Ganim Calls On Democrats To Diversify Town Committee Audiences

Bridgeport Mayor and Gubernatorial candidate Joe Ganim recently wrote the following letter to Connecticut Democratic Party Chair Nick Balleto urging him to work with party leadership to diversify Democratic Town Committee meetings:

Nick Balleto, Chairman
Connecticut Democratic Party
30 Arbor Street, Suite 103
Hartford, Connecticut 06106

Dear Mr. Chairman:

The 2016 national Democratic Party Platform states: “Democrats are a party of inclusion.”

As Democrats, this is a core value that we all should share.

That is why I am writing you today regarding my concern about the lack of diversity in the
audience at dozens of Democratic Town Committee 2018 statewide candidate forums that have
been held throughout Connecticut. It is obvious to any observer that those in attendance at these
forums are almost all white, even though almost 33% of Connecticut residents are black or
Latino.

It should be unacceptable that a party with inclusion at its core – that also heavily depends on
participation from minority voters to win elections – has not yet made a sufficient effort to hold
candidate forums in communities of color, or done its utmost to be more inclusive. These
communities in Connecticut equally deserve to hear and question the candidates on issues
affecting our state, particularly matters important to their own communities.

As Chairman of Connecticut’s Democratic Party, I urge you to use your good office to lead the
effort to set up statewide candidate forums that specifically reach out to Democratic voters in
communities of color in order to increase access and participation by all in our state. The
Democratic Party has historically been a leader in encouraging greater political participation by
all Americans in the political process.

We in Connecticut can and must do better. I stand ready to help in that effort.

Joe Ganim
Mayor of Bridgeport, Democratic Candidate for Governor of Connecticut