New City Councilwoman Maria Pereira is a stickler for many things, among them attendance records of elected officials. Long before she entered the world of city politics 10 years ago, she was a manager in retail working for giant department stores such as Saks, Gap and Macy’s in Manhattan and Philadelphia. She had dozens of employees reporting to her. She monitored attendance then. She’s keeping score now.
During her years on the Board of Education she took note of the attendance of fellow board members.
She notes, “Our students need to maintain a 90% attendance rate to pass all subjects for a school year. Our elected City Council Members should at least be held to that standard.”
That’s the yardstick, one she terms as fairly lenient, she’s utilizing to assess the attendance record of the prior City Council for the two-year period that ended Nov. 30.
She adds that in the business world, generally speaking, employees coming to work 90 percent of the time wouldn’t last long. The least that elected officials can do on behalf of the people they represent is show up, she declares.
Pereira pored over two years of documented minutes for City Council committee meetings where the bulk of the work is done to conduct legislative business. It covers the two-year period from December 2017 through November 2019.
Most of the council members listed in the grid below are still serving. Those no longer on the council are Nessah Smith, Christina Smith, Kyle Langan, Pete Spain, Karen Jackson and Jack Banta.
What Pereira considers low attendance is highlighted in yellow, the percentages in gray are higher.
In two instances she did not count absences against council members Maria Viggiano and Eneida Martinez due to personal reasons.
She also notes in the case of Michael DeFilippo he did not join the legislative body until late June 2018 so his committee meeting potential is smaller.
To conduct your own review of attendance see here to click the appropriate drop-downs to review minutes of committee meetings.
If council members want to respond or challenge the numbers below this post will be updated.
Most employees work 5 days a week multiplied by 52 weeks which totals 260 days.
If you deduct 10 days for vacation and 5 days for holidays, that leaves 245 days.
If you called out sick 25 days that would give you 220 days of showing up for work which equates to a 90% attendance rate.
I cannot think of one place where I have ever worked in which 25 absences would NOT result in termination.
We cannot possibly represent the interests of the people of Bridgeport and our constituents if we don’t even meet the most basic responsibility of showing up for our committee assignments.
I believe in accountability including holding myself accountable
These results mirror those of the BOE. A few members who do the bulk of the work only to have their work questioned by those who can’t be bothered to show up or at least read the reports. Thank you for pulling this data together. Now to put each members aggregate together to see the membership in percentile order from best to worst.
Ben Walker, you have been around block enough to understand the influence and power that Mayor Ganim and Mario Testa have over elected Democrats in the running of City government, the name of game is 50% plus one to anything approve. As for City Council business one of the main problem is that different bills and amendments are moved to a consent agenda or consent calendaring in order to save time and to expedite issues thereby those attending will not hear a open dialogue on issues. As for attendance, nobody pays no price as long as they are there for the final vote. Ben, none of this should be a surprise because those who didn’t want to vote against Joe Ganim got what they wanted, business as usual, it’s to late to cry over spilled milk, they wanted Ganim and Mario so they got what they wanted.
I hear you, Mr. Mackey. As a school teacher, I stressed to my students that the first step toward success was to show up. It is a disappointing fact that “business as usual” is not a four-letter word instead of a satisfactory goal for many. Our city deserves better. We both know that if one really wants to know whats what, one must attend the committee meetings. 50% plus one should not be the standard. I look forward to Maria calling out those who just can’t be bothered. Maybe some will be em bare assed into improving their attendance.
I sat on the CC from 1983 to 2003. As the CP for 12 years and Minority leader with Mayor Moran for two years, I found myself faced with this attendance situation. It was always my practice to involve all sitting members when it became necessary to mandate or change Council rules. It was decided by a majority of the Council to monitor attendance, and if a member of a committee missed two consecutive meetings, without appropriate cause, they were removed from the committee and replaced with the approval of the majority. This action was implementated only after it became apparant that not all officials were motivated to do their jobs. I’m talking a long time ago, and there have been three CP’s after me so that rule may have been removed. Maria, go back a little further, maybe you can find it. It wasn’t limited to only two consecutive meetings, if it became apparant that a person’s attendance was not acceptable, the Council member would be put on notice. I found it ironic that members would make such a big deal of committee assignments, then some lost interest as soon as they got what they wanted.
Ron, back in my time no Mayor or Town Chairman were ever allowed in our caucus room, let alone interfere with the business of the Council. . I can’t attest to pressure that may have occurred with vulnerable, people pleasers, but if it happened, it was all for naught. Ron, I served with the like of Ed Gomes, Chris Caruso and others of their nature. If there were a few weak sisters, it didn’t matter, they were grossly outnumbered by the warriors.
Ron, back in my time no Mayor or Town Chairman were ever allowed in our caucus room, let alone interfere with the business of the Council. . I can’t attest to pressure that may have occurred with vulnerable, people pleasers, but if it happened, it was all for naught. Ron, I served with the like of Ed Gomes, Chris Caruso and others of their nature. If there were a few weak sisters, it didn’t matter, they were grossly outnumbered by the warriors.
Lisa, I remember those days, I would sit in the last in the back and watch, sometimes I would talk to a young Brad Durrell would the editor for the Bridgeport News. Lisa a long as Mario is in charge of the DTC nothing is going to change, the one thing that Maria can’t do to protect council members who go against Mario. Lisa, you know Mario Testa better than anybody, you know his life history, his weakness and his strength and that change needed to start the day after the election to form slates citywide to run for the Democratic Town Committee in the 10 districts with 9 members in each district, that’s where real change could happen.
Lisa,
There was just a rule approved that the City Council President can remove anyone from a committee due to poor attendance amongst other reasons.
The only individuals allowed in a Caucus of Democrats are all twenty City Council members elected as Democrats.
Mayor Ganim, Mario Testa, City Attorney or administrative is NOT allowed in such a caucus meeting. It is unlawful.
Having anyone else in a meeting that is not a City Council member is not a :Caucus,” it is an “Executive Session” which must be for one of 6 specific reasons and voted by two-thirds of those voting and present.
It appears that at least one blogger misunderstood the intention of my last comment. My point was that “back in the day,” interference of Council decisions was not an accepted practice by any Administration, or T.C. I don’t need a lesson from anyone about Council rules or Robert’s Rules of Order. Let’s lighten up, and everyone remember one very important fact in politics, don’t ever believe your press, it’s fleeting, as is politics.
Lisa,
Who are you referencing?
Really, I’m like a ten-watt lightbulb that goes in a nightlight, and I know who Lisa was referencing. 🙂 Smart you maybe, but the force is not strong with you. 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E934-fLsyYY
Lisa, when members had to caucus and go in the backrooms because there were some Republicans council members but nobody would go back into those rooms until the caucus meeting was finished. Hamilton Burger wouldn’t dare go into that room but things have changed.
It appears that at least one blogger forgot she asked the misunderstood blogger to go back and see what rules still apply that could have been changed from back in her day, that goes back close to 40 years when she was first elected.
I sense some condescension from more than one blogger. Maybe because they were once elected officials who had failed to be reelected, or maybe it’s a sense of jealousy of how stunning she looked in her blue velvet dress. Not everyone has the ability to wear velvet and pull it off. 🙂 Perhaps it’s the misunderstanding of Sheldon Copper syndrome. In any event, it seems every blogger was absent to the point of the Blue Valvet’s post. 🙂 JS people https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dj6FBdkaN8
Hey Mike, just keep getting the notes from Mario and it’ll be ok.
Signed: ‘Epstein’s mother’!!!!!!
On a serious note though look at the pathetic attendance record of some of these useless clowns that are only where they are just because of who they know and NOT at all what they bring to the table.
Maria: good for you, keep that fire lit under they’re asses!!! It’s the only way to turn the city around. Cheers!
Great Job Maria.
Off topic. I had two situations with the Bridgeport Police tonight. It is a housing court situation. I will have to check how much of the conversation was recorded with BPT Police headquarters in the next couple of days. However@ 1:28 am I will say that Bridgeport Police Officers LIE…LIE…..LIE.
The two Bpr police officers saw that I had a cell phone in my hand. I was told to shut off the cell phone. The police officers said that they were recording the conversation. I will be checking with BPT Police headquarters in the next couple of days to see if that is true. I will say that this second set of officers said things that ONLY the Judiciary Arm of the State of Connecticut can say. All Police report issues and it is up to a prosecutor/judiciary to make a certain decision. The police are not judges.
How about this,every time you miss a session/meeting you lose $200 of your stipend money?..Guarantee attendance improves…
Harvey, get real, you continue like others want the perfect and you got Mario Testa and Joe Ganim because they were better than any alternative and now you think that the City Council members where 18 of their 20 members are Joe and Mario big time supporters to vote for something that could hurt Joe, Mario and the council members. You got the perfect because the good was not good enough, so suck it up because you didn’t want Marilyn Moore because she was so bad, you got the perfect.
Ron,who didn’t want Marilyn??..I was on board till she changed her mind about running.Not to rehash it for the 1000th time,but she is the one that didn’t want it,not the Bpt voters,we did our job by voting in the primary,she didn’t do hers by getting the 200 signatures.So don’t come at me with the “you wanted Ganim” shit,cause I certainly did not..
First of all Lisa, what would you think of a newbey coming on the council and publicly releasing a report saying that you weren’t doing your job over the last two years? If I remember way back then you wouldn’t be soo welcoming of criticism like that as you are now. Different times, different people.
Bob,
There was no “report” issued. These are simply spreadsheets detailing the factual attendance record of elected City Council members.
The only individuals responsible for their attendance is each individual City Council member. No one is at fault for poor attendance except that member themselves
Attendance is a matter of public record. The only elected officials that would be upset by these spreadsheets are those that have poor attendance.
Secondly, how do you think the council members feel right now? Whether you like it or not, I don’t think to many would be very happy.
Starting out new to the council and the first thing you do is have a report card on the council members.
Isn’t it really the job of the voters to keep an attendance record on the council members and not other council persons?
Bob, you are dead on, council members saw how Maria works when she was on the BBOE plus they have absolutely no working relationship with Maria. Maria is coming in as the rookie council member and she wants to run the show. Unfortunately I’ve made this statement to many times on OIB, Maria does not know how to form a coalition because she doesn’t know how to win friends and influence people. Being good at researching is one thing but to get 9 other City Council members to support Maria is not going to happen.
Bob: Don’t CC members also have to be “voters?” Doesn’t that put it under Maria’s purview, regardless?…
Hey Bubba, I think I understand your remarks, and it’s not my intention to make a big deal of this issue. Before we became partners on the Council, this type of situation did become troublesome as it related to committee meetings. I chose to be present at as many meetings as possible because it became apparent that we found ourselves, too many times, without a quorum, and as CP I was able to sit to allow a quorum when possible. Corrective action was not immediately taken. After a couple of years it became necessary to put a rule in place. I don’t know if this is an issue now. My comments were directed only to attendance at committee meetings, not Council meetings.
Lisa, I totally understand your point about attendance but two points, business gets taken care of by those who attend, quorum or not. Next, Maria is the wrong messenger especially seeing that she hasn’t attended any committee and the regular meetings, Maria could have spoken with the Council President about her concern and to have a open dialogue with the Council President, thereby showing respect to the Council President. Again, Maia does not know how to win friends and influence people, Maria has to be the star instead of being a team player.
Ron: Who is the “right” messenger? Why is Maria the “wrong” messenger? A new CC member, with relevant experience on other such boards, is certainly not the “wrong” messenger… Really, logically speaking, in terms of the message in question, just about any messenger will do…
Jeff, what is the intend of publicly posting in the media this information from Maria who had not serve one second as a City Council member, is the intend to embarrass the council members or to inform the public or to get the council members to attend meetings? City Council President Aidee Nieves is the elected leader of the entire City Council and it’s her responsible to whip members to be at meetings but Maria decided that it was more important that she put the information out publicly to get the credit for it and not to make change. Maria without serving one second has undermine City Council President Aidee Nieves, Ms Nieves could have bought this subject up I a caucus but no, Maria needed to be the show horse. Let’s see how this works out for Maria forming a coalition to get items pass, that dog won’t hunt.
For those who don’t know what a (political) whip is, a whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. This usually means ensuring that members of the party vote according to the party platform, rather than according to their own individual ideology or the will of their constituents. Whips are the party’s “enforcers”. They ensure that their fellow legislators attend voting sessions and vote according to official policy.
Weak,
These two have some of the best attendant records.
#nationalembarrassment 🙂
https://nypost.com/2019/04/24/bizarre-city-council-feud-ends-with-politicians-peeing-in-cups/
You couldn’t make this stuff up if you tried. 🙂
You both are high if you think anyone is buying this. 🙂
http://onlyinbridgeport.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/pereiranewton-e1575341254366-440×503.jpg
Ron: CC attendance is a long-standing problem that hasn’t been acknowledged or dealt with by CC leadership in decades. Why take issue with any source that seeks to address an issue of significant importance to the residents/taxpayers of Bridgeport that has been historically neglected — up to and including the tenure of 2nd-term CC President Nieves…
We should be more optimistic about the future productivity of this CC because of the initiative to encourage more productive service by CC members, starting with the basic encouragement to “show up” — the sine qua non for service in any capacity…
It’s really kind of absurd to argue about CC protocol in regard to this long-neglected, albeit important matter…
Maria, just needs to worry about getting herself to the committee and the regular meetings and let the President of the Council worry about poor attendance. She hasn’t been to one meeting as yet and she’s already casting aspersions on her fellow council members. The road to HELL is paved with good intentions and it appears that Maria is bringing to the City Council that same righteous indignation that bogged down the BBOE for years. Maria, Stay In Your Lane!
Donald: The CC members are (presumably) all grown-ups, and they should be able to swallow some observation-based criticism without tantrum or disabling depression… Indeed, they should be able to swallow-hard and address the issue at hand in a mature, appropriate manner, or they shouldn’t be in a position of public responsibility…
Just saying… As a Bridgeport resident/voter…
Maria and Ben,
I’m almost positive, that if I catch my neighbor in the Christmas spirit, he’ll be more then happy to write a set of bylaws for the City Council.
Ron, you’re absolutely correct. As I mentioned to Bubba, it took quite some time before we put a Council rule in place regarding attendance at committee meetings. Without a quorum, business could not be conducted leaving important matters to languish until another meeting was scheduled since an item couldn’t be sent back to the full Council for a vote. There is a procedure that can be used in an emergency, time sensitive situation, however, lack of a quorum is not an appropriate reason. Please note that I clearly stated that all members of the Council were involved in the decision. I never considered any member above another merely because some of us has had mandated titles.
Let me put the Council President Parziale spin on this.
Oh Maria this is wonderful honey. Boy I wish I had this report all along. This is gggreat!!
Now let me make just a few suggestion.
Before doing all of this work you should come to me first because at least some of this may be done along and you haven’t seen it.
And instead of coming out publicly like this you and I will sit down, go over the report, see it anything needs to be tweaked and we will show it the the other council members in caucus. This way they won’t be surprised and they will have an opportunity to make their own suggestions.
Maybe we could show some false data and not reveal their names because they didn’t really have the opportunity to prepare for this and going forward we will have the City Clerk prepare the report so it isn’t one newbie attacking the entire council.
But you are going to make a wonderful addition to the council.
Then, under your breath, you would say Boy this Maria is going to be a handful going forward. Gotta keep a eye on her.
No need to respond.
Bob,
Samia and I did meet with the City Council President late last week.
I presented her with 4 of the 7 committee attendance spreadsheets. I committed to email all 7 of them to her the following day which I did.
I explained that I had also sent them to Lennie and Brian Lockhart on the condition they not publish a story about them until AFTER Monday’s swearing in ceremony in order to ensure the City Council President had an opportunity to decide how she was going to handle the matter
Aidee had already been reviewing the spreadsheets with City Council members prior to the the OIB and CT Post articles because two City Council members told me they had already seen them on Monday night.
Now, please remember you are no longer a Bridgeport resident, therefore your opinion is really irrelevant.
Maria
I’m sure that if I praised you for a great job, where I live would not be relevant. But since I stated some criticism of how you went about it, my seventeen years on the council became irrelevant.
The same old Maria.
You’re wrong, Bob.
Your opinion of me, whether positive or negative, has never impacted me or my decisions.
I met you in 2009 and have NEVER sought out your advice or opinion on a single political matter.
I think that simply says it all.
And as I read the CT Post article you sat down with Aidee on Saturday and gave her a heads up until Monday.
Didn’t even say you would hold off on it until she responded or anything. Just that the Post or Lennie wouldn’t print the story until Monday.
You definitely wrote the book on “How not to make friends and influence people”.
I first reached out to Aidee on November 21st.
She was at a conference in Texas and did not return until the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
Aidee wanted to meet on that Monday, however Samia was not available Monday – Wednesday, and Thursday was Thanksgiving.
Samia was available on Friday or Saturday and we ALL settled on Saturday. I worked AROUND Samia’s and Aidee’s schedules.
Stop posting about matters you have absolutely NO knowledge about.
Geeez…
Bob, I don’t automatically ignore your comments because you reside outside Bridgeport. Maria as a new Council member prepared herself for her new role base on her experience on another Board. Tardiness, or absences from that Board, gutted the necessary work, discussion and community listening that would be fodder for decision making. And she saw a similar pattern when her research laid bare the reality of Council Committee participation. (And meetings of committees that are canceled because of lack of business are one problem, but meetings canceled in advance and not rescheduled for want of quorums are entirely different.) Council member Pereira produced the result of her research in the form of a “data drop” in a format that is easily understood by anyone who cares to look and think about it. It is not a funny anecdote, another political method often used to tell a story. Congratulations. There are other data drops that are naturally a part of ACCOUNTABILITY process. When they are OPEN and TRANSPARENT and obviously HONEST, don’t they contribute to better practices in the City? Is there anyone who feels she should have waited two years to create such an assessment tool?
So I would ask you what tradition in Bridgeport provides education, information, training etc to newbie members?? And perhaps other former members will chime in with their witness of activities meant to increase appreciation of responsibilities, duties, and better process, from past practice?
At one time, a decade ago Tom White had a responsibility (as a legislative assistant paid by taxpayers to serve all Council members) that he carried out on a bipartisan basis until Tom McCarthy set in motion a process telling the public one thing (cost savings) and with his other hand doing another (position moved to City Clerk office) with no budget impact? Where do Council members go for and get what similar assistance today? Without doubt Council President McCarthy is responsible for a further weakening of the role of the City Council.
The CT Post on Tuesday December 3, quoted Ms. Nieves, Council President, “I humbly went into by first term trying to learn and grasp the responsibilities of my role (and) the power I have.” She intends to attend Mayoral Committee meetings, “That will give me the ability to give feedback on the expectations I get from council members, such as the way we receive info (from City Hall), the way things are carried out for constituents, and creating a sense of best practices.” Think about that. Rookies or newbies to the Council get no formal orientation, have voted even part time assistance away from their “check and balance” body in favor of another City administrative employee.
And the Council President is a heartbeat away from the departure of the Mayor. What positive spin can you put on the election of a newbie two years ago to the Presidency, despite her natural talents, who is untrained and inexperienced??Does Ganim3 have concerns about succession, at all? What preparation is there for any citizen who wishes to be part of formal elected City leadership? Time will tell.
Lisa, your reply to me shows why you were the Council President for 12 years, others you understand and in your direction.
“We cannot possibly represent the interests of the people of Bridgeport and our constituents if we don’t even meet the most basic responsibility of showing up for our committee assignments.
I believe in accountability including holding myself accountable.”
Thank you Maria for making a clear statement covering:
1) Council members representing interests of all people of the City
2) Council members representing the District issues of their constituents.
3) Showing up (and intimating) on time and prepared for meeting subjects
4) Accountability to the public as Council member being personal.
Taxpaying people provide for the Stipend quarterly advances of $2,250 to be used by Council members to assist them in pursuit of Council issues. Maria, perhaps you might consider making Stipend expenditures for all Council members public on City Council website so that they are ACCOUNTABLE (without FOI and extra city attorney effort) and TRANSPARENT as well? And if you see the current Stipend Statute language in conflict with Stipend administration, providing “good order” and openness are available for this oversight. One other question to consider is the use of Stipends for “municipal junkets” at considerable expense with out any evidence of “return on Investment” to the taxpayers. It has been the largest single category of expense by Council persons from Stipend funds. Yet no formal reports! No evidence from Council topics on issues discovered and presented to the Mayor for serious consideration. And bad attendance at Council and subcommittee meetings should not offer the opportunity for a junket or two each year. IMO
Thank you for thinking and acting beyond the status quo in order to bring the working (or lack of functioning from absenteeism) of the Council to the attention of citizens. Time will tell.
JML, how much success did you have speaking to council members during the public speaking before the council meetings? Good ideas are great but you need someone to put them into action.
As long as that someone is not Maria, right Ron?
Ron, I have written about many things in the past decade or so. Whether they were problems, issues or concerns or the alternatives, solution and ideas that may often be provided, naked or without context, they do not get ultimate listening or action. However, the message below is part of another thread that I addressed earlier today, December 5, 2019. Do you mean that this City and those who care for it are so lax that repairs for oversight failures should be ignored, once you get past a 5, 10 or 15 year line in the sand, like a statute of limitations?
By the way does your comment make me more likely to do or not do something in the future? Or is it a waster of your energy by using your vital force on someone you do not respect enough to have a conversation? Here is the thread addressed to Ernie who sits in a position to listen. What happens between his ears and his energy center is something I know little about, frankly. No opinion but a presentation of facts is offered.
FROM THREAD: “While you are looking at the matter of tax issues and economic development, would you also look at the City website, too? As a long time elected representative of the people, you have some idea of how many housing units in the City are private and public rentals.
At the City website please click on Boards and Commissions and go down to two such identified groups: Fair Housing Commission and Fair Rent Commission. Expiry of terms for the few members listed range from 1997, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. No members of more recent appointments by Mayors Fabrizi, Finch or Ganim are indicated. Curious?
Where do boards or commissions with missions for the people, go to die??? No minutes. No agendas. No members. No meetings. But they qualify for posting on the City website? Is this a City “inefficiency”, as OIB frequently covers? Should the subject be directed to Economic and Community Development?
The status quo may seem adequate to a few but if we are the largest population center in the State, and Housing and Renter Commissions are part of legal processes, why would a person from Bridgeport need to get to New Haven to discover that Bridgeport’s units are dead? Just asking? Time will tell.
JML, I respect the time, effort and research that you share with elected officials and the public, we need more people involve like you. You knew if Joe Ganim got reelected that NOTHING was going to change plus when Ganim gets elected that empowers Mario Testa. Most people acknowledge that Senator Marilyn Moore made a number of mistakes in her campaign and even with those mistakes Moore did something that nobody else has ever done, she beat Joe Ganim at the voting polls by over 300 votes but a bad Marilyn Moore would have been better than Joe Ganim but personalities and personal dislikes blinded a number of people who didn’t want either Ganim or Moore, somebody had to run city government for the next 4 years, not voting and caring who got elected shows a total disrespect to the voters.
Ron and Day I find it disingenuous about your concerns for BPT’s city governance. You have been calling the CC a rubber stamp for Joe and Mario, countless times, throughout the years. If true, not showing up to CC meetings, and even those with the 90% don’t mean the didn’t miss a meet that a vote was to be held creating a lack of quorum, hindering city business. But that said, Ron, your statement about Maria being the wrong messager but the message is not wrong, says it all.
Day, your statement, “She hasn’t been to one meeting as yet and she’s already casting aspersions on her fellow council members. The road to HELL is paved with good intentions and it appears that Maria is bringing to the City Council that same righteous indignation that bogged down the BBOE for years. Maria, Stay In Your Lane” sys it all for you and your intentions.
Ron and Day, now I know why Maria said she will not address any of your comments relating to her. Even when she is right in your eyes, she is wrong.
P.S. Lisa, why has it taken so long for “quite some time before we put a Council rule in place regarding attendance at committee meetings. Without a quorum, business could not be conducted leaving important matters to languish until another meeting was scheduled since an item couldn’t be sent back to the full Council for a vote”? By the way, apparently since the 40 years you were elected to the CC it still hasn’t gotten done or we wouldn’t be posting about CC attendance. Would we?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0iuynzatJI
Teixeira, you know squat about the technical workings of the City Council., and how resonsable members should perform. As a leader, I watched, waited, and reached out to my colleages before shooting from the hip. When it become apparent we had a problem, we acted together to find a solution. We did, and it worked. The reason it worked was because I waited long enough, but not too long, to bring everyone on board. Do you get this or should I bring it down a little until you do?
Lisa, please do me a favor, do not reply to anything Robert Teixeira writes.
That is true. I know squat about the technical workings of the City Council. But I’ll tell what I do know. You were on the CC, probable the president during the golden years when that corruption was taken place that sent Joe to prison, and it seems you did squat to stop it. That is why you supported Joe in his reelection. The hopes of that 170 million dollar capital bonding rolled your way, maybe even back on the CC. Did you not see the problem and the corruption going on around you, or did you bring the rest of the CC on Board?
PS. Never said I did, I just asked you why? Bring whatever you find necessary to accomplish the goal. Maybe you can enlighten me on the importance of it. For the Love of God, I can’t figure it out, I am sur there was an importance for it though. But then again, I’m just a white poor, stupid, illiterate, border-line retard that’s well versed in squat. So why would you bother enlightening me about the technical workings of the City Council that enlighten to you, freeing me of the squat that I am? If you choose to free me from squat please bring it to the lowest common denominator. Lisa, I hope I don’t sound too desperate to attain the knowledge, wisdom, power, money, influence you possess, to a person who not only knows but has squat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyH7MjGqD3M
#asaleaderIwatchedwaitedandreachedouttomycolleagesbeforeshootingfromthe hipwhenitbecomeapparentwehadaproblemweactedtogethertofindasolutionSMH
Either squat or get off the pot. 🙂
Translation: Go to committee meetings or get off the committee. 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HIXxgyjCt0
P.S. Ron and Day, I will try to refrain myself and follow Maria in not commenting on your posts regarding her. You have clearly demonstrated your lane is heading down an ally into the gutter with not meaningful concerns for the Port. Or at the very least a weak argument that is not worth a respones. JS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIXp9F9BVW0
As Maria said, attendance is a public record. Records of meetings are on file in the City Clerk’s office, including attendance. Maria only organized it in a formation where the ‘data’ becomes ‘information’.
Being present at a meeting means you fulfilled your obligation to attend. This is what Maria has presented.
Attendance at a meeting does not mean you were productive. Council Members typically report to a meeting having not prepared, flipping through the paperwork they may be seeing for the first time.
Attendance issues are just the tip of the iceberg. Most council members are unprepared and lack the education and work experience that develop critical thinking skills.
Will Maria now note, as she did with the Board of Education, whether council members arrive unprepared?
Tom White, that’s good historical point of information of the council.
Tom: thanks for that comment about lacking the education and critical thinking skills. I have mentioned exactly that in previous posts where I felt it appropriate. I would not criticize anyone that I didn’t know personally if I was unable to observe how their position within the system could adversely affect the citizenry. Unfortunately, as many on this venue know, there are a number of elected/appointed individuals who are really not in positions for that reason at all. That being said, if we had more people like Maria to call out those who do not walk the ‘straight and narrow’, everything would function better and the people would truly be better served. Be it attendance, knowledge or attitude, how else is the public supposed to know how their representatives are performing? Comments made from people like ‘Fredo’, (Ct Post article regarding attendance), point out the truth sometimes, such as: and I’m paraphrasing- ‘I’m not stupid’. No one called anyone stupid, at least that I can remember but, the true agenda of persons of such ilk are only to serve themselves. Changing zoning to only help oneself is a PERFECT example.
Rich, the council has had from time to time some very good dedicated and hard working members like Pete Spain from the 130th district who decided not to run again. Nothing will change with the Council Council and the BBOE until both Joe Ganim and Mario Testa are not in power. You have 18 council members who support and are committed to Joe and Mario leadership.
Ron- everything you just stated is absolutely correct. Spain, Langan and pardon me but the other lady who’s name escapes me at the moment all wanted to do the right thing. I know that many on the CC are not there for that. They are there for themselves and a certain select few. I don’t comment on those who I need more information about. I comment on the ones that I’m absolutely certain about. If some think it’s personal they are wrong as it is based upon fact. It’s what can’t be honestly argued against. I may have hit below the belt on one occasion which I apologized for but even then I was not wrong it was just the way I stated it. – and I never called anyone stupid. Only the guilty thought that I did and called themselves that. Right bartender?!
Cheers.
Tom, that was a very cogent reply that hit the nail on the head. It’s like Ron said, until such time that Mayor Ganim and Mario aren’t calling the shots for the City Council or the BBOE, nothing can or will change, even if every meeting is 100% attended!
Maria mentioned that she waited for the council president to return from a conference in Texas.
Gee, the council president must be a big-shot in her employment.
Oh. But wait.
The council president was on a junket paid for by Bridgeport taxpayers.
Will Maria track the attendance of city council members on junkets at taxpayer expense?
Does Maria endorse a requirement that council members file a report of their expenses and justification for their taxpayer funded junkets as JML has alluded to?
Maria may be looked upon to do what the local newspaper did in a bygone era.
There are two types of attendance. Attendance of CC reps and attendance by THE PEOPLE OF BRIDGEPORT. I have a pet cause. There should be formal time allowed for anyone to speak to a City Council subcommittee. The rules for such should say that any public speaking should ONLY address items on the subcommittee agenda. It’s been said here on OIB that the “real” work is done at the subcommittee level which makes it even important that Bridgeporters can have formal time to address subcommittees. I think that most subcommittee meetings will have no one using any public speaking time but I strongly believe that formal speaking time should exist. Thank you.