When Joe Ganim began the quest to regain his old job it came with the proviso of little room for error. As campaigns go, for the most part he was blunder-free with less than four weeks to the Democratic primary raising money, building support, creating opportunities, proposing government reforms–even if panned by cynics as disingenuous–to insulate himself from the baggage of the past. This petition controversy may play into opponents’ arguments it’s the same old Joe, nothing’s changed. Is it fatal to his campaign? Depends on the legs of the issue, if the perceived stain caused by a now-fired campaign worker sticks to him personally and how the final weeks play out.
The closing weeks will feature heavy spending by the campaigns of Ganim, Bill Finch and Mary-Jane Foster with many charges and counter charges. Also some tit for tat over a variety of issues, some manufactured, some not, including competing complaints filed with the agency that oversees election violations. That, in fact, has already started between supporters of Finch and Ganim.
Generally a campaign can absorb the hit that comes with this type of controversy. Petition drives to qualify for the ballot are loaded with mistakes that jettison signatures. It’s the nature of the beast in the frenzy of a short window to file petitions. We have not heard from the campaign worker in question who circulated the petition. She will be hearing from a state investigator, no doubt.
If a few more people step up to say they never signed a Ganim petition sheet after receiving a thank-you letter from the Ganim campaign, is it evidence signatures were forged or is it simply a computer-generated glitch by campaign staff responsible for sending letters?
Ganim issued this statement:
“Although our campaign has only learned about this now, this paid individual was terminated on July 28 after there was some dissatisfaction with the quality of her work. We turned in close to 3,000 signatures, in just 5 days. This make no sense to me at all. Had we any indication that any signature was not valid we would have avoided submitting that signature. It is worth noting that it was only because of the thank you that we sent out to each person who signed one of our petitions that this was discovered.”
Ganim opponents will seek to keep this issue in the news to create doubt about Ganim’s comeback while Ganim operatives try to change the discussion.
It’s going to be a noisy close to the primary.
I have a feeling this is going to be explained away. The canvasser in question was terminated last month due to incompetence. The Ganim campaign turned in over 3000 signatures to qualify for a place on the primary ballot, well over the 1900 required for verification. I’m guessing the fired campaign worker was motivated by the prospect of a paycheck, not any belief in the candidate. Speculating it is an example of Joe Ganim’s past behavior is not going to accomplish anything. The problems plaguing Bridgeport’s past, present and future are still here and not going to disappear into the foggy mists of time.
So far the dialogue here has been about one candidate’s criminal history, the incumbent’s lack of integrity and a third’s qualification for the primary ballot. All this noise is distracting from the serious issues we as a community must deal with day to day and will continue to deal with in the future if nothing is done. Maryli Secrest’s near-constant carping about Joseph P. Ganim’s criminal record and her effort to keep him from assuming the mayoralty is beginning to remind me of the old Warner Bros. cartoon Wagner spoof “What’s Opera, Doc?” Elmer Fudd, with spear and magic helmet, sings a chorus of “I’m going to kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit, ho!” Replace “wabbit” with “Ganim” and you’ll get the idea.
www .youtube.com/watch?v=KJXBZbi2RJc&list=PLs31hqhmn9TWqXXeG9ya1DGpBy1rRwZn5&index=5
Read my entry on the original page. If someone thinks the state will not take this seriously, they are mistaken.
I have to think the state will take this seriously, given Denise Merrill’s relationship with Bill Finch. By the same token I have to think it is going to amount to nothing, a tempest in a teapot. Ganim may be scuffed up a little bit but not so badly that his campaign is permanently derailed. From the beginning he has shown himself to be an adept politician. Neither he nor Danny Roach, his campaign manager, is a stranger to less-than-ethical campaign tactics. Too many people will be watching, waiting for an opportunity to pounce on the slightest real or imagined faux pas.
At first glance it would appear ironic a man who has a conviction for public corruption would suggest an independent ethics commission. This can also be interpreted as a sign the man has learned from his errors, he has been “corrected.”
Please do not interpret this as an endorsement.
Sure sounded like one, but very astute to quickly make it clear!
Thanks Steve, but I’m still no match for you. That’s a sincere compliment.
It’s too bad it’s not an endorsement, Bridgeport Kid. You sound like someone with reasonable thinking skills and common sense. Anything I could do to change your mind??? I believe Joe will be a good mayor, and if that happens he’ll need sound-thinking people surrounding him.
Lisa, you are smooth!
Last time he was here he was not so good. Please don’t tell me about the taxes, tell me about the review board.
www .thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/20/trump-s-1-land-deal-with-a-corrupt-mayor.html
LOL.
This is defintely going to stick almost as much as the AJ Perez story. Totally outrageous. But a joy for those who remember the good old days of bullying politics. It isn’t even September and we haven’t had the huge September surprise for Joe Ganim. This is the little stuff!
What AJ Perez story? I think the story should be the sudden flip of his accuser and why just before the TC vote. Where’s Maria P.? She will elaborate a bit more I’m sure!
I don’t see how it could. It’s one word against the other. There are too many potentially confounding variables for any proof to be ascertained beyond a reasonable doubt. It’s a ploy to cast suspicion. I can’t say whether or not the incident itself was wholly rigged, but at the very least it’s an opportunity seized.
My vote is no.
Me too, Wicca!
Chickenshit people like Wood, Secrest and Auerbach will try to make this look like it’s the end of the world for Joe.
Finch has been playing the part of the caretaker for the past eight years, he needs low-life scumbags like Wood, Auerbach and Secrest to carry his water! Wednesday night can’t come fast enough! Just listen to a real Mayor on Radio Cumbre 1450 AM at 7:pm!
Jim,
Please lay off the attacks on other posters here. I have had my disagreements with Steve Auerbach; the conversation between us has evolved into something close to civility. Adam “Pecker” Wood and Maryli “Life is but a dream” Secrest are fair game. Mr. Auerbach has volunteered for the Finch campaign, if I’m correct. If he were a paid staff member it would be different.
By the way, you owe John Soltis an apology. The mayor’s office has no control over the library.
Kid, when did I say that?
Just calm down. My bad. Confused you with Bob Walsh.
Kid, oh! You mean a post like this one is very civil from Stevie to you?
Steven Auerbach // Aug 20, 2015 at 4:31 pm
Dude, your taxes will be on a new reval, dumb ass, what’s the point at looking at obsolete information, you schmuck. Who gets off on useless information, idiot; and by the way, how many times are we going to read about the dilapidated property on Clifford street with an asking price of $43,000? I understand a developer has been buying all those properties on the street in question for inquiring minds who want to know.
All the chatter about the candidates, for or against, reads like a group discussion at Comic Con. Each candidate is working to develop a cult of personality, trying to portray themselves as pseudo-icons, as if they are rock stars, matinee idols or professional “wrestlers.” It is mildly entertaining but after awhile one has to ask “So what?” It doesn’t accomplish anything. After all is said and done, the urban maladies that plague our city—high taxes, violent crime, unemployment, poor education have not been treated. At most they’ve been addressed with a little Mercurochrome, “boo-boo juice” as the baby boomers called it. About as effective as putting a Band-Aid® on a bullet wound.
This is going to amount to nothing but a morbid curiosity, a temporary distraction from the real issues. Eventually the people of the city of Bridgeport are going to tire of hearing the same old stump speech bullshit (“A chicken in every pot, a TV in every room!”) and demand the contenders and pretenders put some meat on the table. Enough with the chips and dip, we want some real food.
Jim Fox,
Referring to myself, Adam Wood and Maryli Secrest as scumbags is a pretty pathetic comment to make on this blog that is not in response to any post. The definition of a scumbag does not reflect us.
Do you see the writing on the wall? Getting nervous? Watching the window of opportunity closing? Calling us a scumbag is as about as disrespectful as anyone can possibly get.
I am registered and will be at the debate. I will not have to listen to Radio Cumbre and I look forward to an intelligent exchange. I know who I am voting for and I am certain Mayor Finch will get his message out loud and clear.
Stevie, I’d like to apologize for calling you a scumbag! And replace it with a new word, Sleazecrest!
You slay me!
Everyone please, CALM DOWN, CHILL OUT. I have contributed to the heat and animosity here. Mea culpa. Everyone just cut the crap. Sniping and arguing about shit that ain’t gonna matter a hundred years from now is not accomplishing a thing. Some of us believe Bill Finch deserves another term. More power to you. Others believe Joe Ganim has redeemed himself, repented and paid penitence. More power to you. Still others believe Mary-Jane Foster has the right stuff to lead the city out of the doldrums. Good for y’all.
There ain’t no writing on the wall. Nothing in politics is certain. Except in Bridgeport where the power of absentee ballot manipulation makes all things possible.
Yawnnnn, boring story. Finch and Ganim do the same shit. Look at how Finch abuses absentee ballots. They are full of shit politicians. Except Ganim runs a city better.
Amen.
And gets paid a very healthy commission, to boot.
Bridgeport needs honest leadership.
I have had the unfortunate experience of dealing with both the Reverend Ray Anderson and the SEEC and neither of them should be given credibility in the press. The first thing the City should do is issue a “Blight Notice” on Anderson’s property, the former Dugas Mansion.
Don’t worry. I am sure if Ganim wins that will happen.
You would think there weren’t nearly daily shootings, weekly murders, astronomical unemployment, a public safety meltdown and a looming tax disaster the way the other campaigns are trying to score a touchdown with a deflated paper bag.
There is no scandal here. At worst a lousy employee whose signatures had no impact on the campaign. Most probably the failure to more carefully coordinate computer data with computer printing instructions. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME WHERE MODERN IT TECHNIQUES ARE EMPLOYED–WITH TAX BILLS, BANK STATEMENTS, ETC. ESPECIALLY IN CASES LIKE THE ONE AT HAND, IT DOESN’T MEAN A DAMN THING.
This nonsense will be forgotten by Monday morning.
The other candidates are in a lot of trouble. They have nothing to offer the voters except ridiculous political theater and a dearth of solutions to Bridgeport’s huge, mounting problems. The Ganim campaign will not play into the idiocy of the other campaigns.
The SEEC will find nothing. (When is the investigation into the cover-up by Denise Merrill going to release some details?)
TBK, that was nice of you to stick up for Steve. He may be a pain in the ass but for some sick reason we all love him.
It’s true, you have to love him. He’s loyal to his choice of mayor, when he wants to he’s extremely articulate, when he wants to he’ll kick ass with his wit and edginess, when he wants to he’s understanding, and I bet he’s an awesome cook. Oh I forgot, he can be really funny? What’s not to love?
We all love Steve and giving him carpal tunnel.
Thank you all for your kind words after six months of nonstop abuse. I have no bad feelings toward anybody as I am a pro-Bridgeport man who appreciates the entire city and our differences.
Lisa, I am a pretty awesome cook. When you like to eat every ethnic delicacy, you learn quickly how to cook. My mother is a pretty awesome cook. At 87 she has two freezers packed to the max. I go there for dinner once a week. We start with fruit and salad, soup, homemade kreplach, any Italian, Jewish, Hungarian, American seafood meat or chicken etc. etc., dessert and tea. I supply the fresh vegetables. She amazes me and drives me nuts!
Btw, I am pretty good at Portuguese, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese.
How do you not gain weight? I recently saw you and there was no chubbiness. Did I just make up a word? You know what I mean, Steve.
I walked for 7-1/2 hours today. Not a single person I spoke with brought up the AJ Perez matter. One couple brought up the fraudulent petition signatures. I explained what happened with the employee. Then I asked them if you were involved in a forgery scam would you send the individuals whose name you forged a “thank-you” letter thereby making them aware your campaign forged their signature? They looked at me and said “no.”
They got it. Done. NEXT!
Not so quick, young lady. We are not ready to put the AJ story to rest. It was the talk at Bagel King today and it will continue to be the talk by the opposition. Channel 12 only played the clip every 30 minutes. You know how channel 12 is. By the end of the day you are able to regurgitate the entire broadcast verbatim. I’ll bet if you talk to people at the ’50s Diner, every individual there would be able to give you the three-minute blurb. If you missed it, it is on the channel 12 website as well as Fox News CT.
By the way, I have noticed many of the new Ganim signs all over the city. What is interesting is while driving it looks like the sign says “Stop Ganim.” It would be clever if Finch had signs that looked like them that instead said Stop Ganim, that certainly would confuse everyone! I kinda like it!
Someone brought to my attention Hernan Illingworth and I are going to line up on the ballot, Kadisha Coates and Dennis Bradley are going to line up and Faith Villegas and Ben Walker are going to line up on the ballot.
Any predictions?
Yes Maria, I would like to make a prediction, if I may. Let me first say I am amazed at your knowledge of the Board of Ed. Many may find you too political and aggressive. I think you are swell!
My prediction is you are the top vote-getter at Thomas Hooker school. I predict Mayor Bill Finch wins every district in the city unless they just sit on their hands and play dead for the next few weeks.
I predict the entire Finch ticket wins and his coattails bring in his entire slate. I predict you and Howard Gardner will happily honor your bet. I predict Alma Maya and Fleeta Hudson will be sorry they abandoned Mayor Finch and I predict the city will enter an amazing period of prosperity. Ganim will be back in Easton by Christmas and we will enjoy sparring for another four years. I had a completely different experience talking to people at the Hooker School area, they could be lying to me. Many are enjoying the Nob Hill Park and it was packed today with parties, music and food. I was offered a hot dog and ribs and I happily accepted at 7:30 as I was walking in three neighborhoods since 2 o’clock and I forgot to eat! Put out a few signs on East Main and a few homes and by 8:30 I Was spent. Good thing no plans for the weekend!
It is always good to hear what other sections of the community are saying in the “door knocking” rounds of other candidates and their supporters.
The most frequent comment we have been hearing north of Fairfield Avenue as well as south of the avenue is “What will people do when the revaluations show up?” Values are down in many parts and that will drive the mil rate higher and there is little or no trust in Finch financial handling and reporting. What will happen? On people’s minds? Time will tell.
Well Steve, I was really looking for predictions regarding the BBOE elections.
I believe you are indicating Coates, Illingworth and Villegas will win all the BOE seats. Is that correct?
Yes, you will get Thomas Hooker and the entire city will support the Finch ticket. There is a huge wonderful diverse city out there. Focusing all your energy at Thomas Hooker will definitely help Maria Pereira. As I have always said, the voters rarely pay attention to the BBOE and most residents couldn’t tell you who is on the Board.
Mayor Finch, Melanie Jackson, Morton and Pereira, Clemons and Martinez will be the top draw at Hooker.
Steve, and you think I am “delusional.” No one on the Finch ticket will win Thomas Hooker.
I predict Ganim will beat Finch 2 to 1 in most districts!
Jim Fox, you could be correct, in a parallel universe.
I think this is going to have some detrimental effect on Ganim’s campaign, as if he doesn’t have enough tarnish and mud to wipe off. Ultimately the investigation will go nowhere but in politics it is the appearance of impropriety that does more damage.
As I stated, both the former Bridgeport Post reporter and the Michael Smith from the West End were incorrectly selected in our database. There were six Michael Smiths in the database and the wrong one was “tagged” as a petition signer. There were two Reginald Johnsons and the wrong one was “tagged” in the database. Therefore address labels were generated for the wrong addresses.
That leaves the one circulator who was terminated on July 28, 2015. I hope he/she is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Maria–don’t the people who sign those consent forms have to put their address and date of birth along with their signatures?
The date of birth on a petition is optional, not a requirement. If you do not have a date of birth the address is required. A voter does not have to list both an address and a date of birth.
When you “tag” a voter the address is only visible if you click on each individual with that name.
Maria, isn’t it exhausting being the only defender of Ganims “mistakes,” why? Isn’t Mike Gianotti responsible for coming up with these little responses to big issues? Was the wrong Reverend Anderson tagged?