Update: Bridgeport Working Families Party Chair Maria Pereira, a registered Democrat, is passionate about her political work. So passionate, she’s handing out cut cards to her voter contacts in front of Hooker School precinct crossing out the names of town committee candidates she had supported including Pat Fardy and Ann Barney in the Upper East Side 138th District. Maria’s upset about some things Pat’s husband Andy wrote about her on OIB. Talk about keeping score! Maria has shown organizational strength in her home district.
Turnout in the city is at a snail’s pace, with Black Rock, as usual, leading the turnout. Roughly 700 absentee ballots have been cast for today’s Democratic Town Committee primaries in seven districts. So what? That means in a few districts more votes could be decided in absentia than actually show to the polls. Can you blame pols for banking votes on a cold winter’s day that will be hard pressed to hit 10 of the vote? Nah! (How many times have you voted?)
This is, after all, the land of town committee primaries–the spring training of big league events–that produce 90 members for the right to endorse candidates for public office.
When roughly 120 candidates combined appear on respective district ballots it will take a long time to sort out the results, so this will be a long day’s journey into night for elections officials after polls close at 8 p.m.
Electors in the seven districts respectively can vote for up to nine candidates on the two lines. Not sure where you vote? Call the Registrar’s Office at 203-576-7281. Polling Precincts:
130th District: Aquaculture School, St. Ann’s Gymnasium
132nd District: Central and Bassick High Schools
133rd: Central and Blackham schools
135th: Wilbur Cross, Hallen School, Park City Magnet
136th: Beardsley School, Read Middle, Geraldine Johnson School
137th: Marin School, Barnum School.
138th: Thomas Hooker School, JFK Campus
The candidate line-up below:
130th District: Daniel Roach, JoAnn Manzo, Michael Meehan, Melissa Henton, Anne Larcheveque, Thomas Mulligan, Jr., Joy Cline, John McCarthy, Jr., Eric Amado, Jr.
Challenge slate: Hector Diaz, Edna Garcia, Lee Samowitz, Rob Sullivan, James Fox, Robert Foley, David King, Joel Gonzalez, Tyree Gousse.
132nd District: Michael Freddino, Mary Evette Brantley, Carol Cocco, Anthony Lancia, Sr., John Olson, Lisa Parziale, Elaine Pivirotto, Joan Thornton, Reginald Walker.
Challenge slate:: Robert Halstead, Michael Jacques, Howard Gardner, Patricia Swain, Arlene Walsh, Stephon Wynter, Jessica Materna, Pierre Page Jr, Angel Echevarria.
133rd District: Thomas McCarthy, Howard Austin, Sr., Joseph Hatrick, Sr., Joseph Moura, Peretz Robinson, Abel Chaparro, Jeanette Herron, Albertina Baptista, Vincent DiPalma.
Challenge slate: Jessica Allen, Josh Kristy, Louis Innacell, Gail Janensch, Mahlon Goma, Ann Martin, Earl King Jr., Eugene Gailliard.
135th District: Wilfred Murphy, Diane Richards, Warren Blunt, Audrey Barr, Richard Bonney, Steven Ferreira, Deborah DeIrish, Curtis Mae McNair, Richard Cruz.
Challenge slate: Stephen Nelson, Doris Roman Nelson, Waith Mitchell, Carmen Harron, Charlie Stallworth, Mary McBride Lee, Fred Gee Jr, Darrett Evans Moss, Craig Jones.
136th District: Carlos Silva, John Gomes, Adelaide Esteves, Gloria Carbone, Jose DePina, Derek Williams, Lawrence Moore Jr., Mark Bush, Angel DePara Jr.
Challenge slate: Christopher Rosario, Jose Casco, Fabio Mazo, Lawrence Osborne Jr., Wanda Geter Pataky, Cruz Cotto, Dennis Bradley, Richard DeJesus, Mark Trojanowski.
137th District: Gilberto Hernandez, Lydia Martinez, Banjed Labrador, Joe Rosario, Maria Rivera, Guillermo Marin, Aidee Nieves, Juan Hernandez, Maria Ines Valle.
Challenge slate: Clinton Iannotti, Anderson Ayala, Alberto (Tito) Ayala, Jacqueline Richardson, Rueben LeBron Jr.
138th District: Richard Paoletto Jr, Martha Santiago, Michael Marella Jr., Christopher Anastasi, Kevin Monks, Kelly Ann Perez, Madeline Lopez, Andrezej Narolewski, Barbara Powell.
Challenge slate: Scott Hughes, Ann Barney, Pat Fardy, Twana Johnson, Melanie Jackson, Pearlye Sams-Allen, James Morton III, Nadia Pearce, Noel Sepulveda.
Why no story on OIB about Stallworth’s accusations on the PD’s hiring process from this past weekend?
Because it’s not a story.
Jim Fox; I thought you should know your hero Maria Pereira is at Hooker school with Vote for Line C handouts with Ann Barney, Pat Fardy and Noel Sepulveda’s photos crossed off plus she is actively telling people not to vote for them. Her day is coming.
Jim, here is a little more information. There is going to be a complaint against Maria Pereira with the secretary of state.
Have another beer and relax, Andy. A month from now it won’t make any difference.
This is outright nasty!!! Just about guarantees a loss for Row C. This appears to be a new low in Bridgeport Democratic Politics. I simply cannot believe it.
Remember the old song from “The Sound of Music”–How do you Solve a Problem like Maria? I don’t see any immediate solution, but she certainly made it clear she can and will retaliate against anyone who defies her.
I agree, Bob. I was active for quite a while and seldom have I seen anything as petty as this.
I can back up Mr. Fardy, I had never met Pereira before but she reminded me of a Las Vegas hawker handing out strip club pamphlets. I am sure I’m not alone in voting against her people thanks to her actions.
How can Pereira or the WFP realistically expect citizens to separate this activity from her WFP identity?
This may backfire on Maria as someone told me they went in the booth with her flyer and thought she “highlighted” the three people to VOTE FOR.
Maybe this is a question for Lennie or Bob. Doesn’t political literature have to have “paid by” and “approved by” on it? Is this from Maria the person or WFP chairperson? I can only see the picture posted but it doesn’t appear to have “approved by” or “paid for by” anyone.
It has nothing on it except what you see, No Approved or Paid by anyone.
*** Why does an ordinary citizen like Ms. Pereira get so much attention in general, concerning whom she supports in politics or in BOE decisions, etc? It’s obvious she seems to change her mind about things in general at the drop of a hat without actually paying attention to important facts and figures concerning the items at hand. Anyone who can be so emotionally affected by only possible hearsay cannot be taken seriously in anything of importance, no? *** TIME FOR A CHILL PILL ***
Mojo,
True if she were a private citizen. She is the Chairperson of the WFP and is acting in said capacity.
How can she be chair of WFP if she is not a member of that party? I read here a couple of days ago she is a registered Democrat. Can someone enlighten me and tell me how that can be?
Maybe the same way Mario isn’t a city resident?
This is taking away from primaries that are important even though 5% of the “zombies” vote.
*** NOT A MEMBER, AND “HOW MANY ACTUAL MEMBERS ARE THERE IN WHAT’S SUPPOSED TO BE AN INDEPENDENT POLITICAL PARTY?” ***
Report from the field, as of 4:16 282 people have voted at BlackRock (St. Ann’s gym), I was the 282nd voter. A view people went by the sign without reading and headed to Black Rock school. No sign the challenge slate was there, just the top line.
Excerpted from an article by Sarah Jaffe on Bill Moyers’ site today:
billmoyers.com/2014/03/04/the-third-party-thats-winning/
Since the [Working Families] party’s strategy often revolves around winning primaries, the easiest measurement of party “membership” goes out the window–you don’t want people to register as WFP members when that prevents them from voting in Democratic party elections. But [co-founder of the WFP in NY, Don] Cantor explains that there is a “long arc of involvement” for people who want to support Working Families–from being on its email list and maybe donating some money, to joining a local group, to attending candidate screenings and meetings, to signing a “volunteer contract” pledging a certain amount of door-knocking or phone banking for candidates. “All of it is valuable,” Cantor says.
As the party expands outside of its comfort zones, Cantor says, “The big challenge for us is: Can we figure out the form of [the] organization that people can identify with, feel good about [and] support with their feet and wallets?”
And, from the same article excerpted above:
Cantor: “If you build an organization so that people develop a history of working together and build some trust, then you can disagree and it doesn’t blow up.”
It all comes down, in the end, to how power gets built. It requires coalitions and trust; institutional support and enthusiastic activists; lots of organizing, and perhaps most of all, a willingness to pick the right fights.
Pete Spain, this is excellent, and Cantor makes a great point: “If you build an organization so that people develop a history of working together and build some trust, then you can disagree and it doesn’t blow up.” The finishing touch is what happened in the 138th district and Bridgeport Working Families Party Chair Maria Pereira.
The one district I thought big change could have been made for a district and for Bridgeport as a whole was those in Black Rock who early on were making their views known and were trying to get things together as a group. That was why I would question those who form CW4BB about their membership and that they should reach out and bring in others in the 130th district who didn’t live in Black Rock and who didn’t look like them.
I truly believe if that group had gotten together, they could have taken over the 130th district on the DTC but instead they decided they wanted to be Republicans and have little or no power. They had all those meetings at Rick Torres’ store and they had David Walker joining them, well all of that was great, but change was not what they wanted. My questioning them was not about playing the race card, it was about taking power and the 130th district was open for change.
Ron, I think MP’s action dealt a real blow to that final statement by Cantor. Unless you want to win at all costs, why would any strong, independent-minded candidate want to align themselves with her again? It seems all it takes is one minor disagreement and all of her energy is focused against you.
Ron, we may not have made a full change in the 138th but we did enough to take control of the 138th Town Committee despite that horrible thing Maria P did. Ron, I agree with most of what you say about Black Rock, I joined CW4BB as did my wife, I was familiar with the budget and my wife was the zoning expert. The powers that be mainly Walker and Blagys and Buchanan, all Republicans, shunned everyone who was not a Black Rock resident. I for one am done with Black Rock and its elitest groups. BTW Ron, I won’t be voting for Walker.
Pete: I am trying to understand your point here. You think Maria Pereira’s behavior in recruiting Pat and Ann and then subsequently campaigning against them was perfectly fine because she won? The dots are not connecting for me.
The WFP’s reputation was HURT by her behavior, in no way was it helped. Ms. Pereira does anything and everything BUT work well with people. She openly admitted it was to get back at Andy for Pat and guilt by association for Ann. The article you have linked above is the antithesis of Maria’s typical conduct, so I am really not locating the parallel.
donj,
This may not necessarily be a bad sign. In an election like this there are not going to be many voters coming out to vote at Black Rock School or St. Ann’s School and not knowing who they will be voting for. They don’t need a reminder when they show up to vote.
They may need several reminders to get out and vote with a phone call or a door knock or some lit put on their windshield.
The number 282 seems a little low if this is supposed to be a hotly contested election. There are 18 candidates from both sides. This works out to 15 voters per candidate.
Walsh, you are correct; but to me I thought there would be way fewer votes than 282. Yesterday I predicted Black Rock would see between 250-300 voters, well as of 4:16 I was voter number 282 so by 8pm it should way beyond 300.
*** Rumors are circulating (which I hope are not true) about another recent Ayala family incident! What say you Lennie, is it just that, “a rumor?” *** Hoping for the best! ***
Page 2, CT Post.
www .ctpost.com/default/article/State-Rep-Ayala-s-sister-arrested-5285538.php
Btw I 100 percent like voting at Black Rock school more than voting at the St. Ann’s gym all the way in the back with a back entrance, smh.
Hey Maria, too bad you could not stop the victory on the machines from the whole district. Do us a favor, move.
So did your wife win? I am confused!
No, she lost because of the ABs. Thanks for asking.
I liked Maria P. for a bit but now she sounds hasty and haste makes waste.