State records reveal a curious mix of contributors and expenses to Ganim’s mayoral campaign

Joe Ganim’s campaign reported to the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) that they received approx. $500,000 from a diverse range of individuals and businesses for his 2023 mayoral run. The 300-page filing is an eyebrow-raising laundry list of out-of-town businesses and individuals. Plus, it lists contributions from dozens of current and retired city employees, from janitors and retirees to the most senior members of his administration. These contributors, where Ganim can see who gave and how much, raise serious concerns about potential patronage. Plus, upon reviewing the contributions, a glaring omission emerges: the lack of donations from voters — people that live in Bridgeport that would go to the polls and support him as a mayoral candidate. Taken as a whole, the document raises more questions than it answers.

Contributions
The initial filing, submitted by Treasurer Coleen le Pere in July 2022, listed contributions from Ganim ($1,000) and her ($40). Virtually all contributions are sizable, rounded figures like $1,000, $250, or $100 and documented as check or credit card payments, with only one cash contribution (le Pere) and no non-round amounts reported.

Unlike his 2018 Ganim for Governor campaign, where he couldn’t produce any documentation for money raised, this time the DTC has paperwork. To improve the quality of their filings, the Democratic Town Committee (DTC) engaged the campaign operations firm Day Campaign of Windsor. They also may have set up a Ganim staff member as a consultancy to process the money, which resulted in significantly enhanced documentation. However, this raises concerns about the inappropriate blending of an electoral campaign with municipal resources.

Expenses
The records show that the vast majority of expenses went to consultants. Notably, there are significant food & drink expenditures with food & liquor purveyors, as well as various establishments such as Bocca, Vazzy’s, Joseph’s Steak House, and Testa’s. There were fundraisers at Ganim family member homes in Easton and a clambake in Milford, which saw the curious appearance of many New Haven-centric political operatives. And, the optics — or perhaps worse — of having dozens of current and former City employees on the contribution list is troubling.