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"The town was amazingly supportive of us," said Slifka, who held his daughter, Betsy, in his arms as the results rolled in. "I'm honored to have the chance to lead it again."
Republican incumbent Joseph Visconti, a colorful conservative with an album of songs to his name called "America," lost his spot on Town Council to Republican newcomer Denise Berard Hall. Republican incumbents Steven Adler and Leon Davidoff held on to their council seats.
On the Board of Education, all three Democrats who ran - incumbent Clare Kindall, Naogan Ma, and Elin Katz - were elected, and voters also returned Republican incumbent Lib Brassil Spinella to the school board.
Standing outside the Wolcott Elementary School polling site Tuesday afternoon, Visconti said that it feels good to be a Republican this year, as opposed to years previous, when anger at former President George W. Bush tended to color voters' perception.
"We have pride, even if we don't have the numbers at the end of the day," Visconti said.
Registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by more than two to one. There were 17,978 registered Democrats, 13,531 registered Independents, and 6,990 registered Republicans in town as of Oct. 29.
Republicans had run on a platform which included filling vacant spots in the police department roster so as to better combat crime and fighting a state statute requiring that public schools be racially balanced, a statute which they called unconstitutional and said would require the town to redistrict.
Democrats ran on their record that included bringing in a budget last spring which decreased spending and retaining the town's top bond rating.
At the polls, voters expressed confidence in Democratic leadership and said they found the town to be well-run, although they also bemoaned the lost of vacuum leaf pick-up, which was cut out of this year's budget as a cost-saving measure.
"I think the Democratic Party here has been doing a great job," said Annie Keith after she cast her vote at King Philip Middle School.
With results from one of the 20 poll sites, at St. Mary Home on Steele Road, missing, the following results were reported at Democratic campaign headquarters: for town council, Democrat Scott Slifka, 7,864 votes, 10.9 percent; Democrat Timothy Brennan, 7308 votes, 10.2 percent, Democrat Shari Cantor, 7,141 votes, 9.9 percent; Democrat Joseph Verrengia, 6,987 votes, 9.7 percent, Democrat Robert Durbin, 6,395 votes, 8.9 percent; Republican Denise Berard Hall, 5,313 votes, 7.4 percent; Republican Steven Adler, 5,140 votes, 7.1 percent; Republican Leon Davidoff, 5,069 votes, 7 percent; Republican Robert Sisk, 5,026 votes, 7 percent, Republican Joseph Visconti, 4,908 votes, 6.8 percent; and Republican Justin Clark, 4,647 votes, 6.5 percent; for board of education, Democrat Clare Kindall, 7,097 votes, 19.8 percent, Democrat Naogan Ma, 6,896 votes, 19.2 percent, Democrat Elin Katz, 6,828 votes, 19 percent; Republican Lib Brassil Spinella, 5,265 votes, 14.7 percent; Ellen Burchill Brassil, 5,159 votes, 14.4 percent; Andrew Bannon-Guasp, 4,650 votes, 13 percent.
