⚓ DEEP DIVE ⚓ Analysis: What’s at Stake in the Democratic City Committee Primary
In the election, it’s a contrast between “reform” versus progress
STAMFORD — On Tuesday, March 5, the election for Stamford’s Democratic City Committee (DCC) will be held for 17 of the city’s districts.
Democratic members of the community are encouraged to head to the polls to determine who will represent them on the DCC for the next two years. Those elected will determine who are the endorsed Democratic candidates for the state House, state Senate, Board of Representatives (BOR), mayor, and other important elected offices in the 2024 and 2025 election cycles.
For anyone unable to make it to the polls on March 5, Absentee Ballots can be requested online here. Voters can also manually fill out and print out the application, with both an English version and Spanish version available, and place it in the drop box at Government Center or Harry Bennett Library. Absentee Ballot applications can also be sent by mail to the Town Clerk. On Election Day, polling locations will be open from 6:00 am - 8:00 pm. Find your local district and where to vote here.
Keep reading for a breakdown on what to know before voting and why to stay involved afterward too.
Democratic Unity
One slate of candidates includes campaign professionals, community leaders, active volunteers, and other passionate Democrats. They envision a future of the city where the historic progress achieved during the Mayor Caroline Simmons’s Administration and Stamford Democratic Party continues. Progress during the Mayor’s leadership has been achieved on housing affordability and small business relief among other areas. For the DCC, the progress includes having the highest 2022 voter turnout of any city, and increasing the diversity of appointed and elected Democrats in Stamford and statewide.
Under the name of Democrats United for Stamford 2024 (DUS), the coalition has no double-dippers serving on the Board of Representatives and DCC to easily nominate themselves and avoid real elections.
They are familiar with the important roles played by the Democratic Party in Stamford given they have been doing the work — running as candidates, volunteering on campaigns, and similar responsibilities — for years and sometimes decades in the city and state.
Among the DUS candidates are beloved Stamford educators Tracey Bass and Doug Taylor of District 4. There are veteran DCC members and public servants on the slate as well, including Gloria DePina in District 5 and Jackie Heftman in District 20.
Echoing one of the major aspects of the DCC, to recruit and engage more Stamford Democrats, the DUS slate includes 15 new candidates in 11 districts. That equates to more than 55% of districts having first-time DCC candidates running.
Meet all the candidates and learn more about the slate on their website here.
Reform Stamford
In 2017, Reform Stamford was formed to shake up city government with candidates pledging to bring transparency if elected. However, they had their limitations from the start, especially after being co-founded by a MAGA extremist.
The Reform group, now led by BOR Majority Leader Nina Sherwood (D-8), regularly claims that their efforts are necessary, yet they have very little to show for it during their tenure other than division and gridlock.
They describe their ‘achievements’ differently, but it is blatantly evident that those actions consequently halted important work being done by other elected officials and community members to improve the city for all residents.
A prime example: Reform Stamford complains about board and commission vacancies while at the same time holding up the nominations of qualified individuals with petty reasons and cheap excuses.
On the political side, they rarely participate in Democratic campaign activities, unless it includes one of their Reform candidates. During the 2023 primary, Sherwood, who is supposed to support fellow BOR Democrats as majority leader, actively campaigned against her own BOR colleague. This behavior extends to the nomination process too.
“[T]hey don’t support the Mayor. They don’t support Congressman Himes. They don’t support Attorney General Tong. They don’t support most members of the state legislative delegation. They don’t support Senators Blumenthal or Murphy. Or President Biden,” said former Stamford DCC Chair Josh Fedeli in a phone interview with the Stamford Current. “Not only do they not support them, they will likely actively work against them and, as a party person, that’s just not acceptable.”
People realized how toxic the Reform label is so the group is going with “Stamford Dems for Responsive Government” for their DCC slate name. This is the same group behind the post-election attempt to resurrect the charter revision ballot question after a fourteen point defeat, an act not in the least responsive to the referendum result and widespread opposition to their proposed power grab.
Reform Stamford is seeking to avoid the tarnished name, but follow their actions and it is clear what they represent despite a hollow branding change. They are doubling down on their record by running more than a dozen candidates double-dipping by serving on the DCC and Board of Representatives to nominate themselves each term and avoid possible competition.
“A member of the Board of Representatives who also serves as their own DCC delegate means that they hold at least 50% of the total votes needed to obtain their nomination,” said Board of Representatives member Jonathan Jacobson (D-12) in an email to the Stamford Current. “They therefore have no incentive as members of the DCC to recruit others to their seat and, more importantly, lack accountability to the party that endorses them.”
So the group who began with a platform of reform have become the establishment themselves.
“This practice is why we have entrenched politicians in Stamford who have been serving in their elected office for decades. This is why we have a Democratic Party-dominated BOR that is so hostile toward both the DCC and the Democratic mayor,” Jacobson continued. “I support the candidates running for the DCC who see this practice for what it is. Unethical, outdated, and inconsistent with the values of the Democratic Party.”
When there is an election, campaign events happen. That requires organizing, voter outreach, and other efforts to win the race. When this happens in Stamford, that means Democrats rally the troops, schedule phone banks and door-knocking shifts, and even hold rallies sometimes. Yet, Reform Stamford has been missing from the scene on many occasions.
“The only reason these people are running for office in many cases is to control the nomination and endorsement process here locally. They don’t care about anything else and they won’t do the work that’s required to turn out voters in the city if they’re in a position of control in the party,” said Fedeli, who is not affiliated with either of the two slates. “The Democratic Party in Stamford will fall apart. They’re not trying to run to make the Democratic Party better. They want to get into the positions of power to take the Democratic Party down. That is their goal.”
In District 17, one of the double-dipping proponents is continuing his legacy of unethical campaigning. During the 2020 DCC race, Sergeant Sean Boeger was caught abusing his power as a police officer to enter a building to campaign for his candidacy and running mates. Now, even though he currently represents District 15 on the BOR, Boeger has no issue ignoring his constituents there to run in a completely different district.
Whether Democratic voters are in District 15, District 17, or any other district, it is crucial to keep these deceitful tactics in mind before casting a vote for any Reform candidates.
On their slate, more than 40% are also BOR members. While they have some new candidates, six of them are already BOR members too. They even have an election denier.
“They’ll try to paint a picture that they’re aggrieved,” Fedeli added. “Fear, uncertainty, and doubt –– that’s their brand. But that’s not how you govern a city at the local level. Municipal politics is about service; about having a functioning, working government.”
With less than two weeks remaining, all indications point to this Democratic primary determining what is to come not just for local Democrats, but for Stamford as a city over the next few years if not longer.
The online Absentee Ballot application is available here.
Printed versions of the Absentee Ballot application are available in English here and Spanish here.
Once filled out, put the application in a drop box at Government Center or Harry Bennett Library.
Election Day polling locations will be open from 6:00 am - 8:00 pm.
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