Comeback Kid Ganim Wins Democratic Primary, Finch Vows General Election Run

Ganim comeback
Ganim wins primary. Sue Katz photo.

Former Mayor Joe Ganim on Wednesday bolstered his quest for redemption shocking Mayor Bill Finch in a tight Democratic primary by roughly 400 votes, according to unofficial returns. Ganim received 6,264 votes to Finch’s 5,859, according to unofficial returns including absentee ballots. Mary-Jane Foster finished a distant third with 1,177. Get ready for the November general election.

Testo's crowd
Ganim supporters cheer at Testo’s Restaurant. Sue Katz photo.

Hundreds cheered Ganim at a victory party at Testo’s Restaurant owned by Democratic Town Chair Mario Testa who popped a bottle of bubbly to celebrate the win. Testa supported Ganim’s efforts in the remaining weeks of the primary after years of a scratchy relationship with Finch.

Testa, numbers
Mario Testa, center, reviews results. He popped bubbly shortly after.

Ganim and Testa both said the party is a big tent and welcomed everyone in. “As we stand together today, I have to reach out and say to so many here: thank you, thank you!” Ganim said.

Following a somber mood, at 10 p.m. Finch emerged to chants of four more years and “save our city” on the stage of the Bijou Theatre as he prepares for a November battle against party nominee Ganim. Finch presumably has a ballot spot in November on the newly created Job Creation Party advanced by Black Rock used-car salesman Rich DeParle as a placeholder for Finch if he lost the primary. Ganim vowed to challenge the legality of Finch’s third-party bid, according to the CT Post.

Flanked by supporters and family members, Finch emphasized governing for the long run. He said his son told him “don’t stop daddy, don’t stop,” to cheers from the crowd. He recited a list of accomplishments asserting he will take his case to Democrats, independents and Republicans. “Bridgeport is moving forward and to the future … we will take our city home for generations to come.” Finch hammered Ganim on stage asserting progress could not have been made with a corrupt administration. But several Finch supporters in the room quietly suggested Finch’s negative campaign tone against Ganim had backfired, including an inflammatory mailer accusing Ganim of working for a white supremacist in 2010. Ganim at the time was a legal assistant for a law firm that provided representation of the defendant facing weapons charges.

This was a night, however, for Ganim and supporters to savor the moment in his comeback following his conviction on corruption charges in 2003 and withstanding strident attacks from the Finch campaign. Ganim ran stronger in some neighborhoods than expected, such as Winthrop School in the heart of the North End. He carried the precinct hammering home a tax message there. Ganim ran up pluralities in the African American-rich East End while also performing well in the diverse Hooker School precinct in the Upper East Side.

To many outside observers, the thought of a former mayor who spent seven years in prison for public corruption running a competitive race against an eight-year incumbent is jaw-dropping. But Ganim connected with many inner city voters largely on a second-chance message, while highlighting public safety and taxes and quality of life issues.

He campaigned relentlessly across the city complemented by an army of volunteers.

Ganim returned from prison in 2010 working as a paralegal in his father’s family-run law practice while making an application to regain his law license stripped following his conviction in 2003. A three-judge panel rejected Ganim’s rationale for regaining his license, ruling he had shown no contrition in the face of overwhelming evidence he had violated the public trust. The lower court’s decision was upheld unanimously by the Connecticut Supreme Court.

The ruling had stunted Ganim’s economic earning potential. Without a law license, who’d pay him an annual salary package plus benefits of $150,000 that comes with being mayor of Connecticut’s largest city? Ganim examined his options. Yes, redemption was part of the comeback plan but so too were finances with alimony and child support payments to make.

Ganim weighed the political landscape. He felt Finch was vulnerable enough on bread and butter issues such as taxes and crime to attempt a comeback.

Ganim started his comeback informally on January 1, in the East End church of supporter State Rep. Charlie Stallworth who serves as pastor. He made his first public disclosure he had violated the public trust after 14 years of denying he had done anything wrong.

Political operatives had urged Ganim to show contrition if he had any chance for a comeback. Many people who have experienced trouble–or know someone who has–they argued will respond to a comeback story.

Ganim stitched together factions of the party that experienced a falling-out with Finch with a declaration of a city that works for everyone. Highlighting 10 straight years of no tax increase while he was mayor, Ganim formed an exploratory committee in the spring testing his fundraising strength at Vazzy’s in Stratford. More than 300 attended amassing an early warchest of $50,000 that surprised even Ganim.

Ganim then formed a full-blown candidate committee devoting most of his attention to raising money and schmoozing the 90-member Democratic Town Committee that decides the party endorsement for mayor. Ganim was like a Chihuahua nipping at Finch’s heels, picking off enough town committee members to reach his goal of 45 votes that would grant him the convention endorsement, a tie broken on the promise of Town Chairman Mario Testa who had testy relationship with Finch whom he says paid him no respect as the town chair.

The mayor, however, controls the candy store, and on the weekend before the convention vote, was able to reel in enough votes to secure a hotly contested endorsement.

The fact Ganim came even that close to the endorsement marveled some political observers. The next day Ganim and supporters set out to petition his name onto the ballot receiving more than enough of the 1900 or so signatures to qualify for the ballot.

The race was on and Ganim campaigned relentlessly, raising money, hitting events, knocking on doors, attending family barbecues. He touted support from the police union and even the federal agent Ed Adams, now a private investigator, who had probed his administration.

Primary results, unofficial returns, partial machine counts:

Hooker, Ganim 435, Finch 307, Foster 64

JFK, Ganim 377, Finch 307, Foster 38

Central 132, Finch 274, Ganim 218, Foster 90

Central 133, Ganim 201, Finch 176, Foster 90

Dunbar, Ganim 463, Finch 254

Winthrop, Ganim 398, Finch 363, Foster 101

Harding, Ganim 272, Finch 232

Black Rock, Finch 354, Ganim 182, Foster 218

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168 comments

      1. I don’t like everything about Ganim, but the fact of the matter is, Gamim produces. Everyone remembers this. In six months he raised more than what Finch raised in four years and won the primary. IF this is any sign of how he would serve as mayor, then Bridgeport will see good results and not just in an election year. This is what people remember about Ganim, he gets the job done, he is strategic and tenacious.

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      1. Rumor Mill: Local Eyes will be appointed superintendent of Trumbull’s to-be-constructed waste water treatment facility. Being full of shit and hot methane, he is the most qualified man for the job. A compensation package of wages, benefits and a monthly stipend Of Taaka vodka will be negotiated.

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  1. 100% reporting:
    Ganim, 5,438; Finch, 5,135; Foster, 1,115. Steven Auerbach, where are you? We want to remind you Finch lost the primary to a convicted felon and disbarred lawyer. Mary-Jane Foster couldn’t have hoped to compete against such star power.

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    1. Lydia should be jailed for stealing all the votes from the elderly and infirm as she tricks them into checking incorrect boxes. There’s a special place for her and I hear it gets hot and fiery there.

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  2. What? No one is screaming about voter disenfranchisement or AB fraud?

    Mayor Bill Finch’s political life depends on absentee ballots, including 700 that were disqualified among 1,600 being counted late into the evening. Ganim’s team was heading to City Hall at about 9:25 to oversee the crucial tallying of a time-honored Election Day tactic.
    www .ctpost.com/news/article/Down-to-the-wire-in-Bridgeport-6509676.php
    700 AB votes disqualified. Would that be the 700 that were mailed out late because Ayala failed to put the location in the supervised voting schedule? It would seem those 700 votes could have stolen the election.

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  3. If everything stays as is, Adam Wood will be learning to say would you like fries with that Big Mac, and speaking of Big Mac, McCarthy’s days as council prez/labor bad-relations czar/puppet could be nearing a January 1st end also.

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  4. Where are you, Stevie?
    Your big mouth flapped for a year straight on here and now you have a case of the crickets?
    Take your beating like a man. If Finch had won you’d be wearing out a hole in your iPhone breaking our balls.

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  5. I don’t think any of us need to worry about Steve, his lips are firmly planted (sorry pal, I had to join the gang). 🙂
    This fight has just begun. Ganim might actually have to put furniture in that fake apartment of his.

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    1. Is that the same Mary-Jane who won ZERO precincts including her own Black Rock?
      The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
      Give up MJF, you are embarrassing yourself, but if you do run I hope Stevie supports you as he is the kiss of death as you know four years ago and Finch knows tonight.

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  6. A win is a win. But when you lose the GAME, the outcome cannot be changed. But when you lose the primary by a squeaker, you can still win the election and change the outcome. But this is what moving the needle is all about and Ganim just moved the needle.
    Rumor Mill: in the previous Ganim photo, Joel Gonzalez (middle, rear) seems to be predicting a touchdown with his hand gestures. Somewhere a crowd is going wild!

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  7. What can I say except congratulations to Joe Ganim. He ran a smart campaign and that’s reflected in the vote total. As for me, I’ll be taking a short vacation and then coming back fit, tanned and ready for round 2 in November.

    BTW–does anyone have the City Council results for the 130th?

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    1. I doubt even a highly educated, motivated, hard-working and ethical black woman can win in racist Black Rock. I don’t have to go on vacation to get fit, tanned and ready to deliver the final blow.

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      1. Go look at Ernie Newton’s Facebook page. Read the comments. Joe just proved white privilege is alive and well in Bridgeport. At least in Black Rock we saw through the deception. My son spent time in jail, so do not think I am not experienced in redemption and forgiveness.

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      1. Looking at the numbers, it looks like Burns was cut at least 30 times. Looks like being on the Ganim line (third-place winner in Black Rock) didn’t help Lee and Toms. Goes back to my advice of reaching out to parts of the district outside Black Rock.

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  8. I have never read such drivel in all my years with OIB as the Steve Auerbach drivel that has been driving me crazy for all this election cycle. There was no way to respond to his suspended reality.
    Is he now retreating from all the bombastic drivel he has written about his hero, Mayor Finch/Wood?
    Or is he now seriously counting the city cars that leave Bridgeport every night for another municipality?
    I expect Steve to surface and it would be fun to do a “where’s Waldo” with a where’s Steve variation.
    Fun?

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  9. First, I want to thank all the bloggers who mentioned my name as always.

    Actually, first I really wanted to congratulate many of my friends who supported Joe Ganim. Tirelessly. I always said Joe Ganim was a tenacious campaigner and I thought he ran a great campaign. That congratulations is for Joe Ganim also.

    For anyone on this blog who imagines rubbing my face in it is painful, honestly it is not. I am shocked beyond words. Okay, I am over it!

    As everybody on this blog already knows, my support for Finch is intense. For all the right reasons I believe Mayor Finch will be victorious. The mayor’s message needs to be clear, only with economic development can our taxes ever be controlled and reduced. I believe Mayor Finch has done an amazing job on so many fronts, he will be victorious. I do believe Ganim deserves to enjoy his moment. It is a well-deserved moment and to be honest and very clear, if I were not totally exhausted I would have stopped down at Testo’s to congratulate Joe and many of his supporters whom I really enjoyed sparring with on a regular basis. I think that speaks to my character.

    Every one of those people including Ganim knows I am a Finch supporter. I think congratulating Joe Ganim is the right thing to do.

    I totally believe Mayor Finch will run and be elected simply because he deserves it and I will continue to work tirelessly to support that goal.

    I did also want to say as I was walking to the Bijou, I passed Foster’s headquarters and wanted to say a kind word, but Marilyn Moore was outside and looked at me with daggers. So I never got a chance to say a word to Mary-Jane Foster, Gage and Gabrielle.

    To all the members of the Finch team, it has been an absolute pleasure working with you. I am convinced we will be victorious in November. I know how hard everyone worked and it was awesome walking the city of Bridgeport. Not a bit of regret and a lot of determination to continue moving this city forward.

    To Mayor Finch, I believe you will be the only choice in November and I know you will have the support of of the entire city. We have come too far to turn back now.

    Come Back Bridgeport, you name the time and place!

    Maria P and Howard G, I refuse to let you win!!! 🙂

    Jim Fox–I am happy you will have your moment.

    Good luck and good health to all. The battle continues!

    Congratulations to Evette Brantley and John Olson.

    I have no idea who also won. To all the winners, congrats and to the losers, thank you for wanting to serve.

    Tom Lyons, thank you for sharing food, as we were starving and dying of thirst. 🙂 Nice to have friends!

    Again, congratulations to Joe Ganim and his supporters. Enjoy the moment! Don’t get used to it! 🙂

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          1. Steve–send me your address, and I’ll send you a money order for a lobster dinner at Dolphin’s Cove. I’d rather not spend two hours with you hearing all the grossly inflated views about Finch’s eight years.

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          2. Come Back Bridgeport, I want to thank you for honoring our bet. I was looking forward to enjoying dinner and discussing anything but politics. I am sorry you no longer wish to share a meal. I am disappointed to say the least but I am disappointed in the entire Foster team.

            It is not necessary to mail me a check. However, if you would care to make a donation to Americares.Org, I would appreciate it. They do good work. I will never know whether you sent it or not but Americares.Org is a very respectful organization that helps people in distress around the globe.

            I will never know the person blogging incognito, but respect your desire to not want to be in my presence. Thank you for your honesty.

            Americares.Org or Come Back Bridgeport, to any charity you prefer. Any small donation is appreciated, I am certain.

            Thanks again.

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          3. Pete Spain // Sep 18, 2015 at 9:23 am
            Steve,
            Thanks for making me fall over from laughter at your statement:
            “I … respect your desire to not want to be in my presence.”

            It seemed to come out so naturally for you; is this something you find yourself expressing to many people?

            LOL!

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          4. Pete, it was the first time I have ever had to use it. I am however, happy you found it funny. It actually was funny!

            I am sorry Pete, all your candidates lost. I have a world of respect for Tyisha Toms and John Marshall Lee. I am thrilled Mayor Bill Finch had his strongest showing in Black Rock. Do we thank you?

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      1. Carolanne Curry,
        “One obvious outcome of being brought up to believe you’re equal is that you’re both very angry when you encounter misogyny, but also confident in your ability to tackle it.”
        –Kira Cochrane, All the Rebel Women: The Rise of the Fourth Wave of Feminism

        That someone refers to a female as a CUNT, and believes there is any basis for such an entitlement is but one small example of the entrenchment of misogyny in their mental makeup. We must recognize it as a disease, and work for its eradication within our lives. There is a cure, but it cannot be stomached by the weak and inadequate.

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  10. Steven won’t be blogging ‘ti he finishes hand-washing my underwear, cleaning my basement, sweeping the West Side, and picking up all the dog poop from Lennie’s yard.

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    1. Jennifer, not really. Ganim got 46% of the vote, MJF got 10% so 56% of Bridgeport voters didn’t want Bill Finch because they elected most of those running on the Finch line. Voters didn’t want Bill Finch. Now Finch has to get petitions signed to run as an Independent candidate for mayor in November.

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        1. Jennifer, the results show how much voters don’t like Bill Finch. He kept playing on Ganim being a felon but the voters showed they believe in giving a second chance because a lot of voters know a family member, a friend or a co-worker who did something wrong and gets out of jail and they start to change their life around, isn’t that what we all want, you do wrong and you change your life? This victory for Joe Ganim shows how hard he worked and he knows all eyes will be on him and everything he does. I’ve said this before about Joe Ganim, in my dealings with him he has never told me a lie, he was straightforward and honest.

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          1. Ernie made the mistake of declaring himself “The Moses of my people.” That’s laughable. Most of “his” people are also His people and are quite familiar with the Bible. Even the Honorable Alan Nevis, the federal judge who sentenced him noted the irony of Ernie’s declaration.

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        2. Jennifer, I know them both and I like both of them and I have had one-on-one discussions about the mistakes they have made and I wish them the best but the voters made their choice on both of them.

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          1. Well, my son spent time in jail, and 20 years later he is doing the same damned thing but has figured out how to not get caught. I have never met Joe, have met Ernie, and what is not to love about Ernie? Seriously though, I just find it so hard to believe the districts Joe carried did not stop and wonder if this were not just another example of institutional racism. One can use Marion Barry as an example, but his crimes involved only his own bad behavior and not stealing from his fellow citizens. Ernie was found guilty of similar crimes as Joe (smaller scale and less money), served his time, sincerely apologized, and yet his past was not forgiven. At the risk of causing trouble, I think this is a case of people being manipulated by a very clever and self-serving person who only cares about number one.

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        3. Jennifer, first thank you for sharing about your son, the only thing you and those who care can do is to pray for him and leave it to God.

          I totally agree with you about Ernie Newton, I love him like a brother but Jennifer, Ernie is a lightning rod, there are people who love him and people who hate him. Ernie will always fight for his district, the City and his race and in doing so he makes enemies but Ernie still has a lot to offer and I wish him the best. As for Joe, the spotlight will be on him, everything he does will be watched.

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          1. Anytime, I think Ernie IS the cat’s pajamas! As to being watched, ever sit at a magic show and try to figure out their tricks? They are gone with your price of admission long before you realize your pockets have been picked.

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  11. Finch is delusional again, shouting “four more years” after he lost EVEN WITH his absentee ballot scam. Soon city hall will be rid of the Irish mafia and employees will once again be able to work in peace.

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  12. I am sure the Ganim family of lawyers will be checking the legality of the made up since they lost job creations party or whatever they are calling it.

    There are a lot of soon to be offices in City Hall in need of cleaning out for their new occupants.

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  13. Look on the bright side. Bridgeport is only 400 votes away from changing its mind and the electorate is about to increase. In 2015, it’s easy to lose the customer and even easier to get them back. Things have never been more fluid.

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    1. Can’t see the forest for the trees? Your boy lost to a convicted felon. That speaks for itself. Finch should stop the madness and move on. His sham party won’t fly either. The people voted to give him the boot. Get the message Finchy and say bye. How about his Howard Dean-like speech last night. Adam Wood must be in the mirror prepping for his next job by practicing “fries or rings.”

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  14. Those who think DEMOCRACY DOESN’T ALWAYS WORK must be unaffiliated voters who did not make the switch. Those who made the switch and voted think DEMOCRACY ALWAYS WORKS–you just have to meet the deadline.

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    1. donj: don’t give Steve anything more to write about. His posts here have been vulgar and reprehensible. Nothing that resembles decency has been his mantra for quite some time.

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      1. Wicca , I am sorry your candidate came in a far distant third. Your need to elaborate on donj’s comment was not necessary. I said make your vote count. I didn’t say don’t vote for Foster. The small percentage of voters who are engaged in Bridgeport voted. We accept and move on. I expect Finch to be elected.

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          1. Looks like he got the syntax wrong. Give him the benefit of the doubt. He’s probably typing into a smartphone like many others (I’m using an iPad with larger keys and still goof up). I think donj meant “Should Torres drop out.” Just saying.

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      1. Bill Finch doesn’t know the “force!!!” He’s nothing more than a droid that if it weren’t for the programmer he’d keep walking into walls and babbling nonsense.

        Funny, he was giving a “heartfelt” speech last night after he lost, every time he stopped talking it was to TURN THE PAGE, LMAO.

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  15. Here is a fact that will bake your noodle: The Finch Campaign and its major operatives traded off a mayoral position for a clerical position. We now have Lydia Martinez in the City Clerk spot, but they did not save Finch.

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  16. The voters chose whom they perceived to be the lesser of two evils. Joe Ganim is still evil. His license to practice law was revoked. “A three-judge panel rejected Ganim’s rationale for regaining his license, ruling he had shown no contrition in the face of overwhelming evidence he had violated the public trust. The lower court’s decision was upheld unanimously by the Connecticut Supreme Court” to quote Mr. Grimaldi’s fine reporting. The courts denied Ganim’s law license not to punish him–he’d already been imprisoned for seven years–but to protect the integrity of the judicial process. Apparently that doesn’t matter to the voters who cast ballots for Joe Ganim. There’s a nostalgic yearning for the “good old days” when Joe and his two henchmen took large sums of money for access to the mayor’s office and to “curry” favor. (That French wine must be worth some righteous bucks now.)

    Maybe the so-called “jobs creation” party will be able to create employment for Adam Wood and the rest of the mutts who owe their continued employment to the documented pathological liar who lost the primary to a convicted felon and disbarred attorney.

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    1. TBK, give it up. You sound like you’re on stage singing the same old song. Joe Ganim wasn’t running for reinstatement to the bar–he ran for mayor in a primary and WON.

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      1. Agree or disagree. Finch was simply mad and embarrassed last night on TV when he was screaming. He sounded so sarcastic and hopeless and scared the way he was yelling at the top of his lungs. Do It Daddy. That’s what Finch will be saying to his co-workers at Chipotle when they bend him over the condiments, LMAO.

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      2. If a panel of Supreme Court justices found Joseph P. Ganim has not expressed contrition for his crimes and does not possess the moral fitness to practice law, why do you assume he is morally fit to be mayor of the largest city in the the state of Connecticut? The courts revoked his law license to protect the integrity of the judicial process; the legislature proposed a bill that would have prohibited felons from holding elected office, legislation intended to restore integrity to the political process. Legislative leaders must have believed that was an impossible dream because the bill never made it out of committee.

        You need to knock it off, Joel. Joe Ganim was sent to prison for corruption. Nothing he has said or done since his release has indicated he is truly a changed man. You need to have your meds adjusted.

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  17. This is for Steve: For an entire year the bloggers on OIB have listened to your diatribe regarding Mayor Finch. Okay, he lost yesterday–air and square. And yet you still come on here and you are not only rude and obnoxious, but the language you use towards people is filthy and inexcusable. But I guess your actions are representative of the Finch administration; you, however, should be ashamed of yourself.

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    1. Straight Arrow,
      I am sorry you did not read my post Congratulating Ganim and all his supporters.

      I think anyone who has read the blog has to agree my commentary was very respectable.

      Your response to my comment to Carolanne Curry was exactly what I think of her and her comment to me after my very respectable comment regarding Ganim.

      What you think of me as an anonymous blogger is totally unimportant to me. You read everyone else’s comments to me and all of the swearing and yet you have the audacity to address me. You are an idiot. I am not interested in your commentary.

      I respect most everyone from the Ganim camp. Carolanne Curry would not be one of them.

      I think I have made my position clear. Straight Arrow, when you address anyone else’s vulgarity, you may address mine again.

      I am glad that with the two letters you were able to figure out the word I used to describe Curry. It is only a word and really one of the most vulgar words known in the English language. It was appropriate given her response after my heartfelt comments to the Ganim camp.

      Straight Arrow–get used to it. I am working toward Finch’s victory and your personal feelings toward me could not be less relevant. Was it even worth the congratulatory comment on this blog? Probably not! I find Carolanne Curry disturbing at best.

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  18. Not everyone outside Bridgeport will see the wisdom of reelecting Joe Ganim. But it is your city, do with it what you will. Steve, after a nice, wordy wrap-up, you jumped off the cliff with calling that lady out like that. But it’s your public image, do with it what you will.

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    1. More than a few people have used Steves’ word to describe the lady in question behind her back. At least he has the courage to say it to her face, in public. Not that it is necessarily right to name call, but Steve is not shy about his convictions.

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    2. Park City, THANK YOU FOR THAT. I KNOW 100,000 PEOPLE IN THIS CITY. MY PUBLIC IMAGE IS IMPECCABLE, THANK YOU. IF I OFFENDED YOU, SORRY. I DO LOVE BEING CALLED OUT AND ALL OTHERS GET AWAY. SO PARK CITY, TRUST ME MS. INCOGNITO, I HAVE NO USE FOR YOUR OPINION, BUT I DO THANK YOU FOR ADDING YOUR TWO CENTS. TRULY AMAZING TO ME.

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      1. Your public image is not impeccable, as evidenced by your own statements. You are far too full of yourself to be amazed by a comment. You think yourself quite worth something as evidenced by your thinking my comment is worth two cents. And I am not a Ms. Wrong all the way around. But the capital letter, tantrum approach is mentionable.

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  19. I can’t let Steve Auerbach hang out here without support. I’m with him in support of Mayor Finch’s record, his positioning of Bridgeport on the cusp of greatness, and his candidacy in November.

    Joe Ganim ran an amazingly good campaign, I admire his graphics, his messaging (not the message itself, but the technique to express it), his accumulation of support in funds and allies, and his quickness.

    I was peeved at Joe Ganim for declaring victory early. I had the feeling (but I may be wrong, and I’d like to be corrected) he went public before consulting with the other campaigns. Polite practice on election nights is to consult with the other campaigns and let the losers have their space before the winner goes public. Did he jump the gun or not?

    Obviously the Finch campaign failed to connect with voters on the impressive Finch record as well as on key issues of concern. These can be adjusted for the General Election campaign. Indeed, they must be adjusted if victory is to be won.

    Mary-Jane Foster’s statement she will now sit out the conclusion of the mayoral race is irresponsible for a candidate whose votes held the balance of power in the primary. She owes her opinion (if not an endorsement) to her voters and to all voters. I hope in the days and weeks ahead, she will reconsider and decide to endorse Mayor Bill Finch.

    My thanks to everyone engaged in our democracy. It needs each one of us. Win or lose, the harder we work, the better government we get. The more we interact, the more we learn about what the people need and want, and the closer we edge to discovering and discerning solutions that work toward fairness, justice, peace, environmental balance, responsibility, health, and prosperity.

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        1. So you just happened to show up at Finch’s announcement party at Captain’s Cove and Tweet out all of your candidate and friends at the event? You were there purely as a voting (?), non-voting Bridgeport resident (?), tweeting out the show for … the fun of it?

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    1. DougDavidoff, there was nothing wrong with the timing of Ganim giving his victory speach. Joe, Danny Roach and Mario Testa have been around the block for a while and they knew the numbers and Joe had won, don’t hate.

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    2. Doug, I also can’t let Steve hang out there. He did what we all did, he chose his horse in the race. He believed in his choice, and it was his to make. Sometimes his passion leads to hurting the feelings of others, but then again he takes it as well as he gives it. If nothing changes in the next six weeks, I have a feeling Steve will roll with it. We all will!

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    3. Mary-Jane Foster owes no one anything. You are entitled to your opinions, just not that one.

      It’s a sorry state (and City) of affairs when the incumbent mayor was considered by the turnout electorate to be a worse choice than a known perpetrator of public corruption. I emphasize turnout because the AB fraud scam attempted by the Finch campaign (not all of them) could not cover the turnout defeat.

      The coffee has been brewing for some time, but far too many of the Finch Democratic operatives refused and are still refusing to smell it. Wake up. This city just poured themselves a cup of Joe.

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  20. Democratic operatives and voters who bought into the current administration’s allegations brought this situation upon themselves. They own it 200%.

    There was a fabulous choice for clean government in Mary-Jane Foster standing right there in front of them and they chose to try to manipulate the vote once again. How did that work out for ya? The dirty tactics were not even enough to save your candidate. Does it get even dirtier from here? I would not doubt it.

    Now we are left with a rather bizarre cast of characters not the least of which is a prolific perpetrator of voter fraud, and primary winners who have no idea what it is to do the job they have been elected for. This could set Bridgeport back on so many levels, it’s too much to even consider today.

    Right race, wrong horse. Finch is not CLEAN enough to beat Ganim? Wow. Mary-Jane, however, is.

    You own this one.

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  21. HERE I AM, 72 years old and voted in every election I was eligible for. I am sorry to say I will not be voting in November’s election because there is no one to vote for.
    1. I can’t vote for a guy who has the black panther symbol tattooed on his arm. “I remember.”

    2. I can’t vote for Joe Ganim, not because he is a felon but because he is not a man of his word. After receiving one of the most critical votes in his tenure as mayor, Joe Ganim promised not to lease the golf course. Lo and behold his two henchmen Marsilio and Murphy negotiated a deal with a local developer. The developer had the course for two years and did not pay the city one DOLLAR. The developer made over $1 million. So I won’t vote for a liar.

    3. Bill Finch forgot where he came from. He got hung up on all this clean and Green crap and was intolerant of those who questioned him. Bill spent too much time on parks and water slides and raised taxes almost every year.

    If a person wants to win the election they should insist all hiring for positions in city employment are open to only Bridgeport residents.

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    1. Consider holding your nose and voting for the least offensive. God knows I have done it far too many times in this city. It does not get easier, but it does allow me to at least feel like I made a difference.

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  22. I want to congratulate Donald Clemons and Lydia Martinez. It is clear this was a very strange election. Fleeta Hudson and Alma Maya who were supposed to be Ganim’s eye candy lost!

    Lisa Parziale, you are a sweetheart and I wish you well.

    Dennis Scinto, you are amazing and you will be back!

    Ben Walker, Board of Ed winner. You are a great guy and Dennis Bradley as well.

    Maria Pereira and James Morton both tied in their category. I think everyone is scratching their head on that one!

    I so look forward to November!

    Coach T–the good news about last night is the city is in shock and will wake up in November. I was amazed at the lethargic turnout with all the chronic complaining.

    Ganim certainly had a strong operation. He is a 12-year veteran. What did you expect?

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      1. Lennie, I have the answer I choose not to disclose on the blog. It is sad, it is the part of politics I can’t stand. Some of us work out of passion, others have jobs and hope other people let them keep it. Some live out of town and don’t give a crap but mostly Lennie, it has nothing to do with me. I think many of our identified voters were lackadaisical, but honestly Lennie I believe it had more to do with pathetic dysfunctional family-like politics. The 134th was cut in half. Some of the only workhorses in the 134th were Ganim and some were Finch. You know the game, they were all looking for the best deal possible and me it is all about the city. I think I am going to get more involved. I am tired of listening to their political bullshit. I have given my time freely, everyone else gets benefits. If you think Ganim hasn’t made promises then you are a fool! I think the general election will tell a much different story. So many unaffiliated voters are already looking to get involved. The general will actually be a little more exciting. This election was really just a bore.

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  23. Mayor Finch, it is time to start clearing out your office and move on. That idea of running in November is not a good one. Save yourself the embarrassment of another defeat by a convicted felon. I believe you will gain a lot of respect, if instead of spending any campaign money you might have left on a going-nowhere campaign and instead give that to a local charity. Please don’t forget to take with you Gaudett, Nardozzi, Rooney, Wood, McCarthy, Martinez and the list go on and on.

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  24. “For town clerk it was Clemons 6,030, Maya 5,632.”

    Lennie, it’s obvious the real cutting took place here and against Maya. In order for me to get a better idea of who participated in this cutting process I’d have to look at more numbers and even check the ABs to see if it was on the machine or the ABs. I’d say it was in the ABs and done by a few including blacks who have a vast interest in holding both the Town Clerk and City Clerk’s Office, if they were going to work this hard to cut Maya, they should have paid more attention to Fleeta Hudson and secured additional votes for her.

    As for Maria Pereira’s tie, don’t blame Dennis Bradley. Keep in mind the Working Families Party had their role in this race.

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      1. Bet your ass that is the reason. I spent most of election day at Hooker listening to her bullshit. I watched the faces of people she stopped and many were not to happy.

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  25. I know a lot of people in the Winthrop district; they voted for Joe because of the ridiculous taxes on their property and the destruction of their neighborhood by Sacred Heart University. Bill Finch and Council President McCarthy have given away the neighborhood to Sacred Heart and other institutional interests. Sacred Heart even thinks it owns Veterans Memorial Park (and it might have, had Bill Finch been able to continue as mayor).

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  26. Jeff, wasn’t that Sacred Heart building on the Bridgeport side of Park Ave. built in the ’90s when Ganim was in office? I graduated from SHU in 1999 and I took classes in that building well before that.

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  27. I would like to congratulate Richie Paoletto’s son Anthony Paoletto for his stunning Victory at Hooker School, the top vote getter and the distinction of being one of the youngest if not the youngest council member to serve in the City of Bridgeport.

    Proud to know you!

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  28. Steve,
    Thanks for making me fall over from laughter at your statement:
    “I … respect your desire to not want to be in my presence.”

    It seemed to come out so naturally for you; is this something you find yourself expressing to many people?

    LOL!

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    1. COME BACK BRIDGEPORT, THAT WAS A VERY GENEROUS DONATION. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY. I am truly disappointed as I would have enjoyed meeting an incognito blogger. My conversation is not limited to politics, gardening, landscaping, traveling, cooking, reading, theater, movies, music, Ann-Margret and Bill Finch. I do have a few other interests!

      Thank you again, though. That $50 contribution was extremely generous and will serve a greater good.

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  29. Friends, Bridgeporters, countrymen,
    I write to improve our City, not to pander to egos …

    And in that regard, now that the primary results are in, and getting analyzed every which way, does anyone remember any serious discussion about City fiscal standing, budgets, debt, Grand List, abatement policy for economic development, and so on? Isn’t spending nearly $700 Million per year of taxpayer money from local taxes, State and Federal grants of all kinds worth a few words in this high tax environment? Without a Finance Board or active CC oversight, where is the taxpayer left?

    I remember complaints about taxation, but when you looked deeper did you hear candidates provide specific indication of areas to cut? Did anyone celebrate the June, 2015 fiscal year end results that showed a $400,000 expected surplus based on projections, when the results indicated an actual $16,400,000 surplus? Look it up. Now, half of this may have been due to BOE summer salaries, but City Finance does not like to answer questions, at all, from me or anyone else. What does the other $7 Million represent? Why do we have to wait until January to learn? Parks and playgrounds have received over $10 Million in FY2015. Where did the funds come from? Who oversaw the spending?

    OPEN, ACCOUNTABLE, TRANSPARENT and HONEST values need to be present in governance. What do you think? I’ll be back at the lectern for the public speaking session (6:30 PM) of the CC meeting on Monday, September 18, 2015. With only six weeks to November 3, perhaps it’s time to summarize fiscal targets for action so candidates for all City offices can understand and respond to their voting public.
    Come on down. I am the only public speaker listed. Five more 5-minute spots are available. (Perhaps it’s an opportunity for Steve Auerbach to begin another learning journey.)

    By the way, for the people who have encouraged Tyisha and me in our independent struggle for City Council office, thank you. Local DTC selected and worked for less experienced and less independent candidates, although seven of nine of them missed the forum at Black Rock Library last Sunday. And some Democratic voters were heard from, though many registered stayed home. Of course our names were listed on the Ganim line on the ballot though we were not part of his team, nor from any choice by us. Yet we ran ahead of the B Line in the 130th!!! We got more votes than Joe Ganim! Meaning?

    We petitioned for a place on the ballot on November 3. We’ll be on a LINE OF OUR OWN!!! A place for public Watchdogs! And our opposition will perhaps discover how Black Rock votes AGAINST Ganim for Mayor. Who will represent the people of the entire District AND represent all the people of the City who have been too long ignored. Who will monitor, oversee, and generally be Watchdogs against bad governance? We are working for that responsibility. Time will tell.

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