Kerton running for Democratic nomination in 107th state House District

By Scott Benjamin

BROOKFIELD – David Scribner has recalled that when he was 19 years old in 1976, he went to Republican campaign headquarters on Station Road on election day and Bonnie Smith, who would go on to spend 12 years as Brookfield’s first selectman, was manning the phones, encouraging voters to go to the polls.

Dave Smith, who was then Bonnie Smith’s husband, would be elected that night. It began what is now a half century of Republican control in the 107^th state House District.

Scribner would a generation later serve in the district for nearly 16 years. Before his tenure, Republican M. Jodi Rell of Brookfield was the representative for 10 years before ascending to the positions of lieutenant governor and then governor.

It is the seat that Republican Stephen Harding held for nearly eight years before he ascended in 2022 to the state Senate and became leader in 2024 of the upper chamber’s GOP caucus.

Another notable name, Republican former First Selectman Marty Foncello, has held the seat since the 2022 election. He announced in February that he would seek a third term.

The district has always included all of Brookfield and the Stony Hill section of Bethel. Since 2022 it also has a portion of northern Newtown.

Former Brookfield Democratic Town Committee Chairman Aaron Zimmer annexed 47.6 percent of the vote in the 2024 race after he rode a motor scooter through the district, visiting some homes multiple times. It was the best showing by a Democrat in the 107^th District in years.

Zimmer announced recently that instead of making a second bid in the 107^th, he will seek the Democratic nomination in the 30^th state Senate District and run against Harding in the November 3 election.

On March 27, Democrat Julie Kerton, the chairman of Brookfield’s Board of Assessment Appeals, submitted campaign papers to seek the Democratic nomination, which will be determined at a convention in May. She is a long-time member of the Board of Assessment Appeals.

James Mannion, a Bethel attorney, was the last Democrat to win the seat. That came during Democrat Ella Grasso’s 1974 landslide victory for her first term as governor.

Mannion did not seek a second term in 1976.

When Daniel Pearson of Brookfield was the Democratic nominee in 2018, his campaign ran a web video that included brief comments from several prominent Democrats – including Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and Attorney Gen. William Tong -underscoring the long gap since the last Democratic victory in the district.

In a recent interview, Zimmer told Patch.com that with Republican President Donald Trump’s low poll ratings that he believes Foncello will be “very vulnerable” in the general election.

However, Foncello serves on two powerful committees – Appropriations and Education.

He was in the U.S. Army and has been praised for his efforts as first selectman to address a reorganization of the leadership in the Brookfield Police Department in 2000, shortly after he initially took office.

Foncello has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Boston College. One of his classmates at the 1974 undergraduate graduation was famed sports columnist Mike Lupica.

Kerton is a real estate agent based in Ridgefield.

Her bio states that she has lived in Fairfield County for more than 25 years, previously worked as a grants writer and is “passionate about animal rescue.” She also has written a memoir – “She Named You Donna.”

Kerton formerly managed a non-profit organization. She graduated from the State University of New York Empire State College with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Human Development.

Her children graduated from Brookfield High School. Sean Kerton of Oxford is serving as her campaign treasurer.

The Democratic Party has become a force in Brookfield’s recent municipal elections – taking the first selectman’s office in seven of the last nine races. The party has maintained a permanent headquarters at 499 Federal Road since May 2023.