Moore Agrees To $300 Fine For Election Law Violation During Mayoral Contest

Chris Caruso with Marilyn Moore on eve of 2019 September primary.

State Senator Marilyn Moore has entered into a consent agreement with a state watchdog agency to pay a $300 fine for not witnessing signatures on a nominating petition page, as required by state law, during her 2019 failed mayoral bid. The maximum state fine is $2,000.

The State Elections Enforcement Commission complaint brought by former City Councilman Joel Gonzalez accused Moore of improperly ceding the collection of signatures to a campaign surrogate as she sought to gain ballot access on the Connecticut Working Families Party line for the November general election, an effort that ultimately failed and caused much angst in her campaign camp for fumbling Plan B after losing a close primary to Mayor Joe Ganim.

In lieu of a ballot line, Moore came up well short as a write-in candidate.

Moore provided Ganim a major scare in the primary winning the walk-in vote while losing the contest via absentee ballots. Both the Moore and Ganim primary campaigns were strategically rudderless, failing to galvanize a clear direction for the future of the city.

On the night of the primary, Moore’s camp learned it had failed the simple task of submitting a modest amount of certified signatures to land on the WFP line which would have created a competitive general election. Moore supporters blamed WFP operatives for bungling the effort. Others blamed Moore for failing to name a seasoned operative to head the campaign effort such as former State Rep. Chris Caruso who was willing to take on the leadership role after Kennard Ray left the campaign.

Ganim got lucky. Had Caruso managed the race, Moore would be mayor today.

Gonzalez noted that two signatures in question were improperly signed by residents of Fairfield. A state investigator confirmed that the petition sheet had been circulated by a male.

Reached for comment Wednesday, Moore referred to a recent column she wrote on the topic published by Hearst in which she stated: “While it was a clerical error in the chaos of filing forms and internal processes, it was not intentional. … Regardless of the circumstances, or chaos, I signed it, and I am not above the law. … I take full responsibility for the error and for everything that transpired in the campaign.”

Full consent, read seecmooredecision2.

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12 comments

      1. Here you go again Ron. I’ve been doing janitorial work for about 13 years. My goal and purpose as far as filing SEEC complaints has been to keep folks clean. It’s a sad commentary when a Janitor can identify and interpret some Connecticut General Statutes better than many elected officials and SEEC attorneys and commissioners. Make yourself useful and have Day call me.

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        1. Joel, there’s dignity in work. As for your job in the police department for 13 years I’m sure that Mayor Ganim and Mario Testa truly appreaciate your filing SEEC complaints and I’m sure youwill be rewarded in some way. You said, your “goal and purpose as far as filing SEEC complaints has been to keep folks clean, now isn’t that special,” we all can sleep better knowing that Joel Gonzalez is on the case, Joel, you won and the City is safer. Maybe the mayor can have the Acting Police Chief do a lateral move from janitorial work to police work.

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          1. No need for that Ron Mackey. It’s not my fault I ended up at the PD. Blame Bill Finch for that–I was locked up at the Zoo for 9 years before I was bumped here. You can blame Police Officers and Detectives too–their training and expertise runs off on me. Blame the jailers at booking where on some occassions, when there’s no one in the cells, I take a 15 break by locking myself in a cell to remind myself to check myself before I reck myself.

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          2. Really, you should’ve checked yourself before you wreck yourself before you cut off that finger. That’s right I went there. BAM!

            To be fair, there’s a lot of shit out there on me. Use your Inspector Gadget skills and go dig something up, my love. You do have a mustache, right 🙂

            in the words of the Prophet Eminem, one two three and to the four. ????

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwZglqQpwcA

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  1. Stay on topic, fellas.
    If the maximum fine is $2,000 and she consented to $300 it’s a wrist slap, a procedural miscue, a misplaced envelope, a well-placed piece of humility, maybe a melted cannoli but nothing meaningfully wrong.
    http://blackrockctusa.com/about/ < — even the soldier at Captain's Cove is glad there's a happy ending.

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  2. Moore important, did everyone see the headlines about the amphitheater opening in spring?
    Well……with this character doing his own press you had better learn to read between the lines. First of all no where does it say contingent on the state relaxing it’s COVID-19 regulations.
    Secondly, they say in their first big act will be high school graduation ceremonies followed by sometime in June concerts. No announced performers, no announced dates and definitely no announced on sales dates.
    And obviously is June the Spring or Summer?
    Either Ganim is pushing to get some press out or Safrin is doing this all by himself but needless to say it ain’t happening.
    Maybe this will be another vaccination site come the Summer. There’s a much better chance for that happening then anything else.

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  3. Joel,
    Thank for your staying on tops of a handful of issues and the interaction of SEEC with Bridgeport elections is an important one, even though they take endless time to come up with a conclusion and/or consequence in my opinion.
    And you have been open to questions and info sharing both on OIB and independently. Let others bet on whether there is a fine involved or not, there is too much bubbling just under the surface in the City and you are one of the few willing to risk sharing the downside when they know the facts.
    Will a monument be built in your honor? IMO it is unlikely. but not out of the question, because your “second chance” opportunity for getting it right for yourself, your family, and the community seem to have proceeded on a higher road then other folks formerly, or currently employed by taxpayers funds.
    Keep your information flowing. How valuable it is in the long run, only time will tell.

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