Groton Town Councilor Aundré Bumgardner edged incumbent city Mayor Keith Hedrick by five votes, 335-330, in Monday s Democratic mayoral primary, triggering a recount.
In-person voter turnout was 29% among the city s 1,851 Democratic voters eligible to vote in the primary, according to Registrar of Voters Kristen Venditti. Overall turnout including absentee ballots was about 36%.
A recount will take place at 5 p.m. Friday, she said. I am honored by the support for my campaign shown in today s vote and trust that our city election system will declare the final vote tally fairly, said Bumgardner. I commend Mayor Hedrick on an energetic campaign that explored many issues critical to our city s future. Whatever the outcome of the recount is, I look forward to continuing to work for the betterment of every resident of Groton City.
The Day - Firsthand experience with Hedrick s leadership in City of Groton - News from southeastern Connecticut
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The Day - Bumgardner is City of Groton s people s choice candidate - News from southeastern Connecticut
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Published February 23. 2021 6:23PM
Young people are the future, we hear, leading politicians to relentlessly encourage us to become involved and bring our ideas to the table. I recall volunteering for the Groton Democrats during the 2019 municipal election and hearing from these leaders, Mayor Hedrick included, about the importance of youth activism. I felt inspired, as they led me to believe that young peoples’ voices are valued.
However, it appears that youth involvement means little to them when young people, like Aundré Bumgardner, challenge their authority.
Bumgardner has been accused of being too inexperienced to be mayor. This claim stems from Aundré’s youth, an assertion that aims to paint young people as naïve and unqualified. This argument is designed to discredit us, allowing the status-quo to maintain power.