Arthur O’Neill Tries to Clean Up His Southbury Mess.

State Representative Arthur O’Neill, the longest serving Republican in the House, has issued a statement aimed at explaining his presence at a recent local Democratic event. Arthur O’Neill and his wife, Ruby, have been at the center of one warring Southbury Republican faction. Some of the trouble dates to Ruby O’Neill’s unsuccessful 2018 bid for the 5th CD Republican nomination. Some locals feel they were seen by the O’Neills as insufficiently supportive of Ruby O’Neill’s surprise campaign.

The O’Neills found themselves on the losing side of a Southbury primary this summer and seem not to have accepted defeat with even grudging grace, but remain determined to prolong what the veteran legislator casts as “discord.” This struggle appears destined to continue far into 2020.