If you remain cynical on the prospects of fair elections in the coming year you are not alone. Last years Democrat mayoral primary in Bridgeport Connecticut cast a rather foreboding shadow of what some believe to be a point of contention in the elections to come. These shadows come in the wake of a what still remains - for many - the highly contested legitimacy of the 2020 Presidential elections between Trump & Biden which, to be fair, still has many unanswered questions though most mainstream pundits remain unwavering in their assertions that it was entirely legitimate.
An SFGATE article published today by Brian Lockhart stating that the City of Bridgeport had retained attorney William Ryan from New Haven to investigate whether Wanda Geter-Pataky a local Democratic Party vice-chair had violated any personnel policies in the handling absentee ballots.
In the Bridgeport Connecticut Democrat primary run off of 2023 between incumbent Joe Ganim and challenger John Gomes video footage released had shown evidence of what allegedly appeared to be Ballot Box stuffing. The irony being that the 2020 election for which ballot boxes littering the landscapes of American cities, towns and hamlets - thanks in no part to the COVID 19 paradigm - revealed activities not dissimilar to the ones displayed in the current Bridgeport CT case.
While no one could accuse Joesph Ganim - the current Mayor of Bridgeport Connecticut of being quite as flamboyant as former Prime Minister Silovio Berlusconi of Italy - there are indeed some inescapable parallels.
According to a BBC article - Berlusconi was found guilty in October 2012 of tax fraud in connection with the purchase of TV rights by his firm, Mediaset, in the 1990s. Berlusconi was sentenced to 4 years in prison. IN 2013 the Italian Sentate prevented him from running for public office for a period of six years. Berlusconi re-entered the political fray and won a seat in the Italian parliament in 2019. Even though Berlusconi wouldn’t by today's standards be considered a social media sensation he did parlay platforms like Tik Tok into giving him a broader reaching appeal.
In a March 18, 2003 article from The Intellegencer Ganim - "was convicted on 16 of 21 charges, including racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, bribery conspiracy, mail fraud and filing a false tax return. No verdict was returned on four counts of mail fraud and one count of extortion." Ganim was sentenced to 7 years Federal Prison. A 2012 Connecticut State statute (CGS § 9-46a) in so many words states that once a person has paid their debt to society they can again run for and hold political office. It doesn't appear this statute has ever been amended or challenged.
The media seems to almost laud Mr. Ganim calling him the: "Come Back Kid". And despite any of this it wouldn't appear that Mr. Ganim was entirely competent enough to properly vet his staff. Or perhaps maybe he did which begs another question knowing full well there are cameras that are placed at or nearby ballot boxes. While it's easy to endlessly speculate the go-to position in this case would just be to chalk it up to plain stupidity and flagrant disregard for the law. And what pre-tel was Mr. Ganims response to this discovery of ballot box stuffing ? Quote: “I own the fact that the court found people connected with my campaign, engaged in serious voting irregularities,”.
If you're not paying attention it would seem a rather tepid and disinterested response. But note the legal caveat: "the court found people connected". The response appears such that Ganim intentionally distances himself from any wrong doing. Convenient and disingenuous to say the least but a tree is often known by it's fruit.
Democrats have held political dominance in Connecticut for the better part of a half century save perhaps places like Greenwich Connecticut - which ironically - has retained a Republican majority albeit barely as of recent elections but to which many of our high ranking (Democrat) officials like Governor Ned Lamont, Congressman Jim Himes and Senator Richard Blumenthal reside. Despite this one needn't look any further than cities like Bridgeport, New London, Derby, Waterbury, Shelton, New Haven for policies that have left these cities mostly destitute perpetual crime ridden wastelands few people of common sense would voluntarily live in.
Republican leadership in the town of Greenwich has been successful for over 100 years- albeit now only marginally - from staving off (some) encroaching extreme Democrat policies that have laid many communities to waste - such as the aforementioned Connecticut cities - not least of which are some very controversial, contentious and divisive issues that concern health and a plethora of selective social issues surrounding identity politics, children's books et al.
If cheating, slander, character assassination have become the standard for chalking up political points and winning elections you might say both sides have been culpable but it would appear that Democrats are holding the lions share when it comes to running out of good ideas for keeping society whole, safe, and prosperous.
Planning on your vote being counted fairly this time may be conditional depending on whether your community from the highest holders of office to the janitor genuinely believe in honor or who can write the biggest check.