​Early start, helps Hinger secure Republican nod for first selectman

By Scott Benjamin

BROOKFIELD – After weeks of canvassing, phone calls, text messages, Facebook posts and planting campaign lawn signs, Karl Hinger scored a nearly two-to-one victory over Austin Monteiro to be the Republican nominee for first selectman at a caucus that attracted more than six times as many voters as the Democratic session.

Hinger, who formally announced his campaign in February and held a kick-off event a month later, said his early start was helpful in securing the nomination during the July 16 caucus in the Brookfield High School auditorium.

“We didn’t know what to expect” in the campaign he said regarding his decision to enter the contest earlier than many recent GOP contenders had over the recent cycles.

Hinger, 30, the vice chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals, garnered 131 votes to 66 for Monteiro, who had run in 2021 for first selectman as a petitioning candidate and also was the Republican nominee in the 2024 state House campaign in the 110th District, which encompasses much of downtown Danbury.

Monteiro, 42, said he doesn’t plan to wage a September primary.

“I don’t have that in me,” he said. “I put a lot out there in energy for this caucus. A primary is not in the cards. I’ll focus on work.”

However, he stopped short of strongly embracing the Republican ticket that will be headed by Hinger and Alan Donnelly, the chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals, who is seeking one of the two other seats on the three-member Board of Selectmen.

Donnelly was nominated over Tara Carr, the former first selectman who currently holds one of the three seats on the board. He annexed 130 votes to 69 for Carr, who was Monteiro’s running mate.

“I didn’t see the rules [for the caucus] until they were read tonight,” Monteiro declared. “I didn’t see the ballot until I went up and voted.”

He said that he had requested those provisions prior to the caucus, which attracted nearly 200 party members, compared to the 30 that participated earlier that night in the Democratic caucus.

“It is something I think is wrong,” Monteiro asserted. “I think things are hidden on purpose. I have a problem with the process.”

He added, “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.”

Said Hinger, “I do hope that Austin and Tara will come around to helping the campaign.”

Two years ago, Carr won the caucus but faced a primary challenge from attorney Matt Grimes, a former chairman of the Board of Education. She prevailed in the September balloting, but the two GOP candidates went their separate ways following the primary.

Hinger said he understands the frustrations associated with being on the losing side of the score.

He said through the years he has auditioned by community theater parts that he didn’t get.

“Rejection is a big part of that. It always does hurt,” Hinger commented.

Hinger said he was pleased with the turnout, noting that, among other things, there appeared to be voters contacted by Monteiro who were attending a GOP caucus for the first time.

He said over the recent weeks, he had canvassed scores of homes, had a team that made phone calls, utilized social media and even posted lawn signs.

Do presidential elections from the previous year have an impact on municipal balloting?

There was discussion in 2021 that Republican President Donald Trump’s loss for re-election in 2020 motivated more REpublicans to vote for Carr, who defeated then three-term First Selectman Steve Dunn, a Democrat.

Dunn won the job back in 2023 and was nominated on July 16 by the Democratic Caucus to be their standard-bearer in the November 4 election.

Hinger commented that “what the president is doing currently can impact a local election” more than the results from a presidential election the previous year.

He remarked, “Many more people follow what is going on at the national level than in the municipal election,” where sometimes voters don’t know much about the candidates.” He said that installing a “speed bump” in town usually generates less discussion than a major policy issue before Congress that attracts considerable news media attention.

Monteiro said, “I think you’re going to see a repeat of the 2017 election in Brookfield where Democrats won by a pretty big majority. Trump won the 2016 election. Democrats were very motivated to vote in 2017. I think it is going to take massive amounts of time and sacrifice and work” for the Republicans to win in November.

On another topic, Hinger has called for a moratorium on multi-development housing in Brookfield as numerous projects are been built over the recent years in the 198-acre Brookfield Town Center near the Four Corners intersection along Federal Road.

However, he said, generally speaking, he is pleased with the commercial development in that central business district. For example, the Food Emporium supermarket at 701 Federal Road is expected to open later this summer and should add to the municipal grand list.

Hinger said, “My main concern is the height of the buildings, the density of housing. These are the things we can do to make it better. We should be focusing less on these big housing developments and more on open space.”

As for the planning for expanding the police facilities and addressing what to do with the former Center Elementary School (CES) parcel on Route 133, he expressed concern that CES has been vacant for two years and no decision has been made yet on what should be done with the parcel.

An ad-hoc committee is currently conducting a structural review of CES to determine whether to refurbish the existing building to tear it down. The ad-hoc Police Facilities committee is expected to make a recommendation on expanded facilities next June. The current police headquarters on Silvermine Road does not conform with federal law enforcement standards.

The referendum for the $78.1 million Candlewood Lake Elementary School was approved in early 2019 and the Board of Education had been planning for that project for at least two years before that.

Hinger said it appears that part of CES could be utilized now and there should have been a more definitive plan on its future use by now.

He exclaimed, “We knew this day was coming.”