Ganim Petition Train Pulls Into Bella Vista

Joe Ganim didn’t convince Anita Walters that he learned any lessons from his time behind bars. But he swayed her with the first argument he needed to press — that state Democrats will only benefit by having more candidates to pick between on the gubernatorial primary ballot this summer.

Ganim brought that argument Friday afternoon to Bella Vista, the senior-apartment mini-city on Eastern Street where Democratic politicians traditionally go hunting for votes.

Ganim is first hunting for signatures. He’s running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. He needs 15,458 verified signatures from registered Democratic voters before June 12 in order to qualify for an Aug. 14 primary against the party-endorsed candidate, Greenwich millionaire Ned Lamont. Those signatures must be approved by each town’s registrar of voters and by Connecticut’s Secretary of the State. He will likely need to gather upwards of 20,000 signatures under the assumption that only 75 percent will pass inspection. Ganim said on Friday that his campaign has already gathered 15,000 signatures statewide.

Ganim, who currently serves as Bridgeport’s mayor, is concentrating on his base in the petitioning quest: cities. He showed up at New Haven’s Bella Vista Friday one day after he canvassed the streets of a lower-income neighborhood in Hartford

He continued his campaign’s old-school Democratic Party campaigning on Friday by visiting Bella Vista, a must-visit stop for Democratic politicians in New Haven as it is home to around 3,000 low-income seniors and residents with disabilities, many of whom are registered Democrats.

Ganim’s campaign set up a free buffet of hot dogs and pasta salad in the common room of Building D at Bella Vista. There, Ganim pitched his candidacy to several dozen seniors as they waited in line to grab a meal and listen to another Democrat vying for office.

“I’m here today to ask your commitment to a better Connecticut,” he said, ​“and for an improved quality of life for everyone here.” He said his campaign’s focus is on supporting Connecticut’s cities, and on standing up for people at the margins of society.

He recognized that he made some mistakes during his first stint at mayor, alluding to racketeering and extortion charges that landed him in federal prison. But, he said, he did some good things as well, including saving the city from bankruptcy. He said he asked for forgiveness in a Bridgeport church before running for mayor again in 2015, and said that his candidacy represents an historic opportunity for Connecticut Democrats to support someone who embodies the party’s ​“second-chance society” agenda.

“Give me an opportunity to be on the ballot,” he said. ​“Give Democrats a choice this summer.”

Howard Saroff, a Bella Vista resident and the chair of the city’s Commission on Aging, grilled Ganim on what he would do as governor to support low-income seniors. He said low-income seniors have suffered under the Malloy administration because of past cuts to the renters’ rebate program, though that program looks like it will be fully funded in next fiscal year’s budget. He expressed concern about the imminent defunding of the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) coverage provided by the state’s Medicare Savings Program, which covers the $135 monthly deductible that low-income seniors have to pay on Medicare. Saroff said the program, which covers 135,000 seniors throughout the state, is scheduled to end on July 1.

“I promise to restore whatever I can to programs that support seniors,” Ganim said. He said he was not aware that QMB would lose its funding come July, and said his campaign would reach out to state legislatures and the Malloy administration to pressure them to restore the funding. He also committed to preventing increases to bus and rail fares, as increases to the cost of public transit would disproportionately affect the elderly and those with disabilities.

Sitting in her wheelchair and wearing a Ganim sticker on her coat, Bella Vista resident Anita Walters wondered aloud if Ganim had truly learned any lessons from the corruption charges that landed him in prison nearly two decades ago. But, she said, she thinks everyone deserves a second chance. She was most interested in learning what Ganim would do as governor to support seniors and those with disabilities in New Haven.

“I’ve had my own challenges,” Ganim said. He recognized they were not the same as those faced by Walters, who has elephantiasis. But, he said, his history makes him uniquely attuned to the needs of constituents who have not had an easy path through life.

He promised to protect the renters’ rebate program and committed to engaging in regular conversations with seniors and with people with disabilities.

Walters agreed to sign Ganim’s petition, saying she supports a contested primary in August.

“My father always said, ​‘If you don’t vote, you have nothing to say,’” Walters quipped.

Ganim said no matter how wealthy and privileged or poor and marginalized one is, the process of voting makes everyone in a democracy equal.

“What are you going to do for Connecticut?” asked Bella Vista resident Sal Criscuolo. ​“Connecticut is really in turmoil.”

Ganim promised to reinvigorate the state’s economy by focusing on job growth in cities like Hartford, Bridgeport, New Haven, and Waterbury. Criscuolo asked Ganim to keep in mind the impact that high taxes have on people living on fixed incomes.

“We need a change in this state,” he said.

The Ganim campaign was not the only Democratic gubernatorial contender making the rounds of Bella Vista on Friday. Hill Alder and Ned Lamont campaign staffer Dave Reyes led a cadre of Lamont supporters on a walk-through of the apartment complex, handing out leaflets to people sitting on benches and enjoying the sun.

“Ned has a mind for every community across the state,” Lamont campaign manager Marc Bradley told the Independent. ​“The biggest thing we can do is get an honestly balanced budget that protects funding for social services for Connecticut’s seniors and residents with disabilities.”