Lawyer Challenges Simmons’s Spot on Independent Party Line for Stamford Mayor.

Jeffrey Hersh, a lawyer with an office in Greenwich, asserted in a letter to the Stamford City Clerk that Connecticut’s election laws preclude Democratic nominee Caroline Simmons from appearing on the Independent Party line. Hersh cited Connecticut statutes that preclude a candidate nominated by a major or minor party from petitioning onto another place on the ballot. Hersh represents Stamford resident Al Fiore.

Because the Independent Party did not nominate a candidate for mayor of Stamford at the last election–in 2017–it is neither a major nor a minor party in Stamford in this year’s mayoral contest. In order for the Independent Party to nominate a candidate this year, Simmons would have had to circulate petitions. Simmons is the Democratic candidate after winning a thumping primary victory this month, so she cannot petition onto any other ballot position.

Hersh’s arguments provide a reminder that Connecticut’s ballot access laws are an intended impediment to voters having more choices than what party establishments allow. Simmons might have raised this festering issue as a state legislator but it would have caused her to be alienated from legislative leaders.