Dunn, Belden seek Democratic nod for top two municipal positions

By Scott Benjamin

BROOKFIELD -- Steve Dunn, who served for six years as first selectman, has announced that he will again run for the Democratic nomination for that job and that Bob Belden -an unaffiliated voter and the current chairman of the Board of Education and former chairman of the Board of Finance - will be his running mate to serve as one of the two Other Selectmen.

Belden, a former IBM vice president, had been a Republican for many years. He has played important roles in municipal government since running for the Board of Finance in 2003 on the Republicans United For Brookfield ticket that was headed by the late Jerry Murphy, who went on to serve for two terms as first selectman.

In a news release distributed by the Brookfield Democratic Town Committee, Dunn, a former vice president with J.P. Morgan Chase, stated, "I’m running because we need to get Brookfield moving forward again."

In an apparent reference to first-term Republican Tara Carr, who defeated Dunn in 2021 by 218 votes, he added, "The past two years have seen extremism that seeks partisan rancor over bipartisan resolve. Progress comes about by bringing people together, by listening, and by putting politics aside for the common good. I’m excited to have Bob Belden as my running mate. He is highly respected and has integrity second to none. His experience will be invaluable to Brookfield’s future.”

Belden stated, “The progress Brookfield saw under Steve Dunn’s leadership was simply tremendous, and I look forward to working with Steve to move Brookfield forward in the most positive way. It’s time to put Steve behind the wheel again."

In an interview last week with Patch.com, Brookfield Democratic Town Committee Chairman Aaron Zimmer said the party will hold its caucus on or about July 25. He said that he did not anticipate that there would be a primary for the first selectman nomination.

Dunn has been praised for his efforts to get approval at referendum for the construction of the Candlewood Elementary School in 2019 and his administration's response to the May 2018 Marcoburst and the 2020 pandemic.

He currently serves as one of the Other Selectmen on the three-member board.

Carr has filed to run for a second term. She has been lauded by some residents for her interpersonal skills and attention to constituent service. She served for 25 years in the U.S. Army and has a bachelor's degree in International Relations from the highly-regarded Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

She is being challenged for the Republican nomination by Matt Grimes, a former Board of Education chairman and Brookfield Republican Town Committee chairman. He also has served as the town counsel in New Milford.

He held a kick-off event in March at John's Best Pizza and soon after mailed a flier to many Brookfield residents seeking their feedback on municipal issues.

The Republican caucus also will be held in late July. If needed, a primary would be scheduled in September.