Southington Candidates Called 'Rejects' By GOP Leader, Dems Fume

SOUTHINGTON, CT — A local police leader's description of two retired police officers seeking the town council as being "rejects" of their former political party is drawing ire from their new party.

Steve Salerno and Edward Pocock III, both retired police officers, are seeking seats on the Southington Town Council this November and have been endorsed by Democrats.

In a town where the GOP controls the town's top elected board 6-3, running as a Democrat presents some challenges.

But the two hopefuls are not just ordinary Dems. They used to be Republicans, with Pocock III actually serving as the Southington Republican Town Committee chairman.

The two men, though, told the Meriden Record-Journal recently they thought the local GOP was more in favor of party politics than the community at large. They opted to switch sides.

In that same article last month, Southington RTC member Michael Riccio, a former council chairman and current member of the Southington Police Commission, called both of them "rejects" of the Republican Party and questioned why the Dems couldn't find Democrats to run for those slots.

Riccio's comments regarding the two retired law enforcers were met with disapproval by Democrats on the council at the Aug. 14 council meeting and in a statement released this week by Southington Democrats.

Valerie DePaolo, a Democratic councilperson, spoke at the Aug. 14 council meeting and said Riccio, as an appointed member of the police commission, should be held to strict ethical standards to maintain public trust.

Citing town guidelines on local officials' behavior that ask for "respect, fairness, consideration and courtesy," DePaulo said referring to the two men as "rejects" goes against that missive.

"I think its important that we have guidelines. We believe this council should not be silent on these comments that were made," she said before council members.

The Republicans on the council did not discuss the situation, further causing ire for Democrats.

That was reiterated in a statement issued by Southington Democrats Tuesday, Aug. 29.

“These comments show an alarming lack of discretion from a sitting police commissioner. Both men gave the town a career's worth of service and retired in good standing. Captain Ed Pocock III (ret.) is an honorably discharged Air Force veteran on top of it," said Southington Democratic Town Committee member and retired police sergeant Jeff Nattrass in a statement from local Dems.

"Sgt. Salerno (Ret) is still serving in a part-time capacity and one of his commissioners has made a degrading comment which amounts to a personal attack. I would hope that someone in the Republican leadership would find a manner to atone for these outrageous comments."

Reached Thursday, Riccio said he can't control how his comments come across in a news article, but he was emphatic that his "reject" comment was not a personal attack.

Rather, he said, it was simply in reference to both men's standing within the local GOP.

"The statement that they were unwanted by the Republican party was correct," Riccio said Thursday. "The part about 'reject' is they were 'rejected' by the Republican party."

Calling Salerno a friend, Riccio said this controversy was, simply, more political games from Democrats.

"There are a lot bigger issues than how my quotes are taken in the newspaper," Riccio said.

For the full Meriden-Record Journal report, click on this link.

For the minues of the Aug. 14 Southington Town Council meeting, click on this link.

From July 30: 'Southington's GOP, Dems Pick Their 2023 Election Slates'