Daniel “Dan” Lent, a longtime Easton resident and local environmentalist, has been named the Republican candidate for first selectman in the November municipal election. Incumbent Selectman Kristi Sogofsky, first elected in 2018, will also appear on the Republican ticket as she seeks a fifth term.
The Easton Republican Town Committee announced its 2025 slate in a press release following a July 15 caucus at the Easton Public Library, where party-endorsed candidates for townwide office were selected for the upcoming election.
“I am an attorney with a science background,” Lent said. “I grew up in Easton, went through the Easton schools and raised my family here. I am running for first selectman of Easton because I love our town, and I think the politicians in control of our state and our town are taking us in the wrong direction.”
Lent has filed lawsuits to save Easton’s wetlands and zoning, served on the town’s Conservation Commission (Inland Wetlands Agency), served on Helen Keller’s School Climate Committee to address bullying, and helped draft the town’s first bipartisan Ethics Ordinance, according to the press release. Lent also served on Democratic state Senator Christine Cohen’s Sewerage Treatment Working group and often speaks about preservation and sewage treatment issues affecting local wetlands and Long Island Sound.
Self-described as socially liberal but fiscally responsible, Lent is committed to a “hyper local issues” campaign centered around preserving Easton’s high-quality school system, protecting the town’s natural resources and helping with affordability — especially to Easton seniors, all while enhancing services, infrastructure, and economic opportunity, the statement said.
“I will focus on local Easton issues and bring residents of all parties together to save and preserve what is universally regarded as good about Easton,” Lent said. “In that same spirit, I reject the lazy and tired arguments about national politics that have creeped into our municipal elections and local rhetoric. It’s unhelpful and counterproductive to our community.”
Lent explained that Easton is under environmental attack from outside developers, like the Saddle Ridge developers, who want to break three-acre watershed zoning, which has pristinely preserved Easton’s three public water supply reservoirs since zoning regulations were adopted in 1941. A recent petition gained 500+ signatures against such development.
“Recklessly breaking zoning with little or no scientific rigor or scrutiny is all about greed and money,” he said. “I stand for Easton controlling its zoning and land use policy, not sophomoric Hartford politicians with no scientific training or uninformed and greedy developers. I stand for smart and environmentally friendly land use planning. I believe in defending Easton’s zoning and sewage treatment rules, which were created to protect the watershed that supplies clean drinking water to hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents. It is wrong to poison the reservoirs and water supplies with sewage for everyone so a few exploitive developers can get rich quick and then leave town.”
Lent also cited the failed HB 5002 housing bill as inspiration for his candidacy. Together with CT169 Strong, Lent was instrumental in gathering signatures and letters that eventually convinced Governor Ned Lamont to veto the disastrous bill.
“I look forward to an energized campaign focused on the issues that matter most to our town and have the greatest local impact on our neighbors,” said incumbent Selectman Kristi Sogofsky. “Our slate of candidates is deeply involved in all aspects of our community from our schools and local sports leagues to community organizations and involvement. We’re dedicated to the issues that matter to Easton’s future. Our collective experience will help Easton run more smoothly, with the accountability and attention to process that have been sorely lacking in recent years.”
Lent and Sogofsky are joined by a knowledgeable and diverse group of candidates committed to Easton’s future, the statement noted.
They are:
Town Clerk – Debbie Szegedi (incumbent)
Tax Collector – Krista Kot (incumbent)
Board of Finance – Joshua Bailey (incumbent), Colin Cote
Board of Education – Kristin Falzone
Planning & Zoning – Lou DiPietro (incumbent)
Region 9 Board of Education – Todd Johnston (incumbent), Dr. Arcangelo DiStefano
Zoning Board of Appeals – Jim Wright (incumbent) Joe Palmieri
Board of Assessment Appeals – Adam Bonoff (incumbent)
Library Board of Trustees – Diane Parker (incumbent) Mary Welch (incumbent) Mark Petrino
Constables – Anthony Battaglia, Genevieve Waterbury, James Waterbury, Darrin Silhavy
“It’s been famously said that local elections are where democracy begins,” said Darrell Harris, Republican Town Committee chairman. “For too many years, our town politics have deteriorated into senseless arguments that don’t reflect who we are as neighbors or invested citizens of Easton. We will fight hard to win every race, and we will be undaunted in calling out hypocrisy and rhetoric designed to negatively change Easton or divide us as a community.”
Harris added that he’s eager to work with Easton Democrats to schedule at least one debate for the Board of Selectmen candidates in the fall.
To learn more about the Dan Lent for Easton campaign, visit www.Lent4Easton.org.
To find out more about the Republican candidates for office, visit www.EastonRTC.org.
Campaign contact: Lou DiPietro, Easton RTC campaign committee chair, ldforeaston@gmail.com.
