DERBY, Conn. — Connecticut’s smallest city has a new mayor-elect.
In a race that captured national attention, Democrat Joe DiMartino beat the incumbent mayor, a city alderman who is facing federal charges for his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, and an unaffiliated candidate, the Associated Press projected.
He received 1,263 of the votes. Incumbent Mayor Richard Dziekan received 727 votes, while the Republican candidate Gino DiGiovanni Jr. received 656 votes. Sharline McEvoy, a retired law professor who is an unaffiliated candidate, received 250 votes. All precincts were reporting.
“Today, the residents took back their city,” DiMartino told a crowd of cheering supporters. ”Today is a new beginning for Derby."
“I felt confident but I know it takes a lot of hard work," DiMartino told FOX61 News. "I lost two years ago by 48 votes, so I knew I could lose again. So, I worked really hard and [was] nervous but confident. I have my whole team elected. We’re going to work hard together. We’re going to get Derby back on track and we’re gonna make Derby right again.
Dziekan ran for his fourth term as mayor but did not seek his party’s endorsement, instead collecting enough signatures to trigger the primary. He was defeated by DiGiovanni, who was the party-endorsed candidate, by fewer than 20 votes on primary day.
But the mayor refused to give up, gathering enough voter signatures to run as an independent candidate in the general election.
DiGiovanni, who elected alderman 10 months after the Jan. 6 riot, has acknowledged being at the Capitol that day but has denied any wrongdoing. Prosecutors allege he illegally entered the U.S. Capitol on that day and was arrested in August. They said there wouldn’t be any movement in this case until after Tuesday’s election.
Having two GOP candidates on the ballot lifted the chances of DiMartino, 57, who had lost to Dziekan in the 2021 mayor’s race by just 48 votes.
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