Politics & Government

Ted Raff Withdraws As Candidate For First Selectman

Democratic Candidate Says He Feels He Does Not Have Enough Time To Run A Meaningful Campaign

Ted Raff, a well known and well liked local volunteer, has withdrawn his candidacy for First Selectman, effective Monday. Raff was nominated July 21st by the Madison Democratic Town Committee to run against the Republican nominee, incumbent First Selectman Fillmore McPherson.

Kathi Traugh, head of the Madison Democratic Town Committee, said the Democrats do not have a replacement candidate at this time, but that they hope to find someone to run against McPherson.

Madison Town Clerk Dolly Bean said it is her understanding that the town committees have until early September to finalize their slates, but that she is checking with the Secretary of State's office to make sure.

Find out what's happening in Madisonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Traugh said, due to work and other commitments, that they have not yet had another candidate step forward.

“It is especially unfortunate for Madison because we need a strong, new leader to deal with the many problems the current administration has failed to address," Traugh said in a prepared statement. "Storefronts remain empty and the much touted plan for economic development has yet to materialize. Regionalization initiatives begun during the last Democratic administration have fallen by the wayside, meaning missed opportunities to make services more efficient and save taxpayers money.

Find out what's happening in Madisonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"From senior tax relief to protecting our environment, over the past two years there has been a near total void in new initiatives to make Madison a better place to live,” Traugh said.

Raff said he intially accepted the nomiation because he felt strongly that Madison voters should have a choice when it came to the top municipal elected office.

“But upon further reflection, I have decided that I cannot dedicate the time to run a meaningful race," he said in a prepared statement.  "I am hoping that Town Committee can find a candidate that has the time and required energy to devote to this that I cannot.”

Raff has lived in town since 2003.He has served as chairman of the Democratic Town Committee and is serving his second term on the Madison Shellfish Commission. He and his wife Virginia Raff are working towards developing the Shoreline Greenway Trail in Madison.

Raff had said, upon his nomination, that he would emphasize education, seniors, ethics, multi-town cooperation, the environment, and economic development if elected.

“There is still time for this vacancy to be filled by the Town Committee," Traugh said. "We are grateful to Ted for his time on the ticket and for allowing us to continue to search for a strong First Selectman candidate.”


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here