Become A Downtown Special Services District Board Member

Best of Bridgeport1 Comment

The Bridgeport Downtown Special Services District’s (DSSD) Board of Commissioners that oversee security, sanitation, marketing and promotion of the central business district is adding four seats on the board for residents, business owners and leaseholders.

The district is financed by an added tax paid by service-area businesses and property owners. The assets include the amphitheater, arena, farmers market, restaurants, City Lights Gallery, retail shops as well as boutique entertainment destinations such as Bijou Theatre and Downtown Cabaret.

The DSSD staff, led by Lauren Coakley Vincent, has also brightened the face of Downtown leveraging a growing artistic community showcasing a tapestry of murals, public art and light-pole banners.

Public art Downtown

Release from the DSSD:

The Bridgeport DSSD opened the Commissioner Nomination Form for all property owners and leaseholders interested in running for a board seat in fiscal year 2026. Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, via the nomination form.

Interested candidates should review the recording of the training session that we held on how to run for election to the Board of Commissioners, including eligibility, what’s involved in serving on the DSSD Board of Commissioners, and the elections process. A recording of the training session is available here: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/F1UlokjNW3P99YMiL2Gl0gIy16FU4h8hetEP1eOCg4vjBg7vxeKA9ljEYUyvWI8X.CZyuvvJrR9V8uWOQ; Passcode: ^C9H#wXq. Additional key documents referenced in the training session were:

Please note: the nomination form does not allow you to save your answers. Review the questions below that you will be asked to submit with your application. Required questions are indicated with an “*”.

  1. Name*
  2. Email Address*
  3. Phone Number*
  4. Downtown Affiliation*: Business Owner, Resident, Nonprofit Organization Leader, Property Owner, Other
  5. Downtown Affiliation Address* – Please include the address for your business, residence, or location of operations within the Bridgeport DSSD’s service area.
  6. Downtown Affiliation Verification* – Please provide a copy of your lease, so that we can verify that your lease is formalized and current.
  7. Meeting Attendance* – Please confirm that you will be able to attend board meetings on the second Wednesday of each month at 4:00 p.m.: Yes,No
  8. Brief biography* – Please tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your connection to Downtown Bridgeport.
  9. Candidate statement* – Please share a few sentences about your interest in serving the neighborhood and why you want to join the Bridgeport DSSD Board of Commissioners.
  10. Candidate headshot* – Please upload a recent photo for us to include in the voter guide.
  11. Board term* – At the annual meeting, the elected commissioners will be announced after the votes are tallied. For the four leaseholder seats, two commissioners shall be elected for a three-year term, one commissioner shall be elected for a two-year term, and one commissioner shall be elected for a one-year term. Following the initial election this year, all commissioners in leaseholder seats shall be elected for three-year terms so that the term of at least one commissioner holding a leaseholder seat shall expire annually thereafter. If elected, do you have a preference for which length of term you will be initially assigned? 1-year term, 2-year term, 3-year term, I am open to all options.

Save the date! The Bridgeport DSSD will be holding its Annual Meeting of the Membership on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. in the Soundview community room (855 Main Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604). Finally, there are other ways to get involved with the Bridgeport DSSD:

1+
Share

One comment

Leave a Reply