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64-708: The paper has a weekday circulation of 53,866, a Saturday circulation of 41,768, and a Sunday circulation of 80,840, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation , behind the Hartford Courant (264,539) and the New Haven Register (89,022). It is southwestern Connecticut's largest circulation daily newspaper. The paper competes directly with the Register in Stratford, Milford, and portions of

128-485: A Connecticut House district in Bridgeport. Ganim lost, but only by about 150 votes. Ganim was elected the 51st mayor of Bridgeport in 1991, receiving 15,768 votes (54%) and defeating incumbent Mayor Mary C. Moran , who received 10,951 votes, and two minor party candidates, who got a combined total of 2,258 additional votes. During his campaign, Ganim accused Moran of making the city "a symbol of urban failure with

192-523: A bankruptcy filing that drew national headlines." Ganim was reelected four times, serving five terms. In 1993, Ganim won reelection in a landslide, defeating Republican Anthony G. Minutolo by a 4–1 margin. In 1995, Ganim defeated Republican challenger George H. Comer, the town chairman, by a 6–1 margin. At the time Ganim took office, the city's dire financial straits caused it to be the only municipality in Connecticut to have its finances under

256-544: A legal assistant at his family's law firm in Bridgeport. Ganim and his brother George Ganim Jr. also opened a consulting service, Federal Prison Consultant LLC, which offered other white-collar convicts advice on surviving federal prison terms. After being released from prison, Ganim also sought restoration of his license to practice law. In 2012, a five-member panel of the State of Connecticut Grievance Committee recommended that Ganim's license be restored. In September 2012,

320-507: A minor league baseball team, the building of a new arena ( Webster Bank Arena ), and the redevelopment of industrial land on the city's waterfront. Ganim's term also saw the competition of demolition of Father Panik Village —a housing project notorious for drugs and violent crime; the final fifteen buildings were razed in 1993. Ganim also benefited personally, however, by collecting kickbacks from developers, eventually leading to his prosecution (see below). On March 19, 2003, Ganim

384-554: A Bridgeport native, was a paperboy and later a staff reporter for the Post , before pursuing his career as an entertainer. Audit Bureau of Circulations (North America) The Alliance for Audited Media ( AAM ) is a North American not-for-profit industry organization founded in 1914 by the Association of National Advertisers to help ensure media transparency and trust among advertisers and media companies . Originally known as

448-440: A city councilman. Ganim's successful return to politics has been compared to Marion Barry Jr. of Washington and Vincent A. (Buddy) Cianci, Jr. of Providence, Rhode Island , other mayors who won re-election after criminal convictions. The New York Times reported Ganim's election victory as "a stunning return to public office ... remarkable for its sheer audacity, coming after a widely publicized fall from grace." Ganim

512-628: A condo in Black Rock. In November 2023, one week before Election Day, the Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission voted unanimously to investigate a complaint, submitted by a former Bridgeport city employee, that alleges that Ganim is not a resident of Bridgeport. The complaint alleges that Ganim actually lives in a three-acre home in Easton, Connecticut , which he owns. Ganim called

576-443: A dozen gun dealers in southwestern Connecticut as defendants. Ganim said that the city's action aimed at "creating law with litigation...That's the route that we're going because [the industry has] always very effectively, with big money, lobbied the legislature and kept laws from being passed." The city sought $ 100 million in damages for the cost of human life lost and the public cost of treating shooting victims; Ganim said that

640-584: A former FBI agent who helped convict Ganim on corruption charges, to support his campaign. However, Michael Wolf, the FBI special agent-in-charge of Connecticut during the Ganim investigation, fired back with a letter published in the Connecticut Post saying that Adams was not the lead investigator in the Ganim case, and writing that "a mayor who swindled a city he was entrusted to govern, should not be given

704-407: A glue pot, leaving him stuck. This occurred while a Girl Scout troop was touring the newsroom. In 1986, a young staffer at the Post office dropped his coat with a handgun in it, and accidentally shot a bullet into the ceiling. The man had become a drug dealer on the side and was arrested in the lobby for selling cocaine by an undercover police officer working as a janitor at the building. In 2017,

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768-432: A half-million dollars; he took bribes in the form of cash, food and wine, clothing, home renovations, and diamonds . In April 2003, two weeks after being convicted, Ganim resigned from office. He was replaced by councilman John M. Fabrizi . Ganim faced a possible sentence of up to 126 years, $ 500,000 in restitution, and $ 4 million in fines. Federal prosecutors asked for a sentence of ten years and one month, while

832-461: A lieutenant of local Republican boss Ed Sandula. Ganim, on the other hand, became a Democrat. Ganim graduated from the University of Connecticut and received a J.D. degree in 1983 from the University of Bridgeport Law School (which later became Quinnipiac University School of Law ). In 1988, a young Ganim made his first run for office against Lee Samowitz in the 129th House District,

896-576: A management agreement that began in April 2007. Overall, the company publishes 24 dailies and 56 weeklies across the country. The Hearst Corporation also has ownership in global financial services, cable channels A&E, History, Lifetime and ESPN, television stations, including WCVB-TV in Boston, and over 300 magazines. In 2010, the Connecticut Post launched a complete re-design which included

960-476: A merger to become the largest not-for-profit media auditing organization. AAM is governed by a tripartite board of directors composed of leaders in publishing, marketing and advertising. Together with a network of committees, the AAM board sets the standards by which print and digital media are measured and reported. AAM audited data is relied upon by marketers and ad agencies to plan for and buy media. This information

1024-581: A new font and re-designed Connecticut Post header. Some significant stories the Post has broken include former Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim 's bribery scandal and former Bridgeport Mayor John Fabrizi 's admission of using cocaine . In 2008, under Smith's leadership, the Connecticut Post received its first Newspaper of the Year Award from the New England Newspaper Association. Comedian and actor Richard Belzer ,

1088-698: A number of U.S. cities (others included New Orleans, Miami, and Chicago) to file legal actions against the handgun industry, arguing that they were liable for product liability negligence in failing to use technology to make their products safer, leading to handgun violence . Such suits were inspired by successful litigation against the tobacco industry . The City of Bridgeport's suit was filed in Connecticut Superior Court in January 1999; it named Smith & Wesson , 11 other U.S. firearms manufacturers, three handgun trade associations, and

1152-475: A public apology to the City of Bridgeport for his corruption scandal, saying: "I'm truly sorry." The apology—as well as visits to churches in city's mainly African-American east side, a former stronghold for Ganim during his days as mayor—fueled speculation about a return to politics for Ganim. In March 2015, Ganim moved back to Bridgeport from Easton, where he had been living. In May 2015, Ganim officially entered

1216-529: A second Democratic primary was scheduled. The New York Times described the Bridgeport election as perhaps "the most confusing election in the country" due to the legal uncertainties surrounding the race. After the September 2023 primary irregularities, the state oversaw the Bridgeport general election, appointing an election monitor as well as attorneys from the Secretary of the State 's Office to oversee

1280-431: A three-judge panel of Connecticut Superior Court judges rejected the recommendation, writing that: "Allowing an applicant to be readmitted to the practice of law following a conviction on 16 counts of racketeering, conspiracy, extortion, mail fraud, bribery and filing false income tax returns without any apology, expression of remorse, or explanation, and with only a vague acceptance of an unspecified event, simply would set

1344-663: A transfer to FCI Otisville in New York, to be with his family. In 2009, Ganim was transferred to the FCI McKean prison camp in Pennsylvania. Ganim then served the last seven months of his sentence at a halfway house in Hartford . Ganim's sentence was reduced by a year for participating in a drug-treatment program. In July 2010, Ganim was released after serving seven years in prison. After his release, Ganim worked as

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1408-442: Is an American Democratic politician and former attorney who is the mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut . He was elected mayor of the city six times, serving from 1991 to 2003, when he resigned after being convicted on federal felony corruption charges. In 2015 , Ganim mounted a successful political comeback and was again elected Bridgeport mayor. Ganim was sworn in as mayor on December 1, 2015. Ganim has twice unsuccessfully sought

1472-769: Is housed in an AAM database, disseminated via several complementary industry data providers (such as Gfk MRI and Kantar Media SRDS) and fed directly to proprietary databases of many large ad agencies and client-side marketers. The organization is headquartered in Lisle, Illinois . Membership is open to all publishers, digital media companies, advertisers and advertising agencies. Additionally, any individual, firm or corporation that requires access to media data may apply for an associate membership. AAM serves as an industry forum , connecting advertisers, ad agencies and publishers to discuss issues and trends and set standards. Joseph Ganim Joseph Peter Ganim (born October 21, 1959)

1536-695: Is made of" and determined by clear and convincing evidence that Ganim had "lied to the jury when he denied any knowledge of fee-splitting deals and other incriminating evidence." Ganim appealed, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld Ganim's convictions in December 2007. Ganim surrendered in September 2003 and served most of his sentence at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey. He unsuccessfully petitioned for

1600-407: The Audit Bureau of Circulations ( ABC ), today AAM is a source of verified media information and technology platform certifications, providing standards, audit services and data for the advertising and publishing industries. In early 2023, AAM merged with BPA Worldwide to create the largest not-for-profit media auditing organization dedicated to increasing trust, transparency and assurance across

1664-522: The Post ' s offices moved from 410 State St. to 1057 Broad St. The Post had been operating at the State Street location since 1928. The change in office space was made after deciding to downsize after most of the staff had moved to Hearst Connecticut Media's headquarters in Norwalk, CT. Only 20 employees made up of local reporters, editors and photographers work at the new location. The Post

1728-471: The State Senate president pro tem and the front-runner for the party's nomination. In 1997, Ganim defeated Republican challenger Joan K. Magnuson by a huge margin. In that election, Ganim's appearances on taxpayer-funded commercials "boosting his city's image" were criticized by his opponents, who believed that the commercials were tools for re-election. Under Ganim, the City of Bridgeport joined

1792-488: The United States Conference of Mayors . The award was conferred for Ganim's "Clean and Green program," which addressed urban decay and blight through a beautification campaign which saw the demolition of more than five buildings and the development of twelve new city parks. A cornerstone of the city's redevelopment efforts was the construction of a new baseball park ( The Ballpark at Harbor Yard ) for

1856-550: The Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission (FOIC) determined that the City of Bridgeport had violated the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 28 times. Although Bridgeport makes up only 4% of Connecticut's population, it was responsible for 17% of all FOIA violations as determined by FOIC. In August 2022, a FOIC commissioner said that Bridgeport officials had "continually" engaged in an "ongoing pattern" of failing to comply with law. The Commission fined

1920-481: The Connecticut bar; these efforts were rebuffed by the court. In 2021, Ganim again sought reinstatement of his license to practice law. The Grievance Committee voted, 3–2, to recommend denial of Ganim's request, and in 2023 the Connecticut Superior Court agreed, finding that there was "insufficient" evidence that Ganim was morally fit to practice law. On January 1, 2015, Ganim offered

1984-459: The Democratic nomination for governor of Connecticut , running in 1994 and 2018 . Ganim was reelected to a consecutive term in 2019 , and is currently serving his seventh term as mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Ganim was born to George W. Ganim Sr. and Josephine Ganim of Easton, Connecticut . Ganim's father was a prominent Bridgeport attorney and Republican Party loyalist who was

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2048-483: The Lower Naugatuck Valley. Since June 2017, the Post and the Register have been under common ownership, with management led first by Hearst Connecticut Media Group president Paul Barbetta and since May 2019 by his successor Mike Deluca. The publisher is Mike Deluca who is also the president of Hearst Connecticut Media Group. Recent editor James H. Smith departed abruptly on June 26, 2008. No reason

2112-493: The November 2023 election, Ganim was declared the winner: Ganim received 5,729 votes, Gomes 5,550, Daniels 1,836, and Herz 765. Under the city charter, a mayor's new term would have begun on December 1, 2023. However, because the results of the 2023 mayoral election were not certified, Ganim was not sworn in on December 1, 2023, but, pursuant to the city charter, continued in office until the election do-over could be completed and

2176-518: The U.S. and Canada united to form the first Audit Bureau of Circulations to bring trust and accountability to the print media market. On November 15, 2012, ABC in North America rebranded its organization as the Alliance for Audited Media to reflect the new media environment and its members' evolving business models. In March 2023, the Alliance for Audited Media and BPA Worldwide completed

2240-508: The backlog and expedite processing. Ganim's administration contended that the high backlog was caused in part by the city's introduction of a new "user-friendly public portal" that facilitated the submission of more FOIA requests than before. In the September 2023 Democratic primary for the Bridgeport mayoral race, Ganim was initially declared the winner, defeating his opponent, former Bridgeport chief administrative officer John Gomes, by 251 votes out of 8,173 cast. Gomes successfully challenged

2304-636: The bar for readmission too low in the state, and we are unwilling to do that." Ganim appealed to the Connecticut Supreme Court in 2014, which unanimously ruled against his effort to have his law license restored. The court cited "the extensiveness" of Ganim's criminal offenses as well as his "failure to acknowledge or explain" them. In 2017, Ganim applied to the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut for permission to practice in that federal court without being readmitted to

2368-448: The boxes. Judge Clark found that two women were directly involved in 15 incidents of ballot stuffing, that both were "partisans" for Ganim, and that the ballot-stuffing episodes were "shocking" and "conscious acts with partisan purpose" rather than random. Ganim denied any involvement in ballot-stuffing. Because the judge had no authority to postpone the general election, the general election took place as scheduled in November 2023, before

2432-547: The city $ 750 for failing to comply with the law. An investigation by Hearst Connecticut Media in early 2023 found that, during Ganim's tenure as mayor, the City of Bridgeport routinely failed to comply with the Connecticut FOIA; routinely stonewalled public-records requests (sometimes delaying responses up to two years), and had a backlog of more than 2,000 pending requests. The report also found that city leaders had "inexplicably abandoned their own proposals" to clear

2496-539: The city removed a pile of construction debris (labeled "Mount Trashmore") that had been illegally dumped by a demolition business. In 1994, three years after becoming mayor, Ganim ran for the Democratic nomination for governor of Connecticut . Ganim withdrew from the race in July 1994, less than a week before the Connecticut Democratic convention, after lagging in the polls, and endorsed John B. Larson ,

2560-489: The city would agree to a settlement , "if the companies will agree to improve the design of their handguns to prevent their misuse." The suit was unsuccessful: the court dismissed for lack of standing in December 1999, and the dismissal was unanimously upheld by the state supreme court in 2001. In 1999, Ganim was one of three American mayors to receive the City Livability Program Award from

2624-434: The control of a state board. The state board had ordered the city to raise its property taxes by 18 percent to close a $ 16 million budget shortfall for the 1991–92 fiscal year. Ganim also campaigned on a law and order platform, promising to hire a hundred new city police officers to combat crime. One reason why Ganim was elected was because "there were few politicians who wanted the grief of being mayor of Bridgeport for

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2688-466: The couple divorced. In 2015, a Connecticut Superior Court judge agreed to Ganim's request for a reduction in Ganim's alimony payments he sought on the basis of his low income and lack of business in his consulting job. In May 2023, Ganim sold his home in the Black Rock neighborhood of Bridgeport for $ 1.13 million, three times what he paid to purchase the property two years earlier, and purchased

2752-494: The defense asked for a sentence of no more than three years and ten months. Testimonials seeking leniency were filed with the court on Ganim's behalf, including one from Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York. On July 1, 2003, U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton sentenced Ganim to nine years in prison and about $ 300,000 in fines and restitution, in addition to $ 175,000 that he had previously stipulated that he owed. Judge Arterton said that Ganim's crimes were "stuff that cynicism

2816-528: The denial in federal court on constitutional grounds, but the U.S. District Court dismissed his suit in November 2017. In his campaign against Ned Lamont for the nomination, Ganim unsuccessfully ran as "feisty, in-your-face campaign, which he tried to frame as a city-versus-suburban class struggle." In the August 16, 2018, primary election, Ganim was defeated by a wide margin by Lamont, who received 172,088 votes (81.2%) to Ganim's 39,917 votes (18.8%). Ganim

2880-543: The election result could be certified. After the Superior Court's order, negotiations on a new primary election date took place between the Ganim, Gomes, and the Secretary of the State's Office; the three sides ultimately agreed to recommend to the court new election dates. The court accepted the recommendations and set a new primary for January 23, 2024, and a new general election on February 27, 2024. Ganim won

2944-433: The fees for private lawyers for multiple government officials including Ganim; the investigation was similar in some respects to FBI's criminal investigation into Ganim's actions as mayor in 2003. In September 2020, the city's Personnel Director and Chief of Police were indicted for wire fraud and making false statements. This was in connection with their conspiracy to rig the 2018 selection of Bridgeport's police chief. Ganim

3008-399: The general-election ballot as a petitioning candidate. However, Finch's campaign missed a filing deadline, and he dropped out of the race; Foster jumped back into the race, receiving Finch's endorsement. During his campaign, Ganim promised to reduce taxes, lower crime by adding more police officers, and lower unemployment, which is high in Bridgeport. He managed to persuade Edward Adams,

3072-469: The incumbent mayor, and University of Bridgeport vice president Mary–Jane Foster, co-founder of the Bridgeport Bluefish minor-league baseball team. Ganim received 6,264 votes, Finch 5,859, and Foster 1,177. In the days after the primary election, Finch sought to run in the general election under the "Job Creation Party" ballot line, while Foster announced she would not seek to appear on

3136-508: The media industry. It is one of more than three dozen such organizations operating worldwide, affiliated with the International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circulations (IFABC). At the turn of the 20th century, the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) observed a market need for verifiable, authenticated circulation figures from print publishers. As a result, in 1914, advertisers, ad agencies and publishers in

3200-533: The new primary and the new election, securing his third consecutive four-year term. In 1993, Ganim (then the 33-year-old mayor of Bridgeport) married Ellen Jennifer White, known as Jennifer. The couple wed at the St. Augustine Cathedral in Bridgeport in a ceremony performed by Bishop Edward M. Egan (later cardinal) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport . They have three children. In 2014,

3264-486: The newspaper daily. The Post ' s coverage area presents problems as Bridgeport, Connecticut's largest city, is a poor and mostly minority area, while the surrounding eastern Fairfield County and western New Haven County area is affluent and mostly white. Consequently, while the Post does provide solid coverage of Bridgeport, most of the paper is composed of local stories regarding the surrounding towns. The newspaper

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3328-449: The opportunity to do it again." Wolf called Ganim the " poster boy " of corrupt Connecticut politicians, a group that included former Governor John G. Rowland , former state Treasurer Paul J. Silvester, and former Bridgeport state Senator Ernest Newton II . On November 3, 2015, Ganim won election as mayor by a wide margin, defeating Mary Jane Foster (a Democrat running as an unaffiliated candidate) and Republican nominee Enrique Torres,

3392-481: The paltry salary of $ 52,000 a year, hence there was not a lot of strong opposition with which Ganim had to contend." When Ganim became Bridgeport's fiftieth mayor, he was the youngest person to hold the office in city history. As mayor, Ganim began to clean up the city's East End, reducing the area's notorious crime rates, and reclaiming real estate from drug gangs . Under Ganim, the city installed street lights and street signs and planted trees and flowers. In 1992,

3456-555: The pickup of ballots from drop boxes and the counting of votes. The state also submitted a request from Bridgeport police for surveillance video footage of ballot drop-box. The general election included four candidates for mayor: Ganim, Gomes (who ran on the Independent Party of Connecticut ballot line), Republican David Herz, and "petitioning candidate" (unaffiliated) Lamond Daniels. Ganim's campaign raised just under $ 579,000, while Gomes' campaign raised about $ 365,000. In

3520-471: The race for mayor, filing paperwork to challenge incumbent Democrat Bill Finch as mayor of Bridgeport. Ganim won the endorsement of the Bridgeport police union. Ganim also won the key support of local clergy and the Democratic machine led by Democratic Town Committee chairman Mario Testa. In September 2015, Ganim won the Democratic primary, making "a big step toward completing an improbable political comeback." Ganim defeated two primary opponents: Finch,

3584-466: The race in Connecticut Superior Court . After a three-day trial, in which surveillance video footage, showing two women stuffing white envelopes into outdoor absentee ballot drop boxes, was introduced into evidence, Judge William Clark invalidated the Democratic mayoral primary results, and ordered a new Democratic primary to be held. Gomes' lawyer tallied the submission of 1,253 absentee ballots, despite surveillance videos only showing 420 people using

3648-417: Was convicted of 16 federal counts: one count each of racketeering , extortion , racketeering conspiracy , and bribery; two counts of bribery conspiracy; eight counts of mail fraud , and two counts of filing a false tax return . Ganim was acquitted on six other counts. Ganim surrendered his law license upon conviction. Over six years, Ganim engaged in a shakedown of city contractors, accepting more than

3712-926: Was formerly owned by Thomson Corporation , a national newspaper chain. In 2000, Thomson agreed to sell the Post for $ 205 million to MediaNews Group , based in Denver , Colorado, which also owned newspapers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire . On August 8, 2008, the Hearst Corporation acquired the Connecticut Post (Bridgeport) and www.ConnPost.com, including seven non-daily newspapers, from MediaNews Group, Inc., and assumed management control of three additional daily newspapers in Fairfield County , including The Advocate (Stamford) , Greenwich Time (Greenwich), and The News-Times (Danbury), which had been managed for Hearst by MediaNews under

3776-457: Was formerly the morning Bridgeport Telegram and evening Bridgeport Post before consolidating into a morning publication. The Bridgeport Telegram ran from at least 1908 to 1929 and again from 1938 to 1990. Until the mid-1980s the Post was published as an afternoon paper and the Telegram was the morning paper. In 1981, a Post wire service editor died at his desk after his head fell into

3840-423: Was given to staff, but Smith later attributed his departure to "mutual agreement". Smith had attempted to take the newspaper in a different direction, stressing slice-of-life style features and enterprise and investigative work while playing down court/police coverage. He avoided layoffs despite economic pressures, opting instead to offer buyouts and drastically cut the freelance budget. In October 2019 Wendy Metcalfe

3904-401: Was named editor-in-chief of Hearst Connecticut Media on the abrupt ouster of Matt Derienzo. The Post employs seven editors within their departments including a digital news editor, sports editor, arts & entertainment editor, business editor, features editor, editorial page editor and photo editor. These editors work along with the managing editor and two assistant managing editors to build

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3968-485: Was not accused of any wrongdoing. The Connecticut State Election Enforcement Commission began an investigation into possible election-law violations in the 2019 Bridgeport Democratic mayoral primary, which Ganim narrowly won. In August 2023, the Commission recommended that three people tied to Ganim's campaign be criminally charged, forwarding the recommendation to the chief state's attorney. From 2012 through 2021,

4032-486: Was reelected as mayor in 2019 , securing a seventh term as mayor. In February 2019, the FBI served a subpoena to Ganim's administration, which was obtained by the Connecticut Post . The subpoena revealed a federal grand jury in New Haven was investigating Ganim's administration for possible municipal corruption. Ganim's administration spent more than $ 500,000 responding to the criminal probe into Bridgeport, included

4096-572: Was sworn in on December 1, 2015. In 2017, Ganim filed paperwork creating an exploratory committee to run for governor of Connecticut in 2018. Ganim requested public campaign financing , which in Connecticut is available to qualified candidates. In April 2017, however, the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission denied his request due to a state law denying public funding to candidates convicted of "felonies related to public office." Ganim challenged

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