ARTICLE I -- NAME The name of this Committee shall be the Maynard Democratic Town Committee ("the Town Committee"). ARTICLE II -- OBJECTIVES This Town Committee is organized and constituted under authority of and in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 52 of the General Laws of Massachusetts, and shall have as its purposes: to foster and advance the ideals and aims of the Democratic Party; to undertake activities necessary and incidental to the building and strengthening of the Democratic Party in Massachusetts; to organize and work for the election and appointment of members of the Democratic Party at the District, County, State and National levels. ARTICLE III -- MEMBERSHIP Section 1 -- Number of Voting Members. The Voting membership of the Town Committee shall consist of up to thirty-five (35) elected members plus any 20-Year Members, as defined in Article III, Section 7 of these bylaws. Elected members of the Town Committee shall consist of up to thirty five (35) registered Democrats either elected at the Presidential Primary for a period of four (4) years ending thirty (30) days following the day of the next Presidential Primary or elected to membership by the Voting members of this Town Committee in conformance with the provisions of law and these bylaws. Section 2 -- Organization of Committee. As described under Article IV of these bylaws, the Town Committee shall hold an organizational meeting to elect from its Voting Members a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Affirmative Action and Outreach Advisor, Press Officer, and Webmaster and such other officers as it may decide to elect. Two Co-chairpersons may be elected in lieu of one Chairperson and one Vice-Chairperson. The Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson shall be of the opposite sex. If Co-Chairpersons are deemed advisable, Co-Chairpersons shall be of the opposite sex. The same person may hold the office Press Officer and Webmaster. The same person may hold the office Secretary and the Press Officer. At this organizational meeting, the Town Committee may add to its Voting members provided the number of members does not exceed the total allowed under Section 9 of Chapter 52 of the General Laws of Massachusetts, as found on file with the Secretary of State's office, and under Article III, Section 1 of these bylaws. Section 3 -- Filling Vacancies in Voting Membership. At a regularly scheduled meeting, any vacancies occurring in the Voting membership shall be filled by a vote of the remaining Voting Members. Associate Members shall be the only candidates considered to fill the vacancies. (This requirement may be waived if two-thirds of the Voting Members at a duly called meeting vote to waive the requirement). The individual being elected to fill a vacancy must be present at the meeting at which he/she is nominated and elected to the Voting membership. An Associate Member must either attend at least two Town Committee meetings, participate in at least two other Town Committee activities, or attend one Town Committee meeting and participate in one Town Committee activity, before a Voting Member may nominate an Associate Member to fill a vacancy in the Voting membership. Section 4 -- Election of Associate Members. Associate Members are non-voting members. The election of Associate Members must be accomplished by a Voting Member nominating an individual and Voting Members electing the nominee by a voice vote at a duly called meeting at which the nominee is in attendance. Section 5 -- Voting Privileges. The privilege of holding office, initiating motions, and voting shall be limited to Voting Members. Section 6 -- Removal of Members. Any Voting or Associate Member of the Town Committee who moves from Maynard or disenrolls from the Democratic Party shall cease to be a member of the Town Committee at that time. In addition, members may be removed by a vote of a two-thirds majority of Voting Members at a duly called meeting of the Town Committee, using procedures guaranteeing adequate notice and due process as noted below, for one or more of the following reasons: · Failure to attend at least a third of the regularly scheduled Town Committee meetings during any calendar year; · Public support for or financial contribution to an opponent of a nominee of the Democratic Party who publicly supports the platform of the Democratic Party as adopted at the most recent state and national Democratic convention; · Unauthorized use of the Democratic Party name or resources; and/or · Conviction, after appeals are exhausted, of a criminal offense other than a misdemeanor. Any Member of the Town Committee may request that the Chairperson remove another Member for one or more of the above-mentioned reasons. The Chairperson must provide the Member with an opportunity to resign before notice of the hearing on the question of removal is given to the Members of the Town Committee. Seven (7) days prior to the hearing on the question of removal, the Secretary will provide all Voting and Associate Members with a notice of hearing for removal of the Member. The hearing on the question of removal could occur during a regularly scheduled meeting of the Town Committee. A Member removed under this section shall have thirty (30) days to appeal to the Executive Committee and the vacancy may not be filled in such case until the final decision of the Executive Committee is made. The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of the Town Committee and the at least one member of the Democratic State Committee residing in the District. The Chairperson of the Town Committee shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee and the Secretary of the Town Committee shall act as the Secretary of the Executive Committee. Section 7 -- "20-Year Members." Any member of the Town Committee who has served as such for a total of twenty (20) or more years will become a "20-Year Member" of the Town Committee. At this time, such member's elected position shall be vacated. "20-Year Members" of the Town Committee have all the rights, privileges, duties and responsibilities of elected members of the Town Committee, including full voting rights. "20-Year Members" shall not be included in the thirty-five (35) member limitation on the Town Committee as per Article Two, Section II of the Charter of the Democratic Party of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Section 8 - Responsibilities of Members. Members pledge themselves by accepting membership in the Town Committee to perform diligently and honorably their duties or resign. Members shall attend all regular meetings, when notified by the means described under Article VII, Section 3. Members who are absent from four successive regular meetings may be dropped from the current mailing list. All members of the Town Committee shall aid in the work of the Democratic Party in the Town of Maynard. Section 9 - In no way shall a member of the Town Committee endorse, support or provide financing for any candidate running against a Democrat in a partisan election. Section 10 Voluntary Annual Contribution. The Voting Members shall set the amount of the voluntary annual contribution every January. Voluntary annual contributions will be used to further the purposes of the Town Committee. The Treasurer shall be responsible for developing a system for the collection of the voluntary annual contributions. Section 11 - Statements of Policy. Members shall not issue statements of policy, written or oral, in the name of the Town Committee, unless and until approved at a duly called meeting and upon a vote by a majority of the Voting Members present. Section 12 - Reports on Membership. The Secretary shall, within ten (10) days after the organizational meeting of the Town Committee, file with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, the Secretary of the Commonwealth, the Secretary of the Democratic State Committee and the Town Clerk, a list of the officers and members of the Committee; and shall immediately file with the same officials a statement of the changes in the organization or membership of the Committee thereafter. ARTICLE IV -- OFFICERS AND THEIR ELECTION Section 1 - Officers. The officers of the Town Committee shall be Chairperson, or if deemed advisable, two Co-Chairpersons, Vice Chairperson (unless Co-chairpersons are deemed advisable), Secretary, Treasurer, Affirmative Action and Outreach Advisor, and Press Officer and Webmaster. These officers shall be elected at the Town Committee organizational meeting. Section 2 - Organizational Meeting to Elect Officers. Following the Presidential primary, the Town Committee will hold an organizational meeting to elect its officers. The organizational meeting shall occur within 10 days following the 30th day after the Presidential primary. In even-numbered non-Presidential years, the Town Committee will hold a meeting to elect the Officers of the Town Committee no later than April 15th. Officers assume their official duties at the close of the organizational meeting. All officers shall serve the duration of their term or until their successors are elected. Section 3 - Vacancies. In the event of the death, resignation or the permanent removal from the Town Committee of any of the above-named officers, their places shall be declared vacant and be filled by a vote of the Voting Members at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Committee. Voting Members will be notified in advance when the next regularly scheduled meeting will include the election of one of the above-named officers. Any person nominated for any office in the Town Committee must be present at the time he/she is nominated or present a letter of his/her intent to the Chairperson, in order to accept such nomination. The Secretary of the Town Committee shall send a statement of such changes in the officers of the Town Committee within 10 days to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, the Secretary of the Commonwealth, the Secretary of the Democratic State Committee and the Town Clerk.