Burlington Democrats have changed the date of their nominating caucus for a special city council election after originally scheduling it after a key deadline.

The change happened only after a Seven Days reporter informed the party of its mistake.

The Burlington Democratic Committee had planned to caucus on Tuesday, June 22 — a day after candidate petitions are due to the city clerk's office — for the August 17 Ward 3 special election. With a June 22 caucus, the Democrats' chosen candidate wouldn't have been able to run at all.

Seven Days notified party chair Adam Roof, a former city councilor, of the scheduling snafu on Friday afternoon. Roof said he thought the petition deadline was June 23 and has since rescheduled the caucus to June 18. Voting will be conducted online between June 18 and 20, Roof said.

Burlington Progressives have not yet scheduled a caucus but are planning a virtual candidate forum at 7:30 p.m. on June 9 on Facebook Live, the party announced on Friday.

The special election will fill a vacancy created by former councilor Brian Pine, who resigned after being named director of the city's Community and Economic Development Office late last month. Pine had served Ward 3, which covers a section of Burlington's Old North End, since 2018.

The area has traditionally voted Progressive, including in the March mayoral election, when City Council President Max Tracy (P-Ward 2) won 55 percent of the vote. Incumbent Mayor Miro Weinberger, a Democrat, won just 31 percent of the ward but ultimately won reelection.

Two candidates have already emerged for the seat: Owen Milne and Ryan Addario each plans to seek both the Progressive and Democratic nominations. Milne works as the executive director of the Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center, and Addario is the development and marketing coordinator for the Lyric Theatre Company.

Progressive Party director Josh Wronski said party officials have met with a handful of interested people, but he wouldn't disclose any potential candidates' names.

Assistant City Clerk Amy Bovee said her office will request council approval to mail ballots to all active, registered Ward 3 voters. If the council agrees, ballots would be sent out no later than July 3, Bovee said.