SOUTHWICK – Registered voters will have the opportunity to choose a candidate to run for one open seat on the Select Board and five seats on the School Committee this weekend.
The Democratic Town Committee is holding its caucus tonight from 7-8 p.m. at Town Hall in the Land Use Room, while the Republican Town Committee will hold its caucus tomorrow from 8-10 a.m. in the same location.
The vote will decide who will challenge incumbent Fred Arnold for the Select Board seat. Arnold took his current position when Nicholas Boldyga was elected state representative.
Because Granville joined the regional school district in the fall, all five of Southwick’s School Committee seats are up for election. There will be one representative each from Tolland and Granville elected by those towns.
The new Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School Committee will start fresh July 1.
The party caucus is a New England tradition, said Selectman Russell Fox, a member of the Republican Town Committee.
“It is a very traditional way to do things,” said Fox. “It’s democracy in action – having the caucus, holding town meetings, it puts everything out there in the open.”
Fox said once each party elects its candidates, the town clerk adds their names to the ballot. This year’s election takes place May 8.
In order to vote, a resident must already be registered. The town committees do not have the capability of registering voters at the caucus. Voters can cast just one vote in the caucus. Fox said a person must be a registered democrat or unenrolled to vote in the Democratic Caucus, or a registered republican or unenrolled to vote in the Republican Caucus.
