Trying to rescue his $81,000 annual pension from revocation by a state judge for helping former Chief AJ Perez scheme the top cop test in 2018, former city Personnel Director David Dunn implied under oath he wasn’t the only one who wanted Perez to succeed.
The 2008 state law authored by then Bridgeport State Rep. Chris Caruso empowers the Attorney General’s Office to revoke or seek to reduce the pensions of state and municipal officials convicted of wrongdoing in their official capacities.
Dunn and Perez were charged with federal wire fraud violations as well as providing false information to federal investigators. Both entered guilty pleas. Dunn was sentenced to four months.
When Dunn, 74, surrendered to the prison facility in Schuylkill, Pennsylvania he was expecting assignment to the federal camp reserved largely for first-time, non-violent offenders. Instead, he spent the first three weeks in 24-hour cell isolation, as part of the prison’s Covid protocol, irrespective of being fully vaccinated.
He was released last August. The state is also seeking revocation of Perez’s pension.
More on this story from Dan Tepfer, CT Post:
But Under questioning by Assistant Attorney General Gregory O’Connell, he admitted supplying Perez with the questions to the examination in advance and adapting the scoring for the process to benefit Perez.
But he said he was unaware that Perez had two other officers take the exam for him. And he was evasive on whether he lied to the FBI about telling one of the panelists scoring the chief selection process that Mayor Joe Ganim wanted Perez to be one of the finalists for the job.
“When you denied making that statement to the panelist that denial was a lie?” O’Connell asked Dunn.
“That’s what I was charged with and that’s what I pled guilty to,” Dunn replied.
Full story here.
I’m sure that almost every city union has had a member who’s pension taken away from them because of David Dunn when their cases were at the State Labor Board. Dunn shouldn’t get anything, in fact the judge should have Dunn say who told him to make AJ Perez the police chief. Civil Service system started in 1935 in Bridgeport and this is without a doubt the worse scandal in the history of the Civil Service system. There’s a lack of confidence among city workers with the city’s civil service office because of the David Dunn scandal.
Thank you Hearst for the front page coverage of Dunn’s ‘thoughtful observations’ on what he did that he was charged with and that which he also participated in to seek his purpose and not those of either public service or Civil Service.
Perhaps he would respond to a direct question on why he never made sure he went from ‘acting’ to official? Perhaps he might include the names of all the Friends of AJPerez so that a ‘gofundme’ plea might be raised for him?
Will OIB feature the OPED from former Judge Lopez today? On the money for sure about how wasteful the City culture has been when it comes to engaging citizens to ‘serve’ on Boards and Commissions, with sloppy rules regarding term expiry which leaves everyone confused, with out voluntary but formal evaluations of Board service annually as to presence, participation, and general commitment to the purpose, and with blindness and deafness to the DEATH of Fair Housing and Fair Rent from our list of such citizen service groups. The boy Mayor with graying hair just does not care, does he? Time will tell.
JML, good points, now wait.
John Marshall Lee, you mention the OPED from former Judge Lopez Opinion: in the Connecticut Post. Judge Lopez wrote, “There are many sacred cows in Bridgeport, too many to list in one place. However, I would be remiss if I failed to include Mark Anastasi, the newly appointed (again) interim (acting?) city attorney. This sacred cow is truly untouchable. He remains Ganim’s confidante, adviser and loyal consigliore. Remember how he kept the mayor’s cellphone records hidden from view, in the first Ganim administration?”
“The City Council has complained at length and with justification that the city attorney represents the mayor and not the council. The appointment of Anastasi, even on an interim basis, represents an “out of the frying pan and into the fire” situation, where blind obedience to the mayor is concerned.”
Tom Gaudett, by all accounts he is a brilliant graduate of Harvard College. I can attest to the fact that he is personable and charming. However, he is apparently engaged to a member of the City Council, Marcus Brown, who votes on the budget and other items recommended by the mayor. Brown has also just been endorsed by the Democratic Town Committee to run for state representative, in a district in which the boundary lines appear to have been moved to accommodate his voting address. You see, the well-connected candidate gets to pick his voters; the voters do not pick him.
Tom Gaudett is a bona-fide member of the elite, unlike the nine-term incumbent, Rep. Jack Hennessy. Hennessy’s failure to receive renomination was orchestrated by Gaudett at the Democratic Town Committee meeting, so that his fiancée, Marcus Brown, could receive the endorsement. This back-room coup must have met with the approval of Ganim, because Tom Gaudett has apparently received a raise in pay in a position he occupies at the pleasure of the mayor.
Another day in the paradise known as Bridgeport.
Carmen L. Lopez is a retired Superior Court judge.
JML, here are a few things that I came across about control if a candidate wants to move up as a Democrat and the punhishment if you don’t follow the script.
“City Councilman Marcus Brown Examines Legislative Landscape–Will He Challenge Moore For State Senate?”
January 6, 2020 LennieGrimaldi
The political skinny circulating in the city has Brown eyeing a state legislative seat, perhaps challenging State Rep. Jack Hennessy or State Senator Marilyn Moore. After challenging Ganim in 2019, Moore’s now likely to face a primary.
If Brown goes for it, Testa and Ganim can help him raise the $15,000 in small donations to qualify for the state’s public financing program that would avail him nearly $100,000 in additional campaign dough.
Testa could also build a delegate list that wires the endorsement to Moore’s opponent. Because Connecticut’s 22nd Senatorial is a multiple-town district, 15 percent delegate support is required to make the primary ballot, presumably that backing for Moore would come from Trumbull and Monroe delegates who embrace her but not necessarily Bridgeport’s political leadership. In lieu of that, challengers to the endorsed candidate may petition onto the ballot.
JML, as you can see there are number of ways that Mario Testa and Joe Ganim control who runs for what, Rev. Herron Gaston will also get the same type help that Marcus Brown will get because they both are down with the script. Now the news is Tom Gaudett the Democratic Town Committee member, and his fiancée, Marcus Brown wil soon be getting married, maybe they will be the new John and Dennis. Former Democratic Town Chair John Stafstrom and his spouse Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Labor Dennis Murphy are sponsoring the second annual “SAMESEX” exhibit starting Thursday at City Lights on Markle Court downtown.
Opening Reception of Our 2nd Annual “SAMESEX” Exhibit Thursday, June 7, 2012, 6:00-8:00,
SUPPORT CITY LIGHTS, BECOME A PATRON MEMBER!*
City Lights Patron Members are invited to a Special Preview Party, 5-6:00 p.m.*
Reception Continues, Free and Open to the Public, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Post Party at “BARE” Tapas & Vino, 269 Fairfield Ave. Downtown Bridgeport
Become a City Lights $100 ‘Patron Member.’
Ron, Has it gotten to this point where we are having an informative and pleasant conversation online at OIB rather than over coffee with time where spontaneity can surface or an Potential City Agenda might be formed? As we know, you do not have to agree in a conversation with everything that is said. Sometimes more time is required to think things through, or, generate more facts, viewpoints, or impressions.
For instance, this article is about Dunn’s pension pursuit, a potential consequence of “the rule of law”. But if this is a subject of an article on OIB, where was the article, from the pen of Lennie Grimaldi, or other person in the know, asking about the pursuit of cumulating the benefit years of Joe Ganim, before Federal trial and conviction, and totaling them with Ganim2 benefit years WITH TIME OUT FOR FEDERAL PRISON BUT ASKING TAXPAYERS TO CONNECT ALL YEARS for a larger benefit? What was the process followed? Who did oversight, or gathered the data as to added cost to taxpayers? Mayor Ganim does not care about future vision for the City, and that is a pity. He does care, about total benefits for the Mayor, but how did we get there, without the public sharing and caring their opinion. Is that an example of more corruption and rotting in the dark? Time will tell.
How about he spills his guts, and gets one year of his pension as a reward? Or maybe whomever he’s protecting can pay him so taxpayers are off the hook.
I could go along with that deal. What I still find troubling is that there’s mo concern from yhe city council on anything concerning this and the civil service and how it’s manage.