By-Laws of the Democratic Town Committee

The complete By-Laws of the Demoratic Town Committee are available on line (see below) as well as in a downloadable version. The Committee revised and adopted these bylaws in June of 2005.

Click here to download a PDF version of the By-Laws (132 KB).

By-Laws
Brookfield Democratic Town Committee

PREAMBLE

The Brookfield Democratic Town Committee, hereinafter referred to as the Committee, may advocate on a variety of issues as they pertain to the Local, State and National government. During Municipal elections the Committee will nominate, endorse and support candidates for elected boards and commissions. Throughout the year, as vacancies occur, the Committee will recommend qualified candidates to fill those positions. The Committee will send delegates to Democratic Conventions to nominate State legislative candidates, Congressional Candidates and candidates for Governor, U.S Senator and other statewide elected officials. The committee will publicly endorse any of these candidates. The policies and principles of the Democratic Party of the town of Brookfield shall be formed, directed and executed by the Brookfield Democratic Town Committee.

ARTICLE I
Organization

Section 1
Membership
The Brookfield Democratic Town Committee shall be made up of Twenty-five (25) members, elected at large. Only persons enrolled as Democrats on the official Registrar’s list in the Town of Brookfield shall be eligible for election. All those elected must remain enrolled members of the Democratic Party or forfeit their membership. Vacancies will be filled by majority vote of the remaining members..

Section 2
Election
In January of each even numbered year a caucus shall be called to endorse the Committee members. Public notice, at least five days in advance, must be given to all Democrats as to the time and place of said caucus. In cases where the endorsed candidates are challenged, a primary may be called (rules for submitting petitions for primaries are in the State Election Laws).

Section 3
Removal of Committee members
The committee may expel a member for good cause by a two-thirds vote of the Committee present* at the announced meeting. Such notice shall be given by e-mail and/or mail. Examples of Good Cause shall include but not be limited to:

• Failure to attend three consecutive meetings without notice given to one of the officers of the Committee;
• Change of Party affiliation;
• Active support of candidates opposing the Democratic endorsed candidates ;
• Failure to pay dues.

* i.e. If 10 people are recorded as present, 6 votes are required for a majority.

ARTICLE II
Officers

Section 1
Election of officers
Within one month after the date of the Caucus or Primary, the members of the committee shall meet and nominate officers for a two-year term. Said officers shall be:

• Chairperson;
• Vice-Chairperson;
• Secretary;
• Treasurer;

All officers must be members of the Town Committee. These officers shall hold office for a two-year term. These Officers constitute the Executive Committee. Within one week after the date of the Primary, the members of the Committee shall meet and elect these Officers. Other officers, as may be deemed desirable, may also be elected at this time.

Section 2
Notice to Secretary of State Central Committee

Within one week after the election of officers, notice must be sent to the Sate Central Committee with names and addresses of the Executive committee.

Section 3
Duties

The duties of the officers are defined as follows:

A . The Chairperson shall:

1. Act as executive Officer and have general management and direction of the business of the Committee.
2. Moderate all meetings and resolve tie votes when required.
3. Appoint sub-committees and their chairperson if deemed desirable.
4. Countersign checks and orders for payment of monies.
5. Act as ex-officio member of all committees.
6. Perform all other duties as the Committee may from time to time prescribe.
7. Shall not vote except to break a tie.
8. When vote is by ballot shall vote in turn as a regular member with no tie breaking privilege.
9. E-mail and/or mail the agenda to each committee member.

B. The Vice Chairperson shall:

1. Assume all duties of the Chairperson in his/her absence.
2. Assist the chairperson in his/her function
3. Act as coordinator of all committees.
4. Perform such other duties as the Committee or Chairperson may prescribe.

C. The Secretary shall:

1. Record the minutes of all Committee meetings.
2. Maintain a copy of all correspondences and initiate any necessary correspondence.
3. Maintain required records.
4. Perform such duties as the Committee or Chairperson may from time to time prescribe.

D. The Treasurer shall:

1. Care for all funds of the Committee
2. Deposit funds and maintain a bank account as directed by the Committee.
3. Keep books giving a full and accurate account of money received and disbursed.
4. Countersign checks and provide a financial report for each regular meeting of the Committee.
5. Collect dues.
6. File all necessary financial reports as required by State Statutes.

E. The duties of any other officer shall be as prescribed by the committee electing those officers.

Section 4
Vacancies
Vacancies in any office of the Committee, arising from any cause shall be filled by a majority vote of the Committee members present* at a meeting called for that purpose. The vacancy committee shall make its recommendations known at that meeting. Nominations may also be made from the floor.

* i.e. If 10 people are recorded as present, 6 votes are required for a majority.

Section 5
Removal of Officers
Officers of the Committee may be removed for just cause by two-thirds of the entire Committee voting in favor of removal. Notice of such action must be e-mailed and /or mailed to each Committee member at least five days prior to such meeting.

ARTICLE III
Meetings

Section 1
The Town Committee shall meet monthly.

Section 2
Special meetings of the Committee may be called by a majority vote of the committee or by call of the Chairperson after approval by the Executive Committee. Any member of the committee may request a special meeting to be called by the Chairperson. Upon request of such a meeting and approval of the Executive committee, the Chairperson shall give reasonable notice of time and place and purpose of said meeting to all members of the committee.

Section 3
A quorum shall consist of two fifths of the Committee.

ARTICLE IV
Endorsement of Candidates
Nomination of Town Officials
Election of Committee Members and Delegates

Section 1
The town committee, at a meeting called for the purpose, shall by a majority of those present and voting* select nominees for the Town committee, conventions and municipal offices.

* i.e. If 10 people are recorded as present, 6 votes are required for a majority.

Section 2
The enrolled members of the Democratic Party of Brookfield at caucuses called for the purpose shall, by majority vote of those present* select members of the town committee, delegates to conventions and party endorsed candidates for municipal elective office.

* i.e. If 10 people are recorded as present, 6 votes are required for a majority.

Section 3
Candidates for municipal or town office chosen as provided in Section 1 and 2 above, shall run in the primary for such office as Party endorsed candidates. The endorsed candidate shall be the nominee of the Democratic Party for the office for which he is a candidate if no valid opposing candidacy has been filed for nomination to such office by four p.m. on the twenty-first day preceding the day of the Democratic Primary for such office.

Section 4
Candidates for Committee membership chosen as provided in Section 1 and 2 above shall run in the primary for Committee membership as party endorsed candidates. The endorsed candidates shall be deemed elected as of the Committee if no valid opposing candidacy has been filed for Committee membership by four p.m. on the twenty-first day preceding the day of the Democratic Primary for Town Committee membership.

Section 5
The slate of candidates for Delegates to a convention chosen as provided in Sections 1 and 2 above shall run in the primary for delegates to such convention as the party endorsed slate. The endorsed 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 four p.m. on the twenty- first day preceding the day of the Democratic Primary for delegates to conventions.

Section 6
If for any reason the Committee fails to make sufficient endorsements of candidates for Municipal or Town office, Committee membership, or delegates to conventions, the provisions of Sections 9-418, 9-419 and 9-420 of the General Statutes, as may be amended from time to time, shall govern.

Section 7
The Secretary of the Committee shall certify to the Town Clerk the names and street addresses of the party endorsed candidates selected as provided in Sections 1 and 2 above; the title of the office, or position as Committee member, or delegate for which such person is endorsed as well as the date on which the primary is to be held.

Section 8
Each party endorsement of a candidate to run in a primary for the nomination of candidates for Town or Municipal office, or for the election of Committee membership, or delegate to conventions shall be made not earlier that the forty- ninth day, nor later than the thirty-fifth day preceding the day of the primary and shall be certified to the Town Clerk not later than the thirty- fourth day preceding the day of the primary.

Section 9
In the event that a vote taken on the selection of a party endorsed candidates to conventions and membership on Town Committee results in a tie, such tie vote shall be resolved by the vote of the Chairperson of the Caucus if the Chairperson did not cast a vote at the time of the original vote. If the vote is by ballot, the Chairperson of the Caucus shall vote in turn as a regular member with no tie breaking privilege.

Section 10
Selection of party endorsed candidates to run for elected municipal or town offices must be made at a caucus called for that purpose. A vacancy committee will present nominees for each office and additional nominations can be made from the floor. In order to be considered the party endorsed candidate in a general or special election the nominee must receive a majority of all eligible party members present.* The Chairperson of the Committee and the Chairperson of the Caucus will vote in turn as regular members with no tie breaking privilege. The voting process will continue until the majority endorses a candidate.

* i.e. If 10 people are recorded as present, 6 votes are required for a majority.

Section 11
If a party endorsed candidate for any of the above offices dies prior to twenty four hours before the opening of the polls at the primary, or prior to ten days before the day of the primary, withdraws his/her name from nomination or for any reason becomes disqualified to hold the office or position for which he/she is a candidate; an endorsement may be made to fill such vacancy by the Committee by a majority vote of the members present* at a meeting called for that purpose. The Chairperson of the Committee shall only cast on such endorsement to break a tie or make a tie. If vote is by ballot, the Chairperson of the Committee shall vote in turn as a regular member with no tie breaking privilege. The Secretary of the Committee shall immediately certify the endorsement to fill such vacancy to the Democratic Registrar of Voters. No candidate shall be deemed to have withdrawn until a letter of withdrawal signed by such candidate is filed with the Town Clerk.

* i.e. If 10 people are recorded as present, 6 votes are required for a majority.

Section 12
The nominations of the Democratic Party to all offices and the election of members of the Committee and delegates to conventions shall be made in all respects as provided in the State Primary Law as the same may be amended from time to time. Whenever a primary for nomination to a Town or Municipal office, or for the election of Committee members , or delegates to conventions is to be held under the provisions of said law, the nominee of the Democratic Party for such office and the members of the Committee and delegates to conventions shall be determined by a plurality of the votes cast.

Section 13
If a nomination has been made, for a Town or Municipal office, and the nominee thereafter but prior to twenty four hours before the opening of the polls on the day of the election for which nomination has been made, dies, withdraws his/her name or for any reason becomes disqualified to hold the office for which he/she has been nominated, a nomination to fill such vacancy may be made by the Committee, by a majority vote of the members present*, at a meeting called for that purpose. The Chairperson of the Committee shall only cast a vote on such nomination to break a tie. If vote is by ballot, the Chairperson shall vote in turn as a regular member with no tie breaking privilege. In the case of a withdrawal, said nomination shall not be valid until the candidate who has withdrawn has filed a letter of withdrawal signed by such candidate with the Secretary of the State and also filed a copy with the Town clerk. The secretary of the committee shall certify the nomination to fill such vacancy to the Secretary of the State and shall file a copy with the Town Clerk. Such certification of a nomination to fill a vacancy due to death or disqualification shall include a statement setting forth the reason for such vacancy.

* i.e. If 10 people are recorded as present, 6 votes are required for a majority.

Section 14
If any provision of these rules is found to be in conflict with the provisions of any law, the provisions of such law shall govern.

ARTICLE V
Caucuses

Section l
Caucuses may be called for the purposes of amending these rules or for any other lawful purpose by a majority vote of the Committee, or by not less than ten percent of the registered Democratic voters in the town. The call of any such caucus shall be in writing. If it is called by vote of the Committee the chairperson of the Committee shall sign it. If it is called by not less than ten percent of the registered Democratic voters, such voters shall sign it.

Section 2
Notice of time, place, and purpose of any such caucus shall be given to all registered Democratic voters of the Town at least five days in advance of any such caucus by publishing such notice at least once in a newspaper of general circulation in the town, and by posting such notice on the public sign post at the Town Hall.

Section 3
No such caucus shall be called for the purpose of removing the Committee during its term of office, except by the Chairperson of the State Central Committee upon petition of not less than ten percent of the Registered Democratic voters of the Town and upon showing to the satisfaction of the Chairperson of the State Central Committee that the existing committee has failed to perform its legal or proper functions. If such caucus votes to remove a Committee during its term of office, the permanent Chairperson of the caucus shall fix a day, not less than seven and not more than eight weeks, thereafter for the holding of a primary for the election of Committee members and shall publish the same in a newspaper having a general circulation in the Town not less than fifty six days before such primary is to be held. The procedure for the election of a new Committee shall be the same as the procedure for the election of a Committee in March of the even numbered years, except that no party endorsement for committee members shall be made, and all candidates, in accordance with the provisions of Section 30 of the Primary Act and the Committee members shall be chosen at the primary, except as provided in Section 28 of said Act. Committee members so elected shall hold office from the time of their election until the next primary for the election of committee members.

Section 4
The Town Chairperson shall be the temporary chairperson of all caucuses and shall preside until the meeting has selected its permanent chairperson. In like manner, the Secretary of the Committee shall act as Secretary at such caucuses until permanent organization has been affected.

ARTICLE VI
Disbursement of Town Committee Funds
The Committee shall adopt an annual budget that includes financial disbursements to support party-endorsed candidates, administrative expenses, fundraising, and a memorial scholarship; such budget shall be adopted by the May meeting. It shall be a multi-year budget, which shall be renewed annually.

ARTICLE VII
Procedure

Section 1
The most recent version of Roberts Rules of Order shall be considered conclusive on Parliamentary Procedure.

ARTICLE VIII
Amendments

The Democratic Town Committee may amend these rules by two thirds of its entire membership voting to amend.

Amended June 2005