Joseph Peter Ganim (born October 21, 1959) is an American
Democratic politician, former attorney, and convicted
felon
A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resul ...
who is currently serving as the
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequo ...
. 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 after being elected Bridgeport mayor again.
[Associated Press]
Ganim Sworn In As Bridgeport Mayor Five Years After Getting Out of Prison
(December 1, 2015).[Kristin Hussey]
''New York Times (November 3, 2015).'' Ganim was sworn in as mayor on December 1, 2015.
Ganim has twice unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for
governor of Connecticut
The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connec ...
, running in 1994 and 2018.
Ganim was successfully reelected to a consecutive term in 2019, and is currently serving his seventh term as mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Early life and education
Ganim was born to George W. Ganim Sr. and Josephine Ganim of
Easton, Connecticut
Easton is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,605 at the time of the 2020 census. Easton contains the historic district of Aspetuck and the Plattsville census-designated place. Part of the Greater Bridg ...
.
[Weddings: Joseph Ganim and Jennifer White](_blank)
''New York Times'' (May 23, 1993). Ganim's father was a prominent
Bridgeport
Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonn ...
attorney and
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
* Republican Party (Liberia)
*Republican Party ...
loyalist who was a lieutenant of local Republican
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, a ...
Ed Sandula.
[Sullivan, p. 97.] Ganim, on the other hand, became a Democrat.
Ganim attended the
University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...
played football for the Huskies and graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences. He furthered his education and received a
J.D. degree in 1983 from the
University of Bridgeport Law School (which later became
Quinnipiac University School of Law
Quinnipiac is the English name for the Eansketambawg (meaning "original people"; ''cf.'' Ojibwe: ''Anishinaabeg'' and Blackfoot: ''Niitsítapi''), a Quiripi-speaking Native American nation of the Algonquian family who inhabited the ''Wampano ...
).
Early political career
In 1988, a young Ganim made his first run for office against Lee Samowitz in the 129th House District, a
Connecticut House district in Bridgeport.
[Sullivan, p. 97.] Ganim lost, but only by about 150 votes.
First mayoralty (1991–2003)
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.
[Kirk Johnson]
New Mayor in Bridgeport Faces the Same Old Problems
''New York Times'' (November 7, 1991). During his campaign, Ganim accused Moran of making the city "a symbol of urban failure with a
bankruptcy filing that drew national headlines."
Ganim was subsequently reelected four times, serving five terms.
[Joseph De Avila]
Ganim, Former Bridgeport Mayor Who Served Prison Time, Wins Primary
''Wall Street Journal'' (September 17, 2015). 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.
First term
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 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
In modern politics, law and order is the approach focusing on harsher enforcement and penalties as ways to reduce crime. Penalties for perpetrators of disorder may include longer terms of imprisonment, mandatory sentencing, three-strikes laws a ...
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 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 gang
A drug cartel is any criminal organization with the intention of supplying drug trafficking operations. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises. The term was applied when th ...
s.
Under Ganim, the city installed street lights and street signs and planted trees and flowers.
In 1992, the city removed a pile of construction debris (labeled "Mount Trashmore") that had been illegally dumped by a demolition business.
1994 gubernatorial candidacy
In 1994, three years after becoming mayor, Ganim ran for the Democratic nomination for
governor of Connecticut
The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connec ...
. 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
John Barry Larson (born July 22, 1948) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for since 1999. The district is based in the state capital, Hartford. A member of the Democratic Party, Larson chaired the Ho ...
, the
State Senate
A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...
president pro tem and the front-runner for the party's nomination.
Subsequent terms (second, third, fourth, fifth)
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 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
Product liability is the area of law in which manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, retailers, and others who make products available to the public are held responsible for the injuries those products cause. Although the word "product" has b ...
negligence
Negligence (Lat. ''negligentia'') is a failure to exercise appropriate and/or ethical ruled care expected to be exercised amongst specified circumstances. The area of tort law known as ''negligence'' involves harm caused by failing to act as a ...
in failing to use technology to make their products safer, leading to
handgun violence.
[Fred Musante]
After Tobacco, Handgun Lawsuits
''New York Times'' (January 31, 1999).[Bruce Shapiro]
Going for the Gunmakers
''The Nation'' (February 4, 1999). Such suits were inspired by
successful litigation against the tobacco industry.
The City of Bridgeport's suit was filed in
Connecticut Superior Court
The Connecticut Superior Court is the state trial court of general jurisdiction. It hears all matters other than those of original jurisdiction of the Probate Court, and hears appeals from the Probate Court. The Superior Court has 13 judicial distr ...
in January 1999; it named
Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (S&W) is an American firearm manufacturer headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States.
Smith & Wesson was founded by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson as the "Smith & Wesson Revolver Company" in 1856 ...
, 11 other U.S. firearms manufacturers, three handgun trade associations, and 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
he industry hasalways 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 the city would agree to a
settlement
Settlement may refer to:
*Human settlement, a community where people live
*Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building
* Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction
*Settlement (fin ...
, "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
Standing, also referred to as orthostasis, is a position in which the body is held in an ''erect'' ("orthostatic") position and supported only by the feet. Although seemingly static, the body rocks slightly back and forth from the ankle in the s ...
in December 1999, and the dismissal was unanimously upheld by the
state supreme court
In the United States, a state supreme court (known by other names in some states) is the highest court in the state judiciary of a U.S. state. On matters of state law, the judgment of a state supreme court is considered final and binding in b ...
in 2001.
In 1999, Ganim was one of three American mayors to receive the City Livability Program Award from the
United States Conference of Mayors
The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) is the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. The cities are each represented by their mayors or other chief elected officials. The organization was founded i ...
.
[Kathy Amoroso]
1999 City Livability Program Award Winners Announced at Annual Conference of Mayors in New Orleans
, 67th Annual Conference of Mayors. The award was conferred for Ganim's "Clean and Green program," which addressed
urban decay
Urban decay (also known as urban rot, urban death or urban blight) is the sociological process by which a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude. There is no single process that leads to urban deca ...
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
The Ballpark at Harbor Yard was a 5,500-seat minor-league ballpark in downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut that opened on May 21, 1998. The stadium was located next to the Webster Bank Arena, now known as the Total Mortgage Arena. It was named "Harb ...
) for 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
Father Panik Village was a housing project located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Ground was broken in 1939, and it opened as Yellow Mill Village, the first public housing project in the state. The Village was renamed in honor of Father Stephen Pani ...
—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
A kickback is a form of negotiated bribery in which a commission is paid to the bribe-taker in exchange for services rendered. Generally speaking, the remuneration (money, goods, or services handed over) is negotiated ahead of time. The kickbac ...
from developers, eventually leading to his prosecution (see below).
Conviction on corruption charges
On March 19, 2003, Ganim was convicted of 16 federal counts: one count each of
racketeering,
extortion
Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
, racketeering
conspiracy
A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agre ...
, and bribery; two counts of bribery conspiracy; eight counts of
mail fraud
Mail fraud and wire fraud are terms used in the United States to describe the use of a physical or electronic mail system to defraud another, and are federal crimes there. Jurisdiction is claimed by the federal government if the illegal activity ...
, and two counts of filing a false
tax return
A tax return is the completion of documentation that calculates an entity or individual's income earned and the amount of taxes to be paid to the government or government organizations or, potentially, back to the taxpayer.
Taxation is one of ...
.
[Editorial: Court Right to Deny Law License to Ganim: State Supreme Court squashes former mayor's effort to get license back](_blank)
''Hartford Courant'' (April 9, 2014).[Paul von Zielbauer]
''New York Times'' (March 20, 2003). Ganim was acquitted on six other counts.
Ganim
surrendered his law license upon conviction.
The charges arose from Ganim's "role in a six-year scheme to shake down city contractors for more than $500,000 in cash, meals, clothing, wine and home renovations."
In April 2003, two weeks after being convicted, Ganim resigned from office.
[John Christoffersen]
Ganim resigns as Bridgeport mayor following his conviction
Associated Press (April 2, 2003). He was replaced by councilman
John M. Fabrizi
John Michael Fabrizi (born December 25, 1956) is a former mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut, succeeded by Bill Finch. He is also a member of the U.S. Democratic Party.
Career
Fabrizi holds degrees from Southern Connecticut State University as ...
.
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 the defense asked for a sentence of no more than three years and ten months.
[Paul von Zielbauer]
Federal Judge Sentences Former Mayor of Bridgeport to 9 Years in Corruption Case
''New York Times'' (March 20, 2003). 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
Janet MacArthur Bond Arterton (born February 8, 1944) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.
Education and career
Arterton was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She rece ...
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 is made of" and determined by
clear and convincing evidence
In a legal dispute, one party has the burden of proof to show that they are correct, while the other party had no such burden and is presumed to be correct. The burden of proof requires a party to produce evidence to establish the truth of facts ...
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
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory comprises the states of Connecticut, New York and Vermont. The court has appellate ju ...
upheld Ganim's convictions in December 2007.
Federal prison sentence
Ganim surrendered in September 2003 and served most of his sentence at
FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey.
[Associated Press]
Ganim moved to federal prison in Pa.
(February 11, 2009). He unsuccessfully petitioned for 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
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...
.
[Associated Press]
Ex-Bridgeport Mayor Ganim freed from prison
(July 19, 2010). Ganim's sentence was reduced by a year for participating in a drug-treatment program.
Return to Bridgeport
In July 2010, Ganim was released after serving seven years in prison.
After his release, Ganim worked as a
legal assistant at his family's law firm in Bridgeport.
[Daniel Tepfer]
Court: Ganim still can't practice law
''Connecticut Post'' (April 9, 2014). 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.
Disbarment and requests for reinstatement
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, a three-judge panel of
Connecticut Superior Court
The Connecticut Superior Court is the state trial court of general jurisdiction. It hears all matters other than those of original jurisdiction of the Probate Court, and hears appeals from the Probate Court. The Superior Court has 13 judicial distr ...
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 the bar for readmission too low in the state, and we are unwilling to do that." Ganim appealed to the
Connecticut Supreme Court
The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in Hartford, ac ...
in 2014, which unanimously ruled against his effort to have his law license restored.
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 the Connecticut bar; these efforts were rebuffed by the court. In 2021, Ganim again sought reinstatement of his license to practice law.
Second mayoralty (2015–present)
2015 mayoral campaign
On January 1, 2015, Ganim offered a public apology to the City of Bridgeport for his corruption scandal, saying: "I'm truly sorry."
[Edmund H. Mahony]
Joe Ganim: Is He Back?
''Hartford Courant'' (January 25, 2015). 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.
[Ken Dixon & Brian Lockhart]
Ganim wins in landslide
''Connecticut Post'' (November 4, 2015).
In May 2015, Ganim officially entered 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, the incumbent mayor, and
University of Bridgeport
The University of Bridgeport (UB) is a private university in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. In 2021, the university was purchased by Goodwin University; it retain its own ...
vice president Mary–Jane Foster, co-founder of the
Bridgeport Bluefish
The Bridgeport Bluefish were an American minor league baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team was a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseba ...
minor-league baseball team.
Ganim received 6,264 votes, Finch 5,859, and Foster 1,177.
[Bridgeport primary election returns](_blank)
''Connecticut Post'' (September 17, 2015).
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 the general-election ballot as a petitioning candidate.
[Mark Pazniokas]
''Hartford Courant'' (September 21, 2015). 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, 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 the opportunity to do it again."
[Dave Collins]
Ex-FBI Agents in a War of Words Over Ganim Mayoral Campaign in Bridgeport
Associated Press (October 29, 2015). Wolf called Ganim the "
poster boy
A poster child (sometimes poster boy or poster girl) is, according to the original meaning of the term, a child afflicted by some disease or deformity whose picture is used on posters or other media as part of a campaign to raise money or enlist ...
" 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, a city councilman.
[Associated Press]
Former Bridgeport Mayor, Out of Prison, Declares Victory in Primary
(September 17, 2015).[Rob Polansky, et al]
Ex-con Ganim returns to mayor's seat in Bridgeport
WFSB (November 4, 2015). Ganim's successful return to politics has been compared to
Marion Barry Jr. of
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
and
Vincent A. (Buddy) Cianci, Jr. of
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...
, 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."
Sixth term
Ganim was sworn in on December 1, 2015.
2018 gubernatorial candidacy
In 2017, Ganim filed paperwork creating an exploratory committee to run for
governor of Connecticut
The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connec ...
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."
[Edmund H. Mahony]
Judge Deals Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim A Setback, Rejects His Effort To Obtain Public Campaign Financing
''Hartford Courant'' (November 29, 2017). Ganim challenged 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
Edward Miner Lamont Jr. (born January 3, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 89th governor of Connecticut. He has served in this position since January 9, 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a Greenw ...
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%).
Connecticut Primary Election Results
''New York Times''.
Seventh term
Ganim was reelected as mayor in 2019, securing a seventh term as mayor.
FBI corruption investigation
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
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...
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 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.
Personal life
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
The Diocese of Bridgeport is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church located in the southwestern part of the state of Connecticut, and its boundaries are the same as that of Fairfield County, Connecticut. Ther ...
. They have three children.[Daniel Tepfer & Brian Lockhart]
Joe Ganim pleads for lower alimony payments
(February 26, 2015).
In 2014, the couple divorced. In 2015, a Connecticut Superior Court judge agreed to Ganim's request for a reduction in Ganim's alimony
Alimony, also called aliment (Scotland), maintenance (England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Canada, New Zealand), spousal support (U.S., Canada) and spouse maintenance (Australia), is a legal obligation on a person to provide financial sup ...
payments he sought on the basis of his low income and lack of business in his consulting job.
References
Sources
* Rob Sullivan, ''Political Corruption in Bridgeport: Scandal in the Park City'' (The History Press: 2014)
External links
Official website
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ganim, Joseph P.
1959 births
1996 United States presidential electors
American gun control activists
American people of Lebanese descent
Connecticut Democrats
Connecticut lawyers
Connecticut politicians convicted of crimes
Disbarred American lawyers
Living people
Mayors of Bridgeport, Connecticut
Politicians convicted of extortion under color of official right
Politicians convicted of mail and wire fraud
Politicians convicted of program bribery
Politicians convicted of racketeering
Candidates in the 1994 United States elections