Political Organization Demands ELEC Force Opponents to Change Name of Candidate Committee

The Power to the People team, a trio of Democratic candidates running for Mayor and City Council seats in New Brunswick, received a heavy-handed letter objecting to the name of a committee that the three candidates created for fundraising, with the state's blessing: City of New Brunswick Democrats.

An attorney representing the New Brunswick Democratic Organization (NBDO) sent the letter to the NJ Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC), demanding that the government entity reject the name and require the Power to the People team to come up with a new name.

On March 8, the Power to the People team publicly launched their campaign with a kickoff event at their campaign headquarters, with about 75 supporters in attendance.  For nearly a month now, they've been collecting donations in a "City of New Brunswick Democrats" bank account. 

But the NBDO's letter, dated March 10, claims that the name City of New Brunswick Democrats is too similar to a committee for the incumbent candidates, including nine-term Mayor Jim Cahill, who still have not publicly announced their candidacy.  A copy of the letter, postmarked March 16, was received by the fundraising arm of the Power to the People team on March 20.

"The NBDO is trying to control who can use the word Democrats, and that's not very democratic," said Charlie Kratovil, Power to the People candidate for Mayor.  "But the simple truth is that we followed the state's rules, and got permission to use the name."

Kratovil is joined on the Power to the People ticket by Doris Elliott and Yeni Mendez Romero, two New Brunswick residents and mothers who are running for City Council to deliver real change, with a policy agenda focused on affordability and safety.

The ELEC candidate manual provides two legal options for naming a joint candidate committee in partisan primary elections, including using the name of the municipality and the party of the candidates.

"The name of the joint candidates committee may not be the same as that of another political party committee or joint candidates committee," reads page 8 of the manual.  "If you are unsure as to whether or not the name you selected is already being used, contact the Compliance Division of the Commission."

Following those instructions, on February 9, the Power to the People team's treasurer contacted the Commission and spoke with a staff member who checked if the name in question was already being used.  The ELEC staffer confirmed that it was not in use, and that it could be used by the Power to the People team.

Paperwork was filed creating the "City of New Brunswick Democrats" as the joint candidate committee for Kratovil, Elliott and Mendez Romero on February 13.  Ten days later, the treasurer for Cahill and his ticket created a committee called "New Brunswick Democrats 2026."

See here for the political machine's letter to NJ ELEC