To the Editor:

I am again disappointed in the Guilderland Democratic Committee’s lack of information regarding choosing our town representatives. There was a recently held caucus where all Democrats in the town are supposed to be notified by the Democratic Committee and are able to attend this event to choose candidates for the upcoming elections.

The caucus is the “primary” that other towns use, but ours is not a set date and publicized like a primary normally is. (Guilderland Republicans do use the primary system.)

I looked everywhere for notices regarding the caucus date set by the committee, and inquired with Democratic committee members. I learned the caucus was to be held Thursday, Aug. 13, and that the committee was sent letters and a few paper notices were posted in places like Stewart’s and Stuyvesant Plaza bulletin boards.

Then, to my surprise, the event was changed without any notification; moved up three weeks to Thursday, July 23.  I am shocked that this was allowed, with only a few people in the know and most of Guilderland’s 5,000 to 6,000 Democratic voters left in the dark.

Even many committee members themselves were scrambling, with vacation and other plans already scheduled.  It is very concerning to me that the whole process is so closed and secretive.

I would hope that the process changes, that an open call for candidates appears in local papers, that a transparent process is adopted announcing the process and candidates, and a public primary is used. It is long overdue.

Kathy Burbank

Guilderland

Editor’s note: Kathy Burbank, formerly director of the Guilderland Chamber of Commerce and briefly head of Community Caregivers, said she had been asked by Guilderland Democratic Party leaders to run for supervisor before Peter Barber was endorsed instead.