Democratic Town Committee Further Delays Bylaw Changes

A decision on updating a set of bylaws that has been in place for 40 years was put off an additional month on Tuesday.

The Democratic Town Committee voted to table the item until November. The proposed changes include:

• Reducing the committee from 80 members to 45 and updating references to voting districts by changing their number from seven to the current three.
• Having a majority vote to increase membership be by a two-thirds vote rather than a majority vote.
• Specifying the primary for the election of Democratic Town Committee members as taking place no later than April 1, 2012.
• Requiring contested endorsements to be done by ballot and not allowing proxies to participate in these votes.

The committee as well in order to allow members to receive information on the changes. During the discussion of the September minutes at Tuesday’s meeting, member Daniel McSparran questioned whether Daryl Finizio, the Democratic candidate for mayor, should have been able to second the motion to table since he was acting as a proxy for another member.

“If we’re not following [the bylaws], why are we changing them?” he asked.

City Councilor Wade Hyslop said proxies take the place of absent committee members, and that there is no stipulation against a proxy making a motion or second. City Council candidate John Maynard said he understood the restriction on the proxies prevents them from voting only if the person they are supposed to be filling in for is present. Matthew Greene said the bylaws only reference a proxy's ability to vote.

In e-mails provided to Patch by multiple sources, committee members questioned whether it would be better to take up the changes to the bylaws in October or hold off until November. Those against an October vote said there was no need to rush the decision, and that committee members could better understand the changes with additional time.

Finizio, in an e-mail on Sunday, said delaying changes to the bylaws at the October meeting would not hurt the party internally but would be a “missed political opportunity.” He said he believed the changes would help the Democratic Party capitalize on the turnout at the party's by improving the perception of the committee.

“I have heard from hundreds of these new voters who have serious concerns that the local Democratic Party is not embracing the will of the people of the city,” Finizio wrote. “The DTC overwhelmingly opposed the creation of the office of mayor, while the public voted 3 to 1 for it. The DTC , but the primary vote was 60-40 the other way. By embracing these modest changes, the DTC could capture the public sentiment for change. In my opinion, this would help convince many potential Democratic voters, who might vote 1a only, to vote Row A, all the way!”

Buscetto, a city councilor and member of the Democratic Town Committee, stayed in the mayoral race after the primary defeat, in late September. Committee member Mark Christiansen said in an e-mail reply that Finizio’s statement concerned him.

“We are here to support all Democrats, not just one,” said Christiansen. “It is our choice who we support, and this comes across as threatening to bullet vote.”

Finizio denied the charge in a Monday e-mail.

“As to my comment that there are some voters that may only vote 1a if the DTC is seen as resisting change. That was not a public statement. That was a private internal statement to members of the DTC on what I perceive to be the political reality of this election,” he said. “I will push 100 percent for Row A all the way! I will do this regardless of whether these changes are made Tuesday, but I cannot magically change political reality.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, Finizio said he had opted to advocate for further tabling the discussion and motioned to table the item. He said he feels the changes are in the best interests in the party, but that the discussion will be less divisive in November, when a mayor has been elected, than at the October meeting, while he and Buscetto are still candidates.

“There are still two candidates in this room, and they each have supporters. I understand that,” he said.

Finizio said he considered the e-mails private communications among committee members and declined comment on them. He said the statement he gave at the meeting reflected his reasons for changing his stance on when the bylaw changes should take place.

“I support the entire Democratic ticket, and I urge all of my own supporters to please vote Democratic,” he said.

Some discussion on the bylaws did come up after the decision to table any changes. Christiansen said the bylaws declare that a majority vote of all members of the committee is required to change the rules. Hyslop said the section could be interpreted as a majority of those present at a meeting.

“We’d never get anything done, then,” he said of Christiansen’s statement.

Committee chairman Bill Satti told members that the bylaws need to be addressed by the December meeting. He said the old bylaws will be locked in for another two years for the committee elected in early 2012 if a vote does not take place by then.