Miss Bristol steps aside

Last year’s Miss Bristol, Brianna Carello, proved a short-lived candidate.
When the Republicans nominated her for a 3rd District City Council seat Tuesday, she wasn’t present at the Franco-American Club to accept the endorsement.
That’s because she didn’t intend to run.
"Our nomination of her candidacy, in her absence, was based upon a simple misunderstanding," said Tim Lodge, the Republican chairman in the district.
"Upon further speaking with Brianna, it became clear that the nomination was made in error," Lodge said in a late-day email to a Press reporter on Wednesday.
Carello, who could not be reached for comment, is expected to file "a formal letter of withdrawal" from the race on Thursday, Lodge said.
It is unclear who, if anyone, the Republicans will tap to fill the vacant slot they’ll have on the 3rd District ballot. They are already short a council contender in the 1st District.
But because the party nominated her in the 3rd District, it can fill the empty ballot position with someone else easily. In the 1st District, where nobody got the nod for one of the two council slots, a GOP candidate would have to circulate petitions and collect signatures to land on the general election ballot.
Carello, a member of the city’s Republican Town Committee and secretary of the city’s Commission for Persons With Disabilities, recently wrote a letter to the editor touting the mayoral candidacy of Republican Ken Johnson.
Party leaders were unavailable for comment late Wednesday.
At the nominating convention, Brian Kirk told committee members looking to nominate 3rd District candidates that he expected a woman to show up soon who planned to run.
When she didn’t come, the district went ahead and nominated Carello.
That proved a mistake.
"Let me state in no uncertain terms that she is NOT running for City Council in the 3rd District," Lodge wrote.
He said that district Republican leaders "are proud to count Brianna Carello amongst our ranks and find much to admire in her accomplishments."
Lodge also said that he is "excited and energized at our Republican slate for 2007" and that he looks forward to working with the candidates "in the days and months ahead."
With Carello’s withdrawal, the Republicans are left with only Robert Merrick as a council candidate in the 3rd District.
In the 1st District, they have incumbent Councilor Mike Rimcoski. In the 2nd District, there are two council hopefuls for the GOP: Ken Cockayne and Joseph Geladino.
In the 3rd District, the Democrats have at least three potential candidates: newcomer Terry Parker and incumbent Councilors Craig Minor and Frank Nicastro.
The election is Nov. 6. There are three council districts in town, each with two representatives.

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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com