ENFIELD, CT — Incumbent District 4 town councilor Nick Hopkins was endorsed to retain his seat at a recent Democratic party caucus. However, prior to the Nov. 7 municipal elections, he faces a challenge within his own party in the form of political newcomer Kari Monteforte.
At the caucus, two members of the Enfield Democratic Town Committee nominated Monteforte, 40, for the District 4 spot on the ballot. Hopkins, 30, who defeated Republican incumbent Charlotte Riley for the seat in 2021, was also nominated, leaving the selection to a vote of District 4 residents only. Of the 11 District 4 Democrats in attendance, seven voted for Hopkins, four for Monteforte.
Monteforte successfully petitioned for a primary, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 12.
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“I am grateful to be endorsed as the District 4 candidate by the EDTC,” Hopkins told Patch. “I think competition is good and I welcome a primary. I believe my record standing up for the unique needs of District 4 stands out. I look forward to continuing to fight for District 4.”
Monteforte, a school social worker in Tolland, said her narrow defeat did not dissuade her from continuing to seek the nomination, adding that she is doing so because of her love for the community.
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“I’ve wanted to run for a long time now,” she told Patch. “Knowing Enfield is my home, where I’ve lived my whole life, the town that holds my heart, and that I’m the right person for District 4 – I petitioned to primary. I’m not a politician. I don’t always know the “smoothest political way” to go about things. I really don’t have an ulterior motive. I’m a mom, wife, sister, auntie and friend, just trying to do the next right thing for our town. A community I love fiercely and a community I’ve seen tear each other apart more in the last few years than many of us would like to admit. It’s time for me.”
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