FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

October 28, 2019

CONTACT:
Nick Fazzino, campaign@giuliano2019.com

Giuliano Campaign Raises Questions About Florsheim

Residency in Middletown – Citing Voter Registration,
Political Contributions, and Lawsuit Listing New Haven
Address

***Press Release***

MIDDLETOWN. CT - Seb Giuliano’s mayoral campaign, “Giuliano 2019”, today released

information raising questions about Democratic opponent Benjamin Florsheim’s claims that he
has been a Middletown resident since 2010 when he first came to Middletown to attend
Wesleyan University.

Nick Fazzino, Giuliano’s Campaign Manager, stated, “We are not questioning Mr. Florsheim’s
eligibility to run for office at this time. It is clear that he is a registered voter in Middletown and
thus has a right to run for office here. But in doing so, he has an obligation to be truthful and
transparent with voters about the status of his local residency – how long he has lived here,
whether his residency has been continuous or intermittent, and whether his residency has been
full or part time. In other words, has he maintained another residence, specifically, has he had
a residence in New Haven. This is a matter of whether Mr. Florsheim has been truthful and
open about his residency, and if not, why not?”

Florsheim’s campaign web site, states, “I moved to Middletown in 2010 to become a student at
Wesleyan University. I grew up in the Midwest and the Rocky Mountains, and didn’t know what
to expect of my new city.” Fazzino asserted that the web site implies that Florsheim has been

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a continuous resident since 2010. “The fact is he was a part time resident from 2010 to 2014
while he was attending school. It seems unlikely that he didn’t return to his Midwest home for
extended periods when school was not in session,” Fazzino said.

Fazzino challenged Florsheim to disclose when he established permanent residency at his

current listed Middletown address, an apartment adjacent to the Wesleyan campus. “How
soon after graduation from Wesleyan in 2014 did he lease that apartment?” Fazzino asked.
“And where did he live between May 2014 and the time of that lease?”

“We have verified that Mr. Florsheim was a registered voter in New Haven as recently as 2015,”
Fazzino said. “We also have documentation that he has made numerous political contributions,
as recently as September of this year, listing a New Haven address,” Fazzino stated as he
provided the following list and attached documentation:

Committee / Contributor Address Amount Date of Source of

Candidate Contribution Information
Working Families Ben New Haven $27 9/26/2019 SEEC
Campaign Florsheim
Committee
Working Families Ben New Haven $27 8/26/2019 SEEC
Campaign Florsheim
Committee
ActBlue earmarked Ben New Haven $50.00 4/22/2019 FEC
for Warren for Florsheim
President, Inc.
ActBlue earmarked Benjamin Middletown $27.00 2/19/2019 FEC
for Bernie 2020 Florsheim
Working Families Ben New Haven $100 11/13/2018 SEEC
Campaign Florsheim
Committee
Beto for Texas Ben New Haven $28.54 10/19/2018 FEC
Florsheim
Salazar for State Ben New Haven $100 8/30/2018 FEC
Senate (NY) Florsheim
ActBlue Ben New Haven $100 5/15/2018 FEC
Florsheim
Sharlach for State Ben New Haven $10 9/18/2014 SEEC
Senate Florsheim
Sharlach for State Ben New Haven $90 9/18/2014 SEEC
Senate Florsheim
Orange Democratic Benjamin New Haven $25 8/14/2014 SEEC
Town Committee Florsheim

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 Denise Nappier for Ben New Haven $5 7/20/2014 SEEC
State Treasurer Florsheim
2014
Connecticut Young Benjamin New Haven $30 5/21/2014 SEEC
Democrats Florsheim

Fazzino acknowledged that there were numerous other political campaign contributions from
Florsheim that listed his Middletown address, some during the same time periods as
contributions listing his New Haven address. “The fact there’s a record of political campaign
contributions listing different addresses during the same time period, raises questions in itself,”
Fazzino said. “To me, it contradicts the explanation his Campaign Manager gave claiming that
he has an account with ActBlue for which his address has not been updated.” Fazzino provided
documentation and pointed out that there’s a record of Florsheim making an ActBlue
contribution on February 19, 2019 of $27 earmarked for “Bernie 2020” listing his Middletown
address and another record of Florsheim making an ActBlue contribution on April 22 ,2019 of
$50 earmarked for “Warren for President, Inc.” listing his New Haven address. “So did he
reside in Middletown of February 19, 2019 and then reside in New Haven on April 22, 2019?”
Fazzino asked. “Where does he live today? Does he have two residences?”

“In fact, there is evidence that Mr. Florsheim paid taxes to Middletown on a vehicle for the
2015 grand list while he was registered to vote in New Haven,” Fazzino stated. “So, I guess it’s
possible he maintains – or at one time maintained two residences – one in Middletown and one
in New Haven,” Fazzino added. “We know he has the money!”

As additional evidence of Florsheim’s New Haven residency, Fazzino provided a copy of a

March 2017 court summons naming Florsheim as the defendant in a lawsuit and listing his New
Haven address. “Obviously the attorney for the plaintiff in the suit had information that Mr.
Florsheim resided in New Haven in 2017,” Fazzino stated.

The complaint filed as part of the lawsuit indicates that on February 4, 2015 at approximately
11:45 PM Florsheim was operating a 2013 Subaru that he owned in a southerly direction on I-
91 prior to exit 7 in New Haven. The complaint alleged that as a result of Florsheim’s
“carelessness and negligence” three plaintiffs in the lawsuit suffered severe personal injuries
and losses. Court records indicate that the lawsuit was withdrawn in November 2017 after a
motion was filed to order Florsheim’s insurance company to pay $60,000 plus attorney’s fees to
the plaintiffs to settle their claims.

“It’s clear that Mr. Florsheim was involved in a serious automobile accident while driving
toward New Haven at 11:45 PM,” Fazzino said. “It would seem like he was heading to his
residence.”

“All of these pieces of evidence add up to serious questions about Mr. Florsheim’s residency,”
Fazzino added. “The voters of Middletown deserve to know if a person asking to be their
Mayor is a full time resident and how long he has been one,” Fazzino stated. “And equally

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important, the votes deserve to know why Mr. Florsheim has not provided a full and truthful
explanation about his residency,” Fazzino concluded.

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