NORWALK, Conn. – A Norwalk Republican was forced to sign a loyalty oath before being endorsed as a candidate for constable at the Republican Convention in July, he said.
“Art Scialabba said ‘you have to write out on a piece of paper that you have loyalty to Mayor (Richard) Moccia and the Republican ticket,’” said Common Councilman Fred Bondi (R-At Large), a former Democrat, who is not running for re-election to the council.
Scialabba, the Republican Town Committee chairman, did not return a request for comment.
Bondi said he was the only one forced to affirm his loyalty, and he was offended.
“It was weird but they made me do it before they would give me the nomination,” he said. “I’ve been in city politics for 28 years and that’s the first time either party asked me to write a loyalty letter. I don’t understand it because I have been very faithful for the mayor.”
His son ran for town clerk two years ago as an independent but Bondi said he didn’t support him, and never went out and campaigned for him, he said. Democrats Michael Geake and Bruce Kimmel won Republican endorsements without signing a loyalty oath, he said. Both Geake and Kimmel left the Democratic caucus and joined the Republicans after being elected as Democrats.
Kimmel commented derisively in an opinion piece on this site about the Democratic Town Committee asking its mayoral hopefuls to sign what was characterized as a loyalty oath last spring. Several commentors ridiculed the Democrats for the oath, and three of the four mayoral candidates, including eventual nominee Harry Rilling, refused to sign it.
Bondi said sometimes he voted along party lines against his own wishes.
“My philosophy is I want to vote for what the people want,” he said. “You can’t do that all the time even though you want to do it that way.”
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