This four-part investigation by CT Public looks for answers in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where corruption charges, allegations of absentee ballot misconduct, and machine politics have left some residents wondering if their vote even matters.
April 23, 2024 – Today, Connecticut Public released the first episode of In Absentia, a new, 4-part investigative podcast into Bridgeport politics.
From CT Public:
“For years, people have said that something is going on with elections in Bridgeport, Connecticut. People have been fined over misuse of absentee ballots, there have been investigations by state agencies, and rumors have spread among Bridgeport residents that elections in the city aren’t fair.
In Absentia tells the story of political dysfunction in Bridgeport, the systems that enable it, and what this all means for the residents who wonder if their vote even matters.
This four-episode investigation is co-hosted by Bria Lloyd and Kate Seltzer and produced by Connecticut Public.”
Episode 1, titled “Wiretapped,” goes into the history of Ganim’s rise to power in the 1990s, with interviews with people close to him and to politics at the time, including former State Rep. Chris Caruso, former mayors Mary Moran and Tom Bucci, Lennie Grimaldi, and more.
Interesting surprises include audio from the wiretap the FBI had on Ganim’s phone at the time of Ganim ordering expensive cases of wine, paid for by his associates as part of the kickback scheme which landed him in federal prison. Ganim refused to be interviewed for the podcast.
Listen to new episodes every Tuesday on CT Public’s website or click below for ways to subscribe!
