The Darien Select
NEIRAD enilno edition
If you drove through Darien during the month of October, you most likely found Campbell and Sullivan signs lining the streets and stickers adorning the bumpers of cars. But if you walked through the doors of Darien High School during that time, you would find dozens of students (under the age of 18) sporting official t-shirts to express their support for the three candidates running on the same ticket: David Campbell, Jerry Nielsen, and Jayme Stevenson.
“The students want to feel that they could get involved with and support the candidate that they thought would do the best job, even if they’re too young to vote,” junior Andrew Wood said of the passionate supporters.
Yes, the 2009 race for First Selectman of Darien became much more than a concern solely amongst the voting population. “We are united, join us!” was the campaign slogan that captured the hearts of many Republicans and Democrats alike. “I think the shirts really became just a fashion fad amongst the DHS student population, but nonetheless, the support was still consistent,” junior, Kevin Cassidy said of the Campbell shirts worn by the students.
In case you didn’t tune in to election coverage on the night of November 3rd, 2009, the Republican candidate, David Campbell, won 3,582 votes, and the Democratic candidate, Callie Sullivan, won 1,556 votes. Campbell received nearly 70% of the total casted votes.
And you don’t need to speak with the voters to get a sense for how the town is feeling now that the Campbell Nielsen Stevenson triumvirate has assumed the position that First Selectman Evonne Klein previously held. Klein was first elected in 2003; this is the first time in six years that Darien will have a Republican government. The DHS students seem to have been following the election, and believe that having Campbell as First Selectman will be highly beneficial to the town of Darien.
“Campbell won 70% of the vote; he is definitely the most qualified candidate. He will definitely control the outrageous spending that we’ve been seeing the past few years. Darien is ready for a change,” senior Willem Sandberg said.
Campbell has an impressive record in the management field. The current CEO of Ring’s End Lumber, Campbell has been familiar with business for a while. Campbell has stated in his campaigns that he is ready to tackle the problems with flooding, downtown projects, and affordable housing with professional approaches. As Darienites we can expect he and the new Board of Selectmen will analyze every situation thoroughly and consider all options before wasting citizens’ tax dollars. Campbell is also a 50 year resident of Darien and is knowledgable of the town’s progression over the years. Nielsen and Stevenson are also longtime citizens of the town, only strengthening the Board more.
“Even I supported Campbell, despite my liberal outlook on politics,” senior Christian Holmes said. “He is a hardworking businessman, and his experience is going to help Darien in many ways. It’s important that the town stays stable through these tough economic times and Campbell will lead us in the right direction,” Holmes added.
Although the Campbell supporters were quite fervent, and their hard campaigning paid off in the end, there is a group of people who are not entirely content with the election results. Sullivan supporter, senior Sarah McGowan, said of the race, “It’s disappointing that she lost. But I guess I saw it coming. I’m sure the rest of the Sullivan supporters are crushed, but they’ll get over it.”
Darien has headed into a new chapter with the new leadership since Campbell officially assumed office on Sunday, November 8th. From all the enthusiasm and the large Campbell supporter turnout, it seems that Darien has been ready for this change for a while. Campbell, Nielsen, and Stevenson are united, and it’s undeniable that the people of Darien are ready to join them to benefit the town through the long haul.
