HOME |
NEWS |
SPORTS |
OPINION |
THINGS TO DO |
ARTS |
HOME & FAMILY |
SCHOOLS |
BUSINESS |
HEALTH & FITNESS |
TOWN INFO |
First selectman proposes new election ordinance |
|
Losing the first selectman's race in Litchfield doesn't mean a candidate can't win a seat as a selectman. Under the town's current election ordinance, it is allowed if the candidate if among the top five vote-getters of all the candidates running for the board.
The loser has earned a seat on the board many times, although it hasn't happened in the past two elections. The two previous Democratic candidates for first selectman, Barbara Putnam in 2011 and Martha Bernstein in 2009, were both blown out by First Selectman Leo Paul Jr. They were also outpolled by the four selectman candidates. Paul is proposing a new ordinance that would prevent the loser of the first selectman's race from winning a seat on the board, no matter how many votes they receive. The first selectman presented the idea to the board on Tuesday. "In November, I saw four good candidates running for selectman seats and was troubled by the possibility that one could be bumped by the loser of the first selectman's race," Paul said. Selectmen seemed to embrace the idea, but first asked Paul to present information on the election policies of similarly-sized towns. One of the benefits of the concept, Paul said, is it would allow the Democratic and Republican parties to each put up three candidates for selectman, which would allow more people to seek office and would give voters more to choose from. "Most of the public opinion I've heard would seem to be in favor of it," Selectman Paul Parsons said.
A new ordinance would have to be approved at a town meeting. |
