Candidate says he’s ‘done nothing wrong’
State House hopeful Paris denies allegation of voter fraud
STAMFORD — Democratic state House candidate Corey Paris is pushing back against an allegation that he committed fraud by voting in Stamford while living in Bridgeport, saying he believes that any investigation by state election officials will conclude that he did nothing unlawful.
Joshua Esses, a Stamford resident who was the Republican candidate in the March special election for the state Senate’s 27th District seat, said he has lodged a complaint against Paris with the State Elections Enforcement Commission.
Esses lost the March election to Patricia Billie Miller, who was the representative for the 145th District in the state House. Paris is now running in a special election for the 145th District seat. Members of the Stamford Democratic City Committee endorsed him on March 20.
Paris moved from Stamford to Bridgeport last year. He said he plans to move back to Stamford before the special election on April 27.
Paris voted in Stamford in August, November and March. In his complaint, Esses alleges that Paris’ vote in the March election was illegal and that his votes in the other two elections may have been illegal as well.
“Voter fraud is a serious crime, and if committed, the people of Stamford deserve to know that we have a candidate for office who not only doesn’t live in Stamford but fraudulently interferes in our elections,” Esses said in an interview.
But Paris said he voted in the elections after receiving information from the Secretary of the State’s office indicating that he could do so because his move to Bridgeport was temporary and he intended to return to Stamford.
“At the time I relocated, I asked for legal guidance from the Secretary of (the) State’s office and was told that … I would be able to continue to be a (voter) of a certain district or municipality, even if I was temporarily residing elsewhere, as long as I intended to return, and I followed that guidance,” Paris said.
Paris said he moved from Stamford to Bridgeport because of a divorce. He began the process of moving in the spring of last year but continued to work in Stamford, going back and forth between the two cities.
Paris works for the Children’s Learning Centers of Fairfield County as director of development. He attends church in Stamford and serves as the vice chairman of the Mayor’s Multicultural Council.
Gabe Rosenberg, a spokesperson and general counsel for Secretary Denise Merrill, confirmed that Paris had reached out to the office last year.
The secretary’s office told Paris that “a voter who temporarily left a place, but intended to return, could continue to vote in that original place,” Rosenberg said. “But it’s a very factspecific determination.”
“What we told him was the law — not how it applied to him,” Rosenberg added.
“What SEEC will do in the case of a complaint is … look at all of the possible circumstances related to that voter’s intent to return and then determine whether it’s real or not,” Rosenberg said. “If the voter has an actual, real intent to return to the place where they voted, the town where they voted, then that’s OK.”
Paris said that while he is confident that he has “done nothing wrong,” he will cooperate with any SEEC investigation.
“I’ve continued to pay taxes in Stamford. I’ve signed the lease for a new apartment in Stamford … I’ll be moving on April 12. I’ve also been open, honest and transparent about the situation with all of those in my community,” Paris said. “And what I would have to say in response to the complaint is that I’m running for state representative to focus on real challenges facing the people of the 145th District and the state of Connecticut, as we fight hard to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and to get our economy back on track.”
Esses, who is a bankruptcy and restructuring lawyer, was skeptical that Paris’ situation made it acceptable for him to vote in Stamford.
He said he mailed his complaint to SEEC on Monday. He provided an electronic copy to reporters.
“For any complaint that we receive, the procedure is that the complaint is brought before the commission at the next opportunity, which is usually the next scheduled commission meeting,” said Joshua Foley, a staff attorney and spokesperson for SEEC. The commission then votes on whether to investigate the complaint.
The commission’s next meeting is scheduled for April 7.
Josh Fedeli, who chairs the Stamford Democratic City Committee, stood by Paris, saying he “sought guidance on his voting status after a difficult period in his life, and followed that guidance.”
Republicans have seized on Paris’ Bridgeport residency, pointing out that their candidate, J.D. Ospina, already lives in the 145th District.