New Bedford Election Commission needs new member after resignation
NEW BEDFORD – Election Commissioner Donald R. Gaudette Jr. has resigned from the New Bedford Election Commission, and Mayor Jon Mitchell has stated he intends to nominate a Democrat to fill the seat.
The New Bedford Democratic City Committee had requested that Gaudette resign in a letter to Gaudette and Mitchell because he had switched his party affiliation to Republican.
The four-member commission is supposed to be politically balanced by law, as well as to maintain trust in the process, according to the committee letter.
The letter acknowledges that Gaudette, who has served since 2017, is legally entitled to complete his term, but that “continuing to serve in this seat under a different party affiliation runs counter to the clear intent of the law, which is to ensure balanced political representation on the Election Commission.”
https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/news/2026/02/19/democrat-sought-to-fill-seat-on-new-bedford-election-commission/88727116007/