Weird feud between city council members ends with politicians peeing in cups
A bizarre showdown between Bridgeport City Councilman Ernest Newton and school board member Maria Pereira took place in the comments sections of local blog Only in Bridgeport. The two politicians, both Democrats, were hurling insults at each other and the repartee took an absurd turn when they both asked for drug tests from each other.
Both of them were arguing over a news piece about budget figures that had been posted on Only. When Pereira, in the comments section, questioned the accuracy of the numbers out of Mayor Joe Ganim’s administration, Newton asked her to "please remember to take your meds," adding that he did not believe the Board of Education’s 2019-20 budget figures.
Pereira then fired back, on April 13, with: "Ernie, I promise I will continue to take any and all prescribed medicine. In turn, please ensure you take anything you need that may have to be swallowed, snorted, inhaled, or injected," adding "stop taking drugs. It is killing the few remaining brain cells you have left,” while taking a shot at Newton who did a five-year prison stint after pleading guilty to a federal corruption charge.
He also once struggled with crack addiction, according to the Washington Post.
Newton then responded with: "Do we have a psycho on the Board of Education?" claiming Pereira had been placed in a psych ward after overdosing on medication. Pereira called it a "wild accusations you will never be able to substantiate.”
“I’ll tell you what, Ernie,” she wrote. “I will gladly pay for both you and I to take a drug test with the understanding the results, whatever they may be, will be released."
“Name the time and place,” Newton promptly responded.
“I am asking that we take the test by 5:00 pm tomorrow so that it narrows any opportunity to take anything that would hinder the detection of substances in our urine,” Pereira wrote. “Agreed?”
“How about doing it today,” Newton replied. “You got all the mouth. I’m going today so that you will see how big of an a–hole you really are.”
The result of Newton's lab results was posted on Only, which stated that he had been tested negative for marijuana, cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, opiates, oxycodone, PCP, barbiturates, benzodiazepine and methadone.
Only published Pereira’s results on Friday, which showed that she had also tested negative for all the 10 drugs.
Newton said that he had been sober for 23 years and this was an opportunity to prove it.
"This is a Board of Education member challenging a black elected official,” he said. “She wouldn’t have challenged a white person. She’s no different than Donald Trump. I did this to show how crazy she is."