|
|
BRIDGEPORT — Mayor Bill Finch’s campaign is demanding a public apology from primary opponent Mary-Jane Foster for negative comments about adoption made by someone running on her slate.
In a comment on a posting on the Only in Bridgeport website, Joel Gonzalez, recruited by Foster for a position as city sheriff, asked Lennie Grimaldi, the blog author, whether Finch was the “bastard” he referred to in one of his postings.
“Lennie are you trying to say that Bill Finch is getting sued,” Gonzalez posted Sunday at 9:42 p.m., according to the blog time stamp. “He is the only ‘Bastard’ involved here. As far as I know everyone else involved can account for their real parents.”
Finch, who was adopted as a child, sent out a press release this morning demanding a public apology for the comment.
Foster’s campaign declined to comment because they had yet to see the release.
Here is the release, presented as a letter to Foster:
Dear Mary-Jane Foster:
We are writing you today to demand a public apology from you and your entire ticket for the cruel and offensive comment regarding adopted children made by the candidate for Sheriff you chose for your slate–Joel Gonzalez. These disparaging comments directed at Mayor Finch made on August 7 on a local blog are completely unacceptable, and to choose someone who would make such comments clearly call into question your judgment in character. While the public understands that we are in the middle of an election campaign, disparaging comments like these, that impact all adopted children in families across every neighborhood of this city, cannot and will not be tolerated.
Approximately 120,000 children are adopted each year in the United States. Adoption helps many of these children to grow up in permanent families rather than in foster homes or institutions. We do not know why the members of your slate think being adopted is something that should be disparaged, but I am proud of the fact that I was adopted and raised by two wonderful loving parents in Bridgeport and Dulce has adopted two children and is in the process of adopting a third. Many children in the City of Bridgeport live as foster children and many of them hope for the permanency and the stability adoption will bring them.
On behalf of all those in the adoption community, we hope that you will issue an apology and refrain from such derogatory comments in the future.
The comment made is below for your review and was posted on www.onlyinbridgeport.com
Joel Gonzalez // Aug 7, 2011 at 9:42 pm
Lennie are you trying to say that Bill Finch is getting sued? He is the only “Bastard” involved here. As far as I know everyone else involved can account for their real parents.
Sincerely,
Bill Finch, Mayor, City of Bridgeport
Dulce Nieves, Coordinator for Children in Placement (she advocates for abused and neglected children who are misplaced or need to be adopted)
BRIDGEPORT — The deadline for submitting petitions to participate in either the Democratic primary Sept. 13 or the general election Nov. 8 was Wednesday and when the dust settled two things were clear: Mayor Bill Finch will face off with Mary-Jane Foster for the Democratic nomination — but not with former mayor Joseph Ganim.
For months, Ganim has been making the rounds, speaking out against Finch, handing out money to help the city’s youth, meeting with Democratic Town Committee chairman Mario Testa and even making a brief appearance at the DTC endorsement meeting last month.
Typical candidate behavior? Apparently not. He did not submit the required 2,100 signatures to run in the Democratic primary nor the required 126 signatures to run in November.
Foster, on the other hand, handed in approximately 3,500 signatures well before the 4 p.m. deadline. She was the only Democratic to turn in petitions for mayor, meaning she will go head-to-head with Finch in a few weeks if her signatures are verified.
The winner of that race will run against endorsed Republican Rick Torres and longtime activist Jeff Kohut, who submitted petitions to run as an independent in the November race.
Meanwhile, petitions were also turned in for a seat on the City Council, for the job of city sheriff and yes even for a seat on the Board of Education, should the many lawsuits now going through the court system overturn the recent state intervention. When those signatures are verified I will post the names (there are a lot!!). Stay tuned!
BRIDGEPORT – The mayoral dreams of Cecil C. Young, the longtime city activist who was tackled last May at a public hearing by a city councilman, may have been thwarted by a typographical error.
Anyone hoping to get his or her name on the November mayoral ballot as an independent candidate needed to turn in 126 signatures from registered city voters to the Town Clerk’s Office Wednesday by 4 p.m.
Young turned in zero.
To understand why, though, will take a minute.
Last week, Young submitted to the Secretary of State’s office 45 signatures supporting his candidacy. He received a form requiring the 126 signatures – which represents 1 percent of the turnout in the last mayoral race – this Monday.
“Candidate’s name,” it said above the blank rows for signatures. “Cedil C. Young”
When Young called the office Monday afternoon to complain, he was told to go out and get the signatures anyway. It’s too close to deadline to get a replacement, he was told. And the office will accept your signatures even if the candidate’s name is wrong.
Instead, Young wrote up a complaint Tuesday, requesting a new form and an extended deadline. He folded the complaint into an envelope and put it in the mail, bound for Hartford. Then he faxed a copy of the complaint to the Connecticut Post.
Reached for comment Wednesday, hours before the 4 p.m. deadline, this was news to the Secretary of State’s office. Nor did a spokesman seem to care.
“If (Young) is waiting, he really only has himself to blame,” said Av Harris, noting that the forms were available on January 3 to anyone hoping to run for mayor in November. “We have zero discretion to extend any of these deadlines, which are statutory deadlines.”
Young, who has four lawsuits swirling through the court system already, said he’ll take the matter up with his lawyer, if rejected. He’s crying foul.
Asked why he didn’t fax his complaint Tuesday to the Secretary of State’s office, he blamed them for not faxing him the “Cedil Young” form, which he says he only received Monday, or a replacement. Asked why he wasn’t taking the office’s directions – Harris said the office would accept the 126 signatures on the “Cedil” form, if submitted – Young suggested that would be unethical, maybe illegal and devastating to his campaign chances.
“I don’t have time to explain to people why my name is ‘Cecil’ and not ‘Cedil,’” he said. “People are going to read it and say: ‘That ain’t your name.’”
Referring to the Secretary of State’s office, he added: “Don’t tell me what I should have did. No, they should have did it. Not me.”
With an hour before the deadline arrived Wednesday, Cecil was on a roll: “Why should I be forced to go out there like a madman trying to run down everyone I can and convince them to sign my form when it’s not even my name?”
That would reflect poorly on his governing skills, he said.
“Am I going to get in trouble?” he believes voters would say, when presented with the “Cedil” form, “because this isn’t (your) real name.”
Or, worse yet: “Is this the way (you’re) going to run City Hall? The proper papers haven’t been filed, but go ahead and do it anyway?”
Young says the pressures of “standing up to authority” for several decades has left him physically, mentally and psychologically exhausted.
(He was tackled onto a bench at a city council meeting last May after his long, spirited complaint that sewage is seeping into the basement of the P.T. Barnum Housing Complex, where he grew up. Councilman Angel DePara Jr. approached him at the microphone and they had a brief scuffle. Young was tackled, injuring his back, he claims. He’s since had back surgery and says more is necessary.)
Young wasn’t planning on running for mayor until neighbors insisted he do so. That was just a few weeks ago, he says, which in part explains why he didn’t get the required form until Monday.
“You do a poll. Ask the people, ‘What do you think of Cecil Young running for mayor?’” he says. “Ten-to-one, they’ll say, ‘Why not?’”
“I’m a sick man,” added Young, who says he has high blood pressure, high cholesterol and has been seeing a psychiatrist for several years. “But before I just lie down and act like I’m dead, if I can look up, I’m going to get up. If I can see up, I’m going to speak up.”
Even so, he said he could handle the rigors of being mayor. Though he can’t run or climb stairs or bend over like he once could, he’s mobile enough when taking his pain medication. Also, he’s as loud as ever, he said. And he’ll appoint people to his administration who are in good enough mental and physical shape to carry out his policies.
Like a modern Job, though, Young is conflicted over his mission. He considers the typo a sign from God that he should hang up his political dreams. He says his wife is exhausted. Then again, he promised God when he was 16 that he’d use his gift for standing up to authority to benefit his fellow Bridgeporters.
“If I won, there would be jubilation in this city like never before,” Young said. “I would turn around this city in ways they never thought it could be turned around – by motivating people, by asking people, ‘What are your needs?’”
U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman issued this statement Monday on the death of Navy SEAL Brian Bill, a Stamford native who was killed in combat over the weekend in Afghanistan:
“Brian Bill’s death is heartbreaking for his family and friends, but also for the larger Trinity Catholic High School and Stamford communities. He died in service of a cause larger than himself, the security and freedom of his fellow Americans and of the Afghan people. He died in the company of a band of heroes who wear the uniform of the United States Military. We can never thank Brian, his colleagues, and their families enough, but we can offer our condolences, thank them for inspiring us by their service, pledge to emulate their selflessness, courage, and patriotism in every way we can, and pray that God will bless them now.”
TRUMBULL – Town Council member Robert Pescatore, Jr., R-2, filed petitions with the Trumbull Registrar of Voters on Monday afternoon to establish a primary race for the Town Council seat in District 2. Pescatore submitted 59 signatures which were validated by the assistant registrar of voters, Kathleen Miranti, around 12:30 p.m.
“The total number of signatures submitted exceeds the legal requirement of 49 signatures, or 5 percent of all enrolled Republicans of the district as of July 26, 2011,” Pescatore said in a press release. “The reason I am establishing a primary race for this district is to afford my constituents the opportunity to vote for the person(s) they feel will best represent them.”
After he filed his petition, the Trumbull Republican Town Committee issued a press release slamming Pescatore. The TRTC alleged Pescatore demanded First Selectman Tim Herbst fire town employees against whom he had a personal vendetta, that he made budget decisions based on those personal vendettas, and that he was not involved in the Nichols sewer project, one of the biggest issues in his district.
“People from the TRTC may be upset with me for asking questions of the Herbst administration about the different policies being implemented, but I have an obligation to make sure that my constituents are properly represented and to be sure that we, as a government body, are making the right choices on their behalf – not for any political gain,” Pescatore said. “The claims of the TRTC that I have acted based on personal vendettas are unfounded. I have always acted professionally and ethically, and have kept the interests of my constituents at the forefront. I have held several district meetings to ensure that every resident has had the opportunity to present their views to me and so that I could assist where needed. The personal attacks on me by some members of the TRTC do nothing to further the interests of the people. I will not engage them in their quest to bring more anger to this town – I will focus on the needs of the community.”
Currently, a massive sewer expansion project is underway in Districts 2 and 7, known as the North Nichols Sewer Project – Contract 4. Several costs have been added to the project, including funds to cover the contract of Tighe and Bond, a third party engineering firm overseeing the project.
“The projected costs of this project have exceeded what we, as a district, were told they would be,” Pescatore said. “I have opposed the costs of Tighe and Bond not because I disagree with the oversight, but because the town has set a precedent of covering the engineering costs of the sewer lines in every other contract area. All of a sudden, the policy shifted to making the North Nichols contract area pay for its engineering services to the current amount of approximately $1.8 million dollars. The fact that the two policies were in conflict led me to oppose the monies for the District 1 engineering services because those policies did not properly represent the interests of the residents.”
Andrew Palo, Republican vice-chairman of the Board of Finance, defended Pescatore and issued the following statement regarding the recent TRTC press release:
“After reading the angry press release from the Trumbull Republican Town Committee regarding Mr. Pescatore, I was saddened once again by the words of its Chairman, Jack Testani. Mr. Testani’s accusatory language toward Mr. Pescatore is not what a leader should be saying or promoting. As we just witnessed at the national level with our country’s debt negotiations, it is time for Republicans to throw aside their radical way of approaching problems and to instead reach across the aisle and work with others to conquer the issues our country faces. Mr. Pescatore’s sin was that he did just this for his constituents. He reached across the aisle and held numerous town hall style meetings for the residents of District 2 over the last two years. Meetings where the residents of District 2 could come and discuss a myriad of issues including their potential sewer assessments and the ever rising oversight costs being levied on each of their households, the placement of the fuel cell, charter revision and any other issue that a resident wanted to have a discussion about. His hard working demeanor and willingness to listen to diverse opinions is what you want out of a Town Council representative. Mr. Pescatore has been nominated twice before by the Trumbull Republicans. This is the time and place to reelect him for a third term.”
Pescatore was first elected in 2007 to the Trumbull Town Council. Prior to serving in an elected capacity, Pescatore ran a town-wide petition drive to allow residents the opportunity to vote on the like-new renovation of Trumbull High School.
“I felt that the people of Trumbull should have the right to decide since they are the ones who pay the bills,” Pescatore said. “While I fell short by a couple hundred signatures, I was proud to step up to the plate for my community at the age of 22. I took a lot of criticism for doing what I felt was right back then, and I am seeing that same type of criticism surface now from the Trumbull Republican Town Committee and the Herbst administration for doing what is right for the residents of District 2.”
Pescatore encouraged residents to contact him via e-mail at robpescatorejr@gmail.com.
Town Council member Robert Pescatore, Jr., R-2, filed a petition just before 12:30 p.m. Monday for a Republican primary for his seat. Pescatore did not recieve his party’s nomination for the seat at the Republican town meeting in July.
“I think the people in the district should have a say in who their representatives are, not just a handful of people in RTC,” Pescatore said. “I represent the people of the district. A lot of people are very upset about the action that was taken against me.”
Pescatore collected 59 signatures for his petition.
The Trumbull Republican Town Committee issued the following press release later in the day. (Pescatore’s responses are at the end. Pescatore said he would release a more detailed, written response Monday night):
“At the Trumbull Republican Convention held on Tuesday, July 26th, Town Councilman Robert Pescatore failed to win the nomination for the Town Council seat in District 2. The Trumbull Republican Town Committee members felt that Mr. Pescatore Jr. no longer represented their best interests and the interests of the voters in District 2 who voted Mr. Pescatore in as a Republican member of Town Council. Some noteworthy members of the Republican Town Committee in District 2 include State Representative TR Rowe, former Board of Finance Chairman Russell Friedson and ZBA members Carl Scarpelli and David Preusch. Pescatore did not even receive a second to his nomination.
“Mr. Pescatore appears to be confused. He vigorously opposed former First Selectman Ray Baldwin, then went against First Selectman Tim Herbst, attended Mary Beth Thornton’s announcement speech supporting the Democratic ticket and is now back trying to seek the nomination of the Republican Party,” said Chairman Jack Testani. ‘The reason why Mr. Pescatore did not receive the nomination from his district is because he has demonstrated repeated behavior over the course of the last two years that shows he has a personal agenda, driven by political vendettas.’
“Testani referenced a meeting shortly after Mr. Herbst was sworn in as the First Selectman. During that meeting, Pescatore asked the First Selectman to fire employees in the Information Technology Department and make him (Pescatore) Director of Information Technology. He also demanded that the First Selectman terminate the senior and deputy fire marshals who had testified against Mr. Pescatore’s father during a termination proceeding.
“’The First Selectman refused to honor these demands and shortly thereafter, the First Selectman was in Mr. Pescatore’s disfavor,’ stated Testani.
“Mr. Pescatore thereafter embarked upon a campaign of harassment of various departments throughout the Town as Chairman of the Town Council Finance Committee. A review of 2010 minutes of the Town Council Finance Committee and full Town Council reveal that Mr. Pescatore proposed cuts to the Information Technology Department, the Fire Marshal’s office, the Police Department and the office of Emergency Management. Mr. Pescatore was an unsuccessful candidate to become a police officer in the Town of Trumbull.
‘Mr. Pescatore was very abusive with various departments and department heads during his brief tenure as Chairman of the Finance Committee,’ stated Councilman Tony Scinto. ‘He made numerous comments about having personal agendas with certain people. That agenda became obvious with the items he attempted to cut from various departments. Also, certain department heads were treated with more vitriol that others and there was a reason for that.’ Shortly thereafter, Mr. Pescatore was stripped of the Committee Chairmanship by Council Chairman Carl Massaro. ‘Mr. Pescatore is in politics for all the wrong reasons. As a new member of the Town Council, I was personally troubled by Mr. Pescatore’s personal agendas and how he seemed determined to get even with certain people. We do not need this type of person in government,’ stated Councilwoman Ann Marie Evangelista.
“After being stripped of his chairmanship, Councilman Pescatore then began aligning with Mary Beth Thornton, the Democratic nominee for First Selectman. People may recall the famous picture on the front page of the Trumbull Times showing Pescatore and Thornton staging a walk out of a Town Council meeting together.’ The Republican Town Committee also pointed to votes taken by Pescatore that show a lack of properly representing the Town and his constituents.
“’Mr. Pescatore voted against the forensic audit of the Contract 3 sewer project. This forensic audit was the basis for identifying all of the defects in Contract 3, which ultimately led to proper oversight of Contract 4. This oversight protects Mr. Pescatore’s constituents, yet he voted against it,’ said Councilwoman Suzanne Testani. ‘I wish my constituents had this type of oversight. If they did, we wouldn’t be looking at massive sewer assessments, 8.4 million in damages and an ongoing federal investigation.’
“Pescatore’s constituents offered comment regarding his lack of involvement and absence in the biggest issue to confront the residents of Nichols – - a proposed power plan on the corner of Huntington Turnpike and Primrose Drive. ‘Mr. Pescatore was virtually nowhere to be found when we were fighting a power plant from locating in our district,’ stated Richard Moore, a lifelong Nichols resident and one of the leaders of the citizen group that opposed the power plant. ‘Mr. Pescatore attended, one, maybe two meetings and then disappeared. Other Town leaders in both parties were there to help us . Mr Pescatore on the other hand, was not there to help us.’
“Mr. Moore’s father previously represented Nichols on the Town Council and his grandfather served decades on the Trumbull Parks Commission. ‘My family has served this Town for many years and I learned from my father and grandfather the importance of public service. You represent your constituents to the best of your ability. You cannot represent your constituents to the best of your ability if you are missing in action.’
“First Selectman Timothy Herbst expressed enthusiasm over the nomination of incumbent Jane Deyoe and Attorney Jeffrey Donofrio for the Trumbull Town Council. ‘Jane has represented her constituents very well. She is hard working, diligent and well respected on both sides of the aisle. She is a class act that understands that public service is a public trust. Attorney Donofrio will bring professionalism, sound judgment, integrity and character to the Town Council. He is a dedicated husband and father that has provided guidance to Trumbull before in many ways. He is a well-respected attorney who will bring honor to the Town’s legislative body. I look forward to getting out on the campaign trail to support Jane and Jeff.’”
Pescatore said he has been hearing the personal vendetta argument since he was elected, and there is no truth to it.
“The only ones with something personal are people like Tim and people who are in the RTC,” Pescatore said. ” They don’t like the fact that I work bipartisan, that I think for myself and don’t always agree with them. With the budget, we cut certain line items Tim was not happy with and as the finance chairman I took the fault. The next thing was the sewer project, and I had major disagreements with the way things were being done, and when they came out and Tim basically threw me overboard and said everything about me was personal.”
From my colleague Brian Lockhart:
There’s been speculation among fellow politics watchers about whether ex-Stamford Mayor-turned-Governor Dannel Malloy will endorse a candidate in the Democratic primary in Connecticut’s largest city, Bridgeport.
Today Malloy, after touring a Milford business, said he will not be involving himself in the increasingly-heated campaign between state Senator-turned-Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch and Mary-Jane Foster.
Asked if he will back a primary candidate, Malloy said, “No. I’ll wait until the primary is done in Bridgeport.”
But he assured me he’ll support whichever Democrat is left standing.
Malloy made his comments not long after news broke that another Democrat eyeing Finch’s job – John Gomes – planned to drop out of the race and endorse Foster.
Malloy has worked with Finch, even though the latter endorsed Democrat Ned Lamont in the party’s 2010 gubernatorial primary.
Foster supported Malloy over Lamont.
Copyright © 2013 Hearst Communications Inc.
