Chanting “Ned, Ned, Ned” about 300 Democratic activists Thursday night filled the ballroom of the Madison Avenue restaurant of Town Chair Mario Testa urged on by Ned Lamont, Mayor Joe Ganim and U.S. Senator Chris Murphy who declared “This is the most important election that you have ever taken part in.”
Lamont, according to polls, is tucked in a dead heat war with Republican Bob Stefanowski to replace Dan Malloy as governor.
Ganim, speaking from a staging area for the $25 pasta night fundraiser for the town committee, kicked things off at the rally declaring Democrats have the “best candidates at every level, for every office,” adding a lot was on the line to elect Lamont as the next governor but also a fight for the “heart and soul for the future of the country.”
Murphy, who’s up for reelection, added “We have a president who gave orders to shoot desperate and poor people coming across the boarder … Is that what America is about? … I need you to deliver a governor who has our values … Ned Lamont will deliver common sense and compassion to the governor’s office.”
The rally was organized by Testa and Ganim to push political operatives to churn out a vote for Lamont on Tuesday. After a touchy primary in which Lamont dispatched Ganim with ease, Ganim has stepped up his visibility for Lamont, whipping up the crowd to rally behind Lamont. Ganim is heading into reelection in 2019 and wants Lamont in the governor’s office with the resources he can bring to the state’s largest city. Stefanowski promises to gut government aid to municipalities in a tax-cutting pledge.
Standing before a crowd on its feet Lamont asserted, “I will remember Bridgeport every day … It’s show time. We’re gonna crush Bob Trumpanowski.”
In the past two weeks Bridgeport insiders have ramped up an absentee ballot and turnout operation as polls show the race too close for comfort.
All Democratic constitutional candidates also attended such as William Tong for attorney general, Shawn Wooden for treasurer, Susan Bysiewicz for lieutenant governor, incumbent comptroller Kevin Lembo and incumbent secretary of the state Denise Merrill.
Urban turnout is key to a Lamont win as well as staying competitive with Stefanowski among the large bloc of unaffiliated voters that tend to swing statewide races in Connecticut.
All the usual suspects.
Desperate for the Bridgeport ‘urban’ vote.
Lamont will win by less then a thousand votes.
Just replaced my batteries on crystal ball.
New gravis poll out lamont up 9.
Too many before him have made that promise. Too often the only concern is the amount of absentee ballots Mario Testa and company can deliver on election day. We shall see, Mr. Lamont. We shall see. Pardon our collective cynicism. We’ve heard that one before, too many times.
As I’ve said before this election is a Trump, Hillary election. Connecticut is the loser with the election of either of these clowns. The only thing that matters is if you want a Trump Connecticut or one that isn’t as messed up. Connecticut we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Ned, “I will remember Bridgeport every day”…..and your meaning is?? I have been looking for a serious discussion of your fiscal plans that would change the direction of State funding. Where has it been? Your administration has a Treasurer with Hartford Council experience who has used the State as a banker of last resort (that will require all of us to pay for their decisions) and we cannot get our own City to understand its genuine status and sign up for MARB?? All of you are fiddling and asking folks to sign on the dotted line without knowing what they are getting.
And Bob will cut everything that will really hurt many in a City where fair and equal treatment is not the status quo. Unfortunately you remain connected with a Chief Executive who practices derision, division, discrimination and lies continuously about too many subjects. The future of the country does not rest in his control for too much longer. He will have much to answer for, from a newly seated House of Representatives, I think. And functioning Federal and State governments may take several years more to “right the Ship of State” from the absence of steady and talented hands in too many places in government. Try reading Michael Lewis’ latest book, THE FIFTH RISK and know that whatever your current level of concern and insecurity about public safety, you probably have failed to contemplate what is not getting done today. Time will tell.
“I will remember Bridgeport every day … It’s show time. We’re gonna crush Bob Trumpanowski.”
Quack-quack-quack.
Hey Derek….I saw You yesterday in Stop&Shop. I should’ve come over and “quacked” you. 😀
Ned says he’ll reduce our property taxes by $700. how? with a $700 property tax credit when we file our state income tax forms? really?? what about all the other taxes Ned will raise that will offset that $700 tax credit?
Depends where that $700 offset comes from. If it comes from millionaires or multi-millionaires like Stefanowski (and Lisa White,if you are part of that income group) then Lisa and millionaire/multi-millionaires then you and the Stefanowskis of CT might have reason to worry. I wonder if the Stefanowskis and the Lamonts of CT can afford to pay another $700 in taxes. Lisa White,have you looked at Stefanowski’s website. Either Stefanowski is not honest about cutting taxes(leading to a 50-60% cut in the revenue/ budget of CT and/ or he is not telling us how he will pay for those tax cuts. His website only say’s fraud,waste and abuse which is a lie.
Frank – Indiana has a 2 Billion surplus, thanks to Mitch Daniels and inspite of Pence. Bobs plan is Very similar to what Daniels did in Indiana.
Especially this part.
“Zero-based budgeting starts with a “blank piece of paper” not an already bloated budget with special interests and sacred cows baked in.
You add back in only the services absolutely needed while finding creative ways to do things cheaper.
Even with “fixed” costs like debt service and SEBAC, 20 to 25% of CT’s budget is “discretionary.”
With a two-year budget exceeding $40 billion, there are plenty of opportunities to identify savings and efficiencies.“
Pence rammed through Anti LBGT legislation which resulted in Indiana government travel bans, boycotts of the state convention center and threats of loss of multi million dollars in revenue until he was forced to modify the legislation. The Pence family owned business has left Indiana taxpayers on the hook for about 20 million dollars. But sure, liberal propaganda.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-pence-family-gas-stations-indiana-20180713-story.html
The Playbook –
https://www.sagamoreinstitute.org/case-study-in-culture-change-how-reforming-the-bureau-of-motor-vehicles-can-change-a-state
Lisa White and everyone… I am reposting/repasting this article that compares total taxes pain on a $100,000 income and it really is revelatory. It shows CT not being all that different from neighboring states and and not that different from the cheap,hot,Southern Western States. A comparison of millionaires/multi-millionaires income/tax ratio may be different. But I keep on saying. I really wish I had the all the problems of being in the 30% tax rate. I will be more than glad to switch tax problems with Bob Stefanowski.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/how-much-you-really-take-home-from-a-dollar100k-salary-in-each-state/ss-BBOX6Dq?ocid=chromentp
Lisa white, Stefanowski said he will Phase out state income. The state budget for the just-completed fiscal year was about $20.4 billion, and the income tax raised $10.5 billion.
Lisa white, can you or Stefanowski tell us how or what will be used to replace $10.5 billion dollars in this financially strapped state? Go ahead, I’ll wait.
Donald Day. You are not going to get an answer from Lisa White or Stefanowski because both are lying. Stefanowski and Lisa White can’t balance the books.
Don, I was watching Oprah Winfrey speaking in support of Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, and Oprah said something that I’ve been thinking about when she said, “I am an independent woman,” Winfrey said. “I’ve earned the right to think for myself and to vote for myself, and that’s why I am a registered independent.” Don, I’m going to become a registered independent instead of a democrat and something black strongly need to think about doing. As you can see that in this election for governor Republican Bob Stefanowski doesn’t give a dam about Black and Hispanic voters just like President 45 and democrats like Ned Lamont takes our vote for granted. Republican Stefanowski won’t even visit our community and churches. Once blacks numbers start to leave the democrats they have lost their main base of voters and they would be force to talk to us and we can make our demands and monitor to see if they keep their word. Blacks and Hispanic aren’t getting anything from Democrat Mayor Ganim and we didn’t get anything from Governor Malloy.
Am I missing something on the news because everything 45 talks about is about race, brown people are rushing the southern border.
“Introduce an across-the-board income tax cut over eight years tied to the attainment of revenue targets.” This is from his website. Every one of his tax cuts has a benchmark to reach.
Stefanowski is neglecting to consider one salient detail: Once a tax has become a primary source of revenue it’s nearly impossible to “phase it out.”
Really? Wow! Well No wonder people don’t bother to vote. It was done here, under Daniels with a property tax cap of 2%. But perhaps CT land of steady habits of tax and spend and spend and tax is so stuck you may be right.
Use your head vote for Nead!
Donald…
Sorry to have kept you waiting. I speak only for myself, no one else.
This is a race where both major candidates for governor are vying for constituents who are frankly frustrated with the state of the economy in Connecticut. Both Lamont and Stefanowski are making promises that either one may not be able to keep after the election. What I posted earlier reflected that frustration. my total family income last year was less that $100,000 – much less. the only tax break my family got was a $200 property tax credit because my husband and I both turned 65 last year. I know that I can’t spend money I don’t have. and I don’t (contrary to what someone posted earlier that I can’t balance the books).
and neither should the state. the state should not provide services it can’t fund. Spending can not keep exceeding income, as much as it would be nice to fund the needs of all citizens. something has to give
Lisa White. Thank you for your response which really seemed to be honestly felt and stated. I am sorry that you were included in my analysis of Stefanowski’s tax plan. Thank you and take care.
Lisa, do you have a health care plan that covers your family that you can afford?
Right now, yes. I am on Medicare and I have a supplemental insurance through the Bridgeport Board of Ed.
before I retired, I had health insurance for my family through the Board of Ed. I belonged to the AFSCME union. the last AFSCME union contract that I worked under called for the employees that were members of AFSCME to pay 25% of the total yearly cost of the insurance. the last year that I worked, my yearly premium for health and dental insurance and prescription coverage through the Board of Ed, was more than $6000.
When I worked ( I was a special ed paraprofessional), that insurance premium came out of my paycheck.
lisawhite, thank you for sharing, I asked because this is one issue that Americans should be able to come together on, the health care of all Americans. There are hard working Americans who worked hard then retire only to get big bills for health care that their coverage doesn’t cover them and now they got to make a decision, to pay the large cost for medication, doctors and hospital stay or to cut back on food, gasoline and other bills. There are Americans who are cutting back on taking their medication because they have to pay something else. Emergency rooms should not be Americans primary doctor. America can afford to take care of their citizens health care.
After the election Lamont won’t bother to validate Ganim’s parking if he comes to Hartford.
I wasn’t going to vote in this election — breaking a faithful voting record from the time I registered to vote at 18 years of age (on my birthday…). I truly feel that we (Bridgeport) have been used and disrespected by both the D’s, R’s , and I’s/i’s for the past 60 years….
I said that I wasn’t going to vote and urged others not to, either — as a silent protest against the elitist disrespect and abuse/neglect that has been shown to us by a politically-suburban-dominated region/state over these past 6 decades…
But I have to admit that I am reversing course on this decision — out of fear and disgust…
It is unthinkable that Connecticut should elect a Republican governor that has praised and endorsed our racist, renegade, anti-Constitution, hateful, belligerent, low-intelligence, elitist, lying POTUS.
Trump-supporting, Bob Trumpanowski must not be put in a position where his elitist, exploitative, fascist (he praised Trump) ideas can be implemented to harm the people of Connecticut or play into the tragic drama being acted-out by that bad-actor in the White House.
I have to admit that Ron Mackey and Donald Day, and Bob Walsh are right — we have to hold our noses and chalk-up some numbers against Trump while ensuring that we don’t put one of his surrogates in the Connecticut Governor’s office where he can inflict even more damage on Bridgeport and the state than Malloy and the Gold Coast Gang…
I plan to hold my nose and vote straight D on Tuesday — even though not one them is even going to wag their tongue in support of real jobs and tax-base growth in Bridgeport… I’m following the FIRST DO NO HARM rule… The D’s are useless for Bridgeport, but this crop of R’s would be far worse than useless — they, and their anti-urban, anti-humanistic agenda would be disastrous to Bridgeport, and the rest of Connecticut’s non-Stamford urban centers…
And Oprah is right — not voting is just too disrespectful to the people that were terrorized and killed in pursuit of the right to vote… (Funny how it took the election of a truly-bad, truly-dangerous player as POTUS to force some of us to shake the cobwebs out of our political thinking…)
Jeff, excellent that you’re voting. Hope you let those you encouraged to not vote know you have changed your mind. I’m having difficulty finding any print or video of Bob praising Trump. I can find his endorsement of Trumps economic policy but no positive words or praise about any other Trump policy or behavior. I can find that Bob has been a registered Democrat for many years, a non voting registered Democrat for years. I can understand the ideology that voting for any republican is a vote for Trump. And in some cases it’s applicable. In Indiana Pence (Greg) and Mikd Braun both run on Voting for everything Trump supports. I despise everything Trump stands for and didn’t vote for either of them. Also, I like checks and balances in Government. Something one party rule Connecticut hasn’t had in many many years. It was easy for me to vote Anti Trump, because both candidates openly and proudly support Trump. I would be hard pressed to cast an Anti Trump straight Democrat vote in CT, simply because your choice on the Republican ticket is not a pro Trump party line jerk. You have two Gold Coast “eletist” decent men running for office, it’s not about Trump nor is it about Malloy. It’s about getting your states financial house in order.
PS. Locally in Republican land here, Republicans are skipping the primaries and running as Independents, because they’re aware the deck is stacked and they don’t support the Trump style or agenda. It makes the party loyal livid. They’re getting elected. Didn’t this just happen at the state level in CT with your Republican Governor candidate? Moderate and true Republicans are rising up and working to clean up and out the true RINOs – people like Trump and what feels like 90% of the voting Republicans where I currently live. I support voting them out of Congress and the Senate white Trump is in office.
Well said Jeff. Like the candidates of presidential election of 2016, hate one and can’t stand the other.
Jennifer, come on now, Stefanowski has not said a bad thing about 45 and in fact neither has David Walker or any other Republican in Connecticut who is well known. They except everything he does and what he writes with Twitter.
Hello Ron. Hope all is good with you. There were many Republicans during the primary in both print and on video completely supporting Trump, including his brash style. And those who support Trump LOST. May they continue to lose. Calling Bob a Trump surgorate and saying he has praised Trump without examples is beneath the dignity of … well evidently no one.
Jennifer Buchanan, it’s always good hearing from, on this first Sunday in November I can that I’m bless. Jennifer it is really troubling Republicans are truly scare to say anything bad about President 45 and this guy is not even a Republican, Jennifer, silence is acceptance and Bob Stefanowski excepts what 45 is saying. It’s really sad to see the Republican Party here in Connecticut makes absolutely no effort to reach out for Black and Hispanic voters. This is what the national Republican Party has been doing, there are two highly talented Black Republicans, Condoleeza and Colin Powell but President 45 doesn’t even reach out to them for anything. Jennifer this lack of respect for these two Republicans shows Blacks and Hispanics is just another example 45’s disdain for people of color no matter how smart and gifted they are. The best to you Jennifer.
Jennifer: Bob Stefanowski’s across-the-board policy positions mirror Donald Trump’s. He praised Trump’s economic policies and even recruited the “trickle-down guy” to design an economic policy for Connecticut — the same guy that designed the Reagan wealth-redistribution “economic policy” that destroyed the American middle class and destabilized the global economy (per the 2008 manifestation of such…).
In regard to the gamut of Stephanowski positions on the major policy areas affecting the US/global well-being, please refer to the following link (https://www.isidewith.com/candidates/bob-stefanowski/stances) to one, comprehensive questionnaire regarding his positions. In this questionnaire, Stephanowski expresses that the US should “increase restrictions” on current border-security policy and that “… border states [should be allowed to] manage their own their border-security policy…” Now, if this declared “border-security” position (protecting “us” from “them” — you know, all of those brown, criminal-rapist-terrorist women and children from south-of-the-border), in conjunction with the other Stephanowski positions and his endorsement of Trump’s “wealth-redistribution” economic policy, doesn’t sound like a Trumpian, “states’ rights” dog whistle that could have been taken from a 1960’s, Alabama, George Wallace, anti-desegregation position-paper, then you’re right and, “… it is beneath the dignity… of… well, no-one…” to call Stephanowski a Trump surrogate… But Stephanowski — a veritable loan-shark, per his “pay-day loan company” executive days — is, indeed, a Trump surrogate and a middle-class-destroying nightmare waiting to be unleashed on a Connecticut desperate for change, but really having little choice in this regard… Pay-Day Bob, Gold-Coast Ned, or the Wizard of Hartford… Of these three, there is only a real contest of two, and Gold-Coast Ned is less likely to inflict a Reaganesque economic disaster/total shredding of the social-safety-net on Connecticut…
For Connecticut voters, it is FIRST DO NO HARM…. In these times of Trump’s Republican Party — where there are virtually no independent Republican thinkers, much-less actors — it isn’t safe for the masses to vote for any Republicans, in Connecticut, or elsewhere in the US… While Trump has the R-Party intimidated and on his leash, all Republican political candidates must be regarded as Trump surrogates (amoral, brainless, greed-addled, and dangerous) — regardless of what they say, or don’t say (refer to the Kavanaugh debacle)…
It’s actually supply side economics, the Laffer Curve, which is often confused with and not trickle down economics. Bob was hired for a limited time specifically to restructure and fix PayDay Loans. His policy statements is typical of most Republicans – states rights, smaller government regulations, blah blah blah. That’s my editorial on Party platforms. Not your candidate for sure, no issue with that.
Oh how I wish you were in Indiana and you could see what actual dangerous and true Trump surrogates sound like. Actually, I apologize, I should not wish that on anyone!
Always a pleasure to read your take on elections and candidates, even when we don’t see the same thing.