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Caligiuri takes Senate seat: Ex-mayor crushes Democratic challenger in 16th District

Former Waterbury Mayor Sam Caligiuri made a triumphant return to politics Tuesday, trouncing his Democratic opponent Dave Zoni in the 16th District state Senate race.

Caligiuri, a Republican, will replace Chris Murphy in the 16th District, which includes Southington, Wolcott, the East End of Waterbury and a small part of Cheshire. Murphy, a Democrat, defeated Nancy Johnson for her 5th District congressional seat.

Caligiuri trounced Zoni in Waterbury, picking up 61 percent of the vote to Zoni's 39 percent. In Wolcott, about 64 percent of the voters chose Caligiuri while 36 percent voted for Zoni. Results from Cheshire, which makes up the smallest portion of the district, were not in as of press time.

"I always felt there was a possibility that we will have a strong win, but you just never know how well you'll do until the end," Caligiuri said. "I worked hard to connect with as many constituents as possible and it looks like that paid off."

As expected, Zoni drew most of his support from his hometown Southington, which makes up the largest voting block in the district. Unofficial results showed Zoni, who serves on the Southington Town Council, beating Caligiuri by 333 votes in Southington.

The Democrat's hometown advantage wasn't enough, however, to overcome Caligiuri's name recognition in the district's other three towns and a hefty campaign chest.

While many voters outside Southington said they don't know much about Zoni, most remembered Caligiuri for his seven-year tenure on the Waterbury Board of Aldermen and his brief stint as Waterbury's acting mayor in 2001. Caligiuri was president of the board in July 2001 when then-Waterbury Mayor Phil Giordano was arrested on charges of sexually molesting two minors.

Caligiuri took over as the mayor and served until January 2002.

"Sam did a good job as the mayor of Waterbury and I'll think he'll do a great job in the state legislature as well," said Eugene Falcone, 78, of Wolcott, minutes after he voted for Caligiuri.

Caligiuri, a partner at Hartford law firm Day, Berry & Howard, was also aided by a significant financial advantage. He raised more than $125,000 in the race, more than any other state Senate candidate and about twice as much as Zoni.

On Tuesday, however, the Southington businessman was gracious in defeat.

"I'm disappointed, but I'm also proud of how close we were," Zoni said. "Both Sam and I worked very hard on our campaigns, and I just didn't win."

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