Both Derby political parties are criticizing an inflammatory robocall issued Saturday falsely accusing the Derby mayor of planning to close the Bradley school and bus the students to Bridgeport.
“We’re trying to run a clean campaign and so is she. We would not do something like that,” Richard Dziekan, the Republican candidate for mayor, said Monday.
Dziekan is challenging first-term Mayor Anita Dugatto, a Democrat, in the Nov. 3 election.
Derby residents, apparently mostly on the city’s east side where the Bradley Elementary School is located, received the recorded message from an 860 number Saturday.
Dziekan said several people alerted him about the message after receiving it.
“It’s crazy how you can say anything absurd like that and there is no recourse,” Dziekan said.
Art Gerckens, the president of the Board of Aldermen and one of Dugatto’s running mates, said news of the robocall spread quickly through Derby over the weekend.
Based on his discussion with residents, the call targeted Derby senior citizens, Gerckens said.
“It’s disgusting someone would prey on the elderly that way, whoever did it,” Gerckens said. “That’s about as dirty as it gets.”
Dziekan said he saw Mayor Dugatto at a public event at the Elk’s Club Saturday evening on Elizabeth Street and made it a point to tell her his campaign and party were not connected to the phone call.
Dziekan’s campaign released a statement on Facebook at 6:30 a.m. Sunday and sent a press release to the media later in the day.
Here is the Facebook post:
I have received many calls from supporters informing me of a “robo-call” that has been going out to Derby residents. …
Posted by Rich Dziekan on Sunday, October 11, 2015
Derby Democratic Party leaders said they do not think the local GOP is responsible for the robocall.
Gerckens said the Democratic Town Committee is researching whether they have legal options.
“I think they are trying to find out the source. I have my suspicions, but I probably shouldn’t say it,” Gerckens said.
Dziekan said he would give the Dugatto campaign any information he receives about the robocall.
“After investigating the matter further my team and I immediately contacted Mayor Dugatto of our findings (in a conference call) and have passed on the information we were able to obtain,” Dziekan said in a statement Sunday evening. “ …the individual who sent out the said robo call has acted alone and on their own accord.”
