The Easton Republican Town Committee elected a new executive board at its March 28 meeting, unanimously tabbing Darrell Harris as Chair and Alicia Young as Vice Chair for the 2024-26 cycle.
Harris and Young succeed outgoing Chair Wendy Bowditch, who served as Chair for the past six years, and Vice Chair Lou DiPietro, who was elected to fill a vacancy in that position in September 2022.
Incumbent Treasurer John Allan and Secretary Lisa Tasi were also re-elected to their respective positions.
Harris, who was the chair of the ERTC Voter Engagement Committee and a member of the Nominating Committee in the ’22-24 term, has served on Easton’s Diversity and Inclusion Task Force (EDIT) since its formation in August 2020, and was a member of the Affordable Housing Committee, the Board of Selectmen’s Advisory Committee tasked with creating the town’s initial state-mandated Affordable Housing Plan in 2022.
He thanked Bowditch for her service following his election, and laid out his plans and ideas for the RTC in a pair of statements to the Committee.
“I want us to be clear-eyed to the challenge ahead of us. The Democrats have had an opportunity over the last five years to entrench their power base in Easton, and they will not give up such an advantage easily. It will take a sustained, significant effort on our parts to change hearts and minds in this town. However, just as they were able to turn the tables on us over a span of years, we can achieve similar ends, if we are steadfast in pursuing our goals,” Harris told the group.
Young, who was chair of the ERTC Publicity Committee in the previous cycle, is a long-time Easton resident and Barlow grad, and has served on the Easton Board of Education since 2022. She also serves on the Easton PTO Board and with the JBHS Theater Boosters Club.
“We are 30-plus volunteers with different ideas, perspectives and expertise that share one common purpose: to see things improved in Easton and in the state of Connecticut,” Young told the Committee ahead of her election. “We all have a deep love of this town and it’s clear how passionate we are. Now it’s time to translate that passion into action, and together we will proactively plan for Easton’s future. If we take the best of what we are today and build upon it, we can successfully march forward.”
She also thanked Bowditch for her long service to both the town and the ERTC.
“I thank Wendy Bowditch for her leadership in the past two years, a chaotic period for many and certainly for our local party,” she said. “Wendy was the first person I met when I got involved in local politics, and she’s been an invaluable resource, and a friend to me, ever since.”