BRIDGEPORT -- The hastily created Job Creation Party now has a new candidate representing them: Mayor Bill Finch.
The nomination convention took place Thursday evening at the Bijou Theatre in downtown.
"We had a chairman nominate him and we seconded it and now we're going to take the paperwork up to Hartford and file it," said Gregory Blake, the party secretary. "That's what politics is about, and as a voter, I want the right person, and so that's one of the reasons I stand behind Mayor Finch."
"I'm honored to be the official endorsed candidate for mayor of the Job Creation Party," said Finch in a statement. "In Bridgeport, we're creating thousands of jobs while making smart investments in the future. Steelpointe Harbor, Eco-Technology Park, an improving downtown, a new train station, and increasing access to pre-k are moving out city in the right direction. We still have more work to do, and that's why I'm honored to be the party nominee of the Job Creation Party."
After losing the Democratic primary to convicted felon and former Mayor Joe Ganim, Finch picked the minor political party in an effort to get on the November ballot. Ganim, who was mayor from 1991 to 2003, served seven years in prison for corruption committed while in office.
The paperwork will be filed Friday, but according to Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, as of now Finch's name won't be on the November ballot. "The deadline has passed for any third party to create or endorse a candidate for mayor," said Merrill on Tuesday.
Finch's campaign attorneys say their interpretation of state statutes allow Finch to be on the ballot and they vow to take the fight to court if necessary.
With additional reporting from the Associated Press.
