In politics timing is everything. Is the time right for Board of Education chairman Dennis Bradley to challenge State Senator Ed Gomes?
Gomes, who will turn 80 soon, is telling pols he wants one more term. Voters returned him to the State Senate last February during a dramatic special election when Gomes won the seat running on the Working Families Party line following a controversial Democratic convention in which attorney Ed Farrow who did legal work for then City Councilman Ricky DeJesus broke a delegate tie handing him the nomination.
A series of issues dogged DeJesus on the campaign trail including being a deadbeat on taxes and child support. Gomes cruised to an easy win in a field that included lightning rod school board member Ken Moales.
Bradley, a young ambitious attorney who also served on the Fire Commission, was the leading voter producer among Board of Education candidates who ran on Joe Ganim’s mayoral slate. Bradley also had the backing of the Working Families Party. He then was elected chairman of the school board, in which Democratic Town Chair Mario Testa was in the mix, over several veteran members who helped to create a wider relationship gulf with school board member Maria Pereira who ran on the same slate as Bradley.
Bradley has started to make the rounds feeling out State Senate support from party insiders. Although Gomes won the special election on the Working Families Party line, he’s been making calls to Democratic leaders telling them he wants their support for one more two-year term. The party endorsement will take place in May. Will Bradley stay patient and wait? Or will he challenge Gomes who was defeated as an incumbent by Andres Ayala in a 2012 primary? Ayala served one full term, was reelected, then was immediately appointed by Governor Dan Malloy commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles that created a vacancy and the ordering of a special election.
Gomes’ support of Mary-Jane Foster for mayor did not sit well with some party regulars who backed Joe Ganim. Gomes represents Connecticut’s 23rd Senate District that covers about two thirds of the city and a portion of Stratford. This is an election year for Bridgeport’s eight-member legislative delegation, in addition to Gomes and State Senator Marilyn Moore, State House members Steve Stafstrom, Ezequiel Santiago, Jack Hennessy, Chris Rosario, Charlie Stallworth and Andre Baker.
A few of them could face August primaries. And others, in addition to Bradley, could be looking at Gomes’ seat.
Dennis Bradley is a young, good looking and energetic person who has put himself in play for various open offices in the past several years. At this moment he has sought and won the job as head of the Board of Education. The Board has several major responsibilities facing it at the moment including balancing what appears to be an unbalanced budget, dealing with a leadership change in the Superintendent’s office, and providing some encouraging news or changing results for what is happening in classrooms. As a leader your public expects such. The executive temperament and legislative emotions and abilities seem different to me, but as far as Bridgeport is concerned we need vision for all of the citizens, high standards of ethical and voting behavior, and a sense of reversing trends that have placed us where we are today. He has not consulted me on this subject, however. Would it serve Bradley better to currently secure the local results necessary for 20,000 students and their families and wait for the next run? Time will tell.
Bradley has been around all day. He ran for the BOE and won. He ran for President of the BOE with absolutely no experience and no program to improve things for the kids. Bradley does not give a damn about the kids, all he cares about is himself. Typical lawyer, never trust a lawyer.
So we have Bradley potentially running for another office. I think Baker split roles (not sure if this is still the case) between BOE and state rep. Maria on BOE and running for Town Committee (after she used to blast others for not being fully “devoted” to the BOE). Perhaps we should adjust the Charter again so you can have only one elected position at a time. Especially if they also hold full-time jobs, how can you possibly do all three effectively? Using the BOE and the children as stepping stones to personal/political advancement.
Andy, while I don’t agree with much you say in this forum, I absolutely agree with your observations regarding Bradley. He took an oath of office he would do what’s best for the youth of Bridgeport and bailing out on them after being elected to the BOE and as chairman of the same is a slap in the face of our youth and those who voted for him.
If you can’t trust him or take him at his word when he said he wanted the best for our youth, how in hell could you trust him when he says he wants what’s best for Bridgeport? If you lie to the residents of Bridgeport once, what’s the chance you’ll do it again? Just saying.
Dennis Bradley this time around won the position he was running for and then sought and ran for the President of the BOE and he won but now he needs to show us he can understand the job he won and to show leadership, which he has never shown before, so now it’s his time to deliver. Dennis Bradley, do yourself a favor, spend your time doing what’s right for the students of Bridgeport and not running against Ed Gomes in less than a year in an election you will NOT win. Time will tell.
Well, we all know this story. aAjob had to be found for Dennis Bradley and one was procured for him. Maybe he got a glimpse of what it really means to be head of the BOE and wants to get out. Or is he one of a particular type of politician who is continuously seeking some or another public office? And if so, how did he ever become head of the BOE?
Why did a job have to be found for Dennis Bradley???
It’s how future candidates are groomed. If you’re JUST a member of the BOE, what good are you? BUT if you are the CHAIRMAN of the BOE, it increases your name recognition making you more electable.
FG, it sure didn’t help that boot-lick Hennessey!
The BOE has become a microcosm of the political wars raging in Bridgeport in the last few years. The BOE should be the LAST place where these political machinations take place, but if anything, the BOE has become a political circus.
The other idiots on the board elected him.
5-4 vote, Andy.
Dennis, at least get one job done so we can see what you can do.
Oh for f**k’s sake.
Dennis Bradley may not be an issue TODAY but he certainly has potential in the future. Suppose any candidate for political office starts going around and asking ALL the parents of ALL the children who attend Bridgeport schools, DID YOU KNOW A 30-YEAR-OLD WITH ABSOLUTELY NO EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION WAS PUT IN CHARGE OF YOUR CHILD’S EDUCATION? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT??? I would think the response would be WTF, WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH A STUPID DECISION AND WHY DID OUR MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS NOT SPEAK OUT AGAINST SUCH A STUPID IDEA? I think the issue has potential.
For now he needs to do the job he was elected to do and leave campaigns for other office for sometime in the future.
Is it truly about education for our kids?
Or is it about Mario, the DTC and those lucrative school construction projects and bids Dennis Bradley needs to protect?
It has gotten so bad on the BBOE, the Chairperson Dennis Bradley has not attended one flucking committee meeting since he was elected by Mario Testa on December 7th.
I’m sorry, did I say Mario Testa? I mean by other members of the BBOE.
If you can’t do your job Mario assigned you to do, I’m sorry again, the BBOE members elected you to do, then step aside and let someone else who really cares for our kids and the entire Bridgeport Public school system do it for you, Chairperson Bradley!
Mr. Fox, are you a fly on the wall? This has Mario’s name all over it. Things in BPT will never change until we the people of this great city vote all these self-centered, power-hungry asses out of office (power).
I suppose the DTC will have to decide if he is the right candidate, no? 🙂
Steve, have you taken a good look at who we have on the DTC? Really, this city is a joke. Testa controls everything. What makes us think things would/will be different? I truly believed Ganim would make a slight difference in being Mayor over Finch but so far he’s not. He’s hired incompetent people to keys positions in the City at the taxpayers’ expense. The deputy CAO doesn’t have a college degree, what qualifications does she have for that position? SHAKING MY HEAD!!!
Things change very easily, just get a slate of nine voters in your district who are like-minded to challenge those in the DTC instead of crying about it here on OIB.
Damned shame.
God Damned shame.
And just a few days ago someone was asking why do New Haven and Hartford fare better with state assistance.
It’s because of games like this that make Bridgeport look like a horse’s ass.
You have a well-liked well-respected State Senator working in Hartford and the party decides for pure political purposes to punish him and replace him with a newbie who can’t even take his first elected position seriously.
This is what happens when those who try to circumvent pesky little details like living in the district they represent carry the cavalier attitude over to appointed (patronage) positions. They try to circumvent pesky little details like job qualifications.
wtnh.com/2016/01/20/report-dmv-commissioner-submits-resignation/
Just read about the “resignation” of Andres Ayala, another graduate of the grooming school of the MT School of Governance and Politics. Ayala should have been FIRED. READ THIS ARTICLE. What a f##kin’ mess! Bradley is in the same grooming school.
Frank, with a heavy political heart I agree with you.
Even though one of Mr. Ayala’s former students reached out to me and vouched Ayala was an excellent High School teacher. Maybe he should go back to that. According to another post from Pete Spain, Ayala does indeed have an opportunity to return to the Bridgeport School System.
Double Ditto!
MORE INFO. EMBARRASSING THAT THIS MESS WAS FROM BRIDGEPORT.
www .courant.com/politics/hc-dmv-0120-20160120-story.html
Looks like Maria was right:
www .youtube.com/watch?v=YFgckxExquc
Rocco–is that the same “it’s all about the children” Maria who left that same BOE meeting right after her speech to go to the City Council meeting? While the BOE meeting was still in progress? The same one with political aspirations of her own beyond the BOE as she is now running for a DTC seat? Just checking.
*** If Sen. Ed Gomes is in good health during the campaign season, he will run circles around this new self-inspired political wannabe; who only appears to be wanting to move up the political ladder as quickly as possible without working for the constituents who voted for him or proving his public worth! *** WHOOP ***
Mojo, I think you sum it up the best.
Mojo, you have summed it up! DB wants to move up the political ladder quickly. I know Gomes has my vote. Laracuente and a few others are pushing Bradley to run for Senator, who knows he might just, for Congress too.
Bradley needs to stay put and finish what he started.