the New Haven Catfish: A judge called ms lePere’s actions “shocking”. She convinced a woman she met online to marry her, buy a house & health insurance for her daughter, and more.
The current proposals to address election shenanigans in Bridgeport are just window dressing. The Democratic Party and agencies within the state of Connecticut are fully aware of what’s happening, as the arrested members of mayor Joseph Ganim’s re-election team correctly aver. For starters, with willful ignorance and/or benign neglect, they look the other way and refuse to acknowledge that out-of-town actors control the finances. In just the recent mayoral race, there’s the almost-unbelievable story of a straw dog with a sordid financial past who was made Treasurer, seemingly thanks to her personal relationships with either Ganim or his staff. There are 300 pages of “contributions” from city employees and vendors. Many feel like patronage or coercion, i.e., if you want a job or to do business with the city, contribute.
Municipal-looking SUVs fill the driveway at Ganim’s home (as of 2023) in Black Rock
Outside of elections, and more serious, is apparent financial and tax fraud, i.e., Ganim bought a home for far below market value, got 2/3 property tax cut, bundled in a secret lot, and had his deputies manipulate city records. This is a matter for Federal authorities, not the CT Secretary of State’s elections division or its State Elections Enforcement Commission, who are more concerned with maintaining the system than enacting reform.
Why are those in power propping up this Potemkin Village? As CT’s largest city, it is crucial in helping Democrats maintain a 2:1 supermajority in Hartford. With that dominance, they can even override a governor’s veto. And it’s the production site for construction projects, mostly schools, as evidenced by the recent awarding a $700 million+ contract with an opaque process on the city’s East Side to a tiny start-up firm.
The outcry from residents is mirrored by the silence from the state. The people of Bridgeport deserve justice, fairness, and progress. Put all election forms online for transparency. Create an independent division for election integrity. End the giant, ongoing machine called the construction industry that runs this state. It’s time we hold people accountable and compel the leadership of our state and party to reform, for everyone’s benefit.
