(BLOOMINGTON) – The Monroe County Democratic Party Executive Committee has chosen to not issue a censure of Marty Spechler at this time and instead opts to clarify that Ron Smith is the sole Democratic candidate for City Council in District 3.
The Monroe County Democratic Party Central Committee held a meeting on August 26, 2019, to discuss how to best proceed with regard to the Bloomington City Council race in District 3.
The question was whether Mr. Spechler, Independent candidate for Bloomington City Council District 3, a current Democratic member of the Bloomington Township Board, and a former Democratic City Council member, should face censure by MCDP per the Indiana Democratic Party bylaws regarding censure for his decision to run as an Independent.
According to the Indiana Democratic Party rules, “an elected official who renounces the party or switches to another party may be publicly denounced.” The question faced considerable discussion among MCDP Precinct Chairs and Vice Chairs and then with consideration by the MCDP leadership.
At this time, Mr. Spechler has not labeled himself as a Democrat on his campaign literature for Bloomington City Council, despite previously and currently serving as a Democrat in an elected office. Should Mr. Spechler refer to himself as a Democrat in writing on his campaign literature, on his campaign social media page, or elsewhere, MCDP shall reconsider censure.
The MCDP strongly encourages all Democrats in District 3 to vote for Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith filed for candidacy as a Democrat in January 2019 and won the Democratic primary in May 2019.
