“BRIDGEPORT HAS A LONG HISTORY OF THAT”
by Sharon Rondeau
(Sep. 27, 2014) — Bridgeport, CT State Representative Christina Ayala was arrested on Friday, September 26 on charges that she voted in multiple districts between 2009 and 2012 for municipal and state elections, including primaries.
Ayala, a Democrat, represents Connecticut’s 128th District but was not the primary winner for re-election to her seat in the Connecticut General Assembly on November 4.
Eleven of the charges she faces are felonies requiring five years in prison each if she is convicted.
Ayala had focused on the problem of youth violence in the city. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in French and Political Science and a Master’s degree in Education.
Democrat John Gomes, who was seeking to become mayor of Bridgeport in 2011 before withdrawing his name, commented that “other politicians who are, allegedly, doing the same thing” in the city should take Ayala’s arrest as “a lesson.” “Bridgeport has had a long history of that,” he told The Connecticut Post.
Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch has endorsed the “BGreen2020” plan for “sustainability” which will reportedly “modernize the city’s infrastructure, create wealth, intensify urban amenities, enhance environmental quality, enable revitalization without gentrification, and retain Bridgeport’s historic character.” An “energy improvement district” has been identified with the reported purpose of lowering energy costs and bringing new businesses to Bridgeport.
The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) consists of 151 members of the House of Representatives and 36 state senators. State legislators earn $28,000 annually. At present, Connecticut has one of 14 “trifecta” state governments in which the Democrat Party holds the governorship and majorities in each of the legislative chambers. There currently are 23 Republican state trifectas.
Following the November 2012 election, The Post & Email consulted with Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill’s spokesperson, Av Harris, about the potential for voter fraud in the state. At that time, Harris explained that with Connecticut’s use of optical scanners which are not connected to the internet, the chance of election fraud through the casting of ballots was very low. Not discussed was the possibility of a voter providing elections commissions with false residence information so as to cast multiple ballots in any given election.
Connecticut now has online voter registration and early voting.
On Saturday, Merrill’s office issued a press release on Ayala’s arrest: 9.27.14 Statement on Arrest of Rep Ayala
These Democrat Candidates will literally do anything to “get into office” and on the “entitlement row” for those big paychecks and benefits-doing your job is something “not to worry about, just give me the Money! Why worry about doing your job and those terrible taxpayers?
On that instance, every vote really does “count”, and I’m thinking She’s wishing that wasn’t the “case” now with every vote counted as a 5 years felony charge.