Bridgeport politics can be a contact sport in more ways than one. Upper East Side political foes Maria Pereira and Tony Barr have both filed civil protective orders against each other in Superior Court.
A hearing on Pereira’s complaint is scheduled for Thursday. Barr, in a rejoinder, will have his hearing next week. Barr filed his court complaint one week after Pereira.
Barr was part of a March Democratic Town Committee slate that swept all nine seats against the coalition of Pereira, a school board member and former leader from the 138th District.
Barr has taken to his Facebook page to excoriate Pereira who asserts in her filing “I am concerned for my safety and well-being for several reasons. Mr. Barr is delusional and completely disconnected from reality which may point to mental health issues.”
Barr’s complaint: “The respondent has come to my home with threatening words and has said to me directly and to countless others that I am a drunk.”
Pereira and Barr have faced recent scrapes with the law: Pereira for allegedly interfering with police during a forum at Success Village; Barr for a cop altercation after receiving a parking ticket.
They are challenging their respective cases.
Barr spent 20 years in prison for drug gang activity. He was a petitioning candidate for mayor in 2015. He finished last, in a seven-candidate field, garnering 24 votes citywide. In 2016 he entered a guilty plea for threatening to shoot Mayor Joe Ganim. He was sentenced to a suspended six-month sentence.
Pereira has twice won citywide school board races, the last in 2015. She’s up for reelection in 2019.
“Barr spent 20 years in prison for drug gang activity. He was a petitioning candidate for mayor in 2015. He finished last, in a seven-candidate field, garnering 24 votes citywide. In 2016 he entered a guilty plea for threatening to shoot Mayor Joe Ganim. He was sentenced to a suspended, six-month sentence.
“Pereira has twice won citywide school board races, the last in 2015. She’s up for reelection in 2019.”
Credibility is important here.
Absolutely right. Let’s face facts here: the guy has MANY issues. Many may not even comment out of fear! I’ve witnessed some incidents of him speaking in front of the Council a couple of years ago and it reminded me of being sent on a call to respond to an “EDP”. Police lingo for an emotionally disturbed person. I call it like I see it!! Maria does as well !! Only in Bridgeport…….
It isn’t hard to predict that Maria will be granted some form of court-ordered protection from contact and intimidation tactics from Mr. Barr. It is rather obvious that Mr. Barr is being utilized/deployed, in a public way, by political factions opposing certain other political factions at public hearings regarding certain issues… He resonates, in obvious ways, with certain opposition factions concerning certain issues at public meetings (shouting, making direct, negative references concerning speakers and interfering with/disrupting their presentations at public meetings)… I witnessed such activity at the recent special education meeting concerning the specifics of the Bassick High replacement initiative (on December 1 at Bassick High), during which he, in obvious concert with certain BOE members (Chris Taylor, et al., using false statements describable in terms of “race-baiting”) engaged in speaker-interruption (of BOE member Maria Pereira and members of the public/audience speakers), interjection of inflammatory/false information, and generally inappropriate, disallowed meeting behavior, that had the unmistakable hallmarks and effects of intimidation tactics intended to discourage the presentation of a specific point of view… This couldn’t help but conjure comparisons of “company,” anti-union goons attempting to derail union organizing in another century…
When considered in the context of Mr. Barr’s history of violent behavior and threatening of public officials with violence, it is hard to imagine that a judge won’t decide to limit his contact/interaction with a politically-active member of the community that has been a focus of his inappropriate, rude and intimidating meeting behavior several times in the past…
Political disagreement, even in this age of Trump, must be kept to a level of civil discourse involving defensible subject matter… For persons participating in public forums, this manner of discourse is the only allowable type, and those not following basic civil rules of order in this regard, must forfeit their right of public interaction.contact with the objects of their disagreement… Politics can be psychologically brutal, by its nature, but must never be allowed to stray toward the physical, even in a tough place like Bridgeport. When that happens, no-one can win, and the City must lose…
Jeff the general mob mentality at that special BOE meeting has been conveniently overlooked by those in power
Thanks for eloquently shedding light on it
I would urge anyone in need of a state matshal to NOT use Christopher Paoletti located at 3301 Main Street in Bridgeport under any circumstances.
This Marshal was on duty at the court house located on Main St. in Bridgeport. I personally handed him the documents to serve. He asked me if there was an apartment number. I explained it was a multi-unit building, however no unit # was on the DTC list. I suggested he knock on doors or check for names on mailboxes. He asked me for my phone number in case there were any problems.
.Marshal Christopher Paoletti NEVER contacted me to inform me he nevee served the documents. I had no idea that the papers were not served until Judge Bellis told me in court.
I called this Christopher Paoletti and let him have it, I spoke with his supervisor, and I contacted the state agency that oversees state marshals. They faxed me a complaint form which I will be completeing and submitting.
Dan Tepfer looks like an outdated Muppet! Balding, disheveled and hunched over.