This could take months or longer, depending if the Connecticut Supreme Court takes the city’s appeal on an expedited basis after Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis ordered another Democratic primary for City Council in the North End 133rd District. Deputy City Attorney John Bohannon is heading the appeal process for the city.
More on this from CT Post court reporter Dan Tepfer:
City officials Tuesday afternoon took the first step in seeking to appeal a judge’s order for a new primary for the city’s North End council seat.
With the clock ticking down for the city to prepare for the Feb. 6 third-time do over primary, Deputy City Attorney John Bohannon asked Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis to forward four questions of law and fact to the state Supreme Court for consideration.
… Bohannon is asking the Supreme Court if state law prohibits any person other than the elector from arranging for a designee to return an absentee ballot to the town clerk; did the judge err in rejecting the unpostmarked ballots; did the judge err in her Northbridge ruling and did the judge wrongfully apply the law in ruling there were substantial violations of law that left the reliability of the election in doubt.
Full story here.
“Bohannon is asking the Supreme Court if state law prohibits any person other than the elector from arranging for a designee to return an absentee ballot to the town clerk; did the judge err in rejecting the unpostmarked ballots?”
Bellis had issues with what she viewed as Testa and DeFillippo interjecting themselves in the pick-up of the ballots. Days back I commented on the fact that DTC endorsed party candidates Herron and Defilippo had two options as far as how and who would run their candidate committee. They could form their own or yield the responsibility to the DTC of which Testa is the Chairmen.
Assuming and it appears like that they elected to allow the DTC to manage their candidate committee. Mario Testa in essence was acting (wearing the hat) as the campaign manager. Since around 1990, I’ve seen many examples of proper and illegal handling of AB applications and ABs as well as some in grey areas. I have filed many complaints with SEEC in regard to some violations of ABs and illegal campaign committee acts. Some have been successful and at least two mayor ones are still under investigation. Lennie Grimaldi, can you check on these complaints and share the links please. My first one was filed on February 14, 2008 (No love here) vs Bill Finch’s senatorial candidate committees. You can see why Bill Finch targeted me for layoff in 2008. In 2009 I sent my niece to DTC leader of the 131st Mitchell Robles’ Office with a hidden camera and got audio of him telling my niece “you can’t say i did this for you” as he filled the ballot, licked and sealed it, then gave her a dollar so she can buy the stamp and mail the ballot. She was nervous and when she walked in to the office his daughter complimented on the purse that had the camera in it and she ended up moving the camera and you could hear and see what happened here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9c-iuY3aLg
I can go on and on with this stuff and all long time OIB regular readers should recall all my efforts in calling attention to this major problem which I’ve been addressing for almost 10 years. OIB and archive where you can search. One faster way is to Google my name with only in Bridgeport, SEEC, complaint as key word for example. You can only find this stuff on OIB as the CTPost for some reason turns down my efforts and activities.
AB operations are normally handled or delegated to some one hired or volunteers to do so by candidate committee managers or in small elections can be handled by anyone including the candidates. The main rule is not to be in the same room when an AB is getting filled by the voter and unauthorized persons can’t handle the ballot. It start with a way to get a qualifying voter to fill and sign the AB application. Before this, one must sign-out the applications they want from the Town Clerks Office and that person is responsible for any questions or allegation that come up involving the application (they have serial numbers) and ballots pertaining to them. These are public records including the sign-off sheet for AB applications. Whenever the TC’s office mails out the AB ballots there is a list of them which can be viewed by the public. This is how AB operatives know who and when received or is going to receive the ballots. This is when shit starts to happen and the process called as “Ballot Chasing” start. I can be done in many ways good and bad. The rules are pretty clear or one should know them. Not everybody follows the rules all the time. One way, is to call the voter, ask if they received the ballot and give them instructions on how to go about the whole procedure which can be confusing for old folks. One mistake can invalidate the vote when being counted. Another way that is to assist the voter in violation of the rules be being in the room or very close vicinity, which include giving the voter a free postage stamp, and if they’d like and don’t mind, “I’ll take the ballot and put in the mail for you so you can watch the novela.” Compare to all the possible illegal ways to pick up and deliver the ballot, what Mario, DeFillippo, the Chief and Officer did is fair and legal. Bellis should have ordered everyone to appear before her, including the police chief if she really wanted to get some answers. Max Medina know or should have know more and better than what I’m reading. Bellis feel that the candidate and officials involved should not have interjected themselves in the pick-up process. But, then suggests that DeFillippo could have instructed voters to call the TC’s office. Wouldn’t DeFillippo still be interjecting himself in the pick-up process if he did as Bellis suggested? Now let me touch on Officer Nikola and the other officer assigned to pick up ballots. The election hours are from 6am to 8pm.
Nothing else was mentioned about the officer assigned to the TC’s office. What time did he or she start? How many Ballots did he or she pick up? Did the TC’s office request an officer to pick up ballots the day before the election?
If Nikola was assigned to pick-up ballots on the day of election, what time did he start to do so? I know that the shift he worked starts around 7am and I know from experience and knowledge that the Police Chief is usually available around 9 am: has a schedule to follow and the unexpected usually happens. Did Nikola work 7am to 3pm? Did Nikola work overtime? Did Nikola know how many hours the officer assigned to the TC’s office was assigned to work? Why didn’t Bellis ask these questions or ask A.J Perez to take the stand? WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON HERE?
I say that 8 heads are better than one or two if we count Max Medina. Paging Deputy City Attorney John Bohannon.
ON another note, and I’m almost afraid to ask: What happened with the P & Z Vote on the OPED Liquor policy amendment? I have a bad feeling those people were swallowing the Planning Departments hench work.
Bob, it’s been continued until late January meeting.
“The fact that the defendants in this case defending (democratic chair) Mario Testa’s personal use of a police officer, with Chief of Police Armando Perez complicit, to run absentee ballots at the direction of the candidate is why the people of the city are now faced with a third election for the 133rd district with the attendant costs and with the potential appeal of this decision with the costs that are attendant to that as well,” Judge Bellis ruled. “The fact that this all occurred in a court-ordered special election with a court-appointed moderator speaks to the level of dishonesty and corruption when it comes to absentee ballots in the city of Bridgeport.”
This just in. Speedy Gonzalez has been nominated to the CT Supreme Court for his succinct interpretation of the AB rules and regulations as it is practiced in Bport.
In an expedited vote his nomination was shot down as laughable and unimaginative. Gov Malloy said it was the least he could do to keep corruption alive in Bridgeport. He owed the city that much for the role it played in getting him elected.
I repeat “speaks to the level of dishonesty and corruption when it comes to absentee ballots in the city of Bridgeport.”
Hear, hear!!
Bohannon can appeal his ass off all the way to Federal District Court. The city will not win the battle or the war.