This is about as public as you can get. A Democratic Town Committee meeting to approve a list of delegates to endorse candidates at respective May conventions will take place Monday April 1 at 5:15 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 45 Lyon Terrace. This is not an April Fools’ joke. (Or at least we don’t think so.)
This better be a snappy meeting because the City Council meets that night opening with the public speaking portion at 6:30.
This is where inside baseball matters in the endorsements of candidates, especially for challengers waging potential primaries. For multi-town election districts delegates are proposed for approval by the respective town committees. Example: City Councilman Ernie Newton wants to primary State Senator Herron Gaston in a district encompassing Bridgeport and Stratford. Newton will need 15 percent delegate support at the May convention to qualify for an August primary so what happens Monday night will determine Newton’s path.
Democratic Town Chair Mario Testa solicits input from 10 district leaders to fashion the delegate list presented to the town committee for approval. That doesn’t mean district leaders recommendations will make Testa’s cut. Most district leaders are backing Gaston, but Newton has the support of East End leader Ralph Ford who wants the nine votes or so Newton will require at the convention to make the ballot. In lieu of that Newton’s other option is the labor-intensive signature route, no easy task.
So a number of moving parts are underway to determine Newton’s path.
In single town election districts town committee members are the endorsing authority.
What’s the genesis of hosting the meeting at City Hall? Since selling his restaurant a few years ago, Testa has conducted party meetings at various halls and restaurants.
Political agitators at Bridgeport Generation Now and its political arm BGN Votes that have had their own issues navigating in the darkness of city politics meowed to state party Democrats with a list of gripes that Testa’s meetings were not transparent. As a response Testa chose council chambers to host Monday’s meeting.
Let’s see if there’s any April Fools shenanigans.
On April Fools’ Day? This could only mean one thing: Jorge Cruz will seek the endorsement for the Fourth (4th.) U.S. Congressional District.
Lennie, notice the “Important Note to Town Committee members”. It’s up to the individual member to appoint a proxy or not. It must be done in writing and according to party rules. The proxy can use their own judgement and not necessarily follow endorsement preference instructions from others. I’m open for proxy offer.
Is this intended as a joke by LG as announcer of the DTC activity and JG as a first and second responder, coming as it will on APRIL 1, 2024?
Is the above notice to be published in the Legal Section of a newspaper? Or merely sent to 89 DTC members, perhaps by email, ignoring the potential desires for representation by over 42, 000 Bridgeport Democrats who may have an opinion on offices under consideration at State or Federal level?
Does the DTC have a website yet where all the information fit to print under OPEN, ACCOUNTABLE, TRANSPARENT, and HONEST value standards can be observed? Assume they do not or it would be listed on this Public Notice, likely? Info regarding by-laws, meetings, and representation of party members within Districts, for instance? Where is it? Or when will it come to light? Time will tell.