Town Council Veteran To Serve As Vernon's Deputy Mayor

VERNON, CT — Longtime Vernon Town Council member Brian Motola will serve as the deputy mayor for the next two years.

Motola, 66, was unanimously endorsed Tuesday by the council.

He will serve next to Mayor Dan Champagne, who was re-elected earlier this month. Motola is the familiar voice of the annual Memorial Day parade. He also serves as a re-enactor for the New England Civil War Museum and Research Center and is a member of Vernon's Community Emergency Response team.

The exact makeup of the council will be determined on Nov. 28, when a two-candidate runoff is staged. Republican incumbent Bill Campbell and Democrat Bill Dauphin both wound up with 2,693 votes after a recount. The recount added six votes to Dauphin's total and added four to Campbell's, wiping out Campbell's original two-vote win.

All four polling places will be open for the special election.

Champagne, a Republican, serves as chairman of the council. Here's what the council makeup looks like for now:

Republicans:

1. Michael Wendus
2. Andrew Tedford
3. Jim Tedford
4. Julie Clay
5. Laura Bush
6. Brian Motola

Democrats:

1. Maryann Levesque
2. Phyllis Winkler
3. Terilyn Rogers
4. Laurie Abernathy
5. Jesse Schoolnik