Politics & Government

Town Committees To Hold Caucuses Thursday Night

Registered Democrats and registered Republicans, this is your chance to get involved.

 

The Democratic Town Committee and Republican Town Committee will be holding caucuses Thursday night at town hall, providing an opportunity for registered members of each party to get involved.

The RTC caucus will be at 6 p.m. and the DTC caucus at 7:30 p.m. Town hall is at off of Duck Hole Road, off of the Hammonassett Connector. Both will be held in Meeting Room A, also known as the "fishbowl," because it is surrounded on three sides by windows that face the inside of the building.

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Republicans:

Tom Banisch, Republican Town Committee chairman, said all registered Republicans in town are invited to attend the RTC caucus at 6 p.m.

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"We have 30 members on the RTC, and they are elected as members of the Republican Town Committee.  We have more than enough candidates, so we will fill all 30 slots that night," he said. "Members are responsible to attend regular meetings, and they are expected to work with the committee to elect Republicans. That means making phone calls, campaigning with our candidates, writing letters and any other activity necessary for the Madison RTC to be successful.  They are expected to  donate financially to our party and to the state party, and they are expected to serve the town of Madison in their capacity as Republicans." 

Banisch said "We have an excellent current RTC, and I hope many of them return, but there will be opportunities to fill slots that will open up, or to take a slot that is currently held by a non-performing member."

Banisch said he will offer a list of endorsed candidates for attendees to consider.

"These are people that I know have worked hard for our RTC and will continue to do so in the future, or new people who I believe will be involved in that way.  This is not binding in any way, but will be informative to those voting," he said.

He added that the RTC can have an unlimited number of associates. 

"They are people who participate with the RTC in all that we do, but with no voting rights.  I think we have about 10 people right now in that category.  I consider associates to be something like our 'bench.' It's a way for a person to get involved, meet people and be ready to go if someone should resign for any reason," he said. "I expect an enthusiastic and positive crowd Thursday night."

Democrats:

Kathi Traugh, chairman of the Democratic Town Committee said local political parties are required by state law to hold a caucus every two years to elect committee members.

""Many people are confused about what a caucus is. The term 'caucus' actually does have a few meanings. But in this context, it means a local political party election," Traugh said. "For example, our caucus is open to registered Democrats in Madison, based on the voter role maintained by the Madison Registrar of Voters. In Connecticut, unaffiliated voters cannot vote in a caucus. This is just one of the reasons why voters should consider affiliating with a political party. I recommend they choose the Democratic Party, of course!""

Traugh said the DTC will elect 30 members of the town committee, a number set by the DTC's by-laws.

"They will be elected for two year terms and are responsible for attending our monthly meetings; voting on endorsements for candidates for local office, delegates to conventions and recommendations for appointment to town boards and commissions; actively working on election campaigns and being active on other town committee activities, such as fundraisers and advocacy for issues," she said.

The current DTC recently endorsed a full slate of 30 members to recommend for approval to the caucus, Traugh said. There will be 10 associate member positions as well, she said.

 "Associate members participate in our committee functions and provide input at our meetings but do not vote," she said. "Additionally, all elected and appointed Democratic officials are ex-officio MDTC members."

Traugh encouraged any registered Democrat who would like to be involved in the Madison DTC or who would like to work on a campaign for a Democratic candidate to contact her at 203-245-8014 or info@madisondemocrats.org

Editor's note: This story was edited Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012 to clarify Kathi Traugh's first quote.


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