Wall Street Journal Profiles Newton: “Ex-Senator Seeks Redemption”

Ernie Newton tells OIB his campaign on Friday will submit the final pieces of paperwork to the State Elections Enforcement Commission that he hopes will lead to his campaign qualifying for a $91,000 public-financing check for the Aug. 14 Democratic primary against incumbent Ed Gomes and State Rep. Andres Ayala.

“Ed Gomes and Andres Ayala raised money through the establishment,” says Newton. “I raised it through the little people.”

The SEEC meets once a week to review and sign off on applications for public financing. Today (Thursday) at 5 p.m. is the application deadline to be on the commission agenda for July 12, according to SEEC spokesman Joshua Foley. Ayala has already qualified for public financing. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal, under the header Ex-Senator Seeks Redemption, profiles the Moses of his peeps.

By JOSEPH DE AVILA

BRIDGEPORT, Conn.–Ernest Newton was once a popular politician, serving this working-class city for 17 years in the state Legislature. He was also once a federal prisoner, serving four years for taking a bribe and other corruption charges.

Now, two years after his release from prison, Mr. Newton is a candidate for office again, running for his old state Senate seat in Connecticut’s largest city. Known for his flashy suits and a knack for showmanship, Mr. Newton is now taking a different path to power: Asking Bridgeport for forgiveness.

“I hurt my family, I hurt the city and state,” Mr. Newton, 56 years old, said in an interview. “All you can do is apologize, which I have. But do I have to be punished for the rest of my life?”

Mr. Newton’s candidacy will test the limits of his popularity as he runs in the Aug. 14 Democratic primary against the man who replaced him in the state Senate, Edwin Gomes, and state Rep. Andres Ayala. The district covers Bridgeport and parts of Stratford, and the primary winner is expected to coast to victory in November, as Democrats dominate the area.

Mr. Newton has the support of the Bridgeport Democratic Party, which endorsed him in May. Political observers said Mr. Newton has a legitimate chance of winning the primary.

“It’s a city that seems to forgive people very quickly,” said Gary Rose, chairman of the department of government and politics at Sacred Heart University.

Mr. Gomes said he would run a vigorous campaign to beat back Mr. Newton’s challenge.

“People have said that I brought integrity and respect back to the job,” Mr. Gomes said. “I’m running on my record, and he’s running on his, and I believe that mine is a lot better than his.”

With his conviction in 2006, Mr. Newton joined a long list of Connecticut political figures who have run afoul of the law while in office.

There was former Gov. John Rowland, who resigned in 2004 and later served more than 10 months in federal prison on a conspiracy conviction relating to accepting gifts. He now has a political radio show.

And there was former Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim who was convicted in 2003 for taking bribes, extortion, racketeering and other felonies. He was released from prison in 2010 after serving seven years.

But Mr. Newton is the first disgraced politician in recent memory to run for office after being convicted.

Mr. Newton, who is running again for his old seat after serving time in prison on corruption charges, greets constituents in the district.

Mr. Newton said the same issues that bedeviled this city when he went to prison–high crime rates, long-stalled development projects and abandoned factories–were still there when he was released in February 2010.

“I go away, and I come back, and it’s worse than when I left,” Mr. Newton said.

First elected to the state House of Representatives in 1989, Mr. Newton quickly became known for his flamboyant personality and unusual dress. He wore sharp suits and a kufi cap, and was an unyielding advocate for a small city with big urban problems.

“He often spoke with a passion for a population of the state that doesn’t have a voice,” said Kevin Sullivan, who served as leader of the Senate during part of Mr. Newton’s time there.

But Mr. Newton has acknowledged a dark underside to his career, battling a crack-cocaine addiction during his first years in office. He said he has been drug-free for 17 years.

He also wasn’t known for his legislative prowess. He never spearheaded significant legislation and didn’t put a lot of effort into appropriations and fiscal issues, Mr. Sullivan said.

“I think Ernie clearly saw himself as a spokesperson more than anything else,” he said.

Mr. Newton was also prone to making controversial statements. During a defiant resignation speech before his conviction in 2006, he called himself the “Moses of my people.”

By then, Mr. Newton was on the ropes, facing charges of taking a $5,000 bribe to advocate for a $100,000 state grant for a nonprofit, using about $40,000 in campaign contributions for personal expenses and evading taxes. He pleaded guilty to those charges.

U.S. District Judge Alan Nevas chastised Mr. Newton for the Moses comments when he sentenced him to five years in prison.

Mr. Newton is betting that most Bridgeport citizens, like retired resident Barbara Williams, will forgive his crimes and remember his advocacy for the city.

“I remember when he helped a lot of people who needed bills paid and didn’t have money,” Ms. Williams said. “He has asked for a second chance and I feel we should give it to him.”

“This is a country that is built on second chances,” said Bishop Ricardo Griffith of the Word of Life Ministries in Bridgeport. “Yes he made some errors. But I believe that he would be better for the community. Why? Because he’s learned from his mistakes.”

Others aren’t happy about Mr. Newton’s candidacy.

In a statement, Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, a fellow Democrat who has worked with Mr. Newton, said he “did not think it was the best decision–for him, or for the City–for him to run for office again.”

A victory for Mr. Newton could fuel voter cynicism, said Karen Hobert Flynn, a vice president at Common Cause, a nonprofit that promotes open government.

“I do think that when public officials misuse their public office it creates more cynicism about our politics,” she said. “It’s a real problem and voters are real skeptical when politicians run for office again.”

Even if Mr. Newton’s re-election bid fails, he could remain an influential figure in Bridgeport’s Democratic Party.

“I’ll get up and go to work tomorrow like I’ve been doing since I’ve been home,” Mr. Newton said. He works as counselor in a drug rehabilitation center. “But win, lose or draw, I’m not going nowhere.”