By David Fortier
A local business owner had his business prospects with the city threatened by a candidate for mayor during a door knocking incident around two weeks ago, the business owner said in an interview this past Sunday.
“Just because you are a business owner you shouldn’t have to hide your political affiliation,” said David Landi, co-owner with his girlfriend, Erika Stirk, of Bakery on Maple, after an encounter with Republican mayoral candidate Jeff Caggiano. Landi shared his story this past Sunday at Bakery on Maple, where he was working.
Leading up to the incident, Landi had run home from the bakery and was about to return when he saw Caggiano on the street in front of his home. Caggiano was knocking on doors with the two Republican city council candidates for the 3rd District, Cheryl Thibeault and Andrew Howe. Landi said Howe stuck around for the exchange.
Landi said he was excited to ask Caggiano some questions, so he went out to greet the candidates.
“I admit when I went out to Jeff I was a little pushy with him,” Landi said, “more challenging because we had a little bit of interaction on Facebook.”
On Facebook, Landi had asked Caggiano about his platform and never got an answer. Landi said he saw this as an opportunity to test the candidate. Landi, who has lived in Bristol since 2014, is native of Torrington, where his mother was involved with politics and where he learned something about the give and take that goes along with being a candidate.
Before the threat, Landi said he had challenged Caggiano to say three good things about Bristol, because all he heard from him was complaining. Landi said Caggiano answered something about the people and the community, without getting to number three.
“I talked a little bit more about his plan for cutting wasteful spending,” Landi said, “and then he noticed my sweatshirt said ‘Bakery on Maple,’” which led to the following exchange with Caggiano that left Landi shaking his head.
“You are very opinionated, outspoken, about politics in Bristol and you have a business,” Caggiano said according to Landi.
Caggiano then said, according to Landi, “For the future, your bakery if you’re expanding, well, you are going to need or want the city to help and you want to be able to go to them.”
“I kind of asked him,” Landi said, “‘What are you talking about? We do that now and we are okay.’”
“And he goes,” Landi said, quoting Caggiano, “Well, suppose you want a contract with say the Board of Ed?”
At this point, Landi raised his eyebrows for emphasis, the implication being that if Landi ever approached, say, the Board of Ed, because of his political outspokenness, for a contract while Caggiano was mayor, Landi could forget about getting one.
And then Landi continued.
“It was very odd,” he said. “I stopped him and said, ‘Did you just say that?’ And again, I said, ‘Did you just say that?’ Because it wasn’t that subtle.”
Landi shrugged.
“Why would you say that?” Landi asked him again.
Landi did not get an answer.
And when Caggiano received an email from TBE asking about the incident, he did not answer the question about the veiled threat, but he mentioned that he was good with Landi and the bakery was great and he hoped it would expand. Caggiano also wrote that he received a personal message from Landi after the exchange.
Landi corroborated this, saying that he did reach out afterwards to Caggiano, via a personal message, to apologize if he came across as angry. Caggiano in his email, said he responded that the feeling was mutual. He wrote that he visited the bakery after the exchange, where he talked to Landi’s partner and bought a loaf of pumpkin bread. But he did not address the threatening language.
Landi, who opened Bakery on Maple, with Stirk, in May, said he has been working with the city since 2018, laying the foundation for the bakery, and that the experience has been a positive one, contradicting Caggiano’s critique of city hall.
Landi said Justin Malley, Economic and Community Development executive director, was particularly helpful, guiding the process from the beginning.
“The city doesn’t do any of the work for us,” Landi said, “but they are approachable and knowledgeable enough so that we can do the work ourselves.”
He said the city supported them every step of the way, especially through the grant process, and that he wouldn’t be in his shop on Maple St. without them.
In addition, he said he likes where the city is now. Ten years ago working in Bristol as a EMT over a five-year period, he saw a different side of things.
“Seeing the city progress from what it was to where it is now, it’s a very positive change,” Landi said. “People are excited about what is going on. It’s not just the home of ESPN.”
As for Bakery on Maple, he said, “We are doing great. We are doing exactly what we want to do, being in the community, being part of the community.”
As for contracts with the city, he said he has no plans to apply for any at the moment, but that doesn’t mean he never would.
And when he and Stirk did, he said, “We would like to know we’d get a fair shot.”
David Fortier is one of the founding members of TBE. By way of disclosure, Democrat Mary Fortier, incumbent in the 3rd District, is his spouse. TBE is a volunteer entity, with only a few reporters, otherwise, this story would have been handed off to someone else.