Councilor Zandri undecided on mayoral campaign

As published in the Record Journal Tuesday October 9, 2012

By Laurie Rich Salerno
Record-Journal staff
lsalerno@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2235
Twitter:@LaurieSalernoRJ

WALLINGFORD - Another well-known Democrat may be entering the 2013 race for mayor.

Town Councilor Jason Zandri is mulling whether he’ll join fellow Democratic Councilor Nick Economopoulos in the race to unseat longtime incumbent William W. Dickinson Jr.

After a Democratic Town Committee meeting Wednesday night, Zandri, 43, said he was considering a run but had not yet made a final decision, citing family, work and town committee considerations.

The committee does not officially endorse candidates until the summer before an election, according to town Democratic Chairman Vincent Avallone. Economopoulos announced his intent after the November 2011 town election and reaffirmed it recently to the Record-Journal.

Vincent Testa, who has run twice for mayor and lost, also said recently that he hadn’t decided if he will run again.

Economopoulos said Wednesday night that if his Democratic colleague runs, he would likely throw him his support. If not, he will probably stay in the race.

“I just want a true, transparent, fair government, that’s it. And I’ll support anybody who will run it that way,” Economopoulos said.

Avallone confirmed that he and Zandri had had a discussion about a potential run about a month ago, and the two talked about what it would take, including personal and other sacrifices.

“He’s certainly qualified, energetic and well-known … if he wants to do it,” Avallone said, but added that Zandri had not made a decision and that the committee doesn’t endorse any candidate until the summer. “He has not announced — he has not made a decision.”

Zandri was elected to the Town Council in November 2011, after an initial failed bid in 2007 as an independent. He followed in the footsteps of his father Geno, a 10-year town councilor. The elder Zandri made his own unsuccessful run for mayor in 1999.

The younger Zandri would provide a marked contrast to the incumbent mayor.

While Dickinson has not been a proponent of technology in Town Hall — allowing only a few town departments Internet access — Zandri works as a computer systems engineer at Bloomberg in New York City. A blogger, he is also active on Twitter and Facebook.

He is well known in town, having organized several high profile events through his family’s restaurant, Zandri’s Stillwood Inn, including a recent presidential debate party two weeks ago that got him an interview on CNN. Jason Zandri and fellow Town Councilor Craig Fishbein, a Republican, have also created a fund to pay for the town’s Fourth of July fireworks, since they have been cut from the town’s budget.

Dickinson said Wednesday night that, in the midst of the 2012 election season, the 2013 race for mayor is not yet on his radar.

“I try not to concentrate on that until I absolutely have to,” Dickinson said.

Zandri said whoever runs against Dickinson will likely have to start campaigning soon.

“When anybody’s going to run against an entrenched incumbent you have to start earlier,” Zandri said.

Zandri

Testa

Economopoulos