Nineteen-year old David Papcin, and member of Ansonias Republican Town Committee, is the youngest town committee chair in state history, is here February 6, 2018. Nineteen-year old David Papcin, and member of Ansonias Republican Town Committee, is the youngest town committee chair in state history, is here February 6, 2018. Photo: Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media Photo: Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Millennials take over Ansonia GOP 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

ANSONIA — It was a true changing of the guard in the city’s Republican Town Committee.

Nineteen-year-old David Papcin became the youngest town committee chairman in state history, according to J.R. Romano, the state Republican chairman, and Mayor David Cassetti.

Joining Papcin on the panel are Domenico Filippone, 23, a 3rd Ward alderman, as clerk/secretary, and Anna Andretta, 29, as treasurer. All three helped create the Naugatuck Valley Young Republicans earlier this year.

“I think this shatters the stereotype that Connecticut Republicans are old, wealthy, country club people,” said Romano, who is from Derby. “I think this sends a tremendous message and can only help grow the Republican party in Ansonia, the Valley and the state.”

Papcin, who became involved in party politics after attending a forum on the state budget in 2017 at Ansonia High School, was nominated by Cassetti to run against Irving Reed, the 75-year-old, two-term chairman. Papcin’s 27-17 margin of victory broke down mostly along the two factions — the pro-Cassetti and the pro-Alderman Phil Tripp groups.

Moments after the vote, Lorie Vaccaro, the Board of Aldermen president, defeated Janet Vitarius Waugh for vice chairman. The opposition did not challenge Filippone or Andretta.

Romano said Papcin, Filippone and Andretta will be “tremendous assets” because of their ages.

“They are adept at using social media and social networking to grow the party base,” the state chairman said.

Cassetti agreed.

“The millennials are the future of our party in the city, this state and this country,” Cassetti said. “They are energetic. They bring new ideas.”

“At some point the torch has to be passed,” said Cassetti, who is the city’s only three-term Republican mayor in the last century.

Reed said he was “not entirely surprised” that he’d be challenged, despite heading a party that won the last two elections by landslides.

“I kept getting conflicting reports as to who would run against me,” he said. “I’m surprised they chose someone so young. He wasn’t even a member of the town committee until recently.”

Reed stopped short of offering Papcin advice, except to encourage him to bring the two sides together.

This is the latest hat to be worn by Papcin, who works on Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti’s gubernatorial campaign, sits on the Ansonia Board of Apportionment and Taxation and is a full-time sophomore nursing student at Quinnipiac University.

“I think we have a good balance of youth and seniority,” Papcin said following his election. Chicago Rivers, a 5th Ward alderman, was appointed sergeant-at-arms and Corporation Counsel John Marini was made the committee parliamentarian.

Papcin said his goal is to raise $50,000 over the next two years for the party, which has $432 in its treasury.

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