Joshua Fedeli
April 7, 2021 | Updated: April 7, 2021 9:10 a.m.
On April 2, the Stamford Advocate published a letter to the editor written by Stamford Republican Town Committee Chairman Fritz Blau in which he called for Corey Paris, the Democratic endorsed candidate, to withdraw his candidacy for the 145th state house district.
Mr. Blau argued that Mr. Paris committed voter fraud and his letter opened by saying that “the fundamental cornerstone of our democracy is voter confidence in the integrity of elections.”
The blatant hypocrisy of Mr. Blau’s statement is comical. While he attempts to assert himself as a defender of fairness, Mr. Blau serves as the nominal leader of the Republican Town Committee, the very committee that proudly endorsed — and stands by — a candidate who attended the “Stop the Steal” rally at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Their candidate for the 145th House seat attended the insurrection that descended on our nation’s capital, threatened the foundation of our democracy, and sought to undermine faith in our elections, yet Mr. Blau wants to pontificate and pose as a credible authority on voter confidence and integrity.
Since the Republican Party has devolved into the party of Donald Trump, I’m not surprised by their deafening silence on their endorsed candidate’s actions. That’s what happens when you live in an alternative reality where conspiracy theories reign and there is little regard for the truth, justice, or fairness. It’s unfortunate that under Mr. Blau’s leadership, the once respected Republican Town Committee has become essentially obsolete and a farce.
Josh Esses, a Republican who lost by a significant margin to Pat Billie Miller in last month’s special election for the 27th state senate seat, filed the complaint against Mr. Paris. A discredited individual with a known personal vendetta against Mr. Paris provided the information that Mr. Esses used as evidence in his complaint. Not only does this show a complete lack of judgment on the part of Mr. Esses, but it underscores the perpetual tendency by Republicans to cling to and promote disinformation in order to deflect from their lack of ideas and policy solutions.
Let’s be clear — Corey Paris did not commit voter fraud. He is a bona fide resident of Stamford and the investigation triggered by this overzealous complaint will find as such. Corey is an active member of the Stamford community, has worked and worshiped here for years, and will be a great addition to our legislative delegation.
The 145th district needs a leader they can trust to roll up their sleeves on day one to fight for the issues that matter most to our community. Corey Paris is well-equipped to follow in Senator Miller’s footsteps and be a strong advocate for the residents of the 145th district, especially as we continue to face this uncertain and difficult time.
Joshua Fedeli is chairman of the Stamford Democratic City Committee.
Read the article online at https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/opinion/article/Opinion-GOP-accusation-of-Stamford-candidate-is-16082815.php