Three Republican petition candidates for the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) Alessandra Brus, Philip Dodson, and John Hopley, released a statement on Friday saying they were proud to officially launch their campaign for the Republican primary vote set for Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
“We are three Republican candidates who are honored to have earned the support of so many across our town. To our incredible team of volunteers and dedicated supporters: Thank you,” they wrote. “Your energy, time, and belief in fiscal transparency and cordial unity have brought us to this important moment.”
Brus, Dodson and Hopley said as they head into the Republican primary, their team was committed to earning votes by putting common sense and accountability at the forefront of the town’s financial decisions.
“We pledge to work hard to ensure that every tax dollar is spent wisely, with transparency and a long-term vision for the future of Greenwich,” they wrote.
On Friday Greenwich Republican Registrar of Voters Fred DeCaro said all the petitions collected were not for the November ballot, but rather would force a primary which will occur in mid-September.
Longtime BET member Leslie Tarkington, who was passed over by her party for re-nomination, petitioned at Holly Hill. August 2, 2025 Photo: Leslie Yager
DeCaro said that in addition to the endorsed candidates – Joe Pellegrino, Sally Bednar, David Alfano (incumbent), Lucia Jansen (incumbent), Nisha Arora (incumbent) and Harry Fisher (incumbent) – there are two other slates, each representing three candidates that succeeded in delivering a sufficient number of signatures:
Joshua Brown
Joe Kelly
Leslie Tarkington
and the trio of candidates who mentioned above who released a statement Friday morning:
Alessandra Brus
John Hopley
Philip Dodson
Mary Hegarty, the Democratic Registrar of Voters, explained that there are two types of petitions. In addition to the primary petitions, there are nominating petitions.
According to the town clerk, Jackie Budkins, “Individuals can apply for nominating petitions through the state and they then go through our office. There are two types of nominating petitions, an individual who would like to go on the November Ballot with no party affiliation and individuals who would like to petition on as a minor party candidate.”
Budkins added, “We did have people pull nominating petitions this year. Specifically for the BET, Karen Fassuliotis applied to petition on as part of the Independent Party, she has met the quota for signatures and currently pending endorsement from the Independent Party.”
Lastly, Budkins said no others who applied for nominating petitions turned in signatures or enough signatures.
“Someone can apply for a nominating petition and choose not to turn them in for whatever their reason,” she said.
Note: this article was updated to include information from the town clerk about nominating petitions.
See also:
RTC Shuffle Candidates for Fall Greenwich Municipal Elections Slate
July 24, 2025
Petition Successful: BOE Incumbent Laura Kostin Will be on November Ballot
August 5, 2025