The Stamford Democratic City Committee (DCC) joins Mayor Caroline Simmons, the Stamford League of Women Voters, and the Greater Stamford Young Democrats in urging voters to “Vote No” on Tuesday, November 7th on the Charter Revision ballot question.
One of the primary functions of the Stamford Democratic Party is voter education, engagement and empowerment. As such, we work in every election cycle to communicate with voters to ensure they have the information needed to make an informed choice when they cast their ballot. This is a role the DCC takes seriously.
Charter Revision is an important undertaking and the work that emanates every 10 years when a Commission is convened has the potential to shape the City of Stamford for years to come. The product of this most recent Charter Revision Commission includes hundreds of proposed changes that have been incorporated into a single ballot question. The changes, if passed, will irrevocably alter the way our city government functions, shift power away from the Mayor’s Office to the Board of Representatives, bestow unchecked authority on the Board of Representatives to spend taxpayer dollars with no oversight or accountability, and halt progress in our community.
In effect, these changes award more power to the Board of Representatives, upending the critical checks and balances that are one of the primary tenants of our democracy.
Unlike previous Charter Revisions, which have separated each proposal into individual questions, giving voters a choice of which proposed changes to support or reject, voters have only one choice—to vote yes or no on one vaguely written and intentionally misleading question.
And unlike previous Charter Revision votes that took place in high-turnout election years, the decision to put this on the November 7th municipal ballot breaks with the current Charter, which states that the Board of Representatives “shall endeavor to schedule the referendum on any proposed charter amendments or revisions to coincide with a general election at which either the mayor, state officials or federal officials are to be elected.”
For these reasons, the Stamford DCC urges voters to “vote no” on the Charter Revision ballot question on Tuesday, November 7th.
For more information about the Charter Revision, please click here.