The Ward 1 Aldermanic Endorsement Vote will take place April 17, the Ward 1 Democratic Committee decided Sunday night. The vote, open to all Ward 1 residents registered as Democrats, will determine which aldermanic candidate will receive the Ward Committee endorsement. The Democratic Town Committee customarily chooses the Democratic nominee for each ward in accordance with the recommendation made by the Ward Committee. The Ward 1 endorsement vote did not exist until the 2007 aldermanic election — previously, only ward committee members voted for the endorsement. The committee reformed the process in response to concerns that the endorsement from the previous aldermanic election did not reflect the views of the ward constituency, who voted Nick Shalek ’05 into office as an Independent after he failed to gain the Ward Committee endorsement.