Dems, GOP React to Maturo Nomination

The Republican Executive Board’s decision to give former mayor Joe Maturo Jr. the party’s endorsement to run for mayor came as no surprise to East Haven Democratic Party Chairman Gene Ruocco.

"We all knew that was going to happen," commented Ruocco, who strongly backs Mayor April Capone, the Democratic incumbent, for re-election.

John Finkle, who was endorsed over Maturo by the Republican Town Committee in July,.

At that time, Maturo said he had agreed to take up the party’s banner if several of the candidates on his third-line ticket were also allowed to move over to the Republican Party line on the ballot and replace previously endorsed Republican candidates.

Maturo’s campaign that the Republican Executive Board had endorsed him and several others from his ticket.

Ruocco said the new GOP ticket only represents more political games by the East Haven Republican leadership, which no longer reflects its party’s voters in town.

Maturo’s switch to the Republican Party line was an occasion for the partisans to dispute each other’s campaign claims about town finances, which appears to be the chief issue upon which this year’s mayoral race will be decided.

Maturo accused Capone of providing with three consecutive budget deficits "totaling $5.1 million," heavy municipal borrowing and a 17 percent tax increase since she took office following the 2007 election.

"The people expected change in 2007 and I expect many don’t have much change in their pockets due to the policies of the current administration," Maturo’s statement said. "My team will put East Haven back on solid ground and bring responsible, stable government back to East Haven."

"East Haven already has the best mayor and team that it’s had in a long time," said Ruocco Wednesday. He said re-electing Maturo would set the town back, and noted that the town’s budget deficits were created by a decision of Maturo’s past administration to overestimate tax revenues in order to avoid a tax increase.

Ruocco said East Haven presently is one of only nine towns in the state with a balanced budget, and over the last four years Capone has given the town two years with no tax increase and one with a tax cut. The only tax increase was caused by a $3 million increase in the town employee health insurance premium that year, and it averages out to less than one mill a year over Capone’s four years, he said.

Republicans and Democrats also disagreed about the implications of the decision by Councilman Vincent Arpino, a District 2 Democrat, to become a Republican and run for re-election on the Republican ticket with Maturo.

Arpino was one of the candidates on Maturo’s third-line ticket who switched when the Executive Board gave Maturo the Republican endorsement. He replaces Republican endorsed candidate Sal Maltese.

Maturo said Arpino’s switch "was a sign that the mayor’s own council people have lost faith in her policies and her ability to lead."

He said his fusion ticket reflects "a true image of how East Haven is made up," by including Republicans and independents.

But Ruocco said Arpino forgot to tell Democratic Party District 2 captain Joe Santino that he wanted to run for re-election, so when Arpino attended the Town Committee’s endorsement meeting he was surprised to find another candidate chosen in his place.

Santino asked Arpino several times if he wanted the Democratic endorsement and received no response, Ruocco said.

However, Ruocco noted that Arpino would not have been his choice to run for the District 2 council seat because he has a poor attendance record.

Besides Arpino, Anthony Purificato replaced Melissa McKay for the Town Council in District 1, Bill Richardson and Judy Esposito replaced Marianne Cesare and Ben Mazzucco in District 3 and Bill Illingworth, who also switched affiliation from Democrat to Republican, replaced Jim Midolo in District 4.

Maturo was defeated by Capone in 2007 by 28 votes following two recounts. He blamed a heavy turnout for Capone in the Momauguin School voting district, but predicted Republicans were making gains in that district that may return him to the mayor’s office this November.

"I’m looking forward to a lively race," said Maturo, who added that he would run on his 10-year record as mayor from 1997 to 2007.

Editor's note: This article was updated to reflect a correction about the number of Connecticut municipalities with a balanced budget. It is nine, not 10 as was originally reported.