Political Tit For Tat, Operatives For Endorsed School Board Candidates Accuse Opponents Of Expenditure Violations

UPDATE, includes complaint and response from challenge slate: Charges, counter charges, that’s the Bridgeport political way, ain’t it? Six days from Democratic primary voters choosing school board candidates to move on to the November general election, political operatives from opposing slates have fired off state election complaints, one alleging absentee ballot fraud against campaign workers for the endorsed candidates, the other accusing an independent expenditure group of campaign coordination on behalf of the challenge slate against state law.

Tuesday night just hours after Tom Swan, executive director of the Connecticut Citizens Action Group, alleged absentee ballot fraud against supporters of the endorsed slate, opposition political operatives returned fire claiming the Connecticut Education Association, and its local surrogate Bridgeport Education Association representing unionized school teachers, has made illegal independent expenditures on behalf of the challenge slate. Advocacy groups can make unlimited expenditures on behalf of candidates provided they are not coordinated efforts. For instance, direct mail pieces and advertising can be spent on behalf of candidates but associates of the advocacy group cannot discuss implementation of those efforts with the candidates or their campaign representatives.

Emily Basham, the campaign manager on behalf of endorsed school board candidates Kathryn Bukovsky, Simon Castillo and Brandon Clark, fired off this statement. (Links to her complaint follow.)

An elections enforcement complaint will be filed with the State Elections Enforcement Commission regarding the Bridgeport Board of Education election. It appears that the Connecticut Education Association has made expenditures on behalf of the Row B slate that they have long been backing and organizing for in Bridgeport’s upcoming Board of Education election that are not permissible under Connecticut election law.

There is strong evidence of inappropriate coordination between the CEA and the candidates and their slate committee. There is also strong evidence of the tens of thousands of dollars of expenditures that have been made by the CEA PAC. These include significant expenditures for campaign field expenses and glossy city-wide mailers sent on the candidates’ behalf. Independent expenditures cannot be coordinated and, in this case, the evidence shows that they have been. This is a clear violation of the law by the CEA and its PAC to promote the Row B candidates for the Board of Education (Andre Baker, Howard Gardner and Dave Hennessey).

Campaign manager, Emily Basham said, “The state teacher’s union has clearly violated state election law by directly coordinating and funding this campaign. The CEA helped the Row B slate to qualify for the ballot, has been sending expensive glossy mailers to Bridgeport voters and spending tens of thousands of dollars on a door-to-door campaign. It’s outrageous, there is a clear pattern of coordination between the CEA and the campaign and state law simply does not allow for money to be spent this way. Robert Traber, Vice President of the Bridgeport chapter of the CEA, led efforts to gather signatures and organize the campaign and he has been consistently reimbursed by the candidates’ slate committee for his campaign activity. The CEA headquarters were also used as a common meeting place for the campaign and a place where notaries were made available to verify petitions for the slate. The truth is that this campaign is being run and funded by one single special interest group based in Hartford and it appears that they have clearly violated the law. The voters have a right to know that this is improper and outside special interests, regardless of who they are, should be expected to fully comply with the law.”

Supporting links to the complaint:
01161001.pdf
BEST0100.pdf
Complaint- List of Paid by CEA&PAC.pdf
CEA100.pdf

Response from Marilyn Moore, campaign manager for challenge slate:

Marilyn Moore, campaign manager for the BEST (Better Education Starts Today) challenge slate in next Tuesday’s Board of Ed primary labeled the latest accusations from the Democratic-endorsed slate as laughable, baseless and desperate and obviously points to a lack of knowledge and experience on behalf of her counterpart in their campaign.

“The endorsed slate is not running on the issues. They are ignorant as to the challenges that exist in the Bridgeport School System. They are ducking any public appearance in order to avoid public scrutiny. And now they are accusing us of campaign finance regulations under the general accusations of ‘it doesn’t look right,’ Moore stated. What doesn’t “look right” is their not moving beyond excuses and participating in a community forum.

“The truth is that the Bridgeport Town Committee is scared. This is the first time that they have seen independent expenditures used in a primary and suddenly they have been forced out of their comfort zone,” Moore continued. Regulatory filings were just completed on Tuesday.

“We have done nothing wrong and they know it. We welcome this complaint and we are fully prepared to respond but in our opinion the State Elections Enforcement Commission will throw this out based on the fact it is totally baseless,” the BEST manager said.

“When a complaint was filed against the Democratic Machine of Mario Testa and Bill Finch and their absentee operation, their response was to attack the individuals who filed the complaint. But that complaint was backed up by sworn affidavits citing specific irregularities in the absentee process. They did not offer to fully cooperate as we are now doing, but instead attacked the messenger. Now they are claiming they will file a complaint and have not yet done so. They are claiming things don’t look right but have not cited specific instances or violations and yet we are saying bring it on,” Moore stated.

“Let’s get back to the campaign. Let’s open a discussion of what the candidates will do if elected. Last night our candidates appeared before a group of 75 informed and concerned voters. They answered every question posed to them. Our opponents were no shows. Their plan is to avoid the real issues and try to fabricate non-issues. The members of the Democratic Party in the city of Bridgeport deserve more. We have less than a week left and again I will issue our challenge. Let’s debate the issues. Any time, anywhere. This campaign is supposed to be about the children but the endorsed candidates instead are simply making it childish,” Moore concluded.