Joseph DePasquale, the venerable member of the local political scene, was cordial and contemplative upon the results of his run as an Independent in 2026 for the General Assembly House District 67 seat representing Warren and Barrington, ending last Tuesday, Nov. 3, with loss to Democrat Nicole Jellinek by a ????

DePasquale noted he has won many more races than he's lost in his over two-decade career seeking elected office, which concludes, for the time being at least, next month being a term-limited member of the town council of which he is the out-going president.

"I accept that this is part of the process," DePasquale said the day after the election. "I dropped that feeling early on (in his political career) that I was going to do well, that I was going to win. In order to win, you have to be careful not to have that mindset. It really separates the people who are somewhat out of touch."

DePasquale said he knew this time around, running without the support of any formal apparatus, that he entered the race as an "underdog" with a "lack of an organized party" behind his run.

"Being an independent, you either have to try to duplicate the structure or you run knowing that you don't have the resources as you would with a party. There are no excuses, there are reasons, and that's a reason," he said.

DePasquale explained he was satisfied with his campaign. He canvassed, engaged with the local media, followed the traditional map of a candidate.

"I think the credit goes to the voters who wanted to vote for Democrats," he said. "I ran because I wanted to give people a choice. I was the candidate to offer an alternative. And, again, I always look at these things as you have to try to do everything you can. I knocked on every door. I advertised. Then you leave it to the will of the voters. And the voters chose a qualified candidate. My opponent was qualified, and she resonated with the electorate."

DePasquale, who is still into a long recovery from wounds he suffered during an accidental fire some 18 months ago, said his focus will be fully on his recovery with the campaign season now closed.

"I did everything I could do," he explained. "I have another surgery scheduled for Wednesday (November 11). So it's time to figure out your life in this whole thing. I have no complaints. I take my hat off to Nicole and her team."

As for his future in electoral politics, DePasquale did not completely shut the door on a run down the road, but, again, is focused on his well being at the moment,


"Everybody already keeps asking that, of course, because it's the elephant in the room, I guess. 'What are you going to do next?," DePasquale added. "Right now, I'm going to continue healing. I'm going to figure out my role in life. But, no, there's no organized plan to do something next other than get my surgeries, heal and enjoy life."