Berlin Republicans Name Candidates For November Elections

The Republican Town Committee named its nominees for the November elections on Monday night.

The slate of candidates will look different than it has in the past as Town Council David Evans is the lone returning candidate. 

Evans, Terry Tonina, Brenden Luddy and Charles Paonessa will be the four candidates for Town Council on the Republican ticket. 

Stuart Topliff will be the GOP candidate for Board of Assessment Appeals (ZBA) and Paul Eshoo and Richard Rampone will run for Police Commission.

When asked why the Republicans opted to run four candidates when either party could run up to seven, Evans said it was quality over quantity.

"Four is a majority," Evans said. "I'd rather run with the four right people than people that aren't committed. Four people can help make a difference. I think we have the right four. A lot of people had an interest  but being on the Town council is truly a major commitment. You have be able to give your 100 percent commitment and these people have made that commitment."

Eric Buhrendorf was the other Republican on the Town Council but he will not run for re-election. 

Paonessa has run unsuccessfully for both Board of Education and Town council but he is confident this is the year for the Republicans.

"It appears the Mayor knew when to plan a graceful exit," Paonessa said. "Everyone looks at the facts differently. He obviously had an interesting way to look at the facts."