On Sunday, Oct. 12, the Wesleyan Democrats (WesDems) organized a canvassing event with the Middletown Democrats to canvass for Democratic mayoral candidate Gene Nocera.
Nocera has served as Middletown’s interim Mayor since June 16, following the resignation of former Mayor Ben Florsheim ’14 in late May. Nocera is currently campaigning against Republican nominee Sebastian Giuliano, who previously served as Mayor of Middletown from 2005 to 2011, to serve out the remainder of Florsheim’s term, which ends in November 2027. Giuliano was also unanimously supported by the Middletown Republican Town Committee this July.
A lifelong Middletown resident, Nocera has been serving the community for most of his life, primarily in education. He began his career as a sixth-grade teacher at Lawrence Elementary School and, over the course of 20 years, worked at various public elementary schools in Middletown. He eventually served as the Principal of Woodrow Wilson Middle School for 6 years. He has also served as the Chairman of the Middletown Board of Education and, most prominently, as President of the Middletown Common Council.
Members of WesDems, student volunteers, and a handful of Democratic candidates for municipal elections first met at the University Organizing Center (UOC). Organizers began by introducing themselves and the other Democratic candidates in the room. Board of Education candidates Alex Cohen and Kelly Bee were in attendance, along with Planning & Zoning Commission candidate Daniel Long. Nocera also came to the UOC to thank canvassers and take a photo.
“To me, [the important part of canvassing is that] you are at ground level, and people come to you, not as politicians but as people,” Nocera said. “It’s not about big, giant, theoretical issues. People are what [voters] need.”
After the photo, the candidates left. Organizers gave the attending volunteers an introduction to canvassing, handing out campaign literature and educating volunteers on proper door-knocking conduct and strategies.
“Canvassing is the act of going door to door and talking to constituents about the upcoming election and issues that are important to them,” Middletown Democrats Field Director and Candidate Point Person Taylor Biniarz said. “It is the most important, because when you look at your options—making phone calls, text banking, and door-knocking—[door-knocking has] the highest contact rate. People are more likely to answer their door than a text, and having a face-to-face conversation between volunteers, and especially the candidates and constituents, is what makes a difference during election time. When voters see somebody coming to their door and talking to them, they feel cared about.”
Groups of volunteers each completed one or two turfs. They handed out flyers to registered Democrats and Independents with information about Nocera’s campaign goals of lowering taxes, fully funding schools, improving senior services, and making Route 9 safer. They also ensured that residents had a plan to vote and, if they didn’t have a plan, informed them of the available voting methods. Middletown residents can either vote in person on Election Day, vote early from Monday, Oct. 20 to Sunday, Nov. 2, or vote via absentee ballot.
“We were knocking on the doors of other Democrats and asking them what they wanted to see in the Middletown community, what they wanted to change. It was really nice because I learned a lot about the Middletown community and what issues residents have,” WesDems member Clio Moock ’29 said. “We only actually ended up having a few conversations because a lot of people weren’t home. But I think it was a pretty cool experience.”
Organizers were pleased with the turnout and considered the event a success.
“I was really impressed with the dedication shown by Wesleyan students and the support from the local elected officials and candidates who came to our canvass yesterday,” WesDems Co-Chair for External Affairs Brendan Barry ’28 said. “I think it went very well. We made many interesting and important connections in the Middletown community, and I was very happy to see the show of support from students and local community members in ensuring that Middletown democracy remains a vibrant one…. We hope to work further with local community organizations and political groups to prevent the University from destroying our community connections.”
Arya Dansinghani can be reached at adansinghani@wesleyan.edu
Daniel Chehimi can be reached at dchehimi@wesleyan.edu
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