Walsh Supporters Step Up; How Would You Handle This? Plus: McMahon Poll

Evening Update: The usual suspects that are the first to cry bigotry in the city have not been heard from in the Evette Brantley versus Bob Walsh phone message inferno.

Walsh, who is white, and Brantley, who is black, are City Council representatives of the West Side. Fuming over Evette’s support for the Finch administration’s Steel Point development deal, Walsh growled in a phone message that Evette had caved to the “masta.” Walsh’s nickname “Troll” certainly is appropriate in this context. He likes to stir things up. Evette allowed several minority members of the council to listen to the audio. Some of them laughed. She then let City Council President Tom McCarthy lend his ear. McCarthy turned it over to the city attorney for guidance on how to deal with Evette’s complaint. Walsh apologized to his partner, but Evette was not satisfied with how he presented the mea culpa.

When I asked Evette on Saturday if she had to do it all over again would she have handled it the same way she did not back down from her decision. Evette’s closest political supporters say instead of turning in her partner she should have handled it directly with him. I’ve known both Brantley and Walsh for 25 years (eek! where did the time go?) and I know two things: Evette is passionate about her background, a mom raised in Mississippi who endured a lot of crap. Evette feels like her partner went over the line and his public comments since have done nothing to bring him back. I also know that Walsh has worked very hard at his anti-establishment mantra, be it mayors Joe Ganim, John Fabrizi or Bill Finch. The Troll, decades ago, was a party regular. He is now to most party regulars a pariah. But not because of a history of bigotry. In fact, Walsh’s closest political friendships are with black pols such as State Senator Ed Gomes and City Councilman Andre Baker.

Walsh is a stick in the eye who has broken lots of political bones. The snicker effect from pols who don’t like him drips with glee over this issue. Troll’s critics maintain he’s great at trying to blow things up, not so good at making things happen. But I’ve never seen evidence that Walsh was a bigot. Not even close. Several council members I’ve spoken to say Walsh’s phone call was an aberration. They say he’s an insensitive turd, but no bigot.

And maybe that’s why local race relation organizations–NAACP, Guardians and Firebirds–have not been heard from. Evette’s complaint is now before the City Council in an uncharted area. What the legislative body can–or cannot–do is unclear. I pressed Evette in our conversation about what course of action would satisfy resolution. She would not commit.

The City Council took no formal action Monday night. Brantley’s complaint was submitted to a “committee of the whole” for review by the entire council at a date to be determined. Meanwhile, many of Walsh’s friends and political supporters have stepped up on his behalf. See letter below:

AN OPEN LETTER REGARDING BOB WALSH

DECEMBER 20, 2009

THE RECENT ANTICS OF MAYOR FINCH AND CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT, THOMAS MCCARTHY CONCERNING COUNCILMAN BOB WALSH HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RACISM. THEY HAVE EVERYTHING TO DO WITH A DELIBERATE, CALCULATED AND ORCHESTRATED CAMPAIGN DESIGNED TO SILENCE AN INDEPENDENT COUNCILMAN WHO ASKS THE TOUGH QUESTIONS, AND HAS THE COURAGE TO DISSENT.

LACKING THE CAPACITY TO ARGUE THE MERITS OF MUNICIPAL ISSUES WITH AN HONEST, ARTICULATE, HARDWORKING LEGISLATOR, THEY HAVE DECIDED TO ATTACK HIM PERSONALLY. THEY HAVE DONE THIS, BY ENLARGING A PERSONAL DISPUTE BETWEEN COUNCILMAN WALSH AND COUNCILWOMAN YVETTE BRANTLEY, INTO A PUBLIC SPECTACLE.

NOT ONLY IS THE MOTIVATION OF MAYOR FINCH AND COUNCILMAN MCCARTHY CLEAR, IT IS EQUALLY CLEAR THAT NEITHER THE MAYOR NOR THE CITY COUNCIL HAS ANY AUTHORITY IN THIS MATTER.

THE FACTS OF THIS MATTER ARE NOT IN DISPUTE. MR. WALSH LEFT MS. BRANTLEY A PRIVATE MESSAGE ON HER HOME TELEPHONE ANSWERING MACHINE, EXPRESSING HIS DISAGREEMENT WITH HER ON THE ISSUE OF STEEL POINT. HE LEFT THIS MESSAGE WHEN HE WAS UPSET, AND USED ILL-ADVISED LANGUAGE. HE LEFT A SECOND MESSAGE, DURING WHICH HE ADMITTED THAT HIS WORDS WERE NOT WELL CHOSEN.

ONLY AFTER TWO WEEKS HAD PASSED, AND THE SECOND MESSAGE HAD BEEN RECORDED, DID THE FINCH ADMINISTRATION CHOOSE TO DISCLOSE THE TAPE’S CONTENT TO THE MEDIA. IT DID SO IN A FRIDAY AFTERNOON PRESS RELEASE, ISSUED WHILE COUNCILMAN WALSH WAS OUT OF THE COUNTRY.

TALK OF REMOVING COUNCILMAN WALSH FROM THE CITY COUNCIL IS RIDICULOUS AND PATENTLY ILLEGAL. THE COUNCIL HAS NO AUTHORITY TO DISENFRANCHISE THE VOTERS OF MR. WALSH’S DISTRICT–BRIDGEPORT VOTERS WHO HAVE CONSISTENTLY SUPPORTED HIS INDEPENDENCE OF THOUGHT AND ACTION, BY REPEATEDLY RE-ELECTING HIM.

NO PUBLIC FUNDS WERE EXPENDED OR MISUSED IN THIS AFFAIR.

NO COMMENT WAS MADE AT A MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OR IN ANY OTHER PUBLIC FORUM.

IT HAS BEEN THE ACTIONS OF COUNCIL PRESIDENT MCCARTHY AND MAYOR FINCH WHICH ELEVATED THE STATUS OF THIS INCIDENT, AND CREATED A PUBLIC ISSUE. WE ARE APPALLED THAT THEY WOULD ARTIFICIALLY MANUFACTURE A CONTROVERSY, USING THE INCENDIARY ISSUE OF RACE.

UNLIKE THE PRESIDENT OF THE CITY COUNCIL, BOB WALSH IS NOT A CITY EMPLOYEE, AND DOES NOT HAVE A SUBSERVIENT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY’S EXECUTIVE BRANCH. NOR IS HE BEHOLDEN TO ANYONE FOR POLITICAL FAVORS.

COUNCILMAN WALSH’S PUBLIC RECORD AND LIFE TIME OF ADVOCACY IN SUPPORT OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL CITIZENS, IS WELL KNOWN, AND WELL DOCUMENTED. HE CAMPAIGNED TIRELESSLY IN AN ATTEMPT TO ELECT A PUERTO-RICAN MALE AS MAYOR AND A BLACK WOMAN AS STATE SENATOR. HE HAS STOOD UP FOR PEOPLE WHOSE RIGHTS HAVE BEEN VIOLATED, SUCH AS THE SCHOOL NURSES.

MAYOR FINCH AND CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT MCCARTHY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DIMINISH EITHER BOB WALSH OR HIS RECORD OF SERVICE TO BRIDGEPORT, BY RESORTING TO VICIOUS PERSONAL ATTACKS AND POLITICAL POSTURING.

ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, WE FREELY ADMIT THAT BOB WALSH HAS A FIERY TEMPER, ONE WHICH HE HAS EMPLOYED MANY TIMES TO THE BENEFIT OF THIS CITY. HE HAS BEEN KNOWN TO UTILIZE A TART TONGUE AS PART OF HIS DEBATING ARSENAL–ANOTHER TRAIT THAT HAS SERVED THE CITY QUITE WELL OVER THE YEARS.

HIS SENSE OF HUMOR INCLUDES THE ABILITY TO MAKE FUN OF HIMSELF, PROVING THAT HE TAKES HIS JOB VERY SERIOUSLY, BUT DOES NOT TAKE HIMSELF TOO SERIOUSLY.

BECAUSE ALL RELEVANT FACTS HAVE BEEN KNOWN FROM THE BEGINNING, THE ‘INVESTIGATION’ LAUNCHED BY THE FINCH ADMINISTRATION IS A POLITICAL SHAM, AS IS THE ‘SHOW TRIAL’ WHICH MAYOR FINCH AND COUNCIL PRESIDENT MCCARTHY SEEM DETERMINED TO CHOREOGRAPH.

WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT OTHER MEMBERS OF THE BRIDGEPORT CITY COUNCIL WILL NOT JOIN IN THIS TRANSPARENT POLITICAL FARCE.

IT IS A SHAME THAT AN HONEST, DECENT, AND HARD WORKING LEGISLATOR WITH AN UNAMBIGUOUS REPUTATION FOR PERSONAL INTEGRITY HAS BEEN SMEARED BY OFFICIALS OF THE CITY OF BRIDGEPORT. BUT IT IS AN EVEN GREATER SHAME THAT THIS SMEAR CAMPAIGN IS DESIGNED TO STIFLE DISSENT, DISCREDIT LEGITIMATE OPPOSITION, AND DETER OTHERS FROM SPEAKING OUT FOR FEAR OF INCURRING THE WRATH OF THE FINCH ADMINISTRATION.

BRIDGEPORT HAS TOO MANY REAL AND PRESSING CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME FOR ITS LEGISLATIVE BODY TO WASTE ANY MORE TIME ON THE POLITICAL GRANDSTANDING AND REVENGE POLITICS WHICH MOTIVATED THESE ATTACKS ON BOB WALSH. IT IS TIME FOR THE CITY TO MOVE ON.

WE, THE UNDERSIGNED FRIENDS OF BOB WALSH ARE NOT FOOLED BY THIS CHICANERY AND ARE CONFIDENT THAT THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY OF BRIDGEPORT WILL NOT BE FOOLED EITHER.

VERY TRULY YOURS,

ANDRE BAKER

SAUDA BARAKA

CAROL COCCO

PENNY COVINO

LAURAYNE FARRAR-JAMES

SENATOR ED GOMES

MAXINE AND DONALD GREENBERG

BOB KEELEY

CARMEN L. LOPEZ

RON MACKEY

MAX MEDINA

MARILYN MOORE

MIGDALIA MUNIZ

LISA PARZIALE

ELAINE PIVIROTTO

ANGEL REYES

NEIDA ROBLES

BOBBY SIMMONS

JEFFREY TISDALE

Release from Ed Patru, Linda McMahon’s communications director

We are pleased to share exciting news exclusively with our supporters. Linda McMahon for Senate 2010 today is releasing the results of an internal poll we conducted last week showing remarkable momentum for Linda, even as the numbers paint a dire picture politically for former frontrunner Rob Simmons.

Linda now leads Rob in a head-to-head matchup, 37%-35%, and she holds at least 20-point leads in each of the all-important 3rd, 4th and 5th Congressional Districts.

We’re deeply encouraged by the growing support Linda is receiving across this state. Since the day she announced three-and-a-half months ago, she has been focused on meeting with as many voters as possible and giving them the opportunity to decide for themselves whether they trust her to go to Washington to help change this country’s direction, put the economy back on track and get people back to work. After more than 170 meetings and events, it’s becoming clear that people are ready for a different kind of Senator.

Rob Simmons has yet to articulate a compelling argument for why voters should choose government experience over real-world business experience, and his failure to do this has cost him the lead in this race, despite his non-stop negative campaign. People have lost faith in career politicians like Chris Dodd and Rob Simmons, and they want outsiders with real-world experience — that is why Linda has captured the momentum and the lead in this race.

The survey, which was conducted by Linda McMahon for Senate 2010 pollster Hans Kaiser of Moore Information, was conducted December 15-16, 2009 among 400 likely Republican voters in Connecticut. Moore Information is a nationally recognized, highly respected firm whose broad client list includes government, corporate and political campaigns. Moore Information’s political client list includes, among many others, U.S. Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, as well as the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Polling memo below:

TO: McMahon for Senate
FROM: Hans Kaiser
RE: Survey Results: Connecticut GOP Primary Voters

In our most recent survey Linda continues to improve her numbers among Republican primary voters, demonstrating impressive growth. In a little over three months she has gone from being a virtual unknown to now leading the GOP primary race for U.S. Senate. Despite a constant drumbeat of negative attacks by the Simmons camp, Linda is viewed more favorably than Rob Simmons and less negatively. Additionally, Simmons’ image and ballot support remain flat and despite the fact the race has winnowed down to three candidates he has now fallen into second place.

McMahon Image

Linda has a positive image of 52%, while her negative rating remains in single digits. Overall 82% of primary voters are aware of her and she is viewed favorably throughout the state and among all demographic groups with extremely low negatives among all audiences. Even in Rob Simmons’ home base of Eastern Connecticut, Linda has a very healthy 4:1 favorable/unfavorable ratio.

Linda McMahon Image Aware Favorable Unfavorable

December 2009 82% 52% 7%

Ballot Test

Linda has moved ahead in this race because Rob Simmons has not been able to improve his standing outside of his old Congressional District where he holds a solid lead. That inability to improve outside of his district now becomes problematic for him as only 10% of all undecided voters come from there. Fully 78% of the undecided voters come from the 3rd, 4th and 5th Congressional Districts where Linda currently enjoys leads of 20 points or more. And almost half (47%) of all undecided voters live in Fairfield County where Linda currently leads by 32 points.

December 2009

Linda McMahon 37%

Rob Simmons 35%

Peter Schiff 4%

Undecided 25%

This memo contains the results of a telephone survey conducted among Republican Primary voters in Connecticut. A total of 400 interviews were conducted December 15-16, 2009, by Moore Information, Inc. The sampling error associated with this survey is plus or minus 5% at the 95% confidence level.