Judge Rules On South Windsor Charter Timing

Connecticut Superior Court Judge Carl Schuman ruled on June 1 that South Windsor’s 2025 charter revisions did not take effect in time to control the town council election held the same day, according to reporting by CT News Junkie. The decision addressed a dispute that has hung over the town since the Nov. 4, 2025 municipal election, when voters approved charter changes by referendum while also casting ballots for town council. The case turned on whether the newly approved “bare majority” rule limiting one party to five of nine council seats applied immediately after the vote or only in a later election. Harrison Amadasun, a Democrat who received more votes than Republican Richard Balboni, had challenged the town clerk’s decision to award the final seat to Balboni. ### Why was one council seat disputed after election night? The Nov. 4, 2025 election produced six Democratic vote-getters ahead of any Republican candidate, according to the Connecticut Supreme Court’s description of the case. Amadasun was the sixth-highest Democratic finisher, and Balboni was the fourth-highest Republican finisher. Town Clerk Bonnie Armstrong then applied a newly approved charter revision that reduced the maximum representation of one party on the nine-member council from six seats to five, and she awarded the last seat to Balboni instead of Amadasun. (ctnewsjunkie.com) Patch reported that Amadasun received 3,847 votes and Balboni received 2,937. Democrats argued the charter revision was meant for future elections and that applying it to the 2025 result changed the outcome after ballots were cast. ### What did voters actually approve in the charter referendum? South Windsor voters approved charter changes in a referendum held on the same day as the municipal election, Nov. 4, 2025. (jud.ct.gov) A town notice posted on Nov. 6 said the approved revisions were effective Nov. 5, 2025, except for Section 610, which would take effect in November 2027. That same notice said the revisions included language providing that no political party could nominate more than five candidates for town council, no elector could vote for more than five council members, and no party could hold more than a bare majority on the council. (patch.com) The Town Council’s April 2025 resolution calling the referendum asked voters a single question on whether the charter should be amended as proposed by the Charter Revision Commission and approved by the council. The commission’s January 2025 report laid out the broader revision package that went to the council. ### How did the case get back in front of a trial judge? (southwindsor-ct.gov) The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled in January 2026 that Amadasun could continue his challenge because Armstrong’s decision counted as a “ruling of an election official” under state election statutes. The justices reversed an earlier trial-court dismissal and sent the case back for further proceedings. In its opinion, the court said the dispute was specifically about whether charter revisions approved in the Nov. 4, 2025 referendum determined the outcome of the council election conducted that same day. (southwindsor-ct.gov) An April 1 hearing in Hartford before Schuman marked the next major step after that remand, Patch reported at the time. ### What did Schuman decide about the charter’s timing? CT News Junkie reported on June 1 that Schuman found the charter changes were not in effect soon enough to govern the election held on Nov. 4, 2025. That resolved the core timing question that had divided town officials and Democrats since the vote. (jud.ct.gov) The ruling, as described by CT News Junkie, means Amadasun must be awarded the council seat because he received more votes than Balboni under the preexisting rules. (patch.com) The town’s own Nov. 6, 2025 notice had said the approved changes were effective Nov. 5, 2025. The Supreme Court’s earlier opinion also noted that minutes of a Charter Revision Commission meeting indicated the bare-majority revision, if approved, would not take effect until the November 2027 municipal election. ### Who are the main officials and parties in the case? (ctnewsjunkie.com) Bonnie Armstrong, South Windsor’s town clerk, is the named defendant because she made the post-election determination on how to apply the charter revision. Harrison Amadasun is the Democratic candidate seeking the seat, and Richard Balboni is the Republican council member who was awarded it after Armstrong applied the new rule. The Connecticut Supreme Court captioned the case as *Amadasun v. Armstrong, Town Clerk of South Windsor*. (southwindsor-ct.gov) South Windsor’s Town Council has also been dealing with litigation costs tied to the fight. Patch reported in May that the council approved an $11,400 legal bill tied to the disputed 2025 election. ### What happens next in South Windsor? June 1 is now the key date in the case unless an appeal is filed. CT News Junkie reported Schuman’s ruling on that date, and any further challenge would proceed through Connecticut’s appellate courts. (jud.ct.gov) South Windsor’s council composition will hinge on whether the ruling is implemented or paused during any appeal. (ctnewsjunkie.com) (patch.com)