Politics & Government

BREAKING NEWS: Democratic Candidate Drops Out of Race

Oestreicher chooses job offer and family over first selectman's position.

David B. Oestreicher, the Democratic candidate for First Selectman, announced today that he will not run for office in November.

In a letter, he stated:

"It is with great regret that I relate the following information to you."

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"Just over a week after being honored with the , I received and accepted an offer from West Haven High School to teach chemistry."

"Though serving as First Selectman would indeed be an honorable position and one that I would have performed successfully for many years, once I accepted the West Haven teaching position, I realized I could no longer serve as First Selectman for Orange if elected."

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"In order to campaign for this position, I had already resigned my appointment with the United States Air Force Auxiliary’s National Staff College to serve at Maxwell Air Force Base in October and deferred my entrance into both doctoral programs at Southern Connecticut State University and the University of Bridgeport."

"If I had won the election on November 8th, I would have had to resign my position at West Haven High School and put off, for several years, the attainment of my teaching certificate and ability to become a high school principal and subsequently, my strong desire to become a superintendent of a school district."

"In the short time that I campaigned for First Selectman, the overwhelming support I received from family, friends, and the good citizens of Orange; made me feel that I would win the election."

"After conferring with my family, I have chosen to withdraw from the election, but will serve on the campaign committee to support and elect a very worthy successor."

"I was honored to have received your nomination and support, and hope to serve you in some capacity in the future. I hope you will understand and accept the decision I am making for the town, the Democratic Party, my family, and myself."

"Among the team that we pulled together, the enthusiasm and sense of camaraderie have been thrilling. I hope you will share that same sense of loyalty, vitality, and espirit de corps as we join together for our new candidate."

Selectman Mitch Goldblatt, a Democrat, said, "This is surely a disappointment, but when he agreed to run, he was in between jobs and then received an offer. I respect his decision though and I understand it."

"I thought David was a fine candidate. He'd already started campaigning and began picking up and understanding the issues in town," Goldblatt said. "We are hopeful to have another candidate in place quickly."


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