Lindsay Farrell, executive director of the Connecticut Working Families Party, issued this statement on Friday.
“Any speculation that the Working Families Party is involved in elections for Democratic Town Committee is untrue. Some registered Democrats in Bridgeport who have supported Working Families are backing any number of candidates for the DTC. That is their right as voters and as registered Democrats. The Working Families Party, however, has no position, and does not get involved in the selection of other parties’ leadership.
The focus of the Working Families Party right now is fighting for an economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy and well connected, by supporting policies like raising the minimum wage, holding large profitable corporations accountable to workers and taxpayers, and expanding retirement security. This fall, we will back progressive candidates for state and federal office who will help advance those goals. However, the Working Families Party has no interest in influencing local Democratic Town Committee elections.”
Well, you had better tell Maria Pereira that.
All the more reason ou should tell Pereira to dial it back. She either did not get the memo, or it’s WFP Anarchy.
She continues to make the WFP look like buffoons as the leader is stating she is not doing what she is doing, on the record.
Maybe we are all just having a mass hallucination, then. Can’t make this shit up.
Need more proof WFP was involved? Here is an email from Maria:
Good early morning,
All of our petitions were successfully collected and notarized by 9:00 pm. last night. A big thanks to Andy Fardy for generously offering to certify all our petitions. Scott has them in his possession and will copy them and turn them in today.
Here are the official final petition results:
Scott Hughes 68 signatures Twana Johnson 60 signatures Pat Fardy 45 signatures James Morton 40 signatures Pearlye Sams Allen 31 signatures Melanie Jackson 20 signatures Noel Sepelvueda 5 signatures Ann Barney 0 signatures (See Pat w/ Any Questions) Noel Pearce 0 signatures (See Scott w/ Any Questions) Maria Pereira 65 signatures (Not a Candidate) TOTAL 334 signaturesI would like to thank everyone that went out in this freezing weather to get signatures. However, I would also like to remind everyone that the agreed upon goal was 65 signatures per candidate. If we only get 334 candidates to vote on March 4, 2014, we will probably lose the election.
Once you all qualify onto the ballot, it really is imperative you get your 65 voters to the polls on March 4th. If all nine candidates do this, you will be the WINNERS!
Thank you,
Maria Pereira
What the hell is the matter with all of you people? Starting with our fearless leader Lennie. Are you creating a beef among the challenge slate to protect DTC advertisements in the future?
I spoke to Maria Pereira about this beef. She was the most reasonable voice I’ve heard. She’s been called a Judas and a Finch plant. As a voter she has every right to campaign in her or any other district regardless of party policy, and Finch hates her.
But what sin did she actually commit? She only stated she would not support Ann Barney and Pat Fardy because of derogatory statements made by Pat Fardy’s husband Andy. She certainly has a right to her opinion and Mr. Fardy certainly has a right to his opinion. She has acted in a dignified fashion. I wish others would follow her good example. The people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
Jimfox–just a hypothetical question. How would you feel/react if someone did that to you? Seeking out people and telling them not to vote for you because of a personal issue with the husband of one of them can hardly be considered dignified. If she had simply stated she would not support them, that would be one thing, but actively attempting to convince others not to vote for them is inappropriate and vindictive, wouldn’t you say?
Point of clarification–I don’t have a horse in this race. I’m an outsider looking in, but like everyone else, I’m entitled to an opinion. I just think if this is really what’s going on, it’s totally uncalled-for and nothing short of erratic behavior.
Yeah right, Jim; little miss innocent. She made a point of telling voters not to vote for Pat Fardy and Ann Barney, two of the people she recruited. She made a point to call absentee ballot holders and tell them not to vote for Pat and Ann. All of this plus more and you see nothing wrong? Jim, as far as living in a glass house I don’t know who that would be. Jim, I am glad to see you had time to listen to Pereira, the shock is you believe her. By the way Jim, do you know what the derogatory statement was?
Mr. Fardy, indulge me if you will. I am just wondering how Pereira from WFP managed to recruit a group of Democrats to run for election. Why did you involve her instead of just doing it yourselves? If your group wins this election, wouldn’t that make you beholden to her?
My wife and most definitely myself had no intention of running for office or the DTC, Maria Pereira asked my wife several times to be part of this ticket that tries to unseat the one that is in place. My wife said yes and went to work on the election. In my wife’s case and I think in most cases there was no intention to follow the WFP platform. I hope I answered your question.
Andy, lets try this one?
Andrew C Fardy // Feb 24, 2014 at 4:40 pm
This is the kind of stuff you get from the Working Families Party, also see attached:
The challenge slate in a few districts have a Judas working with them and against them. That Judas is Maria Pereira of the WFP. This is a person who helped put more than one of the slates together running around town now telling people not to vote for certain candidates from certain districts. These are some of the same people she asked to run. It seems Maria cannot take criticism or questions about how things are going without flying off the handle. She states she has made phone calls to absentee ballot holders telling them not to vote for certain candidates. If this is true, this is illegal, is it not?
It’s a shame. I hate to see anyone self-destruct but Maria and the WFP are well on their way to self-destructing, just look at their recent antics at BOE meetings. They certainly don’t look like the party in control and Maria who is their town chairperson does not look like a leader. Maria by her actions looks like a Finch undercover person looking to destroy or damage the upcoming primary. Anyone who badmouths people on her own slate certainly must be working for the Finch Team.
Jim, let’s try this one???
Andy, you’re right. No derogatory statement there. Your meds should be kicking in anytime now.
Jim, that’s cute. Instead of sticking your nose in the business and fights in the 138th, why not concentrate on your own district? Jim, you have never won an election so maybe you should spend your energy trying to win your own race.
Jesus Jim, you resorted to take your meds rhetoric, how lame. TL, get him under control.
TC Andy, is that the best you can come up with? More derogatory statements from the 138th, how would you know what I won? Just more utter BS coming out of the 138th.
Nice guy, while poor Maria was helping your wife, you’re kicking her ass on OIB!
Who are you? Another Finch piss-boy!
Jim, as usual with everything you talk about you have the facts wrong about poor little Maria, Read all the posts, dumbass. Jim really, all of this from a candidate who never won a Bridgeport election. JIM, CONCENTRATE ON THAT RATHER THAN THE LIES YOU ARE POSTING. JIM, there will be a surprise waiting for you at the polls on Tuesday.
I only speak the truth because I have nothing to gain by lying. No one lied but you, I only reprinted your comments. I’m sorry if the truth hurts you. But as far as me being surprised at the polls, you are in for a bigger surprise in the 138th. You will be watching Maria work her magic. You’ll be in for a rough day so take my advice and bring ALL your medications.
As usual you do not look at the big picture. The WFP’s a non-affiliated organization that is targeting quality-of-life issues in BPT. If any of your memory is still intact look back at what they have saved all of us from recently. Charter Revision, the right to elect our own Board of Ed, they got rid of the Superstar Superintendent. They replaced a dysfunctional Board of Education with concerned citizens who are still learning the ropes. I also do not agree with all of their decisions but they are trying to be fair to all parties. Maria and Sauda Baraka were instrumental in these changes. If Baraka hadn’t voted at the last moments of that meeting we all would have screamed to high heavens when Principal Dickson would have just walked away UNPUNISHED!!!
You chose to attack someone who was a friend and may or may not become a enemy. She can support anyone she chooses and oppose anyone she chooses. Elections are like snow tires, pick new ones or run on retreads.
Jim, you have really got to be kidding. You are giving the WFP credit for all the changes you describe you really sold out. If Baraka would have voted to fire Dickson then it would have been done, she did not vote that way. There were many other factions at work against charter revision, not just WFP. My fight really is not with WFP, it’s with someone who recruits people to run for office and then drops them and others in the middle of the race. This did not just involve my wife and Ann Barney although these were the two she singled out. She also left others on the ticket in the lurch by dropping out.
Jim, what is surprising is you have lowered yourself to a level lower than whale s#-t.
AF, good comeback.
*** One individual’s personal political involvement in helping any type of election candidates either win or lose does not make an entire political party of which that person may belong to also involved in that same process! Now just because two members from the “Zombie League Of Non-Voters” decide to get involve and help a particular district group towards winning their election does not mean their organization is also involved in the same, no? ***
First–in regards to the official statement from the WFP. Maria is more than just “some registered Democrat.” She is your party leader in BPT. It does not look good for the party when your party leader is involved.
2) If she had a beef with Andy, you could see her not supporting his wife, but then she added Ann Barney “because she was a friend of Pat and Andy.” Not supporting would mean not voting for, but she actively contacted voters to have them NOT vote for them. I do not agree with Andy that she is a Finch plant. I believe she dislikes Finch too. But to actively go after them with the voters–how could anyone who supports the whole 138th slate not have a problem with that? Her negative campaign against the two with probably the most experience may cause some not to vote for some of the lesser-known names.
3) As others have stated, this is just another action in a series of questionable actions. People want to replace the Finch admin with others, but at what cost? We already see how the WFP-influenced BOE has done some suspect thing (Bagley’s committee meeting for one). People want change, but if the new boss is the same as the old boss … then what have you really won?
LB, Right on!
Jim, Good Luck on Tuesday.
Let me clarify one thing. I do not believe Maria is a Finch plant. I do believe she is doing all of the negative campaigning, etc. I just think it’s out of spite to Andy.
“Any speculation that the Working Families Party is involved in elections for Democratic Town Committee is untrue.”
Unless Lindsay Farrell, executive director of the Connecticut Working Families Party can prove the e-mail submitted by Barney is fabricated, the statements made by some candidates and supporters of the challenging slate in the 138th is a fact. I’d cut off another digit if anyone can prove Barney fabricated the e-mail.
What I find interesting is Maria Pereira would spend her time helping Democrats being the WFP leader of Bridgeport. WFP seems to have failed to instruct or train her as to how to go about getting Democrats not to vote for Democrats running for Democratic Town Committee or elected office. If Maria Pereira wants Democrats not to support Democrats in a primary, then the best way to go about it is to convince them to switch parties to the WFP. This way, they can’t vote in Democratic primaries.
When WFP named Maria Pereira their party leader in Bridgeport, she stated to the CT Post she was going to grow the party and get more people registered with WFP and would even be putting together a WFP Town Committee. What happened? One thing’s for sure–it’s easier said than done.
Hey Andy, I hear you joined the Democratic Party again. Welcome home!
Joel,
She took a short cut, rather than electing a WFP TC she decided to elect a WFP DTC.
Thank you.
Paging Lennie Grimaldi. I have a question regarding the alleged 65 petition signatures gathered by Maria Pereira.
“(c) Each circulator of a primary petition page shall be an enrolled party member of a municipality in this state who is entitled to vote. Each petition page shall contain a statement signed by the registrar of the municipality in which such circulator is an enrolled party member attesting that the circulator is an enrolled party member in such municipality.”
Is Maria Pereira an enrolled party member who is entitled to vote? Only Democrats are “entitled” to vote in a Democratic primary. Is Maria Pereira a registered Democrat? Is it permissible for a member of one party to circulate petitions for another party? The language of the law is not quite clear.
www .lawserver.com/law/state/connecticut/ct-laws/connecticut_statutes_9-410
Actually Joel, the language of the law is quite clear. What isn’t clear is what party Pereira is registered with; although it’s posted here she is a Democrat. Makes one wonder how it is she is the chair of the WFP and a Democrat at the same time.
Joel, Maria Pereira is a registered Democrat.
Jim, glad you became the historian for Maria Pereira and the WFP.
Andy,
I guess if MP wants to increase registration in the WFP she should start with herself first.
What about the other questions, Jim? I hope Maria doesn’t get angry at me and holds it against the rest of our slate.
For all the talk about the WFP, how many people who reside and are registered to vote in Bridgeport are members? And whether that number is less than 100 or even less than 20, the rest of us would have to agree they have been effective in getting their name out, although what it stands for at the moment is unclear.
If Maria P. is the face of WFP leadership in Bridgeport we can observe what she says, but more importantly what she does. And alternative DTC slates do give some of the public an opportunity to vote to open things up a little more than in the past, although how much WFP “branding” will survive will be in question. And what the “brand” stands for to the man or woman on the street will also remain in question for a while, but … time will tell.
Lindsay Farrell, executive director of the Connecticut Working Families Party also wrote:
“The focus of the Working Families Party right now is fighting for an economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy and well connected, by supporting policies like raising the minimum wage, holding large profitable corporations accountable to workers and taxpayers, and expanding retirement security. This fall, we will back progressive candidates for state and federal office who will help advance those goals. However, the Working Families Party has no interest in influencing local Democratic Town Committee elections.”
Does this mean you are ready to endorse Governor Malloy and Rep. Santiago? They’re pushing for a minimum wage. This minimum wage is just one issue. Will you remember Dan Malloy and the entire body of Bridgeport Democrats used the fact they had sufficiently funded Social Services programs to get elected in 2012 and by 2013 did a U-turn cutting $120,000,000 in Social Services funding to cover the State budget deficit? Is this “progressive?” Is it “progressive” to end up with a $250,000,000 surplus later and not one single Democrat even dare to suggest the $120,000,000 cut to Social Services be restored?
The Democrats now want to give everyone–the wealthy included–a $55 refund. Is this even semi-progressive? Why not restore the $120 million of Social Service cuts and used the rest–$130 million to pay back some of the $750 million borrowed to cover the deficit after all the cuts? You do know the taxpayers have to pay the principal and the interest of the loan, eh?
Not interested in influencing local Democratic Town Committee elections? So if a Democratic Town Committee endorses a candidate for State Rep. and WFP comes along and cross-endorses the DTC-endorsed candidate, is this not influencing the selection of the DTC? Even if WFP cross-endorses a challenger of the DTC-endorsed candidate it would be influencing. Why not influence local Democratic Town Committee elections then? The Town committee is where it all begins–it’s where the real problem is. This is where progressive candidates are first blocked and not even interviewed or seriously considered.