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130th DTC: Updates, Conventions, Complaints, Oh My!
- 130th Democrats For The People
- May 28
- 4 min read
It's been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks. Maybe you saw Dan Haar's column in the CT Post about the "dispute" at the State Convention? If not, read it first: "A dispute erupted at CT Democrats' convention - involving Bridgeport, of course."
THIS PART: "...at some point, enough is enough. The state party can either find a way to make this sort of nonsense come to an end, or let Bridgeport continue as the elections laughingstock of the state, and sometimes the nation – at the expense of Democrats everywhere."
We did file an emergency Credentials Complaint ahead of the convention. The complaint is attached so you can read it. We will continue to pursue this complaint with the state party and will keep you updated as it progresses!
State Convention Recap: We have a Democratic primary for Governor!
As the 130th DTC, we were blocked by Mario Testa from being delegates to the state convention. If we had been seated, we would have all voted for Josh Elliott to be the Democratic nominee for Governor.
Below are the people who were delegates from our district. Everyone voted for Ned Lamont to be the Democratic nominee for Governor except Galen Murray, who voted for Josh Elliott.
Scott Burns attended
Joe Ganim attended
Paul Ganim attended
Tom Gill didn't go, his proxy was John Cattan
Bonnie Roach didn't go, her proxy was Toshirea Jackson
Danny Roach didn't go, his proxy was Sylvia DiLuca
Steve Stafstrom didn't go, his proxy was Galen Murray
The good news is Josh Elliott received 26% of the delegates at the Convention, well above the 15% needed for ballot access. So, we officially have a Democratic primary for Governor on Tuesday, August 11th!
Democratic Primary for Governor - Election Details:
Primary Day is Tuesday, August 11th. Polls will be open 6:00am - 8:00pm
Early voting will run August 3rd - August 9th at 999 Broad Street.
You must be a registered Democrat to vote in this primary. If you are unaffiliated, you can update your voter registration online and opt into the party.
IMPORTANT: State law has finally changed! Absentee Ballots will be available for ANYONE who wants to use one. We will send out all the info for how to get your absentee ballot for the primary in a separate email.
22nd State Senate Convention:
Eight of us were delegates to the 22nd State Senate Convention, where Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox received unanimous support! Sujata's leadership on key issues affecting Bridgeport - education funding, civil rights, and government accountability - has delivered meaningful results. We know with 2 more years of her representation, we can deliver real, lasting reforms to tackle our most important issues!
State Representative Convention:
This past Tuesday, all nine of us were delegates to the State Representative Convention. We nominated and endorsed Steve Stafstrom for another 2 years. Below is the nominating speech, delivered by Callie Heilmann:
I stand representing the 130th Democrats For The People, the 130th DTC members. We are honored to endorse Steve Stafstrom for State Representative.
Some of you might be surprised by this! And not just because Rep. Stafstrom supported our opponents. This endorsement shows what is possible when the issues of Bridgeport Democratic voters drive our party’s decision-making, not simple loyalty to one person.
The voters of the 130th made it clear that they want to see a transparent endorsement process that is driven by conversations about our most pressing issues - and about each candidate’s commitments to those issues!
Education funding is Bridgeport’s most pressing issue. We cannot grow our local economy if we do not have excellent public schools. Equity is also Bridgeport’s most pressing issue. We cannot grow our local economy if the state continues to shut our city out from opportunity and hoards resources in the wealthy towns and suburbs.
And free and fair Elections in our city remain a HUGE CONCERN. The system of Absentee ballot abuse and fraud must end for trust to be restored in our local party. The Bridgeport delegation has a SIGNIFICANT ROLE in working on these issues and we are lucky to have members like Steve who have seniority and who hold key leadership positions.
We’ve discussed all of these issues with Steve. And with all of the candidates we’ve endorsed. And while we do not see 100% the same on everything - and change is not always comfortable - we are confident that together, we can head in the right direction. We look forward to getting out the vote and working with Steve over the next two years on education, equity, and elections.
Chairman's Continued Abuses of Power:
At Tuesday's meeting, we tried - again! - to have standard items added to the meeting's agenda. Mario talked over Ilana's motion and ignored her. When Callie stood up to make the nomination for State Rep, she asked Mario Testa if he could make time at the end of the meeting for "New Business." He said he would "take it into consideration."
Instead, at the end of the meeting, Mario rushed to adjourn without recognizing any items of new business. He was very rude and disrespectful to the democratic process. And he continues to demonstrate that he believes being Chair makes him the ruler over - not facilitator of - the DTC meetings.
Therefore, the following things were NOT discussed for the 3rd meeting in a row:
The Treasurer's Report (April 10th filing)
Setting a 2026/2027 Regular Meeting schedule
Election of District Leaders
Discussion of how we will support our 2026 endorsed candidates - how will the DTC spend money this election cycle?
Discussion of creating a Bridgeport DTC official website
Dispersing a complete list of names & contact info for all DTC officials
We will continue to push for these items and more! And, as always, we will keep you informed.
ONWARDS!
130th Democrats For The People
Brandon Clark
John Fitzpatrick
Callie Heilmann
Donna Karnal
Caro Marrero
Chantel Mendez
Ilana Ofgang
Anna Price
Clea Wilson
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