UPDATE
: Candidates are lining up to fill Chris Caruso’s state rep seat. The Big Wave has started his state economic development job working out of Hartford. Democratic Town Chair Mario Testa has scheduled a convention for Saturday morning to endorse a candidate. Town committee members from three districts covering portions of the North End and Upper East Side will announce their preference. Can the party settle on an endorsed candidate? And does it matter?
Challenge candidates can easily petition their way on the ballot with four dozen certified signatures from voters in Connecticut’s 126th Assembly District. Deadline for an endorsed candidate and signature submission is Tuesday.
Drum roll of potential Dem candidates:
Chanel Cathey has emerged as the possible favorite for the endorsement. She graduated from Notre Dame High School and Fordham University where she majored in communications. She’s 24 years old and is studying for her masters in public policy at New York University. City Councilman Warren Blunt has recommended her candidacy and she is seen as a breath of fresh air by several political activists including former State Senate candidate Marilyn Moore who would love new blood in city politics and government.
Other possible candidates include former State Rep. Bob Keeley, Shante Hanks, an aide to Congressman Jim Himes, Rev. Charlie Stallworth of East End Baptist Church, City Councilman Carlos Silva, Joe Giaquinto, a retired Bridgeport educator, Mark Trojanowski, a Democratic town committee member from the East Side and former City Councilman Keith Cougar Rodgerson. City Republicans have tapped James Keyser to run. The window is closing for others to get in.
Former State Senator Ernie Newton has been encouraged to get in this race, but has said no. Ernie’s contemplating bigger fish such as his former state senate seat (occupied by Ed Gomes) in 2012 and perhaps a mayoral run this year. Ernie’s still popular in his old senate district and much of the state rep district Caruso occupied for 20 years falls within that. Will Ernie endorse? Keeley and Ernie are old friends, but the Moses of his peeps would like a black candidate to serve the district. Ernie, isn’t Keeley the white shadow of his peeps? We’ll see.
One thing’s for sure, look for Ernie to be a big pain in the ass this mayoral cycle. He has a following and intends to use it.
*** Seeing is believing Holmes, no? ‘Til then I’m not expecting any miracles from Moses & his peeps! *** HERE WE GO! ***
Popular with whom?
yahooy, I wish you lived in BPT; I would show you. Stay in West Haven.
Ernie could you call me (203)727-4085
Oay, my Brother.
Ernie Newton // Jan 14, 2011 at 10:50 am
To your posting
Ernie,
Could you call me? 203-915-4924. I’m with the Gomes for Mayor campaign.
You and Hector go back a long way Ernie, perhaps beyond the time when I first met you when I was with the Ganim campaign and administration starting in 1991.
And you already know how clearly illegally and unfairly Ganim fired me after appointing me a Department of Welfare Director. Unacceptable honesty.
And you know already how clearly illegally and unfairly Finch fired me after appointing me to the new city department Finch said he wanted to establish … CitiStat. Unacceptable honesty.
And you know already … how readily I understood what was happening when the clearly illegal and unfair firing of John Gomes by Bill Finch happened; this after Finch appointed Gomes to serve as the first Director of CitiStat. Unacceptable honesty.
And finally you already know that many other people in the current administration of Bill Finch have been illegally and unfairly fired. Same reason … unacceptable honesty.
So Ernie, just for starters …
Do you want to make honesty acceptable in Bridgeport city government? There’s a lot of work to do …
Mojo, I wish you could run, I’ll make a believer out of you. Don’t talk about it, be about it.
*** Oh, I’m being all I can be alright, living in the past since the present is so “DARK!” “Light my fire,” Moses! *** HERE WE GO! ***
“… Challenge candidates can easily petition their way on the ballot with four dozen certified signatures from voters …”
Lennie could you write the number equal to “four dozen” as some of the candidates may not even know what that is?
Bob “The White Shadow” Keeley is going to be the dark horse in this field.
carolanne curry // Jan 14, 2011 at 12:57 pm
To Hector Diaz and Ernie:
“… And you already know how clearly illegally and unfairly Ganim fired me after appointing me a Department of Welfare Director. Unacceptable honesty …”
Where were you when Ganim fired Roberto Garcia as Director of the City Department of Welfare? I know where I was! I was one of those who picketed at City Hall in protest of his firing. Who replaced him?
Joel Gonzalez // Jan 14, 2011 at 1:39 pm
To your posting
Joel,
I think you are telling me I wasn’t the only one to be illegally and unfairly terminated by Ganim.
Joel, his replacement was Mr. Harold Fair (RIP), a straight shooter and gentleman beyond reproach. I may be spelling his name wrong (sorry if I am). We could use more department heads in his mold.
You are right Hector. Joe Ganim’s intention was to close the City Welfare that’s how Ganim was able to save $53 Million by the end of his reign. carolanne curry, you haven’t shared with us why Joe Ganim let you go. What was his reason?
Carolanne, I will call you.
Memo to Mr. Newton
Great way to rehab your reputation would be to join forces with a clean-house candidate. While dirty deals are being cut all over this city, Gomes seems to be the lone wolf.
Ernie, call me!!!
Grin, what’s the number?
Ernie,
No need to call me.
I got fired by Ganim but was over it within 10 minutes.
Memo to Mr. Walsh
Being fired for NOT playing the pay to play game makes you a honest and good person. But it would be hard to get over losing a job for being a good person.
IMO
Mr. Newton deserves a second chance, this is America after all. Working his way back into the political scene supporting someone like Gomes is admirable. Too bad the negative element on this forum would trash him for it.
Bob, when did you work for the city?
MID-WINTER MADNESS!
On a less dramatic note, this should prove to be a particularly interesting special election. Whoever sits in the 126th seat will have big shoes to fill. The Bridgeport delegation of state representatives has many more “junior” members than “senior” members in the legislature, although I believe that Rep. Ayala was named chairman of the Finance committee and Rep. Hennessy is serving as chair of Veteran’s Affairs. Although Rep. Ayala seems to have naturally progressed into the delegation’s new frontman, Caruso’s replacement will need to dive headfirst into the legislative process in order to gain immediate credibility and help solidify Bridgeport’s aspirations of garnering substantial economic support from the Malloy administration.
All that being said, it would be nice to see a candidate emerge who has previous experience working at the state legislative level, as well as the requisite experience and knowledge of issues Park City-ers are serious and passionate about. I don’t envy whoever gets elected–serious work will be getting done this legislative session and 126th residents are notoriously fickle about the ways their views are represented in Hartford.
… back to standard O-I-B dramatic conclusions:
LET THE FESTIVITIES COMMENCE.
Ernie,
I worked for the city for about a year as Finance Director of school-based health centers.
Then Ganim vetoed council’s efforts to hire an independent consultant to review the city’s plans to privatize the WPCA. When it came to a veto override Ganim bought off enough council members to uphold his veto.
We knew then that the proposal Ganim was pushing for PSG was bad, we just didn’t realize how bad it was in terms of the corrupt practices.
I got up and ripped Ganim at the next council meeting and within a month or two there were layoffs in LIUNA and I got bumped.
They had Grants personnel, Labor Relations, the City Attorney’s Office and CAO all involved in meetings just to get little old me. (Lennie, please feel free to correct anything you feel is not accurate).
Anyhow, within a couple of months I was history.
Lennie was the consultant for PSG.
Or was it WPCA?
Or was it Joe Ganim?
Please go away Ernie. You are embarrassing yourself, your city, and your people, Moses. Just go away.
parkcity, I wish you’d go away. Don’t hate the player hate the game.
parkcitybeliever, stay, don’t hate the player and change the game. Whatever happened to “Change?”
We’ll know today who gets the endorsement for State Rep.
I think you already know what the “deal” is.
“… She’s 24 years old and is studying for her masters in public policy at New York University. City Councilman Warren Blunt …”
Too young, still wet behind her ears, if Blunt think she is so great he should give up his seat and give it tho her. They should all work their asses up to Hartford. Look at Ezequiel Santiago–just six months on the City Council and he is running around the Capitol for bad advice from the very same who created the mess. Daddy Americo is telling him, “Increase the state income-tax rate.” Mark Trojanowski will be in your corner.
Ernie, Grin Reaper, Hector Diaz, and carolanne curry. Call me 203-345-9597.
JUST HEARD REV. STALLWORTH got the DEMOCRAT NOD. And Parkcity too bad you can’t make me go away. I’m backkk!!!
Yeah, you could have told us that yesterday, Ernie.
Religion and Politics don’t mix well.
That’s a myth, Joel. Even the Pope is chosen by a vote.
Fixed votes, they elect team players like those who covered up the molestation of children for years.
Hey Hector leave the Pope and the Catholic Church out of this argument.
Joel, I’ll give you a call soon!
I wanted a call today. I’ll be very busy reading, writing, working, researching and soul searching.
Yes he’s back!!! The great liberator of his people. The guy who for a few grand and a new suit jeopardized a powerful seat in the state and embarrassed his community.
Have you seen your old stomping grounds lately? You and your posse should be ashamed of how poorly your community has been represented and how far it has fallen behind the rest of the city.
By the way … Most of the people in the party who are smiling in your face are laughing behind your back. In fact, I’m sure they would like to see you back in town, because you like the rest of your crew will sell your people out cheap.
Please go away!!!
I warned you Ernie these guys are brutal. The streets of OIB are much more dangerous than those of Bridgeport.
Parkcity no matter what you say I’ve always fought for our people and you or no one else will tell me I can’t be involved. Time will tell. And every time someone like you tells me I can’t, I will. That’s what the slavemaster told us.
By the way if my community is so bad where’s your voice? That’s why I’m back because we haven’t had a voice since I’ve been gone. But I’m back and there’s nothing you or the other haters can do about it.
Ernie you act like a slave! A house slave to be exact. You think you’re special because you eat the master’s leftovers while the rest of us starve. You have a little more freedom than the rest of us, but when it’s all said and done, you are still a slave.
How many rings have you kissed since you got out of jail? How many political allies have you and your posse pressured to give you a no-show job? All your so-called fighting has been a smoke screen for you to execute your own agenda.
You make it sound like the Black community was prospering when you went to jail. Worse than that, you make it sound like you were responsible for it.
You are right about one thing. There is a void of leadership in the community. But that void existed when you were there too. In fact, some might say that you and your posse are responsible for the void.
Ernie, there are some very young and talented new voices emerging in our community. If you really love the people, and you want what’s best for them; GO AWAY!!!
I’m not sure how well you know the bible Moses. Your namesake led the people out of slavery, but it was the next generation that took them into the promised land. Even the REAL MOSES had to bow out gracefully. Why won’t you?
parkcity too bad you’re not one of them. All you have to do is move tp my district. and we’ll see who’s who. Don’t talk about it, be about it. I don’t have to prove anything to you or anybody else. Just move in the community that is so bad you couldn’t last a day.
Lennie you’ve got some real winners on your OIB, all talk no action. Peace out. See you all on election day.
I’m not the problem Ernie, you are.
PS,
GO AWAY
Local Eyes thinks parkcitybeliever is a political lightweight.
In 2011, The Ernie Newton story is all about the word “TRIUMPH.” His following is large and growing.
parkcitybeliever is a puppy in search of a leash.
I can just picture Lennie reading all this with one of those Garfield the Cat smiles. It’s been an interesting reading day for me. That Ernie posting works like a charm. Paging Republican James Keyser, I think you should copy Ernie Newton’s or Moses’ revelation here and bring it on the campaign trail. Lennie look what I found:
“any injury to First Amendment rights is a matter of profound concern to the courts.”
BREAKING OIB NEWS:
Upon hearing that James Keyser, the endorsed Republican candidate for the special election in the 126th.district,
was currently an Optician at Spectacles, a small business in New Canaan, Local Eyes threw his endorsement behind him.
Okay Ernie. How much will it take to make you go away? I know you are big on bribes, and you come cheap.