NB Mayoral Aide’s Campaign For Secretary of The State Under Scrutiny By Election Commission

Republican Brock Weber Withdraws From SOTS Contest Amid Inquiry On Contributions

By John McNamara

The campaign of Republican Brock Weber, one of three Republicans seeking the nomination for Secretary of the State in the August 9th Primary, is being investigated by the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) for alleged violations of campaign finance law.

Weber, an aide to New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart, abruptly withdrew from the race in a social media post on July 16th. At its July 22nd meeting the SEEC approved a recommendation of its Executive Director and General Counsel, Michael J. Brandi, that the Commission, “initiate an investigation into possible violations regarding but not limited to General Statutes 9-622(7) and (10) and the requirements of Chapter 157 of the Connecticut Statutes surrounding the results of its validation that uncovered potential fraudulent contributions and certification cards submitted on behalf of Weber for CT in its grant application to participate in the Citizens Election Program.”

Section 9-622(7) is a provision that makes it an illegal practice for there to be a campaign contribution in the name of someone other than the person named as the contributor. It is considered to be an important part of state election laws that protect against illegal campaign contributions and ensure lawful disclosure of campaign contributions.

Hartford Courant Columnist Kevin Rennie reported the SEEC decision on his Daily Ructions blog

The Republican Primary for Secretary of the State involves Dominic Rapini of Branford who won the endorsement at May’s state party convention. State Rep. Terri Wood of Darien and Weber received sufficient delegate support to wage a primary and Weber’s name remains on the ballot despite the withdrawal.

On the Democratic side convention-endorsed candidate State Rep. Stephanie Thomas of Norwalk and New Haven Public Health Director Maritza Bond are vying for the nomination to be CT’s top election official. Secretary of the State Denise Merrill did not seek re-election after serving for three terms.

Weber, according to his campaign website, had garnered endorsements from 18 Republican town committees and the support of Mayor Stewart, other New Britain Republicans and Republican state legislators. Weber for CT finance reports that accompanied the rejected application for a public grant under the Citizens Election Program showed $89,750 had been raised.

Weber, 31, is a self-described conservative and GOP strategist. He resides in Wolcott but previously lived in New Britain and Bristol and served on RTCs in those cities. Mayor Stewart appointed Weber to the $62,000 a year mayoral aide job in January, 2020. He previously worked for the Connecticut Senate Republican Caucus.

Weber ran on campaign themes of “fighting for election integrity and small business.” According to a CT Examiner story, he called for the Secretary of the State “to actively investigate these allegations of voter fraud, follow up and hold people responsible if crimes are being committed” but could not cite any specific cases in CT. As a candidate Weber also opposed a referendum on November ballots to allow early voting in Connecticut, which is one of only four states without early voting options.