Ledyard caucus may be invalid

Democratic Town Committee considering endorsing candidates through petition process

Ledyard — The Democratic Town Committee’s endorsed candidates are considering going through the primary petition process for endorsement after discovering Wednesday that the party caucus may have been invalid because the committee had not published a legal notice in time.

The notice appeared in The Day on July 20, only four days before the caucus was scheduled to be held at 7 p.m. July 24 in Bill Library. At the caucus, the committee endorsed its slate of candidates for Town Council and the Board of Education.

However, state law requires political party committees to give notice of a caucus “not less than five days prior to the date set for the caucus” in a newspaper of general circulation in town.

Members of the Democratic Town Committee were made aware of the error on Wednesday and the committee was “taking action to correct this problem,” said Jeff Kulo, chairman of the committee’s nominating subcommittee.

“We had a mistake and now we’re fixing it,” Kulo said in a subsequent

“We had a mistake and now we’re fixing it. It’s annoying but you have to do it.” JEFF KULO, CHAIRMAN OF LEDYARD’S DEMOCRATIC TOWN COMMITTEE’S NOMINATING SUBCOMMITTEE

interview. “It’s annoying but you have to do it.”

The state secretary of the state’s office couldn’t confirm Friday whether the caucus was invalid. But it did offer an alternative route for the candidates.

“If a party fails to make endorsements for any reason, including a failed caucus, candidates can take out primary petition(s),” Tina Prakash, interim spokeswoman for the secretary of the state’s office, said Friday in an email.

If the number of candidates with successful petitions matches or is less than the number of seats that are up for election, those candidates become endorsed under state law.

Kulo confirmed that candidates were considering going through the petition process.

Candidates must collect the signatures of at least 5 percent of the “electors whose names appear upon the last-completed enrollment list of such party in such municipality,” according to state law.

There were 2,602 registered Democrats in town, according to the registration and party enrollment statistics compiled in 2016 by the secretary of the state’s office. Therefore, 5 percent of party enrollment would be 130 residents.

Democratic Town Committee Chairwoman Elizabeth Peterson said she took responsibility for the late publication of the legal notice, but said the committee will continue supporting the candidates it endorsed and “has full confidence in their capability.”