Verna Files Complaint Against The Rev

It’s not a Bridgeport election without one good fight. In the special election to fill the state legislative seat vacated by Chris Caruso, State Senator Ed Gomes, supporting Verna Kearney, got into a  heated battle with a minister from New Haven campaigning on behalf of candidate Rev. Charlie Stallworth. The minister apparently was campaigning for Stallworth inside the prohibited 75-foot line at Wilbur Cross School. Get the hell out of the 75-foot line and get the hell out of my city, Eddie screamed in so many words at the minister. A police officer told the minister it’s illegal to campaign inside the 75-foot line. And what would an election be without an official complaint. From the Kearney camp:

Earlier today, representatives of the Verna Kearney campaign filed a complaint with Secretary of The State Denise Merrill’s office. The complaint alleges that Mr. Charles Stallworth accepted, on four occasions, public endorsement from the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Greater Bridgeport, Inc. Mr. Stallworth is the Democratic endorsed candidate for the vacant 126th Assembly District Seat. These alleged endorsements are violations of federal law because of the IMA’s status as a 503(c)(3) non-profit organization. A copy of the complaint was forwarded to Internal Revenue Service investigators. The complaint alleges that the IMA publicly endorsed Mr. Stallworth and encouraged voters to go to the polls for him during a one-hour radio program that was broadcast four times in the past month over local Bridgeport radio channels.

Petitioning candidate Verna Kearney stated, “The IMA’s conduct is completely unacceptable. Separation of church and state is a fundamental underpinning of our society. It is grossly irresponsible for a non-profit religious organization to participate in partisan political activities. I encourage the IRS and state officials to do a thorough investigation to determine the extent of this illegal activity.”