Good morning! All four of the Democratic candidates for Bridgeport’s mayoral race have the potential to be on the ballot in November.
In order to be on the ballot as a Democrat for the primary election on Sept. 12, each candidate had to gather 2,300 signatures to take on incumbent Joe Ganim. Neither candidate Lamond Daniels or State Senator Marilyn Moore was able to collect enough to qualify them in the primary.
But each candidate only needs 160 signatures to run in the general election on non-Democratic Party endorsed lines. All four candidates, including Ganim and Democratic challenger John Gomes, gathered enough signatures.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we’re hearing.
Connecticut’s former top health official has settled a wrongful termination suit. Gov. Ned Lamont fired Renee Coleman Mitchell during the height of the pandemic. She claimed Lamont sidelined her requests to lock down nursing homes in favor of a white man’s leadership, Josh Gabelle, then-chief operating officer. A federal judge dismissed her case on Friday after both sides reached an undisclosed agreement.
Ex-Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota’s conviction appeal was denied. In 2019, Spota and his aide Christopher McPartland were convicted for attempting to cover-up the beating of a handcuffed prisoner by former Police Chief James Burke in 2012. They began their five-year prison sentence in August 2021. Their lawyers tried to get testimony from Suffolk police detectives thrown out in their appeal. The federal panel of judges said there was other “strong” evidence presented at trial to convict.
A college student from Connecticut was fatally shot Saturday in South Carolina. Police said Nicholas Anthony Donofrio, 20, was shot trying to enter a home around 2 a.m. They said Donofrio lived on that street and apparently went into the wrong house. He was a student at the University of South Carolina where classes started Thursday. It is not clear where in Connecticut Donofrio was from.
Preston, Connecticut is considering charging a $50 sticker fee for residents to use the town’s waste transfer station. The proposal comes as the town considers other major changes in the transfer station to combat increasing costs and shrinking disposal options. The Board of Selectmen are also planning to install a collection bin to recycle textile items like clothes, shoes and backpacks. The board will be voting on the decision on Sept. 13.
The union that represents faculty at New York’s public colleges has a new contract. Members of United University Professions ratified a new four-year contract with the state. The agreement is retroactive, including a 2% pay raise for 2022, and 3% raises in 2023, 2024, 2025. The contract does not increase basic health insurance costs. UUP represents more than 37,000 SUNY workers.
Despite more support for survivors of domestic violence in Connecticut, advocates say the funding is lacking. Advocates from the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence acknowledge that recent legislation that creates a domestic violence advisory board and an expansion of GPS monitoring help survivors. But they claim that lawmakers aren’t doing enough, and victims continue to face harm and death. The state’s unofficial death toll due to domestic violence in 2022 was 14, which is two less than the year prior.
New York regulators are critical of the idea of using facial recognition technology in schools. According to a report by the state Office of Information Technology Services released earlier in the month, claims that the risks likely outweigh the benefits. The technology, which uses techniques like facial recognition and fingerprinting, was being considered to enhance security in schools as well as for administrative and classroom purposes. The office’s report surveyed that not only were respondents uninterested in utilizing facial recognition software in the school, but also noted that the tech could impact students' civil rights.
