Windham GOP Caucus Could Contain Surprises

By Michael Ryan

WINDHAM - The next highway superintendent in the town of Windham will not be Gary Thorington who, earlier this year, announced his retirement, effective December 31, 2025.

Thorington’s successor could surface at the local Republican Party caucus on March 28 at the Centre Church, starting at 7 p.m.

Some but not all questions will also be answered related to the town supervisor’s slot, two town council seats and one town justice.

Election season begins sooner than ever due to changes in the law related to early voting, etc., prompting the GOP to gather now rather than in the summer, as has been done traditionally.

Thorington made his retirement plans known nearly a year in advance during a town council meeting, in January.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while,” Thorington said. “It’s a decision I needed to make and it had to be on the record.

“I didn’t want to just walk in there and say I’m gone tomorrow. I’ve always tried to do the right thing for the town I serve.

“Out of respect, I wanted to give the town all the time it needs to get ready. And it’s only fair to give anybody who might be interested in the job an opportunity to do the same,” Thorington said.

Thorington’s latest 4-year term of office will conclude 31-plus years with the department, rising through the ranks, fresh-faced, out of high school.

Several prospects could emerge on Friday night which is also the case for each of the positions on the election slate, including town supervisor.

At least one person has reportedly approached the GOP committee about the highway department position, although candidates can emerge, and have emerged, at the caucus without prior notice.

And it is not known what the local Democratic Party will offer, if anything, if and when they congregate to select candidates.

Thomas Hoyt, the former highway superintendent, has been supervisor six years and is tossing his hat in the ring for another 2-year term.

Hoyt was unopposed in 2023 but is expected to face a challenge this fall from Connor Exum who announced his intentions, last summer.

Exum, recently contacted via email, said his plans are intact, stating, “it is time for a change in Windham. For too long Windham has been monopolized by a single political vision.

“It’s a political vision that is rooted in the past It’s a vision that lacks depth and one that will lead to a decline in the town’s population and the eventual collapse of the local economy,” Exum stated.

“So, it is with this understanding that I am running for town supervisor to build a stronger, more cohesive town from the bottom up, not the top down.

“I am still looking for that perfect party match– but, know this I’m not running as a Democrat or a Republican– I’m Running as a Proud Resident of The Town Of Windham,” Exum stated.

Otherwise, the November vote and this GOP caucus could be ho hum or action-packed, depending upon who comes out of the political woodwork.

A pair of council seats are open, currently filled by Ian Peters and Wayne Van Valin who serves as deputy town supervisor.

Maureen McCarthy is assured of continuing as a town justice, previously elected to a 4-year term that will be gaveled at the close of 2027

A second seat on the bench is held by Marilyn Carreras, appointed earlier this year following the retirement of Judge Carol Stevens.

Stevens, the former county attorney, resigned as judge after an exemplary, near decade of service with one year left on a 4-year term.

Carreras accepted the interim appointment knowing she would need to run for a full, 4-year term this November, saying, then, she would do so.

One of the least-loved albeit most-respected jobs is currently carried out by Katherine Murray, the town tax collector, who will be required to pursue another 2-year term, if she so chooses.

Anything can and does happen in caucus, a process that, in Windham, is customarily thinly attended although the ramifications are significant.

Some other town officials are safe including town clerk Bonnie Poehmel who is two years into a 4-year term that expires at the end of 2027.

Councilpersons Kurt Goettsche and Stephen Walker are also in the clear until the 2027 election cycle when their current 4-year terms cease.