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Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch to Take Minor Party Status to Court

Ryan Caron King
/
WNPR
Bridegeport Mayor Bill Finch
Bill Finch's options are limited. One is to try his luck as a write-in candidate.

After losing to former mayor Joe Ganim last week, Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch is going to court to try to appear on the November ballot as the Job Creation Party's mayoral candidate. 

Democrat Mary-Jane Foster, who announced that she would withdraw from the race, said she's now reconsidering her decision. 

Finch's campaign manager expressed confidence Tuesday the party line will appear on the ballot, saying, "This election is too important for Bridgeport and its future to be decided by red tape in the Secretary of the State's Office."

On Monday, a spokesman for Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said the minor party missed a September 2 deadline to officially endorse Finch as its candidate. Finch was relying on the party after losing to Ganim, who served seven years in prison for corruption.

Merrill's statement is below:

As of the filing deadline of September 2, 2015, the Office of the Secretary of the State had not received a statement of endorsement pursuant to General Statutes 9-453o(b) from the Job Creation Party for the office of mayor and has received no such statement to date. Therefore, pursuant to Connecticut election law, no mayoral candidate for that party will appear on the November 3 municipal ballot in Bridgeport. I have no comment on the potential litigation mentioned in a statement by the campaign of Mayor Bill Finch. My office does not comment on potential or pending litigation.

Meanwhile, Foster announced on Facebook that she's reconsidering her decision to withdraw. She secured a spot as an unaffiliated candidate. On Tuesday she wrote:

Dear friends,
I am overwhelmed by the response to my announcement yesterday and the subsequent news that the incumbent will not have a spot on the ballot.
I have been persuaded to seriously reconsider going forward with my run as the mayoral candidate for honesty and change in the city of Bridgeport this November.
Since I did not officially withdraw from the election, my name remains on the ballot. I am talking with supporters and others about the path and the future of this wonderful city. I will weigh my options and soon make a careful and thoughtful decision.
I can't thank you enough for the outpouring of continued support and consideration.

Finch's options are limited. One is to try his luck as a write-in candidate. The website Only in Bridgeportreported that trying to get a Republican to give his spot to Finch was shot down by the candidates. 

Listen to WNPR's weekly news roundtable "The Wheelhouse" break down the Bridgeport mayoral race below. 

Stephanie Riefe is an intern at WNPR. This report includes information from The Associated Press. 

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