FACT CHECK: How is Bloomfield’s Mayor Selected?

Following the Bloomfield Democratic Primary on September 9^th, misinformation began circulating on social media about how Bloomfield’s Mayor is selected.  Posts stated that the Town Council candidate receiving the “highest” number of votes in the November general election is elected Mayor.

That is incorrect.  Per Section 302 of the Charter, the newly elected Town Council, by majority vote, elects the Mayor (and the Deputy Mayor).  https://library.municode.com/ct/bloomfield/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CH_CHIIITHTOCO

For convenience, the relevant portion of Section 302 is reproduced below.

Section 302. – Mayor

“The Council shall meet on the call of the Town Manager within two (2) weeks after election and organize by electing by majority vote of all of its members one of its members to have the title of Mayor and serve as Chief Elected Official for the Town of Bloomfield and as Chairperson of the Council for a term of two (2) years, and, in addition, by majority vote, the Council shall elect a Deputy Mayor who shall serve as Vice-Chairperson of the Council. The Mayor shall preside over all meetings of the Council…The Council may by its Rules of Procedure define the duties of the Mayor.“

Note that there is no mention of the election vote tally in Section 302.

The Facts

Traditionally, the Council has chosen to elect the Councilor receiving the highest number of votes, but this is not and has never been a requirement.  Following the 2017 municipal general election, Suzette DeBeatham-Brown was elected by the Council even though she was not the top vote-getter – David Mann was.  Mann received 3,244 votes to DeBeatham-Brown’s 3,159. (Rickford Kirton was elected Deputy Mayor, even though he finished sixth in the voting.)

The Council can consider many factors in selecting both its Mayor (and Deputy Mayor).  Per Section 302, in addition to serving as the Chief Elected Officer of the Town, the Mayor serves as the “Chairperson” of the Council.  Fairness, temperament, ability to conduct meetings and maintain order, as well as ability to maintain appropriate and professional relationships with the Town Manager and town employees are considerations that come to mind.  While number of votes may be one factor the Council considers in electing the Mayor (and Deputy Mayor), it is not the only factor.