Hon. Mayor Hoydick,
I am writing to dispense with the usual partisan rhetoric of the season to express serious concerns for the upcoming election, and to ensure that every candidate in Stratford receives fair and equitable treatment, preserving the integrity of our electoral process.
Both current Registrars of Voters’ are on the ballot this year. One, Lou Decilio, is the Republican Town Committee Chair, who has supported smear campaigns against Democrats, especially Phil Young, the Democratic candidate for 120th State Representative. Further, he recently submitted a letter to the editor against Mr. Young further calling into question his objectivity towards this race. The other Registrar, Rick Marcone, has already lost the Democratic primary and is running as a petitioning candidate. The staff of the Registrar’s office have been actively assisting Mr. Marcone with his continued efforts to run, and supporters of his campaign include several Republican members of the Town Council and the Mayor’s office.
The two town employees responsible for ensuring a fair election, by their own actions, have called into question their impartiality, but beyond mere theory they have demonstrated operational shortcomings in the past. In 2018, the last time the 120th district representative seat was on the ballot, these same two registrars oversaw what became a major story when they provided the wrong ballots to one polling location. Follow that with yesterday’s revelation that several hundred Stratford voters were sent the wrong ballots due to their errors, and these concerns become increasingly realistic.
Due to COVID-19, I have been informed that unofficial poll checkers are not an option for us to be able to monitor Election Day proceedings more closely. Bridgeport recently was able to secure a state provided election monitor, however I am skeptical this option would be open to us, particularly at this late date.
In light of these issues calling into question the impartiality and competency of the officials monitoring the election, combined with a restriction on additional oversight, I ask what steps are being taken by the Town of Stratford to ensure no further events impact the legitimacy and fairness of Stratford’s process?
I look forward to your timely reply.
Sincerely,
Steven Taccogna
Chairman
Stratford Democratic Town Committee
CC: Brian LeClerc, Susan Pawluk, Lou Decilio, Rick Marcone, Denise Merrill, Ted Bromley
