TOP STORY: Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker Retains Seat in 2023 Repeat

OLD LYME–Incumbent Democratic First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker held onto her seat in a virtual repeat of her 2023 run against Republican John Mesham despite a changed voting landscape that stretched out through an additional two weeks of early voting. 

At least 60% of registered voters turned out to vote, based on preliminary totals from Election Day and early voting. 

Unofficial numbers tallied at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School on Tuesday night gave the victory to Shoemaker with 1,938 votes to Mesham’s 1,808, a difference of 130 votes. Two years ago, the retired teacher beat the retired Connecticut state trooper by 123 votes, with 59% of voters turning out. 

But this time, Mesham’s finish was strong enough to earn him a seat on the Board of Selectmen. That’s because the candidate finishing second in the first selectman race is automatically considered for one of the two remaining selectmen positions. 

Mesham beat out incumbent Republican Jude Read, who earned 1,795 voters, to earn a seat alongside incumbent Democrat Jim Lampos, who collected 1,947. 

Election Day tallies from the main polling precinct at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School looked strong for Republicans in almost every race when results came back shortly after 8 p.m. But after early voting, absentee and same day registration votes counted separately at the Town Hall were announced by Deputy Registrar of Voters Katherine Thuma, the results swung in the Democrats’ favor. 

Thuma earlier on Tuesday said turnout over the 14-day early voting period consisted of 675 Democrats, 461 unaffiliated voters, 402 Republicans and 15 minor party voters. 

She said there’s a total of 6,250 registered voters in town, including 2,546 unaffiliated voters, 1,963 Democrats, 1,644 Republicans and 97 minor party voters.

Shoemaker at the Town Hall after the results came in attributed her win to “hard work, excellent service in the Town Hall, and the ability for people to have their voices heard.” 

The first selectwoman campaigned on a record that included overseeing flooding fixes in multiple shoreline sites and opening up the budget planning process to public scrutiny. 

She cited pressing issues she’ll be focusing on including a referendum on the Sound View sewer project that is likely to happen in January, as well as the completion of the Grassy Hill Road Bridge project. 

She said she and Lampos are honored to continue serving the town, and she will be happy to serve with Mesham. 

“Hopefully the three of us will be able to do wonderful things for Old Lyme,” she said. 

Mesham in a phone call Tuesday evening acknowledged his team came up short despite a hard fought campaign.

He expressed surprise at the “the disparity” that gave Democrats the win despite Republicans’ strong showing on Election Day.

He said Republicans focused on early voting through absentee ballots, which yielded improved results over the previous municipal election. 

He acknowledged it’s Democrats who tend to favor coming out during the 14-day early voting period.

“We knew that Republicans would vote strong on Election Day, and we really focused on getting a turnout today. And that worked,” he said.

The Republican campaign was energized by a groundswell of opposition to a plan from the Halls Road Improvements Committee, which was forwarded to the Zoning Commission by the Board of Selectmen, that could have allowed hundreds of apartments to be built on the commercially-zoned Halls Road.

They also called out Shoemaker for the $250 fine from the state Freedom of Information Commission that she paid after FOIC members agreed with a complaint from the Connecticut Examiner that she withheld public records related to alleged sexual misconduct at the local ambulance association. 

Mesham was skeptical when asked about priorities he’d like to bring before the Board of Selectmen when he’s sworn in two weeks from now. 

“It’s hard for me to bring priorities because I’m the minority,” he said of his status among the two incumbent Democrats. “They’ve pretty much had a history of blocking Jude (Read) out, so we’ll see what happens.” 

Shoemaker, a retired 35-year teacher and 12-year union president, was selectwoman from 2021-23 before being elected first selectwoman. She did not run for reelection on the Region 18 Board of Education, where she is finishing her second term. 

Mesham, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, retired from the Connecticut State Police in 2020 as a master sergeant after 29 years in law enforcement. He is a member of the Inland Wetlands Commission and a deputy registrar of voters.