Channeling Pereira–The Machinations Of Mayoral Primary

Maria Pereira is sharing this sample ballot with Democratic voters.

The political plot thickens. Bridgeport features 22 precincts for primary day September 10th. The campaign strategy to yank a vote in Black Rock plays different than, say, the Upper East Side where the self-styled piranha of politics Maria Pereira wages hand-to-hand combat particularly in the Thomas Hooker precinct.

If Pereira embraces you as a candidate she can be like a one-woman riot squad courting votes. If she’s against you, look out, she’s likely to take a gigantic bite out of your you-know-what.

Then there are the times the outgoing school board member pushes herself on voters and this cycle seems to be the case extolling herself and running partner for City Council Samia Suliman. Four years ago she supported Joe Ganim’s comeback to the mayoralty. Shortly after he received the oath of office they parted ways over education issues.

Pereira can certainly make a difference for a candidate in the Hooker precinct. She has the lifestyle advantage to campaign full time, day and night and makes strong arguments on behalf of candidates and causes.

Pereira’s loathsomeness for Ganim is no secret, given her criticism of the incumbent in the OIB comments section. So why isn’t she pushing Ganim primary opponent State Senator Marilyn Moore?

Moore’s campaign won’t schmooze Pereira for support. Why? “She’s too much trouble,” says one Moore operative. “It’s just a matter of time until she turns on you.”

What, you want controversial Tony Barr’s support but not Pereira’s?

Marilyn Moore has embraced Tony Barr, but not Maria Pereira.

Moore’s operation is loaded with campaigners familiar with Pereira including members of the Connecticut Working Families Party that’s taken on a central role with Moore. Pereira was elected to the school board on the WFP line in 2009. She returned to the board in 2015 running on Ganim’s line.

Pereira, meanwhile, had a falling-out with WFP leadership.

Moore’s camp sizes up Pereira this way, even though we don’t want her support formally she’s still an indirect asset given her disdain for the establishment.

Some argue embrace Pereira and hold your breath because it maximizes the vote potential she can deliver Moore.

Former State Senator Ed Gomes signed on to support Pereira’s run for City Council, his image featured on one of her campaign pieces. He has pulled his support for Pereira asserting she’s working against Moore, one of his closest friends and political allies, something Pereira denies.

Ed Gomes has withdrawn his support for Pereira for City Council.

Wednesday night, following the mayoral forum at the Klein Memorial, the 82-year-old Gomes unleashed a passionate puke-up against Pereira.

“She slashes everyone, turns on everyone,” he said standing on the sidewalk along Fairfield Avenue. “You can’t trust her. I want you to write that.”

Pereira asserts she’s echoed nothing negative about Moore; she’s pushing no one for mayor, but has left the door open for district voters to decide whom they want for mayor.

Case in point: Pereira’s sample ballot she’s sharing with potential absentee voters features a slash against all candidates appearing on Ganim’s line, except for cross-outs against her top line and bottom line opponents for City Council.

Line B, featuring mostly Moore supporters, is untouched, except for the two ovals filled in for Pereira and Suliman. Pereira asserts this is not classic bullet voting, a tactical form of campaigning to push one or two candidates and ignore the rest.

Ah, the strategy to appeal to voters. It certainly gives the Ganim and Moore camps something to think about as they woo voters in the Upper East Side.

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25 comments

  1. People often times in but split there vote and i think that will happen in this district. I think Moore is going to run up the numbers out of black rock and north end and flip precincts such as wilbur cross that ganim won in 2015.

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  2. Perhaps Maria hasn’t endorsed Joe or Marilyn because it doesn’t seem like either wants her endorsement? No doubt though,she can be an asset to one or the other.If she wins a CC seat and somehow Joe wins also,I believe Maria & Joe will make amends,perhaps John Ricci will bring them together once more.

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    1. John Ricci and I have remained friends the entire 4 years I have rebuked Ganim. If he hasn’t brought us together in the last 4 years why would he do so now?

      Your assertions do not make sense

      I don’t associate with dishonest politicians and they only get one chance to lie to me. There will be no second chance.

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  3. Lennie, you summarize this real good Lennie but on one point, Maria doesn’t hate Joe Ganim that much because she accepted $1000.00 from Joe Ganim and Mario Testa biggest supporter John Rocco, her pride and ego wasn’t that big because she cashed that check.

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  4. Ernie, some advice, you are now free of all the political games that was over your head. Try to stay out of the Ports’ lower common denominator politics. Focus on your district and the city’s development. Rise above this stuff. Maria excels at this kind of politics. You and her actually peed in a cup to take a drug tests because she challenged you. Tony Barr going to need Maria on something more then a distance video taken from his car of Maria campaign give out literature and talking to voters, if his complain is going to have an affect on the election, 99.9 of these complains go nowhere. Just ask Maria, she fills files enough of them 🙂

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        1. Donj, AKA all I do is post on OIB, exactly what does his video show?

          The only thing it shows is that he is a stalker, psychotic, and a moron.

          It appears Marilyn Moore has her convicted felon harassing me.:)

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  5. Ron
    Now Ed turned on Maria after taking a photo with her SAY WHAT! Can anyone name 5 people that Maria started with that she didn’t Turn on because they could think for them selves and didn’t need MASSA to think for them! I could think of 100 people. O i forgot I can think of one person JOHN RICC 1000.00 that’s why she hasn’t turned on him!

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    1. Ernie Newton ,,,,,, you just keeping hanging on to the middle of the fence. At the DTC mayoral voting,you stood and said that no one asked for your vote and you will not vote for either Ganim or Moore. Ok but standing on the fence is fine for some time but if you make one misstep,the fence will hurt you big time. Tou talk one one way but you vote the TestaGanim way. You are not fooling anybody.

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  6. Ed is being used. Samia Suliman and JoAnn Kennedy have knocked on hundreds of doors with me and I have not said one negative word about her.. Both Samia and JoAnn told him it was a bunch of lies and he just won’t listen.

    I delivered large pluralities in Thomas Hooker for Ed, and look at his behavior. This is exactly why I don’t want to help or endorse anymore candidates.

    I don’t bring her up at all. I only discuss her when voters bring her up.

    I am not REQUIRED to get out and work to elect Marilyn Moore yet her people are acting nuts because I am not supporting her.

    For heaven’s sake she has Tony Barr delivering her the 138th District. What does she need Samia and I for?

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  7. In regards to our sample ballot Samia’s and my campaign cannot promote other Row B candidates on literature/copies funded by our campaign even if we wanted to. That would be a violation of campaign finance laws.

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  8. Maria supported a convicted felon, Joe Ganim, where a federal judge sentence Ganim to 9 years in corruption case. Maria was proud to have her picture taken with Joe Ganim and Dennis Bradley and to go around supporting Ganim and Bradley. Then Maria said that she had no problem with John Ricci giving her campaign because he’s a friend and that Ricci gave money to other candidates some whom she hates and has run against but it was okay for to accept that $1000.00. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is conducting an ongoing criminal probe of the scrap metal controversy where John Ricci is the Public Facilities Director were Ricci and three other are involve with a scrap metal scandal involving over $35,000. We can thank Maria for Ganim and Bradley and as you see Maria has no problem in accepting money from the biggest supporter for Joe Ganim and Mario Testa, now what’s wrong with this picture?

    Think about this, this is what Lennie wrote which is above. “Former State Senator Ed Gomes signed on to support Pereira’s run for City Council, his image featured on one of her campaign pieces. He has pulled his support for Pereira asserting she’s working against Moore, one of his closest friends and political allies, something Pereira denies. Wednesday night, following the mayoral forum at the Klein Memorial, the 82-year-old Gomes unleashed a passionate puke up against Pereira.”
    “She slashes everyone, turns on everyone,” he said standing on the sidewalk along Fairfield Avenue. “You can’t trust her. I want you to write that.”

    “Pereira asserts she’s echoed nothing negative about Moore; she’s pushing no one for mayor, but has left the door open for district voters to decide who they want for mayor.”

    Maria Pereira says:
    August 23, 2019 at 11:55 pm
    Ed is being used.

    This is how Maria is so out of touch, who do you think the voters believe, Ed Gomes or Maria Pereira?

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    1. In the 138th District they absolutely believe and trust me.

      The numbers I pull in clearly support my assertions.

      I never turned on or slashed Marilyn Moore because I have never been a big fan. That is my view and I am entitled to it.

      I am not REQUIRED to support Marilyn Moore. Period.

      My sample ballot that we are distributing speaks for itself.

      There are definitely still Chris Caruso supporters in Thomas Hooker School

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      1. Maria, you know what’s sad, you know this spin that you keep saying is bullshit. City Council member Maria Pereira will never be able to get anything passed because you would need 50% plus one to get something pass which means you would need 10 other members to agree with you, well you couldn’t get 4 members on the BBOE to give you a majority to things passed and now you think with your style that you will the majority of council members to vote your way, PLEASE.

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    1. yes… I just looked at the ballot that Lennie posted here (see Sept 10 Ballot Lineup Set).
      all the instructions say is vote for 3 for BOE. it doesn’t matter if you vote for all on 1 line, or split your vote between both lines. vote for the 3 that you feel will do the best job.

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