The court agreed to hear the appeal filed by Representative Caruso alleging polling place violations and voting irregularities in the party's September 11 primary. Caruso lost the mayoral primary by 270 votes.  There were 8,500 votes cast. 

Thomas J. Weihing represented both Representative Caruso and Toyka Simmons-Cook.  Simmons-Cook was seeking a city council candidacy.  Weihing charged that there were an insufficient amount of workers at the polls, and more than 18 ballots were counted than voters who checked in at one polling place. 

Attorney John Bohannon, Jr. represented Senator Finch.  Attorney Bohannon argued that there was no supporting evidence to the polling place allegations. 

"I thought it unlikely the court would stop the election,  eighteen hours before the election, on a motion of questionable legal validity," Attorney John C. King stated.  Attorney King represented the City of Bridgeport in the matter.  He emphasized that for Representative Caruso and Simmons-Cook to prevail, they would have had to establish that the election results would have differed if the alleged violations had not occurred.  "With their evidence, it's a question of speculation, not evidence" said Attorney King  

Assistant Attorney General Perry Zinn Rowthorn represented the Secretary of State's Office.  Attorney Rowthorn indicated if this election were postponed, all of Bridgeport races would be postponed since there would be insufficient time to prepare new ballots.  The new optical scanning machines are programmed to read all races, and could not be programmed to exclude the mayoral race.  This would have caused significant disruption in the City's elections. 

Attorney King said the likelihood of Representative Caruso prevailing on appeal was "virtually zero".  He also indicated that "The irreparable harm of perhaps disenfranchising 64,000 potential voters in Bridgeport is far greater than the harm to Caruso of proceeding with the election."

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal lauded the court's ruling.  "Voters and candidates have long expected ballots to be cast tomorrow, and a delay would have been unfair to both.  Election Day must be sacrosanct - unchangeable in all but the most extreme and exigent emergencies".

Sixteen Meritas Attorneys Selected for 2006 Inaugural Class of the Meritas Leadership Institute
Sixteen attorneys from Meritas member firms have been selected for Meritas' first-ever Meritas Leadership Institute.  The year-long program will offer leadership classes and training designed to expose the attorneys to international opportunities through Meritas, learn in-depth about how Meritas operates, develop relationships between member firms, and position them for future leadership positions with Meritas.

"Meritas is a member-led organization.  The Leadership Institute creates another opportunity for Meritas to identify future leaders and provide a forum for the development of individual leadership skills that the participants can use to benefit not only Meritas but their firm and clients as well," said Jef Wolter, Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C. (Hartford, Connecticut), who helped develop the concept for the Institute.  "Attorneys had to be nominated by their firm, with the understanding that they will invest time and effort on a monthly basis to develop and complete a class project designed to further the goals of Meritas." 

To view the full story, visit www.envoynews.com/meritaslaw

Malta House of Care Has Official Opening of Second Site
Peter G. Kelly, Senior Principal, serves as Chairman of The Malta House of Care, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Malta House of Care provides free primary health care to the uninsured of Hartford. Malta House of Care commenced its activities in July 2006 and, on October 16, 2006 had an official opening of its second site for providing such services.  Speakers at the opening included Archbishop Henry Mansell, Mayor Eddie Perez and Malta House of Care Foundation Chairman, J. P. van Rooy.

Peter Kelly Presides at World Affairs Council of Connecticut, Inc.'s Presentation and Unveiling of Statute of Confucius at Bushnell Center for Performing Arts
Peter G. Kelly, Senior Principal, serves as Chairman of The World Affairs Council of Connecticut, Inc.  Recently, Mr. Kelly presided at a presentation and unveiling of a statue of “Confucius”, the renowned philosopher of China (circa 551 BC), on the Westside of The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts (facing the State Capital).  This presentation followed a June presentation and unveiling of a bust of Mark Twain in Shandung Province, PRC.