Ellington and Somers Election 2015 Results: One Surprise in Final Balloting

One mild surprise occurred on an otherwise unremarkable Election Day for Ellington and Somers voters.

Longtime Somers Board of Education member Anne B. Kirkpatrick, who was not endorsed by the Democratic party after serving on the school board for 16 years, gained enough signatures to make the ballot as a petitioning candidate.

Running against the two endorsed Democrats and a Republican, Kirkpatrick gathered 1,236 votes, just 19 behind Republican Richard W. Lees, Jr., to retain her seat.

Kirkpatrick polled more votes than endorsed Democrats Barbara A. Capuano (1,027), who was elected, and Robert W. Schmidt (861), who was not.

In the first selectman race, Republican incumbent Lisa Pellegrini far outdistanced petitioning candidate Linda Louise LaCasse, collecting 76 percent of the vote, to win a fourth term as Somers’ top official.

There was no surprise in Ellington, as Republican first selectman candidate Lori Spielman ran unopposed and will soon assume the town’s highest office.

Spielman will replace Maurice Blanchette, who fell short in a primary against Spielman over the summer.

Photo credit: Jerry Dougherty