58°
This story was updated to include comments from Vinny Mangiacopra.
NORWALK, Conn. – A six-second video recently posted on the Internet by Democratic mayoral candidate Vinny Mangiacopra has rubbed Republican Mayor Richard Moccia the wrong way.
The mayor's campaign director, Art Scialabba [who is also chairman of the Norwalk Republican Town Committee] said in a statement Wednesday that he hads filed a complaint against Mangiacopra with the State Election Enforcement Commission for failing to properly attribute the video.
The crudely produced video, which has no sound, shows a 1977 picture of Moccia when he was an at-large member of the Common Councilman and a handwritten note that reads “Over 36 years in.” The clip also shows a computer screenshot of “Mangiacopra for Mayor” and an Internet address for his campaign.
“If you are running for the highest political office in the City, you have no excuse for not knowing or following the laws,” said Scialabba.
The dustup occurs a day after Moccia officially launched his re-election campaign. He is currently up against three announced Democratic candidates, Mangiacopra, former Town Clerk Andy Garfunkel and Common Councilman Matt Miklave. Former Police Chief Harry Rilling has also made overtures for mounting a campaign on the Democratic side.
Reached Wednesday afternoon, Mangiacopra said he was unaware of the complaint, but he had been in contact with the SEEC and if the commission asks for a change to the video he will make it.
"This is a frivolous attempt by the same folks, to talk about nonsense," Mangiacopra said in a statement. "Our community needs help and the approach they have is outdated. While the Governor is making his budget presentation today, our Mayor and his Party boss are in his office worried about social media content. There are bigger issues facing our city and they need urgency and advocacy immediately. People are tired of these kind of gimmicks and attacks."
The video does not contain a "Paid for by..." statement at the bottom, but Mangiacopra said the it was distributed via social media so he does not believe it needs such a clause. But he said he would comply with whatever the SEEC says.
"The message of this video has never been more apt," Mangiacopra said. "If we want forward thinking and innovative ideas they won't come from this administration. They just react and attack. My campaign welcomes a discussion on the issues of the campaign instead of these same old tactics."
“Clearly, Vinny’s inexperience shows that he is not ready for prime time,” Scialabba said. “He needs to learn that we must all play by the same rules, and therefore he needs to remove his video immediately since it is not compliant with CT Election Laws.”
Comments (17)
You all miss the point completely. Up until now, Mangiacopra was an unknown asterisk in the list of Democrats lining up to run against Moccia. Today, this article .....and all of you........are only talking about Mangiacopra and Moccia. Awareness....even if its not positive.......was the objective of this move and that has succeeded. There will be time to craft a message and appear more polished but for today, Mangiacopra has you all talking about him. Not such a dumb kid.
So for the fun of it I looked up Vine and the statute...It's not internet advertisement. Vine is a way to express yourself in 6 seconds or less by video similar to a facebook status or comment on this website...So it isn't a violation of the statute as written (in my interpretation)...When the statutes catch up to the social media frenzy it may or not be in the future...Let's see what SEEC says...Clever little guy that Vinny. The fact that there is no audio may be the critical factor in it not being a violation.
Filing a complaint does seem petty and bureaucratic. But perhaps the point of the complaint was to focus attention on the ad without stooping to its level.
As the opening salvo in Mr. Mangiacopra’s campaign, this video speaks volumes. The incredibly crude and confusing video was produced and released by someone who supposedly makes a living as a communications professional. It kicks off his campaign with an attack that addresses none of the important issues to Norwalk voters. And rather than showing an aptitude for effectively using the web, it instead provides a perfect example of how the “post now, think later” tendencies of today’s social media users can completely backfire.
I have supported Mayor Moccia in the past, but would welcome an effective challenger who can raise the bar for Norwalk and earn my vote. I’ll be sure to tweet Mr. Mangiacopra when I find him or her.
I don't care how this was done, why would anyone care about how long the mayor has been involved, other than to see it as years of experience, success and understanding?
As Ronald Reagan said "I want you to know that I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience." Well, maybe Mayor Moccia should.
JonP2008:
In Moccia's case more like the years of lack of experience, screwups and zero understanding
This is petty. Obviously the spirit of the law was complied with because we all know that the video came from the Mangiacopra campaign. On the other hand, I'm sure we will see some similarly petty complaints from both parties over the course of the race. Hopefully there will be some time left to talk about issues.
Here's some perspective on the digital economy. Laws talk about broadcast, social media is about shared. A digital clip is no more a video than an mp3 is a track on vinyl.
So let's all focus on regulating broadcast video because the rest of the world has figured out that its all about sharing stories any which way you can.
Mayor Vinny:
http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4579475420938917&pid=15.1
Very funny! You might also be interested in this photo of Vinny from 1981:
http://bit.ly/wrguu
I would hope we could expect more from our mayoralty candidates in the way of core substance. Mr. Mangiacopra apparently doesn't comprehend that intelligent voters are not interested in Mr. Moccia's unflattering yearbook photo or in Mr. Mangiacopra's proficiency in cyber-bullying. It is grossly insulting that Mr. Mangiacopra would even remotely think the general public would be persuaded by this bizarre ad of his. Frankly, I’m still reeling from the toxic letter Mr. Mangiacopra, the Democratic District D party chairman, co-authored to publically spank Councilman Kimmel, a fellow Democrat. Anyone with good leadership skills knows you raise your ranks to be empowered and independent, not kept on a short leash. I'm also trying to flesh out the general message of Mr. Mangiacopra’s campaign ad posted on The Vine which, I believe, supports a pro-youth position. If this is the case, a middle-school mindset in no way reflects the "reform" or positive "change" Norwalk needs at this time. We have yet to see or hear a constructive platform based on the issues and their solutions from Mr. Mangiacopra. I trust that Mr. Rilling, Mr. Miklave, and/or Mr. Garfunkel will be far better prepared to deliver meaningful debate and present themselves as serious and viable candidates.
Oh puh-leeze. No one looked conservative in the 1970s, and to characterize the photo as unflattering is uncalled for. Groove on Mayor Moccia, and @Norwalk Native, buy a sense of humor.
@jlightfield
Moccia aside, the 70's stereotype is as unflattering as polyester and striped tube socks, both of which have not yet returned to modern-day couture for obvious reasons. Hence, the success of Napoleon Dynamite as a beloved cult classic. By the way, humor is subjective, no? In my view, humor has nothing to do with issues that affect Norwalk.
@Norwalk Native when trucker hats and plaid flannel shirts made a comeback, I realized sartorially, everything old is new again. Striped tube socks have now been paired with micofiber spanx. You've been forewarned.
Hey Moccia did you work today or are we paying you to do this?
Another attempt by Moccia to create CHAOS (and, oh, how he loves it!) about a simple thing when more urgent matters need his attention. He has forgotten how important his real job is.
Absolutely! He loves to sit back and point fingers and then forget about actually working for the people of Norwalk!
Screw-up #1 for this kid, right out of the box and the campaign is barely hours old. Imagine this kid having the responsibilties of running a City? Vinny Coconuts is obviously approaching the election like Eliot Spitzer approached his social networking: with reckless disregard for propriety and the law. He thinks its a joke. He has no more gravitas than a high school senior and looks just about as mature.