The judge-of-probate race lost by Mark Bradley, facing several investigations for alleged election law violations, raised no money in the month leading up to his August 11 Democratic primary defeat by incumbent Paul Ganim, according to the latest finance report filed with the State Elections Enforcement Commission.
In total the Bradley campaign raised just $35,000 from the start of his announcement – $10,000 of that a loan from the candidate – a good chunk provided by donors that reside in Massachusetts where state investigators believe his bona fide residence exists while voting in Bridgeport for years.
Public documents provided by election officials show Bradley also voted regularly in Massachusetts as a registered Republican during the time he also voted in Bridgeport as a Democrat in support of his brother, former State Senator Dennis Bradley, scheduled for federal sentencing in December, convicted of federal election law violations. As a result Dennis Bradley’s law license is under suspension.
Dennis Bradley is also under investigation by Connecticut authorities, caught on video unsealing an absentee ballot of a senior citizen who had cast her vote for Ganim. Bradley instructed her to change her vote to Mark Bradley.
See Bradley report here
See Ganim report here
Curiously, Mark Bradley’s latest (and previous ) finance report features many unanswered questions. He utilized dozens of canvassers to qualify for the primary ballot and elicit votes on his behalf, but the report shows very little compensation in that regard. Same for absentee ballot coordinators such as City Councilwoman Maria Pereira and Alfredo Castillo, both defending dozens of counts of election fraud charges by the state. Neither of them listed on the finance report.
So, if not on the report how were they paid? That could be another issue for Mark Bradley.
In addition, OIB spoke to many Democrats during the early primary vote turnout in front of the Morton Government Center that they were enticed $20 to cast a ballot on behalf of Mark Bradley. They said both Bradley brothers and Castillo paid them to show up to vote.
As for Pereira, she has worked for years now as a hired gun on election campaigns, according to finance reports. She’s made it quite clear to anyone willing to listen to her that she doesn’t work for free, especially when she was facing a court eviction a few months ago for non payment of her rent. Someone rescued her from that eviction.
So, the drum beat continues.
Meanwhile, state investigators continue to move in earnest about fraud activity involving the Bradley brothers.
Then there’s the federal probe into Ty Bird, the former board leader of Success Village, whom the Bradley-brother lawyers tried to keep in power, after it was disclosed in court, millions of dollars missing from the common charge accounts, as well as no heat and hot water, for the largest private co-op in the state of Connecticut.
As people suffered the Bradley brothers were paid by Bird to keep their gravy train flowing.
Superior Court Judge Dale Radlciffe, prevailed upon by government officials in Bridgeport and Stratford, replaced the board of directors with attorney Barry Knott who has brought stability to roughly 2,000 residents.
