“Hell yeah, it is time to break the machine.” That was the battle cry from State Senator Marilyn Moore who hosted her first campaign fundraiser for mayor Monday night challenging Democratic incumbent Joe Ganim. See video above.
Roughly 50 Moore supporters attended the event at the Metric, a tasty Downtown restaurant featuring Caribbean fare.
Moore, 70, is fashioning herself a political outsider who has defeated the establishment. She broke through in 2014 defeating Democratic incumbent Anthony Musto in a primary on her way to representing Connecticut’s 22nd Senate District covering about one third of Bridgeport, all of Trumbull and a piece of Monroe. She has won reelection handily crafting an independent-minded persona.
Running a citywide race for mayor is a different campaign animal for Moore who’s challenging a well-financed incumbent. Moore sees her run as an existential calling to transcend party politics. A key piece of that is raising enough dough to resonate her outsider’s appeal.
The first quarter campaign finance report, due in early April, will provide an early indicator of her fundraising strength. The early money is always the easiest money to raise from friends, family, and early supporters opposed to Ganim.
She has lined up nine fundraisers in the coming weeks. She’ll need to raise more than $200,000 to wage a competitive race against Ganim presumably in a Democratic primary.
Ganim will largely ignore Moore’s challenge unless he sees her as a viable threat. Part of that equation is Ganim weighing her fundraising strength against his standing with the electorate. Ganim appears weakest in the neighborhoods that Moore represents in the State Senate particularly high-turnout Black Rock that was hit hard by the revaluation of taxable property in 2016.
Moore is not well known in the portion of the city she does not represent, but money, organization and message can make up for that.
Ganim is trying to stay ahead of a federal probe into cash for scrap metal sales that’s dogged the Department of Public Facilities. He has fired two employees including the Deputy Director Joe Tiago. How that plays out will impact this election cycle.
Here’s the commentary I wrote 8 years ago on Breaking Down Machines. It takes people with energy, skills, and the tools to succesfully break down a machine. Metric tools alone won’t do–must have standard tools too. Since I wrote this piece, I had the opportunity to work with skilled machine breakers and builders like Wanda Geter when it came time to break down the Finch machine and a few other small engines. It’s not gonna be easy to break the Ganim /Testa Machine–it’s well lubed. Sure the Feds are checking-up on the Machine or the operation of it but, I’m told the mayor called them in, so there may be nothing wrong with it that can’t be fixed. Here’s a free advice: Throw lots of sugar in the machine’s gas tank.
http://onlyinbridgeport.com/wordpress/speedy-gonzalez-breaks-down-machines/#more-25446
Wanda Geter is the POSTER GIRL for the worst things in Bridgeport politics. City Salary and a vacuum cleaner for AB votes and God knows what else. If by any chance there will be a change in Bridgeport Governance,Wanda Geter has to be one of the first to go.
Frank Gyure, here you go one more time talking shit you know nothing (except that for some reason you don’t like him or her) about. Have you ever met Wanda Geter? If I was to run for office, I would want Wanda on my side or at least pray that my opponent doesn’t get her support. Wanda Geter has been in Bridgeport all her life and knows many folks young and old. She’s a proven go getter. During campaign cycles, while many trolls like you are blogging saying nothing, Wanda is out hitting the pavement and knocking on doors. She doesn’t just do the AB work, she can GOTV on election day. Don’t kid your silly self, IF there’s a change in Bridgeport Governance, It’s more likely that the new machine will ask her to stay as there will be other battles to fight down the road. Give Marilyn Moore 50 Wanda Geter and 50 Lydia Martinez and I guarantee you will be happier than a pig rolling in shit, when the polls close.
Lenny, is Moore planning to challenge Joe in a Democratic primary? By all indications, there is going to be a need or a desire to primary the endorsed candidates for BOE. Moore can’t or won’t
beat the Machine without a strong slate in a democratic primary. Expect Ganim to target the Hispanic vote. The AB opporation in the East Side is key and it’s not hard to guess who is going to take that. It’s obvious that Moore will not be able to get the DTC endorsement. I see pols like Maria Pereira running on a Moore primary slate. Moore needs to start putting together a slate ASAP and make it clear that she is going to challenge Ganim in a Democratic primary–the only way to go.
It’s impossible to think of Marilyn Moore as a political outsider who has defeated the establishment because she’s part of the establishment in several ways.
Let’s go to the top, shall we?
What do Marilyn Moore and President Trump have in common? Answer:
Trump is the self-styled king of debt whose recent tax bill favored the wealthy and
Marilyn Moore in the queen of debt-according to me-whose duties at the Bond Commission cater to the wealthy with tax free bonds totaling over $80B!
Don’t be misled by this “friend of the downtrodden” stuff.
Local Eyes is NOT a political outsider for sure. He marchs lock step behind Joe Ganim, Mario Testa and their platoon of goons.
Here is a article in the CT Post February 19, 2019 and it shows Joe Ganim was so blind and deaf while he was running around the State trying to be governor that he didn’t recognize what the mindset was of these “Eastern CT mayors” about Mayor Joe Ganim and Bridgeport.
“Eastern CT mayors rallying against Bridgeport casino”
A growing number of mayors and first selectmen in eastern Connecticut are organizing a unified effort to oppose an MGM casino in Bridgeport. Norwich Mayor Peter Nystrom recently sent a letter to Gov. Ned Lamont to express his “grave concerns” over the possibility of a third Connecticut casino – an issue the Norwich mayor said he considered to have already been settled, The Bulletin of Norwich reports. “This question has already been asked and answered,” Nystro…
https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Eastern-CT-mayors-rallying-against-Bridgeport-13626723.php#item-85307-tbla-2
Well what did you expect?
All the brain power in the state isn’t concentrated in Fairfield county.
She has my vote!
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? You don’t believe in third chances? Here’s an article that answers many questions I had: https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Pundits-Moore-s-mayoral-candidacy-strategy-13581960.php
Too bad that “mountain top” is in Trumbull. There’s one point Lennie and Moore seemed to have forgotten too soon. This is a Lennie Grimaldi spin: “Moore, 70, is fashioning herself a political outsider who has defeated the establishment. She broke through in 2014 defeating Democratic incumbent Anthony Musto in a primary on her way to representing Connecticut’s 22nd Senate District covering about one third of Bridgeport, all of Trumbull and a piece of Monroe. She has won reelection handily crafting an independent-minded persona.”
That was 5 years ago. Most recently, the BRIDGEPORT DTC or the Machine, endorsed her and she had no problem accepting their backing. Now, not only should they be broken down, she is open to the idea of doing so, or at least try to, with the backing of outsiders and Working Family Party. If she doesn’t succeed and the DTC refuses to endorse her for Senate next time around, she’ll go on attacking and blaming the machine.
@Joel
“Most recently, the BRIDGEPORT DTC or the Machine, endorsed her and she had no problem accepting their backing.’
Not actually what happened. I was a delegate to the D22 conventions (were you?),
The BDTC didn’t endorse her. They couldn’t put up a candidate to oppose her in a primary; no one wanted to be humiliated in a repeat of the McCarthy 2016 primary shellacking.
The Convention was held in Trumbull, not at Testo’s…..highly unusual. The Bridgeport delegates showed up and everyone was expecting them to nominate someone else to run, but they had no one. Moore was nominated and they as individual delegates voted yes.
The BDTC did not actively campaign for Moore, a number of them were supporting Rich Deecken (Democrats for Deecken). They wanted Moore out, because they can’t control her,but they couldn’t defeat her.
I was at Moore’s kickoff fundraiser on the 18th. I was not the only attendee from Trumbull/Monroe portion of D22. I never would have found and enjoyed Metric Bar and Grill otherwise. I’ll be returning as a patron. It was wonderful to meet people I know only from OIB such as City Councilman Pete Spain, Former State Senator Ed Gomes as well as see old acquaintances such as Former Harding HS Principal Carmen McPherson.
It was a lovely, upbeat and positive evening, the same way Moore runs campaigns.
Work your Ass-Off for me, but don’t ask fot Anything?!
( shouting from a mountain top ) Just because Marilyn Moore isn’t overwhelmingly favored to win The DTC endorsement for Mayor of Bridgeport doesn’t mean she’s a political outsider.
Jim
Not too sure what your comment is about but if it is that Marilyn Morre talked about breaking up the machine, I believe she would say that please work your ass off for my campaign and when we win I will match every open job up against every one who wants a job with every consideration given to those who worked on my campaign. So that someone who is obviously not qualified to work in the CAO’s office won’t get a job created for them.
But I am not serving as MM spokesman on this issue.
Thank’s Bob got it, my bad!
Time to clean house:
#1, Vote Ganim out. He will be an excellent used car salesman.
#2, pass an ordinance that blocks convicted felons from public office. After Ganim and Moses we don’t need another lesson in electoral stupidity.
The only comment I have is that the picture of former Senator Gomes reigns supreme. He will never be replaced in Hartford or on the CC.