Ridgefield Democratic Party Rules
2005
Ridgefield Democratic Party Rules
2005
RULES OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF THE TOWN OF RIDGEFIELD
Town Committee
SECTION 1. The town committee shall consist of 21 members. Three town committee members shall be elected who reside within each of the voting districts of the Town of Ridgefield and the remainder shall be elected at large.
SECTION 2. Town committee members shall be Democratic electors residing in the Town of Ridgefield.
SECTION 3. Beginning in 2000, and every two years thereafter, the town committee shall fix the first Tuesday in March for the holding of a caucus for the election of town committee members and shall publish the same in a newspaper having a general circulation in the town at least 56 days before such caucus is to be held. Said caucuses shall be conducted in accordance with the Connecticut General Statutes.
SECTION 4. Members of the town committee shall serve for a term of two (2) years, commencing on the day following the day established for holding a primary for election of said town committee members and ending on the day established for the holding of a primary for the election of the members of the succeeding town committee.
SECTION 5. All Democratic office holders being a member of any board or agency of the Town of Ridgefield shall be an ex-officio member of the town committee for a term to run concurrently with the term of their elected or appointed office.
SECTION 6. Each town committee member shall be responsible for recruiting new members to the Democratic Party, recommending candidates for town office, delegates to conventions and sub-committee members; participating fully in fundraising activities.
SECTION 7. Any vacancy on the town committee arising from any cause, including failure to elect, may be filled by the town committee, by a majority vote of the town committee members present and voting at a meeting called for that purpose with at least 15 days notice to town committee members. Announcement of any said vacancy shall also be made publicly in a newspaper having a general circulation in the town at least fifteen (15) days in advance of the meeting called to fill the vacancy.
Officers
SECTION 8. Not more than fourteen (14) days following the day fixed for the holding of a primary for the election of town committee members, the chairperson of the town committee in office immediately prior to the day of said primary, shall call a meeting of the newly elected town committee for the purpose of electing a chairman, vice-chairman, recording secretary, corresponding secretary, treasurer and such other officers as are prescribed in local party rules.
If such town chairperson fails, for any reason, to call such meeting within the period prescribed, it shall be the duty of the vice-chairperson serving concurrently with said town chairperson to do so.
SECTION 9. The chairman of the town committee shall be elected within the membership of the committee.
SECTION 10. The officers of the town committee shall be elected within the membership of the committee.
SECTION 11. Officers so elected shall hold office for the term of the town committee electing them.
SECTION 12. Each of such officers shall have the duties usually incident to his office and such other duties as the town committee may from time to time prescribe, as well as the following specific duties:
Chairman shall appoint sub-committee heads, call meetings with ample notification to members, prepare and distribute agenda to members within the week preceding the meeting, chair each meeting.
Vice-Chairman shall fulfill the duties of the chairman in his absence.
Treasurer shall have the authority to sign checks on behalf of the town committee, shall report to the State of Connecticut the contributions and expenditures of the town committee, shall be responsible for custody of all town committee funds, and shall keep up- to-date and accurate records, shall give a full and complete report at each regular meeting. The town committee may, from time to time, give other town committee officers authority to sign town committee checks to the extent permitted by statute.
Recording Secretary shall keep minutes of all meetings, shall keep an up-to-date attendance chart.
Corresponding Secretary shall keep a file of all correspondence with copies to the chairman, shall notify media of legal notices and announcements of meetings, shall keep a file of published legal notices.
Executive Committee
SECTION 13. The town committee shall have an executive committee comprised of the chairman, vice-chairman, treasurer, recording secretary, and corresponding secretary described in Section 12. The executive committee shall meet when necessary to implement and execute policies and procedures which have been approved by the full town committee or to make plans for town committee meetings. The executive committee shall have the authority to spend up to $75.00 of town committee funds in emergencies, when time does not permit waiting for the next town committee meeting. Record of any spending of emergency funds authorized by the executive committee shall be provided to the town committee at the next regular town committee meeting. Executive committee meetings shall be open to any member of the town committee.
SECTION 14. The town committee shall create sub-committees from time to time as they are needed.
SECTION 15. Within one week after organization of the town committee, the secretary shall file with the secretary of the Democratic State Central Committee and with their town Democratic Registrar of Voters a list of the names and addresses of the officers and members of the town committee.
SECTION 16. If there is a vacancy in any office of the town committee arising from any cause, the town committee may fill the same by a majority vote of the town committee members present and voting at a meeting called for that purpose with at least 15 days notice to town committee members.
SECTION 17. The town committee shall hold at least 10 regular monthly meetings a year.
SECTION 18. Special meetings of the town committee may be called upon written request, signed by twenty percent (20%) of the members of the committee, presented to the chairperson. Upon receipt of such request, the chairperson shall instruct the secretary to give reasonable notice of the time and place and purpose of such meeting to all members of the committee.
SECTION 19. Two-fifths of the members of the town committee shall constitute a quorum at any meeting.
SECTION 20. Only members of the town committee present at a meeting shall be entitled to vote in said meeting. No proxy voting shall be allowed.
SECTION 21. The enrolled members of the Democratic Party in the town, at a caucus called for the purpose, shall by a majority vote of such enrolled members present and voting, select party endorsed candidates for each town office, and for town committee members. The time and place of all such caucuses shall be determined by the town committee. Legal notice of the time, place and purpose of any such caucus shall be given to all enrolled Democratic voters of the town at least five (5) days in advance of the caucus by publication in a newspaper having a general circulation in the town and by posting the same on a the public sign post in the town. The time of any such caucus shall be fixed to permit compliance with the primary law as it may be amended from time to time. The chairman of the town committee shall be the temporary chairman of all such caucuses until the meeting has selected its permanent chairman. In like manner, the secretary of the town committee shall act as secretary at all such caucuses until the meeting has selected its permanent secretary. The caucus shall be conducted in conformity with the primary law as it may be amended.
SECTION 22. The town committee shall select party endorsed candidates for delegates to conventions at a meeting called for that purpose with fifteen (15) days advance notice to members of the town committee.
SECTION 23. At any caucus or town committee meeting duly called for the endorsement of candidates or delegates to any convention, nominations for said candidates or delegates may be made by (1) presentation to the caucus or town committee of a slate composed of a number of persons not exceeding the maximum number of such candidates or delegates which may be nominated as set by Democratic Party rules or by the Town Charter and or (2) by nomination of individual candidates. In the endorsement of such candidates, the vote of each member of the caucus or town committee member present and voting shall be for a number of candidates not to exceed the number of a full slate as defined above. The voting for endorsement for delegates to each convention shall be done by a separate vote.
SECTION 24. Candidates for town office chosen as provided in Section 23 above shall run in the primary, if necessary, for such office as party-endorsed candidates; provided any such candidate shall be the Democratic Party nominee for the office for which he is a candidate, if no valid opposing candidacy has been filed for nomination to such office by 4 o'clock P.M. on the 21st day preceding the day of the Democratic primary for such office.
SECTION 25. Requests for nominations of candidates to town committee membership shall be published in the press 30 days prior to the caucus. All names received up to ten (10) days prior to the caucus date shall be printed on an official ballot.
SECTION 26. The slate of candidates for delegates to a convention chosen as provided in SECTIONS 22 and 23 above shall run in the primary, if necessary, for delegate to such convention as the party-endorsed slate; provided such slate of candidates shall be deemed elected as the delegates to such convention, if no valid opposing candidacy by a complete slate, including persons other than party-endorsed candidates, has been filed by 4 o'clock P.M. on the 21st day preceding the day of the Democratic primary for delegates to conventions.
SECTION 27. If, for any reason, the town committee fails to make sufficient endorsements of candidates for town office, town committee members or delegates to conventions, the provisions of the Connecticut General Statutes shall govern.
SECTION 28. The secretary of the town committee shall certify to the town clerk the names of street addresses of the party-endorsed candidates selected as provided in SECTIONS 23 and 24 above, the title of the office or position, as committee member or delegate for which each person is endorsed, and the date upon which the primary is to be held, if necessary.
SECTION 29. In the event that a vote on the selection of any party-endorsed candidate results in a tie, such tie vote shall be dissolved by the vote of the permanent chairman of the caucus, who shall not otherwise vote in said caucus.
SECTION 30. If a party-endorsed candidate for nomination to a town office or for election as a town committee member or delegate to a convention; prior to 24 hours before the opening of the polls at the primary; dies or, prior to ten (10) days before the day of the primary; withdraws his name from the nomination or, for any reason becomes disqualified to hold the office or position for which he is a candidate, an endorsement may be made to fill vacancy by the town committee, by a majority vote of the town committee members present and voting at a meeting called for that purpose. The chairman of the town committee may cast a vote on such endorsement to break the tie, but this provision shall not affect his right to cast any vote as a member of the town committee to which he is otherwise entitled. The secretary of the town committee shall immediately certify the endorsement to fill such vacancy to the Democratic Registrar of Voters.
SECTION 31. The nominations of the Democratic Party to all offices and the election of members of the town committee and delegates to conventions shall be made in all respects as provided in the primary law as may be amended. Whenever a primary for nomination to a town office and for election of town committee members or delegates to conventions is to be held under provisions of said law, the nominee of the Democratic Party for such town office and the members of the town committee and the delegates to conventions shall be determined by a plurality of votes case.
SECTION 32. If a nomination has been made for a town office and the nominee thereafter but; prior to 24 hours before the opening of the polls on the day of the election for which such nomination has been made; dies, withdraws his name, or, for any reason becomes disqualified to hold the office for which he has been nominated, a nomination to fill such vacancy may be made by the town committee by a majority vote of the town committee members present and voting at a meeting called for that purpose. The chairman of the town committee may cast a vote on such nomination to break a tie, but this provision shall not affect his right to cast any vote as a member of the town committee to which he is otherwise entitled. The secretary of the town committee shall immediately certify the nomination to fill such vacancy to the Secretary of State.
SECTION 33. Each delegate to a convention elected in conformity with law and these rules may in writing designate an alternate delegate or a proxy to act for him in his absence.
SECTION 34. If any provision of these rules is found to be in conflict with provisions of any law, the provisions of such law shall govern.
SECTION 35. As used in these rules, "town office" means any office for which only the electors of the town may vote and includes the office of each elective public official of the town, justice of the peace and judge of probate. The other terms used in these rules shall have the same meaning as in primary law, as may be amended from time to time.
Special Caucuses
SECTION 36. Special caucuses may be called for any lawful purpose by a majority of the town committed or by not less than 10% of the registered Democratic voters in the town. The call of any such special caucus shall be in writing and signed by each of the persons issuing the same, and notice of the time, place and purpose of said special caucus shall be given to all registered Democratic voters in the town at least five (5) days in advance of such caucus, by publication in a newspaper having a general circulation in town and by posting a notice on the public sign post.
Filing of Local Rules
SECTION 37. Within seven (7) days after party rules or any amendments to party rules are adopted by the Democratic Party of Ridgefield, a copy of the same shall be filed with the Secretary of State, and with the Town Clerk, and with the Secretary of State Central Committee.
Amendments
SECTION 38. These rules of the Democratic Party of the Town of Ridgefield may be amended by the following procedure: a town committee meeting for discussion of the proposed amendment and a subsequent town committee meeting where adoption of the amendment requires an affirmative vote of the majority of the entire town committee.
The Ridgefield Democratic Town Committee at a meeting duly called and held on March 22, 1999 A.D. in the Town of Ridgefield, Connecticut, at which a quorum was present, adopted the above new Rules for the Ridgefield Democratic Town Committee.
DEMOCRATIC TOWN COMMITTEE OF RIDGEFIELD
Rudy Marconi
Chairman
Monte Frank
Secretary
Paid for by The Ridgefield Democratic Town Committee, William Markus, Treasurer