Ganim, Gomes In Full Primary Mode One Week Out

Analysis and Comment, City Politics8 Comments

Ganim’s leveraging power of incumbency.

About one week left, where do we stand?

Mayor Joe Ganim and his September 12 primary opponent John Gomes, as well as respective campaign teams, are putting on a final one-week push that also includes races for City Council, school board, city clerk, town clerk and sheriffs.

About 40,000 registered Democrats are eligible to vote, the likely turnout will be in the 10,000-12,000 range.

The winner becomes the heavy favorite in the general election. Ganim and Gomes both have ballot spots in November: Ganim the New Movement Party, Gomes the Bridgeport Independent Party. Lamond Daniels has also petitioned successfully for November.

 

Ganim and Gomes campaign at Firebirds organization event.

 

State Senator Marilyn Moore who came close against Ganim in 2019 failed to qualify for the primary and has no ballot position in November. The Connecticut Working Families Party was her last hope for November but has announced it won’t be endorsing for mayor.

Direct mail pieces will flood mail boxes this week with both positive and negative contrasting. Campaigning will be testy and dirty down to the wire.

The Ganim campaign has released a video placed on social media and digital outlets framing Gomes as the “hatchet man” vendetta candidate running for mayor twice after termination by both the Finch and Ganim administrations.

John Gomes with campaign work horse Maria Pereira.

Gomes is hammering the change theme backed by a mayor-for-all-the people mantra. Education is a key Gomes issue condemning the incumbent for insufficient investment in schools as well as manpower shortage in the police department. The Bridgeport Now political action committee formed by Gomes backers will attack Ganim on a number of fronts.

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Ganim is highlighting a record that includes tax stability, economic development including the 6,000-seat concert amphitheater, thousands of new housing units, new boys and girls club, Honey Locust square project in the East End that received a boost last week with M&T Bank’s announcement to locate a branch along the Stratford Avenue corridor.

The race is deeply personal on both sides. The backbone of Gomes’ support comes from former Ganim allies who had political divorces with the mayor including former Public Facilities Director John Ricci, Campaign Manager Christine Bartlett-Josie and City Councilwoman Maria Pereira, a campaign work horse in her 138th Upper East Side district.

Internally both campaign camps feel good about their chances. Absentee ballots could be pivotal. The Town Clerk’s Office is processing more than 4,000 requests for absentee ballots, with roughly 1,000 coming from the 138th District alone. Campaign follow up on those requests is labor intensive.

Most of Gomes’ absentee ballot action is targeted within certain districts including the 133rd District where former Police Chief Rebeca Garcia, miffed she was bypassed for the permanent top cop slot for Roderick Porter, campaigning hard for City Council including courting a number of voters via absentee ballots.

The Gomes camp is also making a play in the 137th District, the domain of City Council President Aidee Nieves, backing Ganim, who is popular in her heavily-Hispanic East Side neighborhood.

Ganim’s absentee ballot operation appears more spread out across the city. The Ganim camp has a lead among voters seeking applications. One area of the city showing brisk absentee ballot requests in the East End 139th District where Ganim supporters, City Council candidates, incumbent Ernie Newton and former member Eneida Martinez seeking to return, have a strong following with no primary opponents.

This is an area of the city the Ganim camp can run up a number.

Primaries are strange ducks. They are all about identifying friends and dragging them out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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8 comments

    1. Maybe Joe will also take those two city council (fluck-up’s) from Black Rock’s 130th McCarthy & Burns with him to Easton!
      Thanks to McCarthy and Burns, Black Rock will have a 50 unit five stories condo building on the corner of Fairfild Ave and Courtland St. FOR EVER, thanks to those Two Flucking Schmucks!
      By the time we get to September 12th Old Joe is going to need a pretty Big Bus.
      (The Easton Express) seems to be a good name!

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      1. Jim,
        As a Black Rock neighbor and electrician when I am in need, I thought of you on Sunday night when I heard a “loud bang” outside and my TV screen went dead. Going outside I noticed that few neighboring houses showed any sign of electric power though it was not yet dark. With my spouse we went out for pizza in Bridgeport and returned one hour later to find a utility truck on the street with an operator trying to figure what happened and repair.

        We discovered a dead bird with stomach blown out, the likely result of his attemtpting to settle on lines near a transformer on a pole that stopped current to our homes. Problem identified, repair work was completed as darkness settled, and we were content.

        However, what is your problem with McCarthy and Burns above? They are on the City Council where I rarely see you. The Council is not a City zoning body as you know. If you have followed the story of the property on Fairfield Ave., you know that projects and permissions have been sought and pursued for the better part of 15 years. Yet nothing seems to work for a series of owners. How do you suggest that it is the fault of two Council persons for whatever “50 unit five story condo” you are describing to us.

        Burns was president of Black Rock NRZ for four years and McCarthy was also, by dint of office, part of the group though without a vote, but I do not remember your participation in any land use activity when the lot in question was studied. Community conversations have been held. Meetings have been open. Process is transparent and honest to my eye. What is the problem, Jim? Has something recently happened that you are not describing? I am not concerned with holding folks to accountability. Just wonder whether you have focused on the right targets.

        As the untility repair guy told me, until he found the dead bird, the reason for the power outage was not obvious. Where is your dead bird? Time will tell.

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        1. Hi John, I marched on this 50 unit housing project with about 100 of my neighbors I didn’t see you there. or the NRZ or Councilmen Burns someone said McCarthy went by in a car.
          I and other Black Rockers think the NRZ is just a toothless tiger, has no real power and is not effective.
          I attended all the Zoning meetings against this 50 unit project where the hell was the NRZ?
          Zoning canceled at the last minute, not a word from our Councilmen again no Burns or McCarthy. No Lee or NRZ opposition!
          What have they done for Black Rock ?
          Our streets and sidewalks are crumbling pot holes everywhere. The only time you see the Streets being worked on is every four years , your happy John your street just got paved!
          You want to do something JML with the NRZ fix our Flucking Streets!

          P.S. Those birds work for us.

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          1. Jim,
            How do you pave all these streets with a $3Million approved capital budget and a $10 Million announced mayoral plan? You can’t, can you. But pointing that out to the City Council, where CC Burns and McCarthy are only 2 of 18 sitting legislators does not matter to some members.
            Is that an ethical challenge where people support a mayor because family members get employment or other favors from the City? Report it as such, but please don’t automatically turn on folks who are regularly studying the issues, know the processes, and care.
            Where are the 100 protesters when the Land Use group in the NRZ meets? When you pit neighbor against neighbor, you undercut community feeling in general. And showing people how to attempt to meet reasonable expectations tapers off, too.
            What is it that you wish, along with your protester group on that site? Is it workable, marketable, and within a budget that contemplates private owner profit? Can you share it with the neighborhood? Beacon St was not just paved. What other parts of your angry commentary are untrue, inaccurate, and emotionally charged? Which streets require paving? Where are the potholes you deplore? Time will tell.

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