A still from surveillance video of City Councilwoman Maria Pereira inside the home of Agnes Thompson
Campaign supporters of Mayor Joe Ganim and his Tuesday primary opponent John Gomes are going tit for tat over absentee ballot irregularities, the Gomes camp firing at East End City Council candidate Eneida Martinez, seeking a comeback to the legislative body, and Martinez returning fire charging that City Councilwoman Maria Pereira broke into the home of an elderly woman on Thursday to seek an absentee ballot.
City spokesman Scott Apply said on Friday, “The Bridgeport Police are actively investigating this incident to determine if any criminal activity occurred.”
Pereira has for years been an aggressive pursuer of absentee ballot voters while also criticizing political enemies for doing the same.
At issue is the residence of 81-year-old Agnes Thompson who lives at Fireside Apartments on Palisade Avenue in Pereira’s Upper East Side District. OIB has confirmed that the Town Clerk’s Office processed an absentee ballot request by Thompson. Pereira is a Gomes supporter.
In addition multiple-minute video surveillance inside Thompson’s residence has been turned over to city housing authority that oversees Fireside apartments as well as law enforcement.
The Gomes campaign Thursday afternoon called a news conference to complain about absentee ballot impropriety in Martinez’s East End district.
Just hours prior, according to the timeline of video surveillance, Pereira is captured examining paperwork with clipboard in hand. Thompson was not in her home.
From the CT Post:
(Pereira )said she helped the resident request an absentee ballot, which she said the woman misplaced. Pereira said she then helped the woman request a replacement.
Pereira said the woman told her on Wednesday that she also misplaced the replacement ballot. Pereira said she told the woman she would come to her apartment on Thursday to look for the ballot.
“She said she would leave the door ajar if she was not there,” Pereira said. “And when I came the next morning, the door was slightly ajar.”
Pereira said she looked for the absentee ballot, didn’t find it and left.
Still, the questions linger: why would Pereira go to such lengths for one absentee ballot? She is not an official caretaker of the woman. Only an immediate family member or a caretaker can touch an absentee ballot.
Other senior citizens living in Fireside have also confirmed Pereira’s aggressiveness toward them to influence absentee ballots.
Martinez posted this on her Facebook page:
WELL, WELL, WELL LOOK AT WHAT WE HAVE HERE, NO OTHER THAN MARIA PEREIRA INSIDE OF AN ELDERLY WOMAN APARTMENT AT FIRESIDE APARTMENTS, LITERALLY GOING THROUGH THE LADIES MAIL/PAPERS LOOKING FOR HER MAILED BALLOT.
LET ME JUST SAY THIS, THE POOR ELDERLY WOMAN WAS NOT EVEN IN HER APARTMENT WHEN MARIA PEREIRA INVADED HER HOME.SO THIS IS THE TYPE OF TRANSPARENCY, LOYALTY AND INTEGRITY MARIA PEREIRA HAS FOR THE SENIORS OF THE 138TH.
CAUGHT RED HANDED, LITTLE RED RIDING WOLF ALWAYS SAYING MY CONSTITUENTS WON’T STAND FOR THE NONSENSE, WELL LET’S SEE IF THEY WILL STAND FOR THIS ROBBERY….
It looks like Maria Pereira got Pop(ed) and it’s time to put her feet to the Fire(side).
So quiet on OIB that all one hears is:
https://youtube.com/shorts/AflG6qH1eDw?si=auYir5ZDVltN3LWL
Since no one wants to join in the discussion, how about ya’ll join Maria Pereira and Dance to this song. JML, put on your Red Snow Boots:
https://youtu.be/DXNMVRsIeB4?si=C6_3jolp5xrW8m7_
The meaning of desperate means calls for desperate measures.
Many times during elections covered by OIB during the past 18 plus years, I and Lennie have mentioned the old quote of:
“In Bridgeport we don’t play softball–we play hand grenade.”
What you see in the video, is Maria Pereira dropping the grenade on her own feet.
Even her enemies can’t get Maria Pereira off their minds — that’s the meaning of desperation.
Keep your friends close–your enemies even closer. For a few weeks I’ve been shadowing Maria Pereira. Question: Where have her friends been? Like I recently posted, “Be careful what you wish for.”
WOW Bridgeport! Why everyone is so quiet about Maria Pereira? I hope and pray that this family follows through and file charges against Maria. I also hope that the housing authority bands her from FIRESIDE. Maria has been doing this for way to long. Verbally abusing the seniors and constantly violating there rights. SHUT HER DOWN…
LITTLE RED RIDING WOLF 🐺 FINALLY GETS CAUGHT IN THE ACT….
Look who’s calling the kittle Black!
Is it true (AI) is now working politics?
At least Enaida Martinez has stoop up to face the music. I myself have been very critical of her past involvement in a high profile misfortune. The HUGE difference between her and many others is when we crossed path, she kept it all in a classy matter. I know she has read any and all I’ve posted. The only other person who comes to mind is the late Ezequiel Santiago, I’d rather be seen with Eneida Martinez than the Pope.
How many Bridgeport residents have units at Fireside? Are we to assume that all units are subject to HUD oversight? Has the Bridgeport Housing Authority, also known as Park City Communities, encouraged residents to form their own Tenant groups at any time? If not, why not?
When neighbors who are elderly, infirm, and qualifying for HUD subsidy live in an identifiable community, like Fireside, why does the failure of a series of Democratic mayors allow FAIR RENT COMMISSION nominations to fail, year after year, so that those neighbors have a qualified Charter approved group to speak up for them? The City Council finally in the past 12 months responded to this issue with an Ordinance and a budget line item providing funding this year. Why still unfilled?
Neighbors in HUD untis are generally aware of the folks around them I have learned, and they are concerned with security of property, and safety of persons specifically. How is the woman? Is her family aware of her desire to vote and limited capacity to keep track of paperwork? Why does this constitute a public issue with allegations in various directions? But few facts or evidence of police worthy matters? Time will tell.
Absentee ballots are not mentioned in The Constitutuin but the right to vote is guaranteed by 4 Amendments. As a result, final authority is left to the states.
Thank you Joel Gonzalez…You have that right, I face the music, I don’t hide under the covers. I am an open book w/NO SKELTONS in my closet or in my LIFE… OPEN BOOK!!!! I have enough tough skin to handle my errors and enough TOUGH SKINS to acknowledge and correct them. Many that comment should open the door to there own closets, it will take more than 6 ft to bury Those skeletons and second lives they have lived…🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
When anyone open the pages to my BOOK it is clear, no blurr. On that NOTE let’s go JOSEPH P. GANIM for MAYOR. LINE A ALL THE WAY!!!!!!