FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) –The Allen County Democratic Party has formally declared a caucus to address the vacant mayoral position following the untimely passing of Mayor Tom Henry.

According to state regulations, the caucus must be conducted within 30 days of the vacancy’s occurrence. Scheduled for Saturday, April 20th, at 10:30 a.m., the event will be hosted at the Lincoln Financial Event Center, located at Parkview Field.

Prior to the caucus, a town hall meeting featuring declared candidates will be held on Thursday, April 18th, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This town hall, to be moderated by Andy Downs, will take place at the David Hefner Pavilion in Franklin School Park, located at 1903 St. Mary’s Avenue.

All candidates who have filed by the April 17th 10:30 a.m. deadline and meet the requirements to run will attend the town hall and have an opportunity to speak to the public, and the Democratic precinct chairs who will vote in the vacancy caucus. The public is encouraged to attend, but some seats will be reserved for precinct chairs.

Aspiring candidates interested in filling the mayoral void must file a CEB-5 form with the ACDP no later than April 17th at 10:30 a.m. Following the deadline, the ACDP Central Committee will scrutinize all submissions to verify compliance with state-mandated criteria.

The caucus proceedings will be overseen by Allen County Democratic Party Chairman, Derek Camp, with Matthew Kochevar, an elections attorney, serving as Parliamentarian. Registration for precinct chairs commences at 9:30 a.m. and concludes at 10:15 a.m. Participation in the caucus is restricted to Democratic Precinct Chairs exclusively. Each candidate will have a five-minute window to address the attendees, adhering to an alphabetical order protocol.

To secure victory in the caucus, a candidate must garner 50% of the vote plus one. In the event of an inconclusive first ballot, a ten-minute intermission will precede subsequent rounds. For every subsequent ballot, candidates will be afforded two additional minutes to present their case, again following alphabetical order.

While the public is encouraged to attend the caucus, their seating will be separate from that of participating precinct chairs.

For inquiries regarding the caucus process, interested parties are encouraged to contact the Allen County Democratic Party directly.