BRIDGEPORT – In an obvious political stunt, Joe Ganim went on a press tour (of sorts) on Tuesday, December 5 to “take responsibility” for Wanda Geter-Pataky, Eneida Martinez and other campaign operatives’ illegal ballot stuffing behavior. 

For his first stop, Ganim initiated an interview with WICC-AM according to Lisa Wexler, host of their 11:00 am morning show. During the hour-long conversation coordinated by his communications director, Rowena White (who also works for WICC’s parent company Connoisseur Media), Ganim fumbled his way through lies, half truths and a disingenuous call for state officials to “put measures in place that will allow it [ballot stuffing] to never happen again in Bridgeport.”

Wexler started the interview stating there were no pre-conditions from the Ganim camp as to how the interview would go. However, curiously, her first question – Do you take responsibility for the primary election fraud? – is the one he came prepared to answer. Intent on making news, Ganim answered “yes, absolutely.” Although he was quick to say afterward that he didn’t know anything about the ballot stuffing behavior he was taking responsibility for. Um, come again? Are you taking responsibility or not?

Ganim Started Off Lying

Ganim’s blatant attempt to obfuscate his campaign’s absentee ballot fraud seemingly knows no bounds. From the jump, the interview started out on a lie. Lisa Wexler falsely stated that in 2019 Marilyn Moore lost the primary election at the polls and that Ganim won “convincingly” albeit with absentee ballots. Knowing full well that Marilyn Moore won the 2019 primary at the polls, Ganim sat quietly and did not correct the record.

He also did not answer Wexler’s question about whether he had a conversation with Wanda Geter-Pataky to tell her explicitly that he didn’t want her help with absentee ballots based on serious allegations from 2019. Instead, Ganim claimed he was not aware of the 2019 SEEC investigation until a week before this year’s September 12 primary. Granted he may not have been aware that the SEEC referred three of his 2019 campaign operatives for possible criminal charges to the chief state’s attorney until then, but  he certainly knew the SEEC was investigating his 2019 campaign. Surely Ganim didn’t forget Hearst Media’s scathing 2019 probe about Bridgeport’s absentee voting being rife with irregularities and the subsequent order from then Secretary of the State, Denise Merrill to the SEEC to open an investigation or the  Lazar v. Ganim lawsuit challenging the results of the 2019 primary. 

Instead of coming clean and taking full responsibility for 2019 and this year’s absentee ballot scandals, Ganim attempted to pivot, saying “the expectation was that everyone associated with his campaign would follow the “Do’s and Don’ts”. When he says “Do’s and Don’ts” we assume he is referring to the All You Need To Know About Absentee Ballots – Information for candidates, party and campaign workers instructions from the Secretary of the State’s office. If that expectation was real and clearly articulated, who from the Ganim campaign had that conversation with Wanda Geter-Pataky, Eneida Martinez, and Alfredo Castillo, his three most active ballot harvesters? Was it Park City Consulting, the firm that’s led by two city employees, whom the Ganim campaign paid over $100,000 to run his campaign or was it Kirk Wesley, his campaign manager? And, when exactly were those conversations held?

The Real Reason For Ganim’s Interview

In an attempt to muddy the 2023 absentee ballot stuffing water (his real reason for doing the interview) Ganim tried to repackage his campaign’s talking point that Gomes supporters were stuffing ballot boxes too. During the WICC-AM interview and subsequent press conference Ganim tried to posit that these allegations were somehow new. Repeating that evidence is “now in the possession and jurisdiction of the SEEC”, he insisted that the Gomes campaign needs to “come clean.” Perhaps this is news to Ganim but when allegations of election impropriety first started swirling, Christine Bartlett-Josie, Gomes’ campaign manager stood up at a press conference and said that if anyone knew of people associated with their campaign that stuffed the ballot drop box she urged them to make a complaint with the SEEC. She repeated that directive in an October 3, CT Post article, written by Brian Lockhart.


In fact it was weeks ago that the Ganim campaign released their own video on social media compiling images of Gomes supporters allegedly making drops to the ballot box. But when it was time to present that evidence to the judge neither Ganim, his lawyer or lawyers representing the city of Bridgeport chose to do so. The only video submitted as evidence in the court case was from Gomes’ lawyer. And, further the SEEC voted in September to open an investigation into Bridgeport’s absentee ballot stuffing scandal and said they would subpoena all relevant information – that includes the 2,000+ hours of surveillance video footage.

So why is Ganim now, in December, going on a press junket feigning concern? Perhaps, after losing at the polls twice he sees the writing on the wall. Judge William Clark hampered his campaign’s ability to harvest AB’s; which means he’s afraid he is going to lose the January 23 special primary.

Ganim’s Political Stunt Is Backfiring

But, perhaps the biggest stunt Ganim tried to pull at Tuesday’s press conference was the nonsensical invitation to the Connecticut Secretary of the State’s office to embed themselves into both his and Gomes’ campaigns. Tara Chozet, the communications director for the Office of the Secretary of the State responded in no uncertain terms. 

The role of the Office of the Secretary of the State is to administer elections, not supervise campaign staff or candidates. It is both impractical and financially unfeasible, and the taxpayers of Connecticut have already spent too much for election oversight in one municipality.

If 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.

In other words, stop playin’. Ganim is not serious about election integrity. He wants to win no matter the cost. If he were serious he would have brought that suggestion to Judge Clark when the parameters for the January 23 special primary were being negotiated.

The voters of Bridgeport don’t deserve the damage that Ganim has done to our democracy, damage that will remain long after he is gone. By giving power and legitimacy to people like Mario Testa, Wanda Geter-Pataky, Alfredo Castillo, Eneida Martinez, and yes even AJ Perez, the Ganim administration and his 2019 and 2023 campaigns represent the worst in antidemocratic, corrupt leadership. 

For her final question, Lisa Wexler asked Ganim how he will be remembered as mayor. In the history books, it will be these crimes against democracy that will be his legacy. Your stunt, sir, has backfired.