⚓️ DEEP DIVE ⚓️ Analysis: In DCC Primary, a Mix of Democratic Endorsements and Republican Support
Ahead of Democratic Party election, Reform group's slate members have exhibited behavior out of touch with voters and dangerous rhetoric
STAMFORD — With the 2024 Stamford Democratic City Committee (DCC) Primary approaching fast, additional information about the two slates has come into focus as voters send in absentee ballots or prepare to make their choice on Tuesday, March 5th.
The Stamford Current recently published an overview of the primary with information on both slates. Candidates on the Democrats United for Stamford slate recently received a powerful show of support in the form of endorsements from key Stamford Democratic figures, including Mayor Caroline Simmons and Attorney General William Tong, as well as State Senator Pat Billie Miller, State Representatives Matt Blumenthal, Hubert Delany, and Rachel Khanna, and Board of Representatives (BOR) member Carl Weinberg (in the districts they represent).
Rather than obtaining noteworthy support from such highly respected Democrats at the local, state, or federal levels, the other slate, Dems for Responsive Government, has opted to go all in on a GOP-centered approach. Follow along for a look into some of the key players involved in the Reform Stamford group’s latest project.
Former Republican city official Among “Responsive Government” candidates
In 2010, self-described “fiscal conservative” Kieran Ryan ran for the 146th state House district with the backing of an extremist anti-choice organization called the Family Institute of Connecticut (FIC). This group has taken many controversial stances on issues in the state like:
Comparing gay marriage to “a salad bar that you make up as you go along” according to the Hartford Courant and, per the Associated Press, called the Supreme Court’s marriage equality decision “outrageous.”
Proactively supporting Hobby Lobby, in their own press release, as the company sought to limit women’s rights and access to contraception.
After losing to incumbent Democrat Gerald Fox III by a margin of 65.1% to 34.9%, Ryan was undeterred and has since served as a Republican member on the Board of Representatives and Board of Finance. During that time, he collaborated on the creation of Reform Stamford, the group behind Dems for Responsive Government, and later became unaffiliated in late 2019.
Ryan then registered as a Democrat more recently. With all this background, Ryan has his sights set on helping the Reform group continue to wreak havoc on city government like only they know how.
GOP Funding Not Insignificant Portion of “Responsive Government” Slate
It was revealed in the Reform slate’s February 27th campaign filing with the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) that they received a $5,000 donation from recent Stamford RTC chair Josh Esses.
Esses, who serves on the Board of Education, is a state leader of the Federalist Society, an ultraconservative legal group that refused to condemn January 6 insurrectionists among their members and conducted corruption at the federal level.
As a defense of taking thousands of dollars from a leader of the only other major political party, Reform’s leadership insisted that there was no issue with someone being passionate about their city.
The “Responsive Government” slate seems to be more responsive to Republicans. They raised $30,335 during the reporting period. So the single donation by Esses, a leader of the other political party, equates to more than 16% of that total.
If the intent behind the donation was to show passion for the city, the money could have been donated elsewhere rather than directly to a group that includes and has benefited from the direct support of numerous Republicans over the years. Whether their excuse is factual or not, the reality is this: a top GOP official gave $5,000 to a slate in the Democratic City Committee (DCC) primary.
It is one thing for a Republican to donate to a Democrat in a general election, but a general election this is not. It is a primary for members who will serve on the DCC, not the Board of Representatives or another governmental entity. With the “Responsive Government” slate portraying it as closely tied to the BOR, it indicates where their true focus is: seizing power over the nomination and endorsement process.
Esses could have donated to boost his friend Kieran Ryan’s candidacy. He could have been asked to donate or even done it on his own cognizance. Given Esses’s political nature, though, he knows the difference no matter the reason for his financial support.
To ensure a city committee functions smoothly and is able to find, endorse, and support qualified candidates, it is important to have effective fundraising skills. Depending heavily on a donation from a Republican supporter is not a promising sign of a successful fundraising strategy for the "Responsive Government" team.
A more practical way would be for candidates to seek financial backing from their families, friends, and other potential supporters.
Democrats United for Stamford Chair Michael Hyman, also a Board of Education member, told the Stamford Advocate that DUS candidates received donations from “their families, friends, supporters and their personal and professional networks.” This is more of a typical effort, especially in a Democratic primary, instead of relying so heavily on Republican donors.
Esses is not an outlier with the “Responsive Government” slate’s backwards fundraising style. They received a $100 donation from Republican Olga Anastos, who ran in the state House special election last year against one of their own current slate candidates: triple-dipping DCC member, city Representative, and State Representative Anabel Figueroa.
Michael Battinelli, the 2022 GOP candidate for the 27th state Senate district who indicated his belief in homophobic and transphobic positions on a questionnaire, gave $100. Last year, he ran against Christina Strain, one of the double-dipping “Responsive Government” candidates, in the BOR race for District 7. Republican and recent Board of Education member Lisa Butler donated $200.
“Responsive Government” Group Embracing Election Denialism
“[T]he Patriots that had every right to protest the 2020 election legally on January 6th, who were marching and waving American Flags, peacefully and unarmed, to protest for the legal actions that the Vice President of the United States of America could have taken to recall the electorate, now are facing unreasonable, serious jail time for protesting.”
“Americas [sic] not racist, it’s free. Get on board, we all have the same opportunity.”
“DEI is the silent education killer. It’s the direction that will create generations of followers not innovators.”
You might be thinking these quotes must surely come from a right-wing radio host. Maybe they are from one of the talking heads in the broader conservative media landscape.
Or perhaps the vitriolic comments were part of speeches at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference, where Nazi sympathizers and other extremists openly mingled with leading Republican figures.
As it turns out, these quotes all come from a single person, who is not a Republican as one might expect based on their stances and tone. They were all said by Paul Arvoy, a candidate running in District 16 under the banner of "Responsive Government."
And they were published in The Connecticut Centinal, a far-right media publication in Connecticut, not years ago, but as recently as November and December 2023.
If the Reform slate accepts this type of commentary and misinformation, it is possible to conclude that they are also willing to follow the Big Lie narrative if things don't go their way in another election.
Reform Leader’s Pattern of Vocal Opposition to Fellow Democratic Officials
Although her legislative leadership role indicates that she should support fellow Democrats on the Board of Representatives, BOR Majority Leader Nina Sherwood had no issue actively campaigning against her own BOR colleague during the 2023 primary. This is not the first time she has engaged in this type of behavior.
A Facebook post from almost six years ago emphasizes Sherwood’s discernible resentment of Democratic Congressman Himes, who represents Stamford in the U.S. House of Representatives and even has staff working on constituent services directly from Stamford.
“I just can’t with my representative,” Sherwood complains, implying his track record on banking reform is the issue for her. Below her written comments was an article from the now-defunct website Grit Post, which the Associated Press found in a separate instance to be posting clickbait content that distorted what a climate scientist said in a speech.
On the topic of banking reform, Himes has, in reality, been pretty outspoken for someone supposedly “bought and paid for by the banks.” In fact, the day before Sherwood’s Facebook post, the Connecticut Mirror had a story covering how the Congressman “split from other Connecticut Democrats in supporting a bill that pares down several restrictions of the 2010 Dodd-Frank bill, a law imposed on U.S. banks and other institutions after the global financial crisis.”
In addition to calling out the legislation pushed by legislators trying to ease banking and financial regulations, Himes also advocated for fairer banking rules in 2018 to allow for smaller banks like People's United of Bridgeport to better assist their customers with loans and mortgages.
Additionally, Himes was appointed to lead the U.S. House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth, where the committee released a report with policy recommendations. They went beyond the requirements to provide visual context in the form of a documentary, “Grit & Grace: The Fight for the American Dream.”
On the broader economic policy issue, Congressman Himes voted in 2022 for the Inflation Reduction Act enacted by President Biden a few days later. The law addressed high drug costs, capped insulin costs, and made wealthy companies and the richest Americans pay their fair share while also implementing concrete steps to address the impacts of climate change (a particularly important benefit for a shoreline community like Stamford).
As the Stamford Current previously reported, the “Responsive Government” slate’s leadership has minimal interest at best in working to ensure qualified and effective Democrats are nominated for local, state, and federal offices. So this is not a good sign for Stamford Democrats if these tactics or sentiments are amplified even further.
On Tuesday, March 5th, Stamford Democrats will head to their polling locations across the city and select their preferred candidates. One slate offers a compelling vision and candidates experienced in campaign operations.
The other, as reported above, would offer severe consequences and a Democratic City Committee drained of its current potential, strength, and capabilities at a time when Stamford residents are seeking elected officials to provide better city governance, not more gridlock or bureaucracy.
Election Day polling locations will be open from 6:00 am - 8:00 pm.
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