Burke Petitioning to Run for First Selectman as Tea Party Candidate

Robert Burke is currently petitioning to run for his former position as first selectman as a Tea Party candidate. He has until 4 p.m. Wednesday to turn in 49 signatures to Bethel's Town Clerk's Office or Connetcicut's Secretary of State's Office. 

Town Clerk Lisa Bergh said Burke came in to her office early last week to apply for the petition.

"The number of signatures (49) is 1 percent of the last municipal election's (2009) highest votes for an office, which happened to be the first selectman's race at 4,900 votes," she said. 

Bergh said if Burke does indeed collect the 49 signatures, himself and seven other Tea Party candidates will offically be placed on the ballot this November, no primary needed.

The potential candidates include Burke's running mate Robert Crnic for selectman, Jack Moody for treasurer, George Gaylord Jr. and Salvatore Maniscalco for the Board of Finance, Kevin Gallagher for the Board of Education, Clinton Monroe Jr. for the Board of Assessment Appeals and Tulio Belardinelli for the Police Commission. 

Burke, who was unavailble for comment Monday, was Bethel's Republican First Selectman from 2005-09. He ran for a third term in 2009 as a Pro-Bethel candidate and lost to current First Selectman Matthew Knickerbocker, who is also seeking a second term this fall.

, a former selectman under Burke, is running on the Republican ticket after being chosen at the  163-101 over Burke.

In a press release issued in early April, Burke announced his plans to run for office again. The announcement came after a 2009 . 

"I have had the opportunity to see things as a private citizen and not an elected official over the past year, and I think this new perspective will allow me to do an even better job than I did before," Burke said in the April press release. "I look forward to the next municipal election and once again serving the people of Bethel."

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