What’s this I’m hearing? City Attorney Mark Anastasi issuing a gag order regarding the City Council battle royal two weeks ago sparked by West Side council woman Evette Brantley getting in Cecil Young’s face during the public-speaking portion of the legislative body meeting?
News outlets across the country picked up the cable-access video of the finger-pointing, pushing, shoving, near-bench-clearing brawl.
I can’t blame Mark for trying to keep a lid on things. He’s the city’s chief lawyer trying to protect the city’s interests. Every word uttered could be a weapon for a lawyer’s claim should Cecil pursue litigation. Cecil’s no boy scout in this thing, but he didn’t start it. Evette did. A council member has no business getting in the face of a public speaker. But remember when Evette filed her complaint with the City Attorney’s Office against her council partner Bob Troll Walsh’s racially charge rant? Everyone was quick to talk about condemnation, and tranquility and sensitivity training. Walsh issued a public apology.
Now it’s like, let’s all shut up because this could cost us money. I hope Cecil lets it go. No lawsuit. How about this for a settlement? Cecil gets to rant, scream, yell, posture, blow all the smoke he wants for five extra minutes at the next council meeting. The council issues a standing ovation, Evette too, and we forget the whole thing.
Dick TV
Richard Blumenthal has launched some air cover.
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How does Mark “Gag” the video? How about if every one of Brantley’s constituents tells her to get the f*#@ out of their faces, when or if ever she knocks on their doors.
Lennie this is a made-to-order lawsuit. Cecil is not going to let this home-run go by the wayside and I can’t say I blame him.
I watched that video a number of times and try as I may I can’t see the justification for the action of the council members involved. You play, you have got to pay.
Birdman is like a Peregrine Falcon shitting in his nest, while the city has egg on its face. Egg Fool Young anyone?
Let’s go back to the original rant. Cecil Young claimed there was sewage in the basement of the P.T. Barnum Apartments and went off on his harangue.
The Connecticut Post finally ran down the charge and found … there was no sewage in the basement of a building in the P.T. Barnum Apartments.
Cecil was–how do we put this delicately?–telling a stretcher.
Anyone with a gnat’s brain knows to be careful about letting Mr. Young get the best of your temper. City Council failed. Oh well: the line forms on the left and winds down to the harbor.
However, after putting Alderman Bob Walsh through weeks of merry hell for a comment he made in a telephone conversation to his political partner, I think it is entirely appropriate for City Council to make penance. Council should pass a resolution praising Walsh for his diplomacy and passion for Bridgeport. At least Walsh’s sins were committed in private.
Council should shut up, not for any legal reason as suggested by the city attorney, but for the simple reason that Cecil Young loves to create controversy. Why nuture him?
“Why nuture him?”
Perhaps Jim missed a key stroke or two in this case? What do you think?
Well option one would be to think the subject of neutering Mr. Young was proposed, but the context does not suggest this would submit itself to either legal reason or simple reason.
So, moving to option two, it might be he meant to suggest “nurture,” but that is not the ‘nature’ of our Council as a body (or the City Attorney for that matter).
A third choice gets wider off the mark with ‘nature’ or ‘mature’ as possibilities, but use of the latter word (mature) might solve the entire inquiry itself.
And the real question that sticks in my mind remembering the fire victims, the infestation of rats and insects that the BHA was actively dealing with, and other P T Barnum issues raised in recent years, what were the details of the Sewage problem, or was there no problem?
At a time when Bridgeport is trying to revitalize the downtown area we have the BOE looking to move as far away from downtown as they possibly can.
Who gets hurt by this move? The downtown businesses that will lose 100-plus potential customers.
Who benefits besides the building owner? The merchants and businesses in Fairfield as the potential new office space is near the Fairfield border.
So far none of the powers that be have spoken against this latest end-run trying to be forced on us by the BOE. Where is the Mayor on this? Screw your lunches, stand up and tell the BOE to stay downtown. Where is Timpanelli? Where is the downtown taskforce? Where the hell are the council people? Do they have a clue? Or are they gearing up for the next fight?
The silence is deafening. Here is a small excerpt from my earlier post:
Mountain Grove LLC purchased the old Bodine Bldg for 1.5 Million.
This building covers 101,884 SQFT. At the present time 100 administrators and staff use 36,500 SQFT so they are looking to triple their square footage at a time when school enrollment is down and there should be less administrative staff.
It is estimated a lease would cost the BOE $673,000 per year for 10 years for a total of $6,730,000.
Right now the BOE pays $431,000 per year thus an increase of $242,000 per year or $2,420,000 over 10 years.
The second floor would house the offices and then they say the first floor would be used to house other BOE entities.
One thing not settled was who would do the remodeling and updating of this facility. That’s an easy one my money is on the BOE paying for it as they could not negotiate their way out of a paper bag.
This is amazing, we taxpayers are being killed by taxes and these people are spending like crazy of course it’s not their money and most of them don’t pay taxes here.
There is no program tonight for Bridgeport Now. Next week though, Tue June 8 at 8pm on channel 88, we have Dr. Fusco on how to read a board of education budget.
TC, you are wasting your breath. Finch doesn’t give a shit about the BOE staying downtown just as he doesn’t give a shit about the women’s veterans home or balancing the budget or running the city. All he cares about is getting Ned Lamont elected governor so he and Woodsy can get the hell out of Dodge. Right now they are just biding their time, making empty promises (to anyone dumb enough to believe them) in exchange for support for Lamont. I’d quit my job for 6 months and work 24/7 for Lamont if I thought he’d really win and we could rid ourselves of Finch and Wood. It would be worth it.
City Hall: Yeah I know I am wasting my time. I know our elected officials on the council don’t give a shit as most of them owe their jobs to Finch or at the very least they need to be quiet to keep those jobs. Somebody has to say something or at least put it out there for people to read. It’s too bad the Feds are not paying attention.
Anyone with half a brain has to say why was this done or why did they attempt to do this without an RFP. What are they trying to hide? We will probably never know why. There are a lot of big shots; you know, movers and shakers who are not saying squat but there is always the hope they are doing something to keep these offices downtown. Time will tell.
*** Cecil is not going away anytime soon & will continue to sign up for public speaking as usual, and will continue talking about age-old problems in the community & end up finishing about all his personal problems with his past political city jobs & how no one is listening, etc. … *** Gag order or not, the damage is done. ***
I watched the entire City Council fight video. After the public speaking mess was over the regular Council meeting started. Councilwoman Brantley apologized for Cecil Young’s “belligerent” act (see the video after the fight) and clearly pinned the full blame on Young. Listen to the last part of Cecil’s speech where he said his disability was approved. Soon after, a disabled speaker is on the floor. Noticed that although Brantley was the aggressor, everyone jumped to restrain Mr. Young.
That “Air Cover” ain’t “Dick” to me! I can top that, for the right price. I challenge Linda McMahon to hire OIB talent like me; Lennie (Dem Lover) Grimaldi; and others who have what it takes.
See what I mean folks?
www .ctpost.com/news/article/Schiff-enlists-paid-consulting-firm-to-help-507943.php
*** Let’s see how many OIB bloggers “show” to have a brown-bag lunch with the Mayor to exchange ideas or make complaints, etc. … *** FORGETABOUTIT ***
This comedy of fools at the Common Council has given Bridgeport another Black Eye. We were thrust into the national media acting like North Korean Parliament members. Please, learn a lesson from this and vote these buffoons out of office. In the future just shut off the damn microphone. You all have assaulted a man who had every right to speak without fear of attack. This man has successfully sued the city in the past and will no doubt successfully sue us again.
Perhaps this has something to do with future political ambitions. Are there any openings in the McMahon camp? That Tag Team match was as good as any I have seen in Professional Wrestling. “Major Tom” McCarthy might enjoy wearing tights.