Tomorrow is April 1st, but we’re no fools…

We spent the first few months of the year traversing through snow, talking to our neighbors, understanding their hopes for our party, and vowing to represent our neighbors and their interests if elected.

We won the election by a whopping 60/40 margin across the board (“All 9, top line!”) thanks to our neighbors who came out in force (over 700 people voted!!), in the midst of freezing rain on a random Tuesday in March, to vote for change. It was a beautiful moment and one of the many reasons I love our neighborhood and love our city. It was a wonderful moment for democracy.

Last night, the Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee meeting was a terrible night for democracy. 

Our collective voices were silenced, mocked, and disrespected repeatedly. The meeting was rushed to a close. The Committee’s leadership refused to follow any resemblance of Robert’s Rules as demanded by its by-laws. The by-laws have been particularly challenging for this body to follow (to be fair, the by-laws are older than me, but still, rules are rules) and they were not followed in this meeting. We did not have a proper parliamentarian.

And perhaps worst of all, they passed a state delegation of electors that consisted of a combination of folks that just lost in the last election (or would have if they ran) and other political insiders that our neighbors just voted against. The Chair hand-picked delegates for the State Convention and excluded every single member of our newly elected slate as well as the members of the 139th and 135th slates.

If you’re a Bridgeport resident, I would encourage you to do a few things. 

One, talk to or get to know the people on the committee and try to understand their values. I know it wasn’t all falling on deaf ears and I’m certain there were people in that room who value democracy and want that body to work effectively for the people of Bridgeport. We just need them to do the right thing when votes come up. 

Two, come to the next citywide meeting! It will help a lot and we could use the emotional support. Unfortunately, all we know about the next meeting is that it will occur “sometime in May” but we’ll certainly keep you posted.  

Three, call on the delegates assigned to the state convention (see below) to assign a proxy to anyone from our elected slate. If they are truly interested in being a delegate, there are other conventions they can attend. This will be effective but it may feel a little awkward. That’s ok. If you are still reading, I’d urge you to take action here. Even if you don’t vote in this district, if you know one of the folks below, especially if they represent you, please reach out and ask them to assign a proxy. It is the right thing to do.

I’m extremely disappointed in how last night went, but I’m not surprised. I take heart in knowing that we have an energized base of supporters who are not going anywhere. We will certainly continue to make sure that our voices (your voices!) are heard in our committee meetings and we look forward to working with you all on electing local and state officials who reflect our values. 

I hope you’ll join us tonight for our first, quarterly "Meet The Democrats" Community Meeting where we will discuss all of this and more. We’re meeting tonight at 6:30pm at Wakeman Boys & Girls Club on Fairfield Ave.

This meeting is open to all to discuss priority issues (like that wild meeting), develop a shared platform and agenda, and answer questions about this year's elections for Congress, Governor, State Senate, State Representative and more. We know real change happens when we unite around shared values, amplify our collective voices, and work together! 

Join us!

Brandon Clark & the 130th DTC

130th Democrats who have been selected for the State Convention for Governor:

• Scott Burns

• Tom Gill

• Joe Ganim

• Paul Ganim

• Bonnie Roach

• Danny Roach

• Steve Stafstrom