Attention potential candidates, campaign treasurers, political junkies: Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill has released the official calendar for the 2013 election season that allows for the first time registration up to and including Election Day Nov. 5. Election Day registration was approved by the state legislature and signed into law by Governor Dannel Malloy.
“Next year will be a historic election year in Connecticut as we implement Election Day Registration for the first time in our state,” says Merrill, Connecticut’s chief elections official. “I look forward to working with our partners in election administration at the local level to make it possible for those late deciding voters to register and vote on Election Day.”
Next year will be a sleepy election cycle as city races go, but with important seats up for grabs including all 20 positions on the Bridgeport City Council as well as five Board of Education slots, three seats held by Democrats Tom Mulligan, Leticia Colon and Bobby Simmons, and two seats by members of the Connecticut Working Families Party, Maria Pereira and Sauda Baraka. The BOE operates under minority party representation and three members of the WFP already satisfy the quota. Can city Republicans find a way to reclaim seats from the WFP? Simmons, however, has been voting in a bloc with Pereira and Baraka and the third member of the WFP on the board John Bagley. It figures that Democratic Party leadership will challenge Simmons, and/or deny him the endorsement, if he seeks reelection.
2013 Municipal Election Key Dates:
Party endorsements completed by July 16-23, 2013
Primary and nominating petitions filed by August 7, 2013
Primary: September 10, 2013
Final Voter Registration Deadline: Election Day November 5, 2013
See full election schedule here.
Unfortunately next year’s elections will probably put 19 do-nothing council people back in office. This group is truly out of touch with what is going on in Bridgeport. In actuality the only council person who deserves reelection is Andre Baker.
On the BOE side Mulligan and Colon both should be defeated. They both went along with Finch’s move to disband the elected BOE. I doubt that will happen but it should.
*** If endorsed by the right people like WFP, IP or even the GOP, yes GOP!, I would consider running for the city council in the 131st district, on a “BUCK STOPS HERE” platform. We shall see what the New Year brings us and who else may be interested in bringing about some type of “positive change” in our district instead of the same old “puppet regime” with its “me me” attitudes, no? *** GET INVOLVED, GET INTO IT! ***