Candidates petition their way onto ballot

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Former Prospect Town Council member Dominick J. Mirabelle Jr. signs paperwork Wednesday afternoon in Town Hall for 11 people including himself who are running as petitioning candidates for at-large municipal offices in November as Assistant Town Clerk Roseann Pavlowski looks on. –RA ARCHIVE
Former Prospect Town Council member Dominick J. Mirabelle Jr. signs paperwork Wednesday afternoon in Town Hall for 11 people including himself who are running as petitioning candidates for at-large municipal offices in November as Assistant Town Clerk Roseann Pavlowski looks on. –RA ARCHIVE

PROSPECT — Eleven more names will appear on the ballot this November as petitioning candidates.

Former Town Council member Dominick Mirabelle Jr. submitted the petitions Wednesday, which was the last day candidates could file petitions to be on the ballot for the Nov. 5 elections.

All the petitioning candidates are running as individuals with no party designation for at-large municipal offices

Town Clerk Maryann Anderson said all of the petitions were validated on Thursday. The petitions were sent to the Secretary of State’s office, which will check to make sure that all of the paperwork has been properly filed, she said.

Leading the list of petitioning candidates is Louis Mirabelle, the 23-year-old son of Dominick Mirabelle Jr., who is running for mayor.

Louis Mirabelle, a registered Democrat, works as head chef at his father’s business, Dom’s Brick House on Waterbury Road. He said although he doesn’t have a political background, he does have a managerial experience.

After he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut in 2011, he returned to school. He earned certification in chef and culinary from the Lincoln Culinary Institute, and then received his master’s in Italian culinary from the Italian Culinary Institute.

Louis Mirabelle said his main goal in running for mayor is to try and get more people interested and involved in the political process.

“I feel like just not enough people are getting involved. I think, for the good of Prospect, I need to get out there and really open peoples’ eyes,” Louis Mirabelle said.

Louis Mirabelle said he has seen people his age showing a lack of interest of setting down roots in Prospect and other small towns.

“I hear from so many people my age who wish to escape from this area. It’s not just Prospect, it’s this area. They say ‘I want to get somewhere I can have a future and raise a family.’ Why is this place not somewhere they want to have a future and want to raise their families?” Louis Mirabelle said.

Louis Mirabelle said he hopes when people see him and Democratic mayoral candidate Louis Booth, who is also 23, running for office it will make them consider getting involved.

Booth was nominated by Dominick Mirabelle Jr. at the Democratic Town Committee’s caucus in July.

Louis Mirabelle said he has nothing against Republican Mayor Robert Chatfield, who is seeking re-election. However, he feels that it’s time for some new blood.

Prospect resident Louis Mirabelle, 23, is a petitioning candidate for mayor in Prospect. –LUKE MARSHALL
Prospect resident Louis Mirabelle, 23, is a petitioning candidate for mayor in Prospect. –LUKE MARSHALL

“Bob did a good job,” Louis Mirabelle said. “He’s been here, he’s done good, but I think it’s time. You can’t settle for good you’ve got to aspire to be great. And if you don’t aspire and have these dreams to do something more, you’re just going to be set and you’re going to be comfortable and you’re not going to want to make changes.”

Mirabelle isn’t the only member of his family who’ll appear on the ballot as a petitioning candidate.

Dominick Mirabelle Jr., a registered Democrat who served on the council from 2000 to 2006, is running to regain his seat on the council.

Dominick Mirabelle Jr. said he chose to run as an unaffiliated candidate because both the Republican and Democratic parties have significant flaws.

“The Republicans have been there 100 years. All the Democrats do is complain about the Republicans,” Dominick Mirabelle Jr. said.

Dominick Mirabelle Jr. said town government can and should be more transparent. 

Chatfield, who is seeking his 19th term as mayor, told the Republican American that he wishes the candidates luck.

Jeffrey LaMontagne, Carl Montagano, Sr., Carole Codianni and Michael Scaviola also filed as petitioning candidates for the council.

Scaviola is currently on the council and a registered Democrat. He said in an interview earlier this year he didn’t seek the party’s nomination to run again due to what he felt was a lack of support from his fellow Democrats on the council and direction of the party.

The remaining petitioning candidates are as follows: Kimberly Genova, town clerk; Thomas Gionet, Zoning Board of Appeals; Jennie Gionet, tax collector; Martin DeFazio, treasurer; and Anthony Policastro, Planning and Zoning Commission.