WESTFIELD — Seven weeks after losing his race for a seat on the Westfield School Committee, Jeffrey L. Gosselin filed suit against the Westfield Democratic City Committee, claiming it refused to fund his campaign.
In the page-long, handwritten complaint that he filed to the Hampden District Superior Court the day after Christmas, Gosselin said the organization’s bylaws state that all Democratic candidates must receive financial support in elections for municipal, state and federal office.
The lawsuit, in which he is representing himself, asks for court fees and $20 — the amount of his dues to be a member of the Westfield Democratic City Committee in 2023.
Gosselin and the Westfield Democratic City Committee did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Gosselin came in fifth place in a six-way race for three seats on the Westfield School Committee, according to The Westfield News. In the November election, he received 1,829 votes.
Gosselin is a former member of the School Committee. He previously said he was first unanimously appointed to the body in September 2007 following the death of his mother, who sat on the committee for three terms.
Gosselin’s complaint says that he requested financial assistance and was denied at two committee meetings, one on Sept. 14 and the other on Oct. 12.
In his campaign finance report, Gosselin lists himself and three other individuals as financial contributors to his campaign. Much like Gosselin’s report, the campaign finance reports of the three election winners — Bo Sullivan, Michael Tirrell and Jeffrey Gunther — do not list any financial contribution from the committee.
The school committee in Westfield is nonpartisan.
