Days prior to a third Democratic primary for City Council in the North End 133rd District, that mischievous former State Rep. Bob Keeley says he’s using his run as a platform and not necessarily to win. As he puts it “I have been mailing my candidacy in” for the greater cause of stopping “corruption.” Is he lowering expectations for the Tuesday result?
In response to an OIB question about absentee ballots that caused Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis to invalidate two prior primary votes, Keeley writes:
I am proud to say that my three court cases transcends my candidacy for city council one thousand times over. The moral to my story is simple: Bridgeport is beset by deep rooted corruption, permeating institutions of higher education, city hall, the town committee, elected and appointed officials, both statewide and local officials, city council members, and city patronage beneficiaries. I’ve made my point loud and clear, I am out to STOP CORRUPTION COLD. My service to Bridgeport is as a true reformer, not as an elected city council member.
This is why I have been mailing my candidacy in, but TKO’ing Ganim, Testa et al. through the courts! My cause has been heard far and wide. I haven’t been interested in my candidacy at all except as a pathway to expose the Bridgeport criminals, of which there are many! Arrest and prosecute Bridgeport criminals, now!”
Keeley and zoning commissioner Anne Pappas Phillips are challenging party endorsed Michael DeFilippo and Jeanette Herron. A third vote will take place Tuesday.
BFD You wasted peoples time to tell us what we already knew. Its funny that now you are law biding. When you first ran for the State Legislature you used a phoney address that put you in the district you were running in . I hate phoneys like you You really did nothing for the people of Bridgeport. Go away.
Say what you will about Mario Testa (…and lord knows many of us have said many things) but he is not a quitter.
Bob, what about all the people you asked to vote for you to become one of their representatives on the City Council and while I’m at, how does Anne feel about your “mailing it in”?
Why do I get the feeling you think your race is unwinnable and that you are just looking for a face saving way to explain your imminent defeat.
Give credit where it is due. Were it not for Keeley’s lawsuits Mario Testa’s absentee ballot operation would not have been exposed. We all have known it’s been going on for years. Now it has been documented in a court of law. He accomplished his objective. People may vote for him anyway.
Only In Bridgeport is a column for conversation, specifically about the many things that are unique to the public square in Bridgeport. It is much easier to talk about these things, historically or imaginatively, but to get off your couch and go out in your part of this unique world and offer your service, your ideas, your time and efforts in the future to neighbors is a real service with a real expense.
So, I thank Anne and Bob for providing an alternative, and by their action, establish a further public record for the way ‘corruption’ sneaks or slops into our public square. What other evidence for judges, officers of the court, or public opinion to assay will be required to lose illegal election habits? Will someone come forward with an affidavit about receiving $20 for their ABS? Time will tell.
Former NFL player and coach Herm Edwards said about winning football games, “That’s why you play the game.” The same can be said about running for political office, you run to win. There are no moral victories in losing nor should Bob find a moral victory by saying his candidacy wasn’t about wining, but to call attention voting corruption. BS!
Nothing was changed or will be changed with respect to the proliferation and misuse of AB votes because there were no consequences to anyone involved in these transgressions. The police officer that picked up the ballots, the chief for ordering said officer to run this for Mario, Mario for getting the ballots for the police officer, the person that got the ballots that were mailed without a post office stamp on them or the person that found the mysterious AB ballot that broke the first tie vote. No one was punished, there were NO consequences for their actions so why would Bob or anyone else think that these nefarious actions will stop.
Bob, the people that voted for you didn’t do so for a moral victory and you owe it to each and everyone to try your very best to win and anything less is uncivilized.
Isn’t it true that the machine has the money to control elections through handing out jobs, threatening to take jobs, getting big contracts for friends, paying people to work campaigns, a
, paying people to work high rise senior homes to farm elderly who have dementia, put people into subsidized housing in return for being soldiers, and paying people to vote AB?
What the Supreme Court said validates our concerns
Isn’t it true most voters in Bridgeport have given up?
It’s a nasty sickening business and its gut wrenching for sincere, honest people to even try to run for office?
It kills me when people on this site ignore all this.
Let me say this about Bob Keeley, Bob has never been a quitter, just the fact that he was Bridgeport’s longest serving State Rep. during his time serving Bridgeport in Hartford. As for Bob’s comment “this is why I have been mailing my candidacy” he was just giving a moral assessment of how the voters have been messed over years when he said, “Bridgeport is beset by deep rooted corruption, permeating institutions of higher education, city hall, the town committee, elected and appointed officials, both statewide and local officials, city council members, and city patronage beneficiaries.” Bob is looking at the greater good for all Bridgeport voters with these court cases and in no way is Bob quitting his dedication to win this City Council seat in order to serve the voters of the 133rd district and of Bridgeport. Bob is now seeing that after all of those years serving Bridgeport that he sees light in fighting corruption and that this fight is worth fighting.
Keeley ran for City Council knowing full well La Machine would stoop to its usual lows to keep the 133rd seat. He played them in order to pursue a redress of grievances in a court of law.
Not everyone is disenfranchised from the politics of Bridgeport or resigned to the corruption. There are several grass roots anticorruption groups in Bridgeport. Keeley’s legal successes emboldened them. They are not going away.