Barkhamsted GOP Chair Wants To Set Record Straight
Local Resident George Washington may want to challenge First Selecman Mike Fox,
but he will have to go through the process of being nominated by his Party.
"George Washington is not the endorsed candidate for First Selectman," Republican
Town Committee Chairman David Moulton said.
Washington announced that he intends to run for first selectman on Friday afternoon
in a press release. He ran for first selectman in 1987 and came in fourth place,
he said.
Moulton said that Washington will have to go through three steps, which are the
nominating committee, the full town committee and the caucus before he can be
nominated. Other people have expressed interest in running, Moulton said. The
caucus vote is in July.
"George Washington is working outside the process and he will not get the endorsement
if he continues to go outside the process," Moulton said.
The nominating committee has an interview with Washington on Jan. 31st, Moulton said.
If a person is chosen, they then go to the town committee, who votes on the person.
Washington said Thursday night that he does not think that he is going ouside of the
process and that Moulton should be happy that there are two candidates for the
job when no one wanted to challenge for the job for the last 20 years.
"I think (Moulton) is full of crap," Washington said. "He likes to manipulate every-
thing that's going on with the Republican Party in town."
Washington said that he decided to run because another possible candidate,
selectman Richard Winn, had not committed to running. He said that he was not
going outside the process and that he would go to his interview.
"If they don't endorse me with the town committee, I will fight it out in the
caucus," Washington said.
Moulton said that Washington may or may not be the Party's nominee. "The only
way he would be on the ballot (if he's not chosen) is if he's unaffilaited,"
he said. Moulton said that he has been trying to tell Washington to work through
the process and that he has been friends with Washington for a long time. Moulton
said that he has had to tell several people that Washington is not the endorsed
candidate because some people do not see the process that is involved in choosing
a nominee and just assume that the person is the candidate.
Moulton said that the Party encourages anybody to run and anyone who is interested
in seeking office can run.
