Social media spotlights, door knocking, lit drops, phone calls. Bridgeport Gen Now Votes, a sister campaign affiliate of the community action group, is making its first, full-blown foray into local elections, drumming up support for candidates it has endorsed in Tuesday’s Democratic primaries for City Council and Republican Board of Education.
The list:
On Tuesday, September 14th, Democrats will vote for City Council in our local primaries.
We’re asking you to vote for the candidates who pledged to #ThePeoplesPlatform!
Tyler Mack, City Council: 131st District, Democrat
Together, we can Unrig Bridgeport–Get out and Vote on Tuesday, September 14th!
For the strictest anti-establishment devotees, the key outlier is the endorsement of City Council President Nieves embroiled in a cat fight with City Clerk Lydia Martinez who has recruited two candidates Rosa Franco and Elsie Mercado to oppose Nieves and council partner Maria Valle. This district battle in the heaviest Hispanic neighborhood is all about personalities and nothing about issues. It’s plain old irresistible force versus immovable object.
Lydia, the queen of absentee ballots, believes in “the respect” thing via her crown-wearing endurance of the 137th District. Aidee views herself as a peer, not subordinate to Lydia. Much is on this line in this race and the future of the City Council presidency. If Aidee succeeds on Tuesday she’s likely to serve two more years as head of the legislative branch chosen by colleagues. If Lydia takes her out who’ll succeed Aidee? Careful what you wish for.
Nieves cites the Gen Now Votes endorsement as the kryptonite to critics who assert she’s a droopy check on the executive branch led by Mayor Joe Ganim. Gen Now leadership is anathema to Ganim.
This is the case Gen Now Votes and coalition partners make for Aidee Nieves:
Here’s why the #UnrigBridgeport Coalition is endorsing her: “Aidee Nieves was reared in a Puerto Rican family in Bridgeport and is a proud product of Bridgeport public schools. In December 2017, Nieves was elected by her fellow lawmakers as the first Puertorriqueña City Council President in Bridgeport’s history. Aidee Nieves is committed to working on The People’s Platform, in particular the policies to hold the Bridgeport Police Department more accountable, strengthen the Police Commission, conduct a racial equity study, and anti-racism training for city employees, and ensure greater professionalism at City Council meetings. During her tenure, Council President Nieves has led on all these issues and we look forward to working with her towards continued progress once she is reelected. The Unrig Bridgeport Coalition is proud to support Aidee Nieves for City Council in the 137th District.”
If you want to learn more about Aidee Nieves, go here: https://bit.ly/UnrigBptCandidates
If you live in East Side, be sure to look for Aidee Nieves’s name on the ballot when you vote in the upcoming Democratic primary election on Tuesday, September 14th! (In fact, you can pledge to vote for her at this link, and we’ll send you a reminder prior to the election: https://bit.ly/VoteSept14!)
Stop me if I’m wrong but wasn’t Andres Ayala, Jr president of the City Council and isn’t he also first Puertorriqueña City Council President? Bridgeport Gen Now Vote has lost all credibility as an anti-establishment body with the endorsement and support of Aidee Nieves!
You are absolutely right.
Generation Now want to not only make history but to ignore history when it fits their needs.
Gen Later that is!
On the eve of 9/11 I would like to thank Don, Ron, Rich and all of the other First Responders for their service to their community. We take individuals like this for granted but are reminded how they ran into a burning building for the sole purpose of saving lives.
Thank you very much.
So they and their many affiliates have been bashing most of our elected or appointed officials since their inception, to than back any candidate who pledges to follow their “recommendations” even those who have held positions of power in the very administration they have been critiquing. They haven’t had a change in Leadership ,again, since inception and I wouldn’t be surprised if the board , voting or speaking members are again the same, If it wasn’t about power they would hold their own elections for offices within the organization with ANY and ALL MEMBERS HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO RUN FOR AND HOLD POSITIONS.
I believe that sum it up quite well.
I’ve not made many directcomments about City Council President in Bridgeport, Aidee Nieves but her lack of leadership is right there in front of everyone. Base on her silence in speaking out on so many issues that are still unresolved. I thought that her election as City Council President and the pride that the Puerto Rican community would have with her being the first Puerto Rican female council president. Well, Nieves fail in her position as a leader. During Aidee time on the City Council not a single there has NOT been Puerto Rican female has been hired a firefighter and Aidee has done nothing to make a change.
Andres was the first Puertorriqueno President.
Aidee is the first Puertoorriquena President.
Aidee couldn’t even shine Andres shoes.
I would love to see Andres get back into the game and run for an office especially for mayor.
Troll, oh, yes, how quickly you forget Ayala’s illustrious crash as DMV commissioner: https://www.courant.com/politics/hc-dmv-0120-20160120-story.html.
http://onlyinbridgeport.com/wordpress/ayalas-motor-vehicle-skid/
And did we forget this, his revolving door of addresses:
http://onlyinbridgeport.com/wordpress/ay-yi-yi-another-address-for-ayala/
I would take what Lennie post about Andres Ayala over what Joe Ganim every day of the week.
We are talking about City Council President. Not Mayor. Not state Rep.
Aidee couldn’t even hold a committee together until it came up with recommendations and enacted them.
Aidee couldn’t get regularly scheduled council meetings to happen again. Instead the council continues to meet virtually and nothing is getting done.
Aidee removed Eneida from committee meetings until she was cleared of charges of the murder in the Keystone and then for no apparent reason put her back on with no real explanation as to why.
The list goes on and on. Enough already. It’s time to say adios.
This just in. John Marshall Lees has announced that he will have a 24 hour hot line stating at 8:00 tonight till 8:00 PM Tuesday to tell people who to vote for. Since he is a Democrat living Black Rock he can’t vote for anyone.
So call him. Tell him where you live. And he will tell you who to vote for as a public service. Phone lines open tonight at 8:00 and will remain open till 8:00 PM Tuesday.
Update. Although this is intended for Bridgeport residents he will be more than happy to advise anyone, anywhere because he is so smart. So you can begin calling in approximately 3 hours and 8 minutes.
The voter guide above ad at the top of topic was prepared by FaithActs for Education, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Connecticut is without doubt is always the very best voter guide in Connecticut, just check it out for yourself.
So, the Voice of Greenwich has sponsored another Radio Free Bridgeport initiative… Maybe the Rust Curtain will be torn down and Bridgeport will be able breathe of its poverty and decay, freely and deeply, and feel the democracy and freedom provided by the Great White Father$ and Mother$ of Greenwich that have come to save us from our terrible corruption so that we can better serve the Gold Coast…
(Go, get ’em, Lydia!)
Thank you Ron, Don and Rich.