Barrington councilor says 'No' to special election

After election night loss, Steve Primiano says he will not run in upcoming special election

Posted 11/8/18

Steve Primiano's loss on election night will not result in a second campaign for him this winter.

The Republican member of the Barrington Town Council said he has no interest in running in the …

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Barrington councilor says 'No' to special election

After election night loss, Steve Primiano says he will not run in upcoming special election

Posted

Steve Primiano's loss on election night will not result in a second campaign for him this winter.

The Republican member of the Barrington Town Council said he has no interest in running in the upcoming special election. In February, voters will decide who gets to fill the council seat that had belonged to Peter Dennehy, who resigned his post two years early because of illness.

"The answer is no," said Mr. Primiano, when asked if was going to run in the special election. "It was a no a month ago. I have no interest in a two-year term. It's like being a lame duck. I need to step back."

Mr. Primiano has served on the town council for the last four years. Democrats Jacob Brier and Michael Carroll won the two open seats on the council, while Mr. Primiano finished third in voting. He said he had felt pretty confident about his chances of winning on Tuesday morning.

"Outside the polls yesterday morning, I was really pumped up," said Mr. Primiano on Wednesday. 

But as the results came in, it became clear that the longtime resident's push for re-election was in jeopardy. He finished with 3,982 votes, while Mr. Carroll was second with 4,391 and Mr. Brier was first with 4,444.

"Why is everybody coming out? It's a protest vote against Donald Trump," said Mr. Primiano. "And who is turning out? Disaffected Democrats."

Mr. Primiano said many people in Barrington and beyond are angry right now. While campaigning, Mr. Primiano encountered a few residents who spoke out loudly against the president and Republicans in general.

He said one of the last people he spoke with while going door-to-door quickly asked him if he was a Democrat or a Republican. Mr. Primiano answered that he was a Republican, which drew an angry glare from the resident. Mr. Primiano said the man handed him back his palm card and said he was not interested in talking.

"I've got thick skin," said Mr. Primiano. "I know it's not personal."

Mr. Carroll said he was not surprised by Mr. Primiano's encounter.

"I do think President Trump is a drag on local Republicans, particularly in area like this where you can have a moderate Republican who's had to spend some time apologizing about being a Republican," said Mr. Carroll. "There's a lot of anger out there, and when I went door to door, there were a number of times when I'd knock on the door and someone would say 'Are you a Democrat or a Republican?' I'd say 'Democrat,' and they'd say, 'Well, then you can come in.'"

Mr. Primiano wanted to emphasize that most folks in town were polite when speaking with him.

"Basically I had three people who really rude to me," he added.

Mr. Primiano said his election night loss might also be traced to Barrington's age demographics. He said it seems that more young Democrats are moving into Barrington, while more older Republicans are relocating out of town.

"I think this came down to an age thing. A lot of my friends have moved away," he said.

His one regret

Mr. Primiano said he has enjoyed his time serving on the town council and is not sure where he will volunteer his time in the future. He said he is considering greater involvement with his church and the local chamber of commerce. 

When asked if he had any regrets from his time on the council, Mr. Primiano said he wished the former Zion Bible College property had been developed into senior housing. 

There has been interest in — and even site-specific plans for — developing the former college property into a senior housing facility, but nothing has, of yet, come to fruition. Mr. Primiano said he hopes the town is able to facilitate the development of that property in the future.

Mr. Primiano said that while he was disappointed that he did not get re-elected, he feels that Barrington's future is in good hands. 

"No matter who you voted for, we're going to be OK," he said. "We're not going off a cliff."

Mr. Primiano credited Mr. Carroll and Mr. Brier for running good campaigns and working hard in the lead-up to election day.

"We stuck to the issues," he said. "I'm very happy for that, in this day and age… It was all local, local, local."

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