The views stated here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors of this newspaper. We welcome supporting or opposing views on any published item. Received October 22, 2024.
Seventeen years ago, a crack developed in the Republican party; well before this writer came on the scene in 2019, the Killingworth Republican Town Committee (KRTC) and John Samperi parted ways. Mr. Samperi then formed the Killingworth Conservative Party. Reports of how and why this happened vary, but it did happen. Many Republicans in Killingworth feel that this split the party and that the split hurt Republicans chances of being elected to office in Killingworth. Mr. Samperi ran his candidates on his Conservative Party line on the ballot for the offices of First Selectman, Selectman, Board of Finance, and Board of Education. Several primaries have been held when the two groups did not unite over a single candidate, which to date, has never occurred.
In April of this year, John Samperi decided it was time to dissolve the Killingworth Conservative party. Speaking with John he said that it his sincere desire “to unite the party” and that he wants to “come home.” He has offered to do whatever needs to be done to accomplish that goal. John has developed a group of strong, loyal supporters over the years and in speaking to John, his goal is to see that his supporters come to support the Republican ticket of the Republican Town Committee going forward.
Of course, this is welcome news to the KRTC which finds itself in a “rebuilding” phase. Full disclosure, this writer is the former chairman and is now the treasurer. The new chairman, John Mancini, “welcomes any opportunity to work together as a united group” so that the Republican party can work to become the force that it once was and to restore some parity to town government. With his newly elected Executive Committee, along with the voting membership, Mancini feels that he has a strong team that can work together to accomplish that goal.
The Killingworth Republican Town Committee welcomes every registered Republican in Killingworth to attend their meetings, which are held on the third Thursday of every month at the Fire House next to town hall at 7:00 p.m., and their events held throughout the year. For more information on the KRTC, contact killingworthrepublicans@krtc.org or visit their website at ww.krtc.org. Follow the KRTC on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KillingworthGOP/
Laura Lefko, Killingworth
