Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim acknowledged the misconduct by his re-election campaign, but claimed he played no role in the chicanery and then claimed the campaign of his challenger, John Gomes, engaged in “unlawful ballot behavior.”
Speaking yesterday on WICC talk show, Ganim apologized for the absentee ballot scandal that resulted in a state court ordering a do-over of the Democratic primary for Bridgeport’s mayoralty.
“I’m embarrassed and I’m sorry for what happened with the campaign,” said Ganim during an interview on Lisa Wexler’s talk show on WICC. “Granted, I had no knowledge of what was going on.”
Ganim repeated his regrets at a news conference following the WICC appearance, stating, “I own the fact that the court found people connected with my campaign, engaged in serious voting irregularities.”
The primary in September saw Gomes leading with the in-person voting tally, only to have Ganim score a come-from-behind win when absentee ballots were counted – an identical scenario played out in the 2019 primary, with State Sen. Marilyn Moore leading with in-person votes but Ganim gaining the victory with an absentee ballot wave that bore no resemblance to the voting booth results.
Ganim also used the press conference to claim Gomes’ campaign was guilty of absentee ballot fraud.
“Gomes must admit that multiple people associated with his campaign, involved in his campaign, engaged in clearly unlawful ballot behavior in the primary as well,” Ganim said, who did not produce evidence during the press conference to back his allegation.
On Monday, City Council President Aidee Nieves, a Ganim ally, filed a complaint with the State Elections Enforcement Commission claiming that Gomes supporters violated state law in placing numerous absentee ballots into designated drop boxes.
The new primary is scheduled for Jan. 23. If Ganim wins the primary, he will continue as mayor, but a Gomes victory would lead to a new general election on Feb. 27.
During his WICC interview, Ganim called on Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas to have her office monitor the upcoming primary election campaign to ensure the integrity of the results. A spokesperson of Thomas’ office later issued a statement that said, “If Mayor Ganim is serious about his responsibility for the actions of his campaign staff, he should hire someone to educate and supervise those who work under his name to ensure they are acting according to the letter of the law.”
The current scandal is the latest reputation dent for Ganim, who was forced out of the mayor’s office in 2003 after being found guilty on corruption charges. He served seven years in prison and scored a political comeback to become mayor again in 2015. Since his return to office, his administration has faced probes by the FBI, the Connecticut State Election Enforcement Commission, the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney, and the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission.
