District Leader Ralph Ford Placed On Leave From State Job

East End District Leader Ralph Ford has been suspended with pay from his $120,000 state position as behavioral health clinical director with the Greater Bridgeport Community Mental Health, according a spokeswoman for the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction services. Four other department workers were also placed on administrative leave with pay for allegations centering on using a state facility to run a private mental health practice.

Ford has deep roots and influence in city politics. As leader in the 139th District, he is closely aligned with former State Senator Ernie Newton. Ford has an office on Broad Street Downtown.

CT Post reporter Dan Tepfer has more:

Four senior staff members and a clerical staff member of the Greater Bridgeport Community Mental Health Center are under investigation for improperly using state resources.

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services confirmed Thursday Dr. Ralph Ford, DMHAS behavioral health clinical director, Manuel Rosales, supervising psychologist 2, Madeline Mazariegos, clinical social worker associate, Jason Spann, clinical social worker associate, and Fionna Howard, administrative assistant, have all been placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

Full story here.

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20 comments

  1. I have fucking had it. When are we going to get rid of ALL these schemers, bullshit artists, make-believe power brokers and the like? Isn’t $120K enough really? Jesus, it never stops from one day to the next. Well I am sure the Connecticut Post will do Pulitzer prize-type reporting on this. We will also have editor Mike Daly talking about his sweaters or the local pawn dealer. What a fucking joke.

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  2. These are just allegations at this point, but it appears this matter will be thoroughly investigated and some type of charges with be under serious consideration. I never cease to be amazed.

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    1. I can hear the conversation already. “Dr. Ford, you stay in your place and we will make all this go away.” Then again, I’m sure this conversation or a similar one took place a long time ago, but the doctor had his own prescription.

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  3. “In addition, a well-known opposition research company out of Oregon was hired to investigate the members of the Democratic challenge slate, the Working Families Party candidates and their key supporters. The professional research company’s efforts included investigating the opposition candidate’s personal and family backgrounds. Some of that information was then sent anonymously to reporters in the days immediately preceding the Democratic Primary.”

    This has been going on for quite a while only on a smaller scale targeting a small group of people. I was on top of the list. The information–some fabricated–was not only sent to reporters. It was sent to investigating agencies and high-level Democratic operatives and elected officials have been pulling strings to get investigations started. He who lives in glass house should not throw stones. It’s the reason why a long time ago I took down the glass and put up Plexiglass and was always open about my past and present. Shoot rockets my way, I DON’T GIVE A F#@%. I’ve warned a few as to what’s been planned for them. It’s like boxing–protect yourself at all times.
    jonathanpelto.com/2014/01/08/connecticut-democratic-party-hit-campaign-finance-complaint/

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    1. Just a few things? ‘a well-known opposition research company out of Oregon.’ Why put all this seemingly specific info and not give the name? It makes it seem like he told us something but never really told us anything.
      ‘The professional research company’s efforts included investigating the opposition candidate’s personal and family backgrounds.’ Yet we never heard any of their findings. Does anyone remember any ads, press or posts on OIB referencing a ‘candidate’s personal and family backgrounds?’ After hiring canvassers, print ads, campaign workers, those little fliers, etc. how much of $40K could be left? $40K is not than much money for someone running a campaign for 6-8 people. Isn’t all the expenditure info available through an FOIA request? Pelto also states ‘a message testing poll of this nature would cost $20,000 to $35,000, the expenditure does not show up in the campaign finance reports submitted by the Connecticut Democratic Party.’ Maybe that is because they never did one and a $20-35K poll would not leave much left for all the other things.
      He made a lot of accusations then said ‘there is no record of them ever doing this.’ Maybe they never did it. That would be a logical conclusion.
      It is the same logic they use to prove we have a captured alien spaceship. There is no evidence of us ever having it. That proves there is a secret. If there is a secret that proves there is a spaceship. Since there is a spaceship ‘they’ would have ‘covered up’ all evidence of it. Having a ‘cover up’ proves there should be no evidence.

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      1. BOE SPY why don’t you and Godiva2011 get together and do some research instead of waiting for the other to point things out so y’all can question it and express your doubts? Pelto filed an SEEC complaint and if the commission voted to investigate, the specifics of the complaint should have been made public by now.

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        1. I don’t understand. ‘Pelto filed an SEEC complaint and if the commission voted to investigate, the specifics of the complaint should have been made public by now.’
          Are you saying the specifics of the complaint haven’t been made public by now because Pelto did not file a complaint? Or the specifics of the complaint haven’t been made public by now because they chose not to investigate, possibly because the complaint was unfounded or the SEEC and the DTC are in cahoots? Or the specifics of the complaint haven’t been made public yet but will soon? Or do I have to look up the specifics of the complaint for myself? You brought up the subject. It is not up to me to verify your accusation. If you do not have the evidence to back up what you say, then you would just be talking.
          I did some research and found no evidence of the DTC hiring a research company. Pelto may have been told this info by someone on the inside. He may have heard and chosen to print an unfounded rumor or made the entire thing up. Pelto isn’t really a blogger as much as he is a spin doctor for hire or a guy with a forum for his own opinions. I do not recall him printing any retractions or corrections for misinformation (some may say lies) in his articles.
          Another thing–$35K to hire a guy in Oregon. And he did what? A few Google searches or did he fly to Bridgeport CT, make contacts, pump ‘Huggy Bear’ for word on the streets and infiltrate the WFP? All this in a few months. Why would doing this research be illegal? The DTC may want to know if a possible Democratic candidate for the BOE had skeletons in his closet. Like a felony arrest, history of drug use or a sex offense. Granted, they could care less if any of their other candidates have these problems but it may have been important to them in this election.

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    2. Again Joel, this convoluted post somehow reverts to being all about you, ad nauseum. Talk about vague–give some substance instead of some clandestine gibberish. And by the way, what does this have to do with the subject matter of this forum?

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      1. “YOU” are the only one having that problem. YOU are hopelessly on your own. If YOU can’t figure it out, YOU never will. Make a U-turn and go away, I have no time for strays.

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        1. Joel–you are a narcissistic moron. Your comments are pointless, self-serving and serve no purpose other than to divert the subject matter to yourself. Other posters on this blog may not agree with me on some subjects, but for the most part I believe their opinion of you concurs with mine.

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  4. I am just grateful it is suspension with pay. Am I alone here? I love when workers are put on paid leave at $120,000 a year and an $8 an hour employee loses a job for a $10 shortage in a register. I have to agree with Andy Fardy. I have had enough of this crap. If he is guilty I want the state to charge him for using the space and fire him and make him lose his pension. That is what happens in the real world, if you worked for a company and earned a bonus, if they fire you before the bonus is dispersed you lose it. No wonder why people gravitate to state and city jobs where patronage keeps you happy for years. The people are going to have an uprising. They are disgusted and everybody is talking. Really, they are.

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    1. Bob, there’s a national pattern that began to show since the Obama Administration (The Justice Department in particular) took control. In places where there is full or majority control by Democrats, justice seems to be blind.

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      1. Obama’s justice department only seems to be blind to Democrat transgressions. They have investigated a number of Republicans who stepped aside due to the accusations. Hillary only had to say she was sorry all those people got killed and Lois Lerner took the 5th. Would you be able to take the 5th if the IRS were investigating you?

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    2. It sounds like a state matter, but if the U.S. Mail system was used to bill the state for services related to the center issue of the investigation …

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  5. Bob, I hate to say this but the FBI is full of shit. If people (and they do) know what’s going on, then why doesn’t the FBI? I have a little experience working with the FBI, I reported two bona fide bribes made to me, one by representatives of the Ganim Administration and one under the Fabrizi administration. Nothing was done on either case although I believe the second bribe attempt was the FBI trying to entrap me to get to my son. The Feds won’t do anything.

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