Finch campaign appears headed for write-in status

Mary-Jane Foster outside Central High School in Bridgeport on primary day, Wed. Sept. 16, 2015. Mayor Bill Finch, ex-mayor Joe Ganim and Mary-Jane Foster are in contest for be the next democratic endorsed candidate for mayor. less Mary-Jane Foster outside Central High School in Bridgeport on primary day, Wed. Sept. 16, 2015. Mayor Bill Finch, ex-mayor Joe Ganim and Mary-Jane Foster are in contest for be the next democratic endorsed ... more Photo: Bill Cummings / Hearst Connecticut Media Buy photo Photo: Bill Cummings / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 21 Caption Close Finch campaign appears headed for write-in status 1 / 21 Back to Gallery

BRIDGEPORT — The Nov. 3 mayoral ballot got smaller Monday.

And as things stand, voters will see neither Mary-Jane Foster’s nor Mayor Bill Finch’s name on it.

By choice, Foster publicly dropped her bid Monday morning, after finishing third in the Sept. 16 Democratic primary.

By election law, the Job Creation Party that Finch intended to run with is out, having failed to file required paperwork.

Late Monday afternoon, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill determined that the Job Creation Party did not submit a letter of endorsement naming a candidate by the Sept. 2 deadline. As a result, the party won’t appear on the ballot, said Av Harris, a spokesman for Merrill’s office.

That means Finch’s run for re-election is consigned to write-in status — provided the mayor registers as a write-in candidate by Oct. 20.

His chances under that scenario are up for debate.

“If he runs as a write-in candidate, he has no chance,“ said Donald Greenberg, a retired professor of politics and longtime observer of Bridgeport campaigns. “The odds are so overwhelmingly in (challenger Joseph P.) Ganim’s favor.”

“He’s not dead yet,” said Dick Foley, who owns the Prince Group, a political consulting firm in Danbury. “They say even the dead vote in Bridgeport.”

But Foley also said Finch has a mountain to climb.

“He needs at least $250,000 — probably much more — to run an effective write-in campaign ... and that’s using a volunteer phone bank,” Foley said.

Finch’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Connecticut Post. The mayor was quoted by the online Connecticut Mirror as saying, “Whatever the problem is, I’m sure we’ll find a way to get on the ballot.”

Foster also could not be reached for comment. Her withdrawal and Finch’s ballot troubles were both wins for Ganim, the former five-term mayor who spent seven years in federal prison on corruption convictions.

“I’m glad the Secretary of the State’s Office did not allow such a fraudulent run,” Ganim said of the plan to use a third-party placeholder who would step aside should the mayor lose the Democratic primary, as Finch did.

Ganim and his staff, headed by R. Christopher Meyer, a former associate city attorney, began questioning Finch’s third-party bid late last week. They claim they found it full of “holes and misrepresentations.”

Finch does have another option. He could try to convince another candidate to yield a ballot position. Both Enrique Torres, the Republican nominee, and Charles Coviello, the New Movement Party nominee, said that won’t happen with them.

“Do you believe this?” Coviello said. “(Finch’s) campaign had all kinds of attorneys and consultants and they failed to file the proper paperwork, while I did. That tells you what kind of mayor we have.”

Torres said Foster’s withdrawal and Finch’s mistakes make him the main alternative to another Ganim administration.

“I give the city a clear choice of an honorable person who never violated the law and has experience in running the city through my two years as a councilman,” Torres said.

There are three other candidates in the race. Bridgeport Police Lt. David Daniels, Anthony Barr and Chris Taylor have all qualified but as petition candidates, not third-party nominees. They cannot surrender their ballot place to Finch or another candidate.

Earlier Monday, it appeared that a scramble would be on for Foster’s support — or that of her supporters.

Foster, a University of Bridgeport vice president and co-founder of the Bridgeport Bluefish baseball team, finished a distant third in the Sept. 16 Democratic primary, drawing only 1,177 votes. Ganim chalked up 6,264 votes and Finch 5,859.

Foley and Greenberg said most voters in Foster’s Black Rock district would now back Torres, who lives and works there as owner of the popular Harborview Market.

“Most of the things Mary-Jane stands for, I stand for,” Torres said. “Right now, those people are homeless. I give them a home.”

He also suggested the possibility that Foster might have a role in a Torres administration.

“Being mayor is a big job with a lot of responsibilities,” Torres said. “Mary-Jane has shown she is a terrific administrator. This could be a team effort.”

Coviello, who once taught Torres and a number of Black Rock youngsters at St. Ann’s School, warned not to count him out.

“The door is definitely open,” he said.

But Foley sees this as Ganim’s race to win or lose.

“He’s still the frontrunner and the favorite,” Foley said.