Sheehy Wins First Selectman Race in Woodbridge (Updated)

Woodbridge First Selectman Edward Maum Sheehy will serve another term leading the town. He was re-elected in today's municipal elections, receiving 1341 votes, more than double the 665 votes of his challenger, Laura Ferrante Fernandez.

Sheehy said he intends to 'continue good government,' and will focus on some ongoing projects including the Country Club of Woodbridge.

Beth Heller's 1161 votes and Laurence Grotheer's 1044 means they'll return to their seats on the Board of Selectmen. They'll be joined by fellow democrat Susan Jacobs when she finishes out her term on the Amity Board of Education in the fall.  She received 1058 votes.

Margaret Hamilton will return to her seat on the Woodbridge Board of Education, as will Carl Lindskog. They'll be joined by David Bernard and Matthew Thomas Gilbride, who will fill the seat left by Susan Jacobs. 

Henry Nusbaum's 1082 votes were enough to earn him a seat on the Board of Assessment Appeals.

Only two Republicans won in the elections: Zoning Board of Appeals candidate Lynn Piescyk beat John Santucci by only 10 votes and Christopher Dickerson received 1063 to earn him a spot as a Zoning Board of Appeals Alternate. Arlene Levine was voted into the other alternate spot. David Sporanzini was elected to the Zoning Board of Appeals.

James Horwitz, a newcomer, received the highest number of votes to the Amity Board of Education. He received 1091, Julie Altman earned 1071 and will return to her seat on the board.

Allison Rossi, Republican Registrar of Voters for Woodbridge said, "This town is all about the numbers. Any republican who had more than 1000 votes worked real hard."

Voter turnout was low, according to Town Clerk Stephanie Ciarlegio. Of the 6503 registered voters in town, only 2022 voted. "That number is going down every year," she said, adding that last year 38% of Woodbridge's registered voters voted in the municipal elections.

She thinks that the Monday election may have caused some confusion in those who are customarily used to Tuesday elections. Woodbridge is one of only five towns across the state that has a May election. The tradition started years ago, according to Ciarlegio, when farmers were in mid-harvest during the November elections.

* An earlier version of this article contained an error. Carl Lindskog did not lose his seat on the Board of Education. The writer erroneously reported that only two of the four candidates were elected, when in fact, all four candidates on the ballot were seated on the Board of Education. We regret this error and humbly apologize.