former town hall. He said having a consultant for the construction projects would be similar to the consultant that is hired to update the town’s Plan of Conservation & Development.

Donnelly disagreed, saying, “That is the job of the first selectman. If they hire a [consultant], then that cost should come out of the first selectman’s salary.”

Donnelly said he also objects to the establishment of a Fire Commission.

Belden gave a presentation on that proposal at the July 7 selectmen’s meeting and the selectmen opted to table action for the time being at the August 4 meeting after fire department officials asked at a public hearing to give them time to study the package.

Donnelly said that the two fire companies have a “fantastic relationship with the Board of Finance.”

Dunn said that the recommendation of establishing a Fire Commission was included in a recent 400-page study of municipal operations. He underscored that although the fire companies have a cooperative relationship with the Board of Finance and the Board of Selectmen, you cannot ensure that in the future as new municipal officials take office.

He commented that the Fire Commission would be an “advocate” for the fire companies and emergency municipal services regardless of who was serving on municipal boards.

Donnelly said under the selectmen’s proposal, there would be “another layer of bureaucracy” and “specific tax districts” which would create “double taxation.”

He said it would be unfair to have only two members of the commission be from the fire companies and the other three members be selected by the Board of Selectmen.

“The fire companies would be under-represented,” Donnelly exclaimed.

Since 1999, six incumbent first selectman in Brookfield have lost their bid for re-election. Usually there has been at least a perception that they made major errors and the challengers generated more enthusiasm than anything this side of Mickey Dolenz at The Kate.

Donnelly said that Republicans are more energized than four years ago when he was on the ticket headed by Carr.

Has the incumbent made a major mistake?

Donnelly said that, among other things, state Rep. Bob Godfrey (D-110) said in a news story that suburban opposition to a state housing bill was in part due to “racism” and Dunn was quoted as saying, “He might have a point.”

Unlike Godfrey, who is a supporter of the housing legislation, Dunn has said he opposes it because it is impractical and would reduce local control.

Regarding Dunn’s comment, Donnelly exclaimed, “Calling them racist.”

Dunn emphasized in a more recent interview that he doesn’t feel that attitude exists in Brookfield, but in some other Connecticut suburbs there are residents who don’t want people moving into their town “who don’t look, act, feel, behave the way that we do, and that don’t have a certain income level.”

Donnelly said his “mentor in politics’ is former longtime selectman and former Board of Education member Harry Shaker, who is managing Hinger and Donnelly’s campaign.

Shaker said Brookfield needs to again become the small suburban community it had been before the surge in multi-family housing development and commercial outlets in the 198-acre Brookfield Town Center near the Four Corners intersection of Federal Road.

He said that he is “vehemently against” the proposal for more housing at the site of the former dry cleaners at 20 Station Road.

Shaker said he would prefer that it be converted into a park to help retain Brookfield’s rural flavor.

“I think what we need to do is find areas that you can turn Brookfield into what it was,” he explained.

Donnelly declared, “The town is way overdeveloped. The only way to do this is to rewrite the regulations. It has to be fixed.”

Resources:

Interview with Alan Donnelly, Patch.com, on Saturday, August 23, 2025.

Interview with Alan Donnelly, Patch.com, on Wednesday, August 27, 2025.

Phone interview with Alan Donnelly, Patch.com, on Friday, August 29, 2025.

Interview with Harry Shaker, Patch.com, on Saturday, August 23, 2025.

Interview with Karl Hinger, Patch.com, on Wednesday, August 27, 2025.

Interview with Steve Dunn, Patch.com, on Saturday, August 30, 2025.

https://patch.com/connecticut/brookfield/early-start-helps-hinger-secure-republican-nod-first-selectman

https://patch.com/connecticut/brookfield/grimes-enters-race-brookfield-republican-first-selectman-nod

https://patch.com/connecticut/...