Public pension obligations are very much in the news on federal, state and local levels. Pension costs can be difficult for a layperson to understand. How much does the city’s pension system cost city taxpayers? How strong are the pension funds? How do they impact the budgetary process? Fiscal watchdogs John Marshall Lee and Andy Fardy, a retired city firefighter, share insight in the first of a two-part commentary: Municipal Retirement Plans: Decision Making Hidden From View.
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A Review Of City Pensions, The Meaning Behind The Numbers
May 23rd, 2013 · 2 Comments · Analysis and Comment, City Budget
City Receives $2.5 Million Grant To Protect Against Home Health, Safety Hazards
May 23rd, 2013 · 1 Comment · News and Events
From Mayor Bill Finch:
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded the City of Bridgeport’s Lead Free Families Program with a grant worth $2,499,960 to protect children and families from the hazards of lead-based paint and from other home health and safety hazards.
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Opposition Lining Up Against Musto
May 23rd, 2013 · 42 Comments · Analysis and Comment, City Politics, State Politics
State Senator Anthony Musto hasn’t made a lot of constituents happy the past few days following his announced stance against the government reform bill advanced by State House members Jack Hennessy and Auden Grogins–supported by a cross-section in the state legislature–that would bar city employees from serving on the City Council minimizing conflicts of interests such as councilors approving their own wages and benefits. Supporters of the bill say Musto caved to political interests opposed to the bill rather than stepping up for a vocal chorus of constituents. It has a number of reform-minded Democratic activists weighing candidates to run a primary next year against Musto. It also has Republicans engaged on winning the seat that covers Trumbull and portions of Bridgeport and Monroe.
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→ 42 CommentsTags: Andres Ayala·Anthony Musto·Auden Grogins·Citizens Working for a Better Bridgeport·David Walker·Ed Gomes·Ernie Newton·Jack Hennessy·John McKinney·Marilyn Moore·Mary-Jane Foster·Rick Torres·Rob Russo
When Cops And Media Collide, Krauchick Ordered Away From Crime Scene
May 22nd, 2013 · 8 Comments · Analysis and Comment, Cops, Media, News and Events
Steve Krauchick, who runs the online news site Doing It Local, had a run-in Tuesday evening with a Connecticut State Police officer called to the grounds of Wonderland of Ice near Beardsley Park for what Krauchick writes was the discovery of a human jawbone. The police investigator ordered Krauchick away from the scene. This gets into a fuzzy area of police-media relationships. Krauchick wanted to film. The officer told him to get lost because it could compromise an investigation. Is the trooper correct? Krauchick shares the video (ends with another example of police moving media away) and writes below: [Read more →]
Gilmore Recalls The Legend of Judge Sarsfield Ford
May 22nd, 2013 · No Comments · Analysis and Comment
OIB correspondent John J. Gilmore, former political reporter for the Bridgeport Post, predecessor of the Connecticut Post, shares a story about the power and personality of Sarsfield Ford who passed away a few days ago.
You couldn’t know Judge Sarsfield Ford with having a story or two tucked away in your pocket about the man. He was a city legend and a man who lived by a distinct set of rules–His! My friendship–and near alienation–with Judge Ford grew out of our common membership on the St. Patrick’s Scholarship Committee.
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Berchem, Moses & Devlin Law Firm Establishes College Scholarship For City Students
May 22nd, 2013 · 5 Comments · Best of Bridgeport, Education, News and Events
Attorney Robert L. Berchem, principal and president, Berchem, Moses & Devlin, left, presents Bridgeport Board of Education Chairman Kenneth Moales Jr., center, and Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch with a $5,000 check for the newly announced Berchem, Moses & Devlin New Opportunities Scholarship.
Milford-based Berchem, Moses & Devlin, whose law partner Robert Berchem has been active in Bridgeport for decades, has launched a college scholarship program benefiting Bridgeport students. Commemorating its 80th anniversary, the firm will award $20,000 over a four-year period. News release follows:
The law firm of Berchem, Moses & Devlin, P.C. has committed at least $20,000 to a scholarship program to mark its 80th anniversary. The “New Opportunities Scholarship” has been designated for deserving graduates of Bridgeport public high schools. Over the next four years, the scholarship will provide a different graduate each year a direct grant of $5,000 to be used for the college of his or her choice. The firm will consider renewing the program after the initial four years.
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Wayne Ratzenberger, Special Talent Behind The Camera
May 23rd, 2013 · 1 Comment · Analysis and Comment, News and Events
From CT Post: Former Connecticut Post photojournalist Wayne A. Ratzenberger, Sr. photographed in 1989 by then-intern Russ Decerbo. Wayne would take Russ with him on assignments and teach him the elements of photography. While they were on the way to an assignment one day, Wayne saw this colorful bit of graffiti and thought it would make an interesting portrait background.
I was 18 years old in 1976 when I met Wayne Ratzenberger in the newsroom of the Bridgeport Post-Telegram, the predecessor papers to the Connecticut Post. Over the decades his photographic craftsmanship made ordinary stories come to life. He made scribes look good. As a young reporter I was fascinated by the underbelly of the city–the mobsters, strip joints, corrupt politicians–and Ratz was often there adding so much value to the cause. And then there were the days years after I left the paper chronicling Bridgeport’s history when a photo was necessary. Ratz stepped up. In 1993 Wayne married Elaine Ficarra, a newspaper colleague, who now serves as Mayor Bill Finch’s communications director. The following obituary from the CT Post captures the essence of Ratz and includes two key photos he took that have appeared on OIB.
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→ 1 CommentTags: Barnum Festival·CT Post·Elaine Ficarra·Gustave Whitehead·John Ratzenberger·Sikorsky Memorial Airport