OLD LYME — 12/9, 9am: CORRECTION made to clarify that both Alexander Lowry and Laura Dean-Frazier are registered as Unaffiliated, but were endorsed respectively by the Democrats and Republicans.
At their inaugural post-municipal election meeting held Wednesday evening, the first item of business for the new Region 18 Board of Education (BOE) members was to elect their slate of officers.
The municipal election had resulted in a sea-change on the board with three incumbent Republicans failing to keep their seats. This, in turn, resulted in the political make-up of the board changing dramatically pivoting from six Republicans and three Democrats on the previous board to six Democrats and one Unaffiliated member, who was endorsed by the Democrats; and one Republican and one Unaffiliated member, who was endorsed by the Republicans on the new one.
The BOE Officers’ election had the potential to be lively but, in fact, there was a series of unanimous votes in favor of four of the five members, who were board incumbents. They had been not been required to run for re-election since their four-year terms had not expired.
In uncontested votes, Jason Kemp was elected Chairman, Anna James: Vice-Chairman, Chris Staab: Treasurer and Martha Shoemaker: Secretary.
Shoemaker, a Democrat, is now also Old Lyme’s First Selectwoman.
Kemp, James (representing Lyme) and Shoemaker are all Democrats while Staab is one of the two Republicans remaining on the board. Laura Dean-Frazier is Unaffiliated but was endorsed by the Republicans.
Former chairman Steven Wilson and member Suzanne Thompson, both Republicans from Old Lyme, were defeated in the municipal election as was Mary Powell-St. Louis, also a Republican, in Lyme. Incumbent Jennifer Miller (R), representing Old Lyme, opted not to run for re-election.
The newly-seated Old Lyme members are Democrats Susan P. Fogliano and W. Scott Brown, Ph.D; and Alexander ‘Xander’ Lowry, who is Unaffiliated but was endorsed by the Democrats. The new Lyme member is Gavin Lodge, also a Democrat.