Unofficial Results Put Blake On Top As Milford's Next Mayor [Updated]

Ben Blake wins Milford's mayoral election with 57 percent of the vote, according to unofficial numbers released at 8:55 p.m.

At the , Republicans packed the eatery in advance of the results. When results for first announced district showed a clear lead for Blake, a hush fell over the crowd. Mayoral candidate Bob Joy conceded an hour later. 

"I can’t think of anything that we would do differently. We kept the discourse civil and brought our case to the citizens of Milford," he told supporters. "This year they didn’t choose us so let’s keep our heads up high as party and as citizens of Milford and start again tomorrow."

He said that the party needs to "keep an eye on things" on city hall and prepare for the next election.

Milford Republican Town Committee Chairman Tom Jagodzinski said Joy was "the man who should have been the next mayor." 

"I’ve never been prouder to be involved with a candidate than I was to be involved with Bob Joy," he said. 

The good news for Republicans -- it seems -- is that incumbent Republican Town Clerk Linda Stock was in the lead by less than 100 votes, according to unofficial results.

You can get the most current news on results as they come in by following Milford Patch on Twitter.

Live Oaks Sees Steady Stream of Voters

Live Oaks School was hosting a steady flow of voters as polls neared closing tonight.

"Everyone is always very nice," said voter Laura Paladino. "I even had a nice chat with the policeman outside."

Incumbent Republican Board of Education member, Jay Tranquilli, said the crowd came in "spurts," but he thought the turnout was pretty good.

Former alderman Marty Hardiman has been working as a Moderator or in another capacity at the polls since the 1970s. He said that, at about 6 p.m., 807 of the 2,335 registered voters in the district had voted.

Voter Turnout Typically Lower for Municipal Elections

As the clock winds down on Election Day 2011 and results will soon be flying in, let's take a quick look back at voter turnout data from year's past.

In 2010 (gubernatorial election:

• Island View had the lowest number of eligible voters with 579.
• Harborside had the most eligible voters with 7,037.
• Orange Avenue School and Island View tied for highest voter turnout on a district level with 63%.
• Westshore and Margaret Egan tied for the lowest voter turnout on a district level with 57%.
• Milford's voter turnout was 60%

In 2009 (municipal election):

• Island View had the lowest number of eligible voters with 587.
• Harborside had the most eligible voters with 7,149.
• Harborside had the highest voter turnout on a district level with 45%.
• Westshore had the lowest voter turnout on a district level with 39%.
• Milford's voter turnout was 43%.

In 2008 (presidential election):

• Island View had the lowest number of eligible voters with 601.
• Harborside had the most eligible voters with 7,271.
• Orange Avenue and John F. Kennedy School tied for the highest voter turnout on a district level with 83%.
• Live Oaks had the lowest voter turnout on a district level with 79%.
• Milford's voter turnout was 82%.

From 2008 to 2010:

• The number of eligible voters in Milford dropped from 33,661 to 32,721.

Margaret Egan Center is 'Well Oiled Machine' (5:30 p.m.)

Turnout may be a little slow at the Margaret Egan Center, but poll workers are enthusiastic about their roll in ensuring every vote counts this Election Day.

"Things are going well, very well," said poll moderator Carol Faruolo. "We have a terrific staff."

Faruolo started volunteering to help on Election Day years ago; she's been a moderator at the Center for the past three years. "It's like well oiled machine here," she said.

With turnout slow, poll workers Donna Tevlin and Maryann Glynn were crocheting to pass the time. Another poll worker was doing "homework."

Down the hall, Girl Scouts from Troop 38304 were selling their famous cookies. Voters could also donate money and all proceeds goes to buy Girl Scout cookies for U.S. troops. The girls were also supplying Christmas cards that voters could write notes on for the troops; the VFW plans on including the cards in care packages that will be shipped overseas.

Outside, cheerleaders were raising money for a trip to Nationals in December and candidates and campaign supports -- including Mayor James Richetelli -- were greeting voters.

Slow, Steady Voter Turnout at Foran (4 p.m.)

Outside Foran High School on this beautiful Election Day afternoon candidates chatted with each other and greeted a small but steady stream of voters on their way into the polls.

First-time candidate for Board of Education in the Fourth District, Earl Whiskeyman, a retired IT director, said he had no basis of comparison, but he thought things were going well.

Ben Gettinger, a Democrat running for the Planning and Zoning Board, agreed with Susan Shaw, Democratic candidate for Board of Aldermen, when she said, “It’s a good day to vote.” She added, “The people seem enthusiastic.”

Incumbent Aldermen candidate Phil Vetro, a Democrat, said his impression is that “People think it’s time for a change.”

Dave Packa had just finished voting said his mind was made up before he went in. “It was easy to vote,” he said, noting there were no lines.

The lack of lines could change come 5 p.m., though.

At City Hall (2:00 p.m.)

“The surge is expected between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.,” said Deputy Registrar for Repubicans Debra Fellenbaum.

The mood in the Registrar’s office in the Parson’s Building was upbeat. No snafu’s had been reported and all was running smoothly.

Sunny Skies Good Sign for Voter Turnout? (12:30 p.m.)

With temperatures around 60 and the sun shining brightly, state Rep. Richard Roy thinks voter turnout may be higher than normal for this municipal election.

The Democrat representing Milford's 119th district in the General Assembly joked that for the first time since he first campaigned in 1992 he didn't have to wear long johns under his suit. He was at Harborside Middle School at about 11 a.m. to greet voters and lend his support to his party; he had been at Foran High earlier in the day, where he said turnout has been "steady."

Republican Ray Vitali, a two-year incumbent running for re-election to the Board of Aldermen in District 5, said he too thinks warmer weather will help with turnout, especially among the city's senior population. Also, he added, "what's happening on the federal level" could lead to more interest in the election and result in higher turnout.

One such senior who came out to vote, and was proud of it, was John H. Winters, a resident of Carriage Green at Milford. Winters, a 67-year resident of Milford, is in a wheelchair.

Registrars Brace for Potentially Higher Turnout (11:20 a.m.)

In 2001, the last time there was a mayoral election with no incumbent, Mayor James Richetelli won his first term and nearly 50 percent of voters turned out to the polls. Following local elections saw turnout drop to the high 30s and low 40s, but the Milford Registrar of Voters has prepared for a higher turnout than usual.

As such, they have enough ballots for 65 percent of Milford’s 32,000 registered voters to cast a ballot. They don’t expect turnout to be that high, but they’re erring on the side of caution so there isn’t a disastrous ballot shortage like there was in Bridgeport in 2010.

Antoinette Carey, the Democratic Registrar of Voters, said that in determining how many ballots to get, they went back to the 2001 election to base their projections since races with incumbents likely wouldn’t be as accurate an indicator.

She started her day at 5 a.m. – and it likely won’t come to an end until at least midnight.

“It is exciting,” she said at a 10:45 a.m. interview in her office. “Everything is a dress rehearsal leading up to the play.”

The day before the election, approximately 700 absentee ballots were received, she said. That’s slightly more than previous elections and it doesn’t even take into account ballots that could be received later today.

First-time Voter Joins Joy's Campaign Volunteers (7:00 a.m.)

Matt Gaynor will be voting for the first time in his life today.

The 18-year-old senior at St. Joseph's has been involved in politics for the past three years. This year, he has served as the youth coordinator for Republican Mayoral candidate Bob Joy's campaign.

Gaynor -- who celebrated his 18th birthday yesterday -- was joined by Paula Smith, a Republican running for re-election to the city's Board of Aldermen, and Joe Bennett, a longtime resident, in greeting voters at Westshore Recreation Center when polls opened at 6 a.m.

Westshore Poll Moderator Bob Dunphy said turnout so far has been "slow to moderate."

Milford's Election Day (5:30 a.m.)

At the end of the day, Milford will have a new mayor.

With Mayor James Richetelli not seeking re-election after serving for 10 years, the city's highest elected position is up for grabs. Republican Bob Joy, Democrat Ben Blake, Independent Rocco Frank and write-in candidate Ronald Palumbo are all vying for your votes to fill Richetelli's shoes.

But the top of the ticket is just one of many elected positions that Milford residents will vote for today. There are also contests for Board of Aldermen, Board of Education, Planning and Zoning Board and Constables.

Each of the city's five districts will have a different ballot on which they will cast their votes. You can before heading into the voting booth. And you can .

Make An Informed Decision

With your help, Milford Patch has compiled an extensive collection of election news and information during the course of this campaign season. You can find it all on our Election 2011 Topic Page. There, you'll see:

• Mayoral candidate platforms
• A map of polling locations
• Sample ballots
• Debate coverage
• Political blog posts and letters to the editor
• Republican and Democrat's full slate of candidates
• And much more

Documenting Democracy

Milford Patch will be updating this article throughout the day with information and pics from polls, voter turnout numbers, results and reactions. We'll also be breaking news on Facebook and Twitter.

You can help document this day of democracy in action. Are there lines at the polls? Girl Scouts selling cookies? Candidates greeting voters? Friendly poll monitors? Share your pics and videos (click the green "submit your photos and videos" link), and your observations and thoughts in the comments below.