State senator, ex-school board chair on trial
Two political figures facing charges of conspiring to steal public campaign money
State Sen. Dennis Bradley Jr. of Bridgeport and former city school board chair Jessica Martinez, who once served as his campaign treasurer, could go on trial in federal court in Bridgeport as early as Wednesday on charges that they conspired to cheat the state’s public campaign financing program out of about $180,000.
Jury selection began Tuesday and will continue Wednesday morning. When the trial opens, the government’s case will turn on a party Bradley threw — at which he announced he was running for state Senate — at Dolphin’s Cove, a marina and restaurant on the city’s east side on March 15, 2018.
Bradley says the event was a customer appreciation event for clients of his law firm — at which he happened to reveal he was running for office. But federal prosecutors have said they have a battery of witnesses and evidence that will show Bradley, Martinez and others in the campaign altered campaign contribution records and misled state election regulators so that a pricey campaign kickoff wouldn’t block Bradley from obtaining public grants to pay for the rest of the race.
Bradley and Martinez are both accused of conspiracy and fraud charges in a case where a conviction could untrack his ambition to win the mayor’s office. Martinez is charged additionally with lying to the FBI and to the grand jury that handed down an indictment in the case a year ago.
The trial is in Bridgeport.
Records on file with the court and with state elections regulators show that, after the Dolphin’s Cove event, Bradley qualified for an $84,140 state campaign grant, which he used to win a Democratic primary in August 2018 in a district that includes parts of Bridgeport and Stratford. His application for another $95,710 taxpayer financed campaign grant to run in the general election was denied by the State Elections Enforcement Commission, which had begun an investigation based on a “Citizen’s Complaint” about the Dolphin’s Cove event.
Even without the second grant, Bradley bested his Republican opponent, winning 87% of the general election vote. The U.S. Attorney’s office is charging Bradley and Martinez in connection with both grants, arguing both were part of the same conspiracy to defraud the state campaign financing
tower.
“Things are going to move along quickly here once those buildings come down,” Krohn said. “The idea here is to program Columbus Boulevard, Main Street and Bank Street all as one with two separate buildings.”
Krohn plans to bring a total of about 220 market-rate apartments to the stretch of Main Street between Bank Street and Columbus Boulevard, and said Tuesday that both projects should be done by late 2023.
Perhaps most importantly for the city, Krohns plans ultra-modern mid-rise towers with extensive amenities, ground-floor restaurants and dramatic floor-to-ceiling curved, glazed windows at either end, all with a view to making downtown a dynamic urban attraction.
“For the future of New Britain, these two projects total 221 units, add about 11,500 square feet of ground-floor retail — the goal is to reprogram this entire area with density and with individuals who are going to spend their money at the local businesses,” Krohn said.
Last year, Krohn’s Jasko Development demolished a long-vacant bank at Main and Bank streets, one of the most prominent corners downtown. That’s where he plans the first tower, a 107-apartment structure that he has named The Brit.
The lot stood empty for much of the winter as crews rerouted century-old utility lines, but construction has begun in recent weeks.
City officials said the fleet of heavy construction trucks as well as the new elevator shaft and concrete stairwell on The Brit site should be enough to satisfy even skeptics that downtown is on its way back. Mayor
Erin Stewart said there were plenty of complaints eight years ago when the city first proposed a massive makeover for the block, largely prompted by the start of high-frequency Ctfastrak express bus service to Newington, West Hartford and Hartford.
“It was a touchy subject. You have so many people with an attachment to the history in two buildings behind us that are coming down,” Stewart told several local business leaders Tuesday, referring to the popular Amato’s toy shop and the Dakille Building, long home to Dakille Photo Studios.
“If you were from New Britain, you absolutely have a family photo with the Dakille insignia on it,” she said. “But we’re reinventing ourselves. The city of New Britain is going through this metamorphosis, where we’re really transforming into our future.”
Krohn expects each of the six-story apartment towers will cost more than $20 million. The Brit should open about a year from now, followed several months later by the still-unnamed twin building next door.
The Brit is being advertised as catering to young renters looking to engage in an urban lifestyle with “a major emphasis on placemaking.”
“Outdoor seating areas will line both Main Street and Bank Street along the front corner of the new building. A more sheltered, parklike courtyard will be nestled against the backside of the structure, enlivened by murals/street art and dramatic lighting,” according to Jasko Development’s website.
Features for tenants will include bike racks, barbecue grills, a pet spa, a bike storage area and a 700-square-foot fitness center. The sixth floor will include a rooftop deck.
Describing the second building, Krohn said there will be a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units.
“There will be a total of 114 apartments. The ground floor will encompass approximately 6,000 square feet of retail space,” he said. “On the second floor, there will be a gym right on the corner of Columbus and Main. And there’s approximately 1,500 square feet of outdoor amenity space for the tenants.”