Republicans, Democrats to Caucus to Select Municipal Election Slates

By Scott Benjamin

BROOKFIELD – Has Brookfield become a two-faced town?

The Republican face wins the even-numbered-year elections the way that the Harlem Globetrotters win basketball games.

Brookfield is the anchor, for example, of the 107th state House District and Republicans have prevailed in every election since 1976.

Joe Biden, in 2020, is the only Democratic presidential candidate to carry Brookfield since the 1964 Lyndon Johnson landslide victory.

However, in the odd-numbered years, the Democratic face has resembled the Bill Belichick/Tom Brady New England Patriots. They have captured the first selectman’s office in six of the last eight campaigns.

On Wednesday night, July 16, each party will nominate its municipal election slate for the November 4 election.

The marquee event will be at the Republican caucus in the Brookfield High School auditorium at seven o’clock, as Austin Monteiro, who sought the first selectman’s office as a petitioning candidate four years ago, challenges Zoning Board of Appeals Vice Chairman Karl Hinger, who was recommended on April 29 by the Republican Town Committee (RTC) for the nomination for first selectman.

Former First Selectman Tara Carr, who currently serves as an Other Selectman, is challenging Zoning Board of Appeals Chairman Alan Donnelly, who has been recommended by the RTC, for one of the two other seats on the three-member Board of Selectmen.

Monteiro and Hinger each have indicated that they don’t intend to wage a primary if they are defeated at the caucus.

Stephen Harding Sr., the chairman of the RTC’s Vacancy Committee said the local GOP didn’t get the caucus they deserved in 2023. Some party members grumbled as they exited the caucus about how the ballots only had one of the two slates printed on it – the one that had been recommended by the RTC. The challenge slate, headed by former Board of Education Chairman Matt Grimes, did not appear on the ballots.

Carr prevailed at the caucus and in the September primary against Grimes, but lost to Democratic former First Selectman Steve Dunn in the general election.

Harding Sr., the father of state Senate Republican Leader Stephen Harding Jr. (R-30) of Brookfield, said, “I think we have learned from that caucus two years ago on how to make it more orderly.” He added that those improvements had been employed in January, 2024 when the RTC held a caucus to elect its current slate of members.

The Democrats will nominate their slate on July 16, at 6 p.m. in the permanent headquarters that they established two years ago at 499 Federal Road.

It is expected that Dunn will annex the Democratic nomination for first selectman for a sixth consecutive campaign. He is now in his non-consecutive fourth term in the position, the longest tenure since Republican Bonnie Smith left office in 1999 after six consecutive terms.

Other Selectman Bob Belden, a former chairman of the Board of Finance and the Board of Education, is expected to be nominated for another term.

Dunn has said in recent interviews with Patch.com that if he and Belden are re-elected, they will focus on getting plans to referendum for, first, expanded police facilities and then for the future use of the parcel at the former Center Elementary School. He said he will ask the selectmen and the Board of Finance soon to consider taking action on hiring a planner to study the various pieces to the capital projects, since it is possible that there could be an empty library and an empty police headquarters in the coming years.

Dunn formerly was a vice president with J.P. Morgan Chase and Belden was a vice president with IBM.

Aside from establishing a permanent headquarters two years ago, the Democrats have become more active in social media and podcasting and have become noted for securing support from unaffiliated voters, the largest group in Brookfield.

As of June 17, the Brookfield registrars of voters report that there are 5,036 unaffiliated voters, 3,794 registered Republicans, 3,058 Democrats and 212 who belong to other parties.

Hinger and Monteiro and their running mates have been canvassing neighborhoods for weeks.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz (D-Middletown) has said in primaries and caucuses “it usually is about finding enough friends to make it happen.”

Hinger said that some of the other members of the RTC recommended slate have been making phone calls to voters on his behalf.

He commented, “The most important communication for the caucus are the direct connections” through canvassing and phone calls.

Patch.com contacted Monteiro, a real estate asset manager, via e-mail on July 3, 4, and 7 and by voice-mail on July 5 and 6 to acquire comments for this story. Apparently, none of those messages were returned.

Hinger, the inventory manager at Hamar Laser in Danbury, said voters that he has canvassed have expressed concerns about a raft of issues – ranging from over-development in the 198-acre Brookfield Town Center – which has been his signature platform topic – to “their taxes are too high.”

Harding Sr. said that following the defeat in the 2023 municipal election, the current Republican Town Committee chose to make alterations, but not demolish the stadium.

Harry Shaker, a longtime member of the Board of Education and then the Board of Selectmen, was on Grimes’ losing slate two years ago as he sought another term as an Other Selectman.

Harding Sr. noted that Shaker is now a strategist on the Hinger campaign. Shaker was the GOP nominee for first selectman in 2017.

“I was not surprised that Harry did that,” Harding Sr. added. “He and I may disagree on issues sometimes, but I have known him for 30 years and we have watched our children grow up.”

Harding Sr. emphasized that the RTC recommended slate includes candidates that were on both Carr’s and Grimes’s slates in 2023.

The Republicans want to avoid another primary. However, two years ago they had 298 party members – a high total – vote at the caucus. Yet, the primary yielded a 28 percent turnout – well over 1,000 voters.

Wouldn’t a primary be a better barometer?

Remarked Hinger, “There are always trade-off, pros and cons. I think the results at the caucus would be what you could expect in a primary. It is a small sample size, but it also is an accurate sample size.”

Aside from the development of multi-family housing in Brookfield Town Center, do the Republicans have other complaints about Dunn’s leadership?

Said Harding Sr., “There has been comment on his willingness to work with the Republicans in town. I think there is some level of resistance toward with us, like coming to an RTC meeting and speaking to us. He is, after all, governing the whole town. Maybe he should talk to us about our concerns.”

He said that Hinger already has been canvassing unaffiliated and Democratic voters and has put the GOP in a position to expand on its base from the even-numbered election and reclaim the first selectman's office.

Aaron Zimmer, who chaired the Democratic Town Committee (DTC) in 2023 when the party swept the municipal election, said that Dunn and Belden have effectively managed town operations and have appointed a Police Facilities ad-hoc committee to address the town’s chief capital priority.

He commented that the town has an AAA bond rating through Standard & Poor's that has been developed through their leadership, the Board of Finance and Town Treasurer John Lucas.

DTC Chairman Shannon Riley has recently told Patch.com that voters believe that the town has been well-managed with Dunn and Belden on the Board of Selectmen.

Zimmer, who will chair the Democratic caucus, said that he has not met Hinger, but is familiar with his background.

“He does not have the required experience to be a first selectman.,” Zimmer commented. “ I’m sure he will someday.”

Regarding Monteiro, who moved to Danbury last year and ran unsuccessfully for the seat in the 110th state House District last November and then was interviewed earlier this year by the Danbury Republican Recruitment Committee for consideration as the GOP nominee for mayor: Zimmer remarked, “Austin is not someone who the town can responsibility hand the keys to the town hall to. I’m sorry to say that. But in my heart, I think that is true.”

“He doesn’t have any experience doing this stuff,” Zimmer commented. “He has a lot of experience creating division and he is very good at calling attention to himself. But I’m not sure how responsible voters in Brookfield could ever send him to town hall. He has a growing reputation of being a serial candidate. He is going to run for anything he can. People so far are showing him that they do not want him in office. I don’t see that this time around will be any different.”

Resources:

Phone interview with Karl Hinger, Patch.com, on Saturday, July 5, 2025.

Phone interview with Aaron Zimmer, Patch.com, on Sunday, July 6, 2025.

Phone interview with Stephen Harding Sr., Patch.com, on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.

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

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