Proclaiming he is “committed to ensuring that every corner of this district is treated with equity and fairness, especially among those of us less fortunate,” school board chair Dennis Bradley on Friday formally declared his candidacy for State Senate challenging incumbent Ed Gomes in an August Democratic primary. Connecticut’s 23rd District covers about two-thirds of Bridgeport and a portion of western Stratford.
Bradley has been working delegates to the endorsement convention that will be scheduled in May. Carolyn Vermont, former president of the Greater Bridgeport NAACP, is the campaign treasurer.
Bradley issued this statement:
It is with great excitement that I am announcing my candidacy for the 23rd Senatorial District. As a local practicing attorney, I advocate for the rights of our residents on a daily basis and seek resolutions to the problems that our community faces. On the Bridgeport Board of Education, I am intimately involved with bettering our students’ future. And from my position, I can tell you the system is broken. We have an educational system that does not equip our youth for the responsibilities of adulthood that rest on the citizens of the 23rd district.
We have families who work day in and day out and yet struggle to keep up with their bills because they are denied a living wage. We have veterans who are left empty handed and searching for a way to reintegrate into our society. We have a state that continues to strip the good people of Bridgeport and Stratford the dignity of decent paying job opportunities. We have a system that has dedicated itself to incarcerate rather than educate our youth. We need a Connecticut that stands up for our children, stands up for the working people, and provides justice for our communities.
During this difficult budget season we cannot wait for Hartford to recognize that we have yet to get our fair share. As an attorney, I am committed to ensuring that every corner of this district is treated with equity and fairness, especially among those of us less fortunate. As an advocate for education, I am committed to strategies of action for our schools. As a resident of the 23rd district, I will no longer accept our community being underfunded and underrepresented. That is why I ask for your support for State Senate. I look forward to the opportunity to serve you.
“Committed to ensuring that every corner of this district is treated with equity and fairness, especially among those of us less fortunate,” That’s completely rich.
Insult the intelligence of your constituents much? The only thing you are committed to is winning at any cost, in any manner.
The City of Bridgeport has yet to witness your commitment to anything but your own political ambition. You come off heinously insincere and with good reason–you are. Folks are onto you, Dennis. Don’t be fooled by your overinflated ego.
*** PLEASE DON’T BOTHER, WE HAVE ENOUGH SLACKERS UP AT THE STATE CAPITOL. ***
Mr. Bradley is quoted as following: “As an attorney, I am committed to ensuring that every corner of this district is treated with equity and fairness, especially among those of us less fortunate. As an advocate for education, I am committed to strategies of action for our schools.”
Shouldn’t this read “as your next State senator in the 23rd District?” What does his being an attorney have to do with this?
I have an idea. Why don’t you treat every “resident” of this district with “equity and fairness.”
Like Angel Reyes who served as your campaign manager when you ran for state rep. in 2014, and is still waiting to be paid just $1 dollar of the $6,000 you owe him. The same Angel Reyes who paid you $8,000 to be his campaign manager when he ran for state rep. in 2012. He paid you every dollar. He, his wife and family live in a “corner” of your district.
What about Ms. Moore, who lives in the Thomas Hooker “corner” of your district. Who when I knocked on her door this summer told me she would never vote for you because you were a “crook.” She shared she paid you $8,000 to stop her husband from being deported.
She shared he was deported after you filled out the forms incorrectly and the judge admonished you for your “sloppy” work. She then asked to have a portion of the fee refunded and according to her you refused.
What about as an “attorney,” you couldn’t so much as complete our BOE campaign filing correctly twice and it was I who caught the errors.
What about the fact you appointed your girlfriend as our deputy treasurer without Ben or my knowledge after we agreed it was going to be one of your staff, and when we questioned you on it you stated “I made an executive decision.”
What about the fact you had repeatedly told Ben and me you raised $1,000 early on in our fundraising efforts, and although I repeatedly followed up on where you were with raising additional funds you indicated you had even more donations coming in, however after I asked our treasurer what amount was available on the Treasurer’s Report you had her sign for the “7 Day Preceding” the Primary filing it appeared we had almost $2,000 less than we should have had.
What about when I examined the report just 5 days before the Democratic Primary on September 16th and determined only Ben and I had raised a single dollar and you had raised ZERO, and were riding on our backs to being elected.
What about every single page of the report had significant errors and a 9th grade student could have done a better job.
What about that hundreds of dollars in donations I personally handed to you from Ben and my fundraising efforts that were missing and never accounted for including a $100 cash donation.
What about your repeated whining about the “quality of our walk piece” and the “quality of the paper” and telling me you weren’t going to contribute towards the cost knowing full well you had not raised $1 for our BOE campaign.
An “advocate for education.” You attended your very first BBOE meeting in 2015 and had to be pressured into attending them while you were running for the BBOE.
You have the worst attendance record of any BBOE member in attending committee meetings, including the committees you appointed yourself to serve on.
We were facing a $4.2 million dollar deficit the day you were elected as the Chair of the BBOE and you have yet to attend a single Finance Committee meeting.
After you stated publicly you would be attending Bridgeport Day in Hartford; you never showed up. It was Ben, Sauda and I who tried to lobby legislators in Hartford.
You sir, are an absolute charlatan, snake oil salesman, and completely unethical.
WOW Maria, you’re good!
Maria, is this the same Dennis Bradley you introduced me to at a Ganim fundraiser this summer? He was on your slate for the BOE? I do not know much about Dennis Bradley, but while campaigning this summer, I caught him at the Asian Festival on Wood Avenue. He did an amazing job as emcee. I do know he is liked by many. He is educated, eloquent and I would listen to his platform. I have a great deal of respect for Ed Gomes, but I will not dismiss him. Our city is best served by having many candidates who can offer their vision. I never judge anyone by other people’s opinions. I am sure Ed Gomes welcomes the competition. As Marilyn Mooree is excited to run against Tom McCarthy and Charlie Stallworth running against OIB royalty Maria Pereira. I am excited about the Clinton campaign as well as a few candidates I will be supporting. If you are not a Clinton supporter or a Ganim supporter for the sake of our city, I am not interested.
Congratulations to Tom McCarthy for throwing his hat in the ring.
He won his race, with Clinton, in the Bridgeport races mentioned. 🙂
Steve, I’m with you “Hillary all the way.” But for the record, Dennis did not initially support Ganim, in fact he made comments regarding Joe G. that made Finch look like a boy scout. Midway through the primary he came aboard.
Lisa, I certainly did not support Joe during the election. He knew I was a staunch Finch supporter! Joe Ganim is “our” Mayor. I support his efforts 100 percent and hope he succeeds. I could care less who Dennis Bradley supported before, during or after the campaign. If he supports Ganim, that is a start. I believe Mayor Ganim deserves people in Hartford who support his initiatives and not their own personal agendas.
Steve, who are you supporting in these races? Bam, I’m out forever. 🙂
I am supporting Hillary Clinton for President. I will refrain from sharing my choices until the nominating process happens. Outside my district I will share later. I am pro-Bridgeport. My candidates will support my Presidential choice and our Mayor.
Jesus. Steve, you supported and campaigned for Finch and Foster against Ganim. Now you’re claiming you’re not interested in anybody who’s not in support of Ganim because you’re pro-Bridgeport. All the candidates are pro-Bridgeport. So if Maria wins, you’ll be supporting her or any other candidate who wins. Why are you tying your candidates to Clinton? Can you still be pro-Bridgeport and support Bern, a more socialist candidate? And if Bern wins, will you be supporting him or convert to being a Republican? Considering Bridgeport’s longest and favorite mayor was socialist. So in a nutshell your comments and who your candidates are and who you’re supporting are meaningless, because they and their supporters are all pro-Bridgeport. We choose our candidates for what they stand for. As a racist person. I’m Portuguese and I’m supporting Maria and Gomes because they are Portuguese. Bam, I’m out forever, ever.
Robert, I made my position clear. I supported Finch. As long as Ganim is Mayor I will support his efforts. I did not support the “anyone but Ganim” effort. I am not looking to derail our Mayor’s efforts to keep the positive momentum going. You mention my friend Maria Pereira. She is a very capable woman. She doesn’t support my candidate for President and she doesn’t support our Mayor after I had to listen to her incessant rants against my candidate Bill Finch. For the record, I publicly acknowledge it was a huge mistake to support MJF. I did that out of respect for Bill Finch and that was a mistake. I told Ganim, if Finch were out of the race I would support him. After Finch’s announcement I was sucked into supporting Foster. Never even received a thank you, mind you! So Robert Teixeira, the new and improved Auerbach has his own criteria for supporting candidates.
Robert , BTW if Bernie is the nominee I will support him. The only respectable candidate running in the Republican party is John Kasich. Good luck to him!
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Dennis Bradley, what have you done? Where were you when Mayor Finch was taking over the BOE illegally?
Ron, I know where he wasn’t, by Maria’s side. Maria was fighting valiantly to keep BOE out of lying Bill Finch’s hands. She’s so dedicated to this city. She walked door to door campaigning on behave of Joe Gamin, with passion, selflessness, and relentlessly trying to save the city she loves so dearly. She knew it was a long shot. However this self-describe passionate political savant felt in her gut. If she worked hard enough and was able to guide this lost soul who was seeking redemption from his prior sins he committed upon the city she adores with all her heart. This brilliantly intelligent, fierce vivacious woman could lead this lost soul to victory denying lying Bill Finch to continue his reign of terror on the City of Bridgeport. A feat that can only be compared to Superman against Lex Luthor. How will this city show their gratitude to Bridgeport’s Superwoman who ultimately led that lost soul to victory. Hey Ron, I know what Maria has done. Bam, I’m out. 🙂
The fact this man cannot lead a Board of Education meeting without being corrected no fewer than 10 times, yet wants to be a State Senator is baffling to me.
Dennis Bradley cannot even apologize to parents who requested an apology after he had offended them.
I will make sure my friends and family in his district know exactly who he is, what he stands for, and how he currently treats parents. He will not get the votes.
Mr. Bradley, insulting BPS parents was the worst thing you could have done. You picked the wrong group of voters to anger.
I have said it once, and will say it again. There are a lot more of us than there are of you.
By the way, your YouTube video announcement is really poor.
Maybe you should have taken the holiday lights off the railing on the right before you started rolling.
Maybe you should have invested in a quality free-flowing American flag instead of a $2 flag from Party City which appears to be sticking out of a wall sconce.
Maybe the shot should have been tightened to eliminate the odd aluminum siding on the right and the disproportionate amount of irrelevant space to your left.
Everything he does is half-_____.
Talk about doing things”half-*****.”
The website he has listed in his announcement video isn’t even up and running.
Not to mention it sounds like he stole the music from HBO’s The Leftovers.
Lol. Just wow.
Just another pretty face empty suit with no substance.
www .youtube.com/watch?v=1QTRq-I6QCo
I’m sure there must be someone on OIB who will speak up for Dennis Bradley running against Ed Gomes and tell us what Bradley has done or maybe Bradley will join in on the dialog.
Stevie A. will be more than happy to tell us all about Mr. Bradley’s claim to fame.
I am supporting Hillary Clinton for President. I will refrain from sharing my choices until the nominating process happens. Outside my district I will share later. I am pro-Bridgeport. My candidates will support my Presidential choice and our Mayor.
Dennis Bradley is not in my district, Jim Fox. I do not think it is necessary to do a character assassination of him. I am certain, like Ed Gomes, Dennis Bradley has many redeeming qualities.
These are strange times in general, and because we focus on Bridgeport, things sometimes seem even stranger.
Is anyone paying attention to the Federal, State, and local fiscal meltdowns? Trillions of obligations, unbalanced budgets at State and local, and a world economy that seems to be kept alive by hype?
So my friend Steve Auerbach (and others) are again speculating about candidates for office but since he does not “follow the money,” he does not concern himself with that subject. Why not, Steve? Look at what your candidate Mayor Finch left us with. A current year budget undone. Public Safety pension payment schedules crowding out other departments and forcing higher taxes. And the movement of money in his last month in office that, if investigated, will likely be found illegal. Time will tell.
Ed Gomes has a history, no make that a lifetime, of fighting for the working class. As an elected Union official at Carpenter Steel, as a staff member of the Steelworkers, as a City Council Representative and as a State Senator.
Ed Gomes was at the feet first March in Washington and has continuously fought for civil rights in the community, in the state legislature and in lobbying legislators in DC as a union official.
Ed Gomes, despite his gruff appearance, has worked with other legislators and the Democratic Party leadership in Hartford.
So please Dennis, please let us know what is so despicable with Senator Gomes, you feel compelled to run against the good senator.
Or is it merely Mario and Joe want to teach him a lesson for not supporting Joe for Mayor? And you are all too eager to do their bidding.
Bob Walsh, who is Ed Gomes supporting for President? Who is Marilyn Moore supporting?
The good thing about Bernie running against Clinton is he’s pushing her to left where she wouldn’t go. Thanks Bernie, because we don’t need another Bill trying to appeal to Republicans.
Dennis Bradley Let’s see. Does not have the parents’ best interest in mind, allowing members of his board to walk out on parents without giving them a chance to their opinions, disregarding their right of speech. Is that what you’re going to do in Hartford, Mr. DB? Then while holding another meeting and parents are speaking to him directly, he’s texting on his phone and pulling out paperwork and files, not giving the parents his undivided attention. Is that what you’re going to do in Hartford, DB?
It’s clear you don’t know what you’re doing on that board of education when in front of every meeting you’re constantly being corrected by the BBOE. Is that what you’re going to do in Hartford, DB?
Making your girlfriend Treasurer, isn’t that a conflict of interest, DB? And then to secure the notion you claim it was a executive decision. Hmmm, I wonder why? Is that what you’re going to do in Hartford, DB?
You make a video on YouTube portraying yourself for the people, when in reality you’re a self-proclaimed hero who has trampled and used people to get to where you want to be. Is that what you’re going to do in Hartford, DB?
If you had any real patriotic blood and pride, you should have gone to Home Depot and purchased a true American flag and not the small dollar special you put on your video to seem patriotic, matter of fact I’ll campaign to get money so you can get one.
DB doesn’t only stand for Dennis Bradley. Come to think of it, I’ll also get you some vinegar and water.
Lisa, well I guess Mario got to Dennis Bradley and pulled his strings for Dennis to support Joe and probably they made the deal for him to run against Senator Gomes. With Maria not supporting Mario and Bradley running with Maria, well Mario picked off Bradley and took control of Bradley from Maria. As we can see, Dennis Bradley is not his own man.
Ron, you got that right. Mario has had this plan in effect for awhile. He interfered with my TC slate because he knew we would support Marilyn and the other slate would support McCarthy. He’s a conniving little man whose end will come in the next two years. That’s when his term is up.
Will Tuesday’s NY primary be Crash & Bern or Bern Baby, Bern?
Dennis Bradley is just another pawn in the Ganim/Testa grab for power. We have nothing but pawns and puppets in Bridgeport politics. And on top of that, he is a jerk.
“I will no longer accept our community being underfunded.” This sounds like an attempt to address the fact this decision to run is ill-timed and frame it a way that makes him seem more palatable. The fact is the current delegation are the ones holding the funding cards in their hands for Bridgeport right now. The only thing Bradley holds in his hand is a mirror.
Our sitting Senators are at the helm of the rescue vessel. The only vessel Dennis knows how to navigate is the Bradley express.
Steven Auerbach, you wrote // Apr 18, 2016 at 3:28 am, “I believe Mayor Ganim deserves people in Hartford who support his initiatives and not their own personal agendas.” It doesn’t work that easy like that in Hartford, the governor sets the agenda and then the State Reps and State Senators from each city and town will adjust what the governor wants, thereby they must have ability to compromise positions in order to get what they can for cities and towns. It doesn’t necessarily mean they must always vote on issues their mayor might want because at times they have to trade votes in order to get support on something else. My way or the highway mindset will get your city nothing. It’s all about having the ability to get others to support our needs but also their needs and at times they are not the same but you have open relationships in order to get votes.
Ron Mackey, I totally agree. Compromise is the ticket. Something Sanders will have to learn the way Clinton supporters did eight years ago. I do not think all candidates understand that concept, but I totally agree with you. I do not expect Ganim to give a dictate. I expect him to give a wish list and I expect our elected officials to support his efforts. Those are my expectations. Yes, compromise is the bottom line.
Steve, on that note we agree but Maria Pereira has NEVER shown that ability so her knowledge on a issue really wouldn’t matter because she is vote you’ll ALWAYS know you can’t go to her therefore there is no need to work with her as a State Rep. or even as a City Council member.
Steve, the ability to get others to support our needs but also their needs and at times they are not the same but you have open relationships in order to get votes and the ability to compromise positions to earn someone else’s vote is so important and Maria can’t do that and neither can Dennis Bradley. Bradley has shown he’s not loyal to anything or anybody but Dennis Bradley but now he must be loyal to Mario Testa or he has no future with Mario, he is nothing but a puppet for Mario, a puppet.
Ron, I think I may have confused you and others on this blog. So maybe I should be clear. I have a lot of respect for Senator Gomes. He is not in my district. He is a very accomplished Bridgeport icon. I do not have to agree with all his positions to be a supporter. I cannot vote for him or Dennis. I do not like the unnecessary character assassinations of Bradley. I also respect Aaron Turner, Gomes’ right-hand man. That being said, I also get the impression I am a staunch Maria supporter. I do not share her politics. I support Fran Rabinowitz as most Teachers in the school system and I support Charter schools. I have sold many assets in the 138th and still feel at home. Charles Stallworth is running. He may in fact be the candidate to watch.
I will say this on behalf of Maria Pereira, she is a passionate campaigner. She knows her constituents and does nothing other than campaign. We used to meet for a few laughs and political stories at the ’50s Diner, but alas she has burned that bridge and no alternative. Me, Bridgeport, the entire city is where I spend time. I expect Charlie Stallworth to address his opposition. He may have to be as ruthless and cruel as Maria but that is her strategy. She will knock on every door and know which of her constituents have hemorrhoids. She is an amazing campaigner but lacks social grace on the campaign trail. She has a very good argument against Stallworth. It is up to Stallworth to control the narrative yesterday because Maria began her campaign a month ago. 🙂 GLAD I AM NOT IN THE 138TH DISTRICT. OF COURSE MARIA IS A ONE-ISSUE WOMAN. BOE ISSUES. I’D LIKE TO SEE WHAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS HAVE HAPPENED WITH THE BOE. WILL SHE SUPPORT GANIM? HELL NO! AT LEAST SHE IS CONSISTENT. I TOLD GANIM WHAT WAS IN HIS FUTURE MONTHS BEFORE THE ELECTION AND I WAS ON THE MONEY. SHE IS HOWEVER AN EXCELLENT CANDIDATE AND CHARLIE STALLWORTH WILL HAVE TO STRATEGIZE TO DEFEND HIS RECORD. You can be sure Maria has already done her homework. She has all the time in the world. Does she have people supporting her? That is the question.
Steve, Mr. Ganim is not well-versed in the art of compromise. Did you read the newspaper article today about his proposed budget and mil rate increase? Bridgeport residents-open your wallets and give til it hurts, and it will.
Godiva2011, I did not read the article. I imagine Ganim has to do everything he can including cutting services before our taxes are raised. If he has had layoffs and furloughs, cut services to bare bones and patronage to a minimum then he has no choice to keep the city running. It will be bad for our reputation, it will be horrific for homeowners and it will deter any business from moving to Bridgeport. Homeowners pay monthly what people pay for rent in many towns in other states. It is sad!
Steve, I understand your position and you have made that known for some time on OIB.
Chris Caruso always did the door-to-door but the big differences are a number of things, Chris would listen where Maria wants to tell you. Chris knows how to form coalitions with different groups, something Maria knows nothing about. There are a number of people who supported Maria years ago when she first started but now they are like you and now they want nothing to do with her.
Steve would be just Ted Cruz in the U.S. Senate, yes he got elected but he can’t get anything passed and he is hated by his own party’s members in the Senate. If she got elected as a State Rep. she would hurt Bridgeport in their effort to get others to support our needs and to support others’ needs that she doesn’t like. Steve, one thing you can be sure of about Maria, she will not change, just like Ted Cruz.
Ron, again I need to be clear. I did not say I didn’t want to have anything to do with Maria Pereira. I do not share her politics. I have offered her my time and effort over the years. I generally enjoy having coffee with her. I have never let her shape my opinion on other friends. Jessica Martinez would be one of them. I respect people’s differences.
Chris Caruso is an amazing politician. He knows when and how to pick his battles. He gets things done. He is respected throughout the city. He is an experienced coalition builder. I always enjoy running into Chris. Maria P. is no Chris Caruso but she is an amazing campaigner! I do not throw relationships away and I wish her good luck in her efforts.
Steve, thanks for making that clear for me. Maybe you can tell what Maria has done that would make voters in her district vote for her as a State Rep.
Dear Dennis,
You’re out of your league. More up your alley:
thebachelor.warnerbros.com/GuyApplication.pdf
Pete Spain, wow, welcome back, miss your wisdom.
Pete Spain, did you just put up a link to the application for ABC’s Bachelorette?
Black Rock Brilliant! 🙂