Finch On Foster: ‘Desperate Attack From A Floundering Campaign’

City Politics40 Comments

Statement from Mayor Bill Finch re: SEEC complaint

“I strongly believe taxpayers would agree that expenses such as traveling to see the President endorsed and inaugurated should not be paid for with taxpayer’s funds. Additionally, it is our strong belief that no political expenses should be paid for with city funds. We made sure that all laws were followed for any reimbursements and funds used and everything was fully and publicly disclosed. Furthermore, we went out of our way to reach out to the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) well in advance of expenses such as the inauguration to make sure that everything we did and intended to do was above board. We are confident that the eventual SEEC and local findings will confirm this. This is clearly a desperate attack from a floundering campaign.”

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40 comments

  1. Facts are facts, the law is the law, and you can’t change either. What you choose to call an “attack” others call public knowledge and transparency. If you feel you have done nothing wrong, then the law, the facts and time will tell.

    Lennie, when you point out the truth, which is there for all to see as they are public filings, it isn’t personal. If people are upset by the revelation of these actions, they should not have done them in the first place.

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    1. MCAT represents the crybaby wing of LG’s Goon Squad. BTW, how did that Wind Power gig work out? Failure there might overqualify you for MJF’s campaign.

      But The Bridgeport Kid is a mainstay. If pigs had wings he’d still be a slice of bacon wrapped around a steak at a Finch victory dinner.

      Zena Lu: THIS is The Big League–you need OIB cred here unless you’re taking advantage of the generous multiple handle policy granted by this blog’s owner.

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  2. Bill Finch and his majordomo, Adam “Pecker” Wood, do not like having their covers pulled. “[We] went out of our way to reach out to the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) well in advance of expenses such as the inauguration to make sure that everything we did and intended to do was above board …” Yeah, right; and if pigs had wings Bill Finch could fly to the moon.

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  4. Mr. Finch, the taxpayers I know think trips to the White House for inaugural events should be paid for out of your salary. Could this be a desperate response from a floundering and exposed administration?

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  5. From one unethical commission to another. Yes this State is one of the most corrupt in the country. If she ever intends to get some level playing field then she better get the federal govt. involved.

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  7. I agree with Zena Lu.
    What the f**k is Finch talking about?
    He should have paid for those trips out of the salary he took as a State Senator and Mayor. Or out of the money he said he was going to refund to Sal D for prior campaign contributions.
    The man is a lying thief.

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  8. Hey, you lying sack of sh*t.
    If “it is our strong belief that no political expenses should be paid for with city funds” then why was the PAC reimbursing the city? Because the city paid for political expenses our of taxpayers’ dollars!
    Cut the crap.

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  9. You are right, Local Eyes. I am just a lowly little taxpayer … I should not have the right to speak my mind. I will save my opinions for people who are just as pedestrian as me. Thank you for straightening me out.

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    1. Zena Lu: I’m always trying to help–it’s in my DNA.

      Maybe LG can help you with proper techniques for addressing this blogosphere and gaining OIB cred.

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      1. Local Eyes who the hell died and left you the boss? You are still a moron. Zena Lu welcome aboard, don’t pay attention to the resident jester.

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      2. Zena Lu,
        Pay no attention to Local Eyes. He’s the OIB equivalent of the village idiot. You know, the kind of imbecile who thinks it’s possible to buy new wheels for a miscarriage.

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  12. Local Eyes, seriously? But thanks for the good laugh. If getting hired by a client to advocate for their needs is losing, then there wouldn’t be attorneys, lobbyists, etc. The company failed, not me. As for me I am doing just fine 🙂 Now what exactly is it you do?

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        1. Dr. Epstein gave me high-five, reminded me there is no cure or medication for what ails The Bridgeport Kid and then told me to tell him to “dial back the red meat.”

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          1. Just what do you hope to accomplish here, Local Eyes? You certainly don’t have anything constructive to contribute. From what you’ve told us you’re more than 300 feet from being a Bridgeport resident. There are apartments available for cheap in The Hollow. Go live amongst the downtrodden, the people who can’t get a job that pays a living wage. Tell them all about how Bill Finch gets comped train tickets, hotel rooms and gourmet meals courtesy of a crooked political action committee. Tell them all about your hero Bill Finch. Tell them how he says we all have to share the sacrifice while his wife Sonya gets reimbursed for purchases at TJ Maxx. Tell that to people who have to the go to the Merton Center food bank to put groceries on the table and Good Will Industries for clothing. Thank them for “sharing the sacrifice” and remind them to vote for the greedy, avaricious and self-entitled asshole currently occupying the mayor’s office.

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  13. Finch truly believes he did nothing wrong. Un-freaking-believable! Tell that to the over-burdened taxpayers or the city employees who took salary cuts the last three years, Finch, you useless bag of shit.

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  15. I have no problem with PAC money paying for city officials to attend inaugurals and conventions. That’s legitimate.

    Now, Mr. Finch, please tell me what convention was held at TJ MAXX.

    You’re busted. This is only the tip of the iceberg that will bring you down faster than the Titanic.

    State buon’

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  16. It is not legitimate if expenses were double billed. When Mayor Finch pumped and dumped $46k from his ’07 mayoral campaign into the PAC he showed charity really does begin at home. Why didn’t he donate the surplus campaign funds and distribute them to Bridgeport non-profits? Did he ever donate his state senate salary when he was double dipping as mayor to the Zoo as promised? I believe you also have to display some type of work product when you are getting paid for a job.

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  18. Key word is “if” on the SEEC charge and was the mayor representing the PAC and in what capacity. Mrs. Finch was a delegate to the ’08 Democratic National Convention in Denver and who paid for her expenses? Was she also representing the PAC as a committee worker?

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    1. yahooy,
      According the the Post story, “State campaign-finance law expressly forbids the use of PAC money for anyone’s personal use, restricting the money to building political operations and charitable giving. Lawful expenditures include office overhead, utilities operating expenses and promoting the success or defeat of candidates for nomination or election to office in Connecticut or the success or defeat of referenda, according to an SEEC guide.”

      Further along the story quotes the SEEC guide: “No goods, services, funds and contributions received by any PAC may be made available for the personal use of any individual,” the SEEC guide says. It prohibits the use of money for defraying normal living expenses, or those that have no “direct connection” to the PAC.

      If any of these regulations have been violated there will be criminal charges.

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  20. Perhaps this excerpt from Ken Dixon’s ctpost.com article will better assist you. Gaffey got in trouble when he reimbursed himself from his PAC and his employer. Thus the double-billing charge.

    Please see below.

    State campaign-finance law expressly forbids the use of PAC money for anyone’s personal use, restricting the money to building political operations and charitable giving. Lawful expenditures include office overhead, utilities operating expenses “and promoting the success or defeat of candidates for nomination or election to office in Connecticut or the success or defeat of referenda,” according to an SEEC guide.

    “No goods, services, funds and contributions received by any PAC may be made available for the personal use of any individual,” the SEEC guide says. It prohibits the use of money for defraying normal living expenses, or those that have no “direct connection” to the PAC.

    Potential penalties include civil fines, but the SEEC can also recommend criminal investigations to the Chief State’s Attorney.

    Last December, veteran state Sen. Thomas P. Gaffey, of Meriden, resigned on the day he pleaded guilty to state charges including the personal use of thousands of dollars in campaign funds.

    In 2009, state Sen. Joseph J. Crisco Jr., D-Woodbridge, paid a $4,000 fine to the SEEC in connection with the forgery of a campaign worker’s name on an application for the state’s public-funding program during his re-election campaign. Crisco was not prosecuted criminally.

    During the last election cycle, the People for Excellence in Government PAC contributed to Democratic candidates including Jim Himes, who won the Fourth Congressional District race; U.S. Reps. Chris Murphy and John Larson; and Richard Blumenthal, the then-attorney general who won the U.S. Senate race.

    Beccaro did not return calls for comment Thursday.

    Finch and Wood dismissed Kelly’s complaint as a political tactic filed by an employee of Foster.

    “I have lawyers working for me to keep it legal and this guy’s a failed restaurateur,” Finch said of Kelly, before a mid-morning new conference in the city’s East End.

    “He’s an employee of hers, paid by her campaign,” Wood added. Both he and Finch declined further comment until they reviewed the complaint.

    By mid-afternoon, Finch, who was a state senator before winning the mayoralty in 2007, released a statement on the charges.

    “I strongly believe taxpayers would agree that expenses such as traveling to see the president endorsed and inaugurated should not be paid for with taxpayer’s funds,” Finch said. “Additionally, it is our strong belief that no political expenses should be paid for with city funds. We made sure that all laws were followed for any reimbursements and funds used and everything was fully and publicly disclosed. Furthermore, we went out of our way to reach out to the State Elections Enforcement Commission well in advance of expenses such as the inauguration to make sure that everything we did and intended to do was above board. We are confident that the eventual SEEC and local findings will confirm this. This is clearly a desperate attack from a floundering campaign.”

    Foster, in a phone interview, said the alleged use of PAC money for personal use reminds her of other ethics and corruption scandals that have embarrassed the city.

    “This is one more example of business as usual in Bridgeport,” she said. “I couldn’t be more disappointed, not just for me but for the citizens of Bridgeport and it’s time practices like this stop.”

    State election law allows election-campaign surpluses to be contributed to active political committees not associated with the candidate; tax-exempt, tax-deductible groups such as 501c(3) groups; or the state’s voluntary Citizens’ Election Fund to help finance General Assembly, governor and other top-of-the-ticket races.

    Kelley said Finch may have made a mistake when he decided to give the $46,000 to the People for Excellence in Government PAC. “Finch should have given the money to charity,” Kelly said.

    Read more: www .ctpost.com/news/article/Mary-Jane-Foster-supporter-files-state-elections-1719825.php

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  22. The political firepower of John Gomes has yet to be felt. Off in a corner of the OIB Political Radar Screen an unorganized mass is taking form. Similar to a tropical storm, it is gaining momentum but is still uncertain about its direction.

    I’m glad he ignored the unwanted advice from those who aren’t in the “belly of the whale.” He’s built his own campaign and earned the right to play the cards he has. Besides, it’s early yet …

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  23. I Love Mayor Bill Finch. How dare you people attack the apple of my Local Eyes? I love Bill Finch so much on February 14, 2008 (Valentine’s Day), I filed a complaint with SEEC against Sonya Finch (he’s mine), Bill Finch (Mua!), and all the registered Campaign Treasurers (three since 2000) of the Bill Finch for Senate Committee. Note: Sonya Finch (or was it Clark?) was the Deputy Treasurer. The very same method of operation I saw in 2008 is the same used by those behind this so-called People for Excellence PAC. Bill Finch didn’t return the love and neither did SEEC–they blew me off. Wow, what “Desperate” people do when they are in love! By the way, Bill Cummings (sounds dirty doesn’t it?) of the Connecticut Post didn’t think it was newsworthy.

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  25. The Bridgeport Kid has the trademark faults of a political know-nothing. He’s made countless remarks about our 30-second conversation and still misunderstands the common thread so essential to today’s political pundit. I hope he uses modern medicine to treat his obvious ills. In sharp contrast …

    What This World Needs is more cool dudes like Joel now-you-see-him, now-you-don’t Gonzalez.

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