A Challenger For Steward

Quaker Hill Fire Commissioner Kevin Ziolkowski is running for first selectman in the upcoming November election.

Ziolkowski is a petitioning candidate, so he had to get 22 signatures from registered voters. He got 29, many of them members of Quaker Hill Fire Company, including Chief Matt Carson.

Patch contacted Ziolkowski and asked why he was running. “The list is long,” he said. “I couldn’t even begin to describe it on the telephone.”

A face-to-face meeting was scheduled that will lead to a more in-depth story.

Angry Over Fire Services

was at a Representative Town Meeting meeting to protest ordinance changes to the town’s fire services. The public voted last November to remove the board of fire commissioners, a board on which Ziolkowski sits, and create a strong director of fire services. The new ordinances spelled out the specific duties of the fire director.

Ziolkowski, speaking on behalf of Quaker Hill Fire Company, argued that this would ruin the town’s five fire companies'  independence and lead to the end of the volunteer system. He urged the RTM to delay voting on the proposed ordinances until its next meeting in August, but ultimately the RTM decided to accept the new changes.

Election

As part of the November’s charter revision, voters will elect a first selectman to a instead of a two-year term. First Selectman Dan Steward, a Republican, ran unopposed in 2009 to win his third term. If he wins in November and goes on to serve a full term, will have held the position for a decade.

“I think he should be very interesting,” Steward said about Ziolkowski’s bid. “It will be interesting to know what he wants and what he thinks we can do differently.”

Ziolkowski has been critical of Steward in previous interviews with Patch. Steward seemed annoyed by the news of Ziolkowski running.

“It just creates more angst for me,” he said. “But that’s all right; that’s what he does.”

Democrat Town Committee Chairwoman Sue Driscoll said Ziolkowski has not approached the party.

“We don’t know him,” Driscoll said. “He hasn’t approached us. So we would have to meet with me him as a group. But first we have to decide if we are going to run our own candidate.”

Both parties must nominate their candidates for the municipal elections by July 27. Ziolkowski does not need a party endorsement to run, as he could run as an independent.