Major Changes At WICC, Plus: The Assessment

5:15 p.m. UPDATE: Mega changes at radio station WICC. Legendary News Director Tim Quinn, a fixture at the station for more than 30 years, has been let go in dramatic cutbacks that also sees the layoff of OIB friends David Smith and afternoon drive host Brian Smith.

Jim Buchanan, who had hosted Talk Of The Town from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. will take over Brian Smith’s afternoon slot.

WICC Progran Director Curt Hansen confirmed the changes with OIB around 5 p.m. Friday. “We’re all in the middle of a worldwide economic slump,” he said.

So here’s the quick lineup change: newsmen Tim Quinn and Paul Pacelli are out. Mike Bellamy is now the morning news guy working with Tony Reno who has potent morning ratings.

Comedian Dennis Miller’s syndicated radio show will fill the 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. slot; syndicated consumer affairs host Clark Howard takes over the 1 to 4 p.m. spot followed by Buchanan.

Sorry to see everyone go, but in particular friends Quinn and David Smith. I’ll have more for Saturday.

The Assessment

If you’re one of thousands of city homeowners pulling out razor blades regarding your tax assessment you have until March 22, the appeal filing deadline, to persuade the Bridgeport Board of Assessment to shave the number.

On top of everything else going on financially, judging by the emails I’m getting, I cannot imagine you like your assessment. It’s a real pain in the ass to learn your assessment skyrockets while housing prices plummet. The timing sucks. Hopefully, that will rectify itself in a couple of years.

Meanwhile you’re wondering if your house is worth more than your mortgage while paying the highest property taxes in the state on top of an income tax, sales tax, car tax and all the other taxes in Connecticut.

Oh, yeah, I know that’s the price you pay for living in the wealthiest state in the country. Gee, how did it get that way? Can’t wait to hear Democratic gubernatorial candidates Dan Malloy, Jimmy Amann and Susan Bysiewicz yap the solutions.

Refund Madness

If I do not receive a tax refund this year I promise not to punch my accountant in the nose. Did you hear about the Bridgeport woman that was pinched for allegedly attacking her tax preparer. She apparently freaked when she learned that her refund wasn’t juiced enough. Irony is she lost it at the Liberty Tax Service. Wonder if she’ll lose her liberty over it.

Warning to OIB accountants (paging Yahooy and Bob Walsh). Hire bodyguards.

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21 comments

  1. *** Nice to read you’ve missed me there B/F; I received the wrong I.D.# so would you mind blogging the right one? Thanks! *** Joel, your’s was a typo error in my last blog; however you still need some modification training in self-respect. *** Dewars, I’ve noticed you seem to like the drink handles like salty dog, pauli girl, etc. Also, are you still playing for the Rainbow League? Pitchers & catchers will be reporting soon, you still doing both? ***

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  2. Lennie, I agree with TrueBlue from the last post. Connecticut’s income tax is not only lower than many states, it has few taxing levels. The state is in a mess, and one thing that I did agree with the governor on is regionalism. Our towns and cities are also decimated because Connecticut relies on property taxes to fund them. Well, there is state aid; I mean, there was state aid. If we can use a fairer form of progressive income tax and use that revenue for cities and towns, there would be a corresponding lowering, at the very least a stemming of the rising property taxes.

    Let me ask you this: Is it fairer to tax someone more who is making a million dollars or more of taxable income a year, than a person who has lived in their $500,000 home for decades and which appreciated causing their taxes to rise despite they are retired, or on a fixed income? In many cases property owners with limited or no income are being taxed more than their wealthier counterparts with less property. Please don’t tell me the solution is for them to sell their only assets or move out of town, the solution is to fix the system.

    I don’t begrudge people who make a lot of money, if truth be told I am in that category. However, I believe in the philosophy of Ben Franklin (oddly enough the inventor of property taxes), a great champion of the middle class. Franklin said that the laws are not made by the poor, but by the wealthy legislature, and they made laws voluntarily which subjected their own estates to taxes to help support the poor. Franklin believed that actions should be judged by how much they benefited the common good, policies that encouraged hard work were good not because they led to private wealth, but because they increased the total well-being of the community (rising tide lifts all boats). Before Wondering starts screaming socialist, Franklin also warned against welfare dependency and believed the rich worked for the laboring poor by spending their money on goods and services products made and sold by the merchants and laboring poor.

    I am sure you wonder why I bring up Franklin and what he has to do with taxes, but he really was the father of taxes for the civic and common good. I believe we need to look to History to see past policy failure, find what worked and transform it into something better for the future. He believed in progressive tax, work instead of welfare and a balance between rich and poor. He adamantly believed that a healthy middle class was how society functioned best. That is why we should take this time of crisis, see our failed property tax system, and look for a fairer form of taxation and lower the cost of government by creating regional efforts.

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    1. “However, I believe in the philosophy of Ben Franklin (oddly enough the inventor of property taxes), a great champion of the middle class.”

      The concept of taxation has been practiced way before the birth of Ben Franklin. During biblical times, taxation was the mechanism used to raise revenue. Taxation (too much of it) led to the Boston Tea Party which led (in part) to the American Revolution. If the British Crown was taxing the colonies, then Ben Franklin could not have invented taxes.

      Ben was considered by many “The champion of the middle class.” I find it ironic that Ben Franklin, a leading author and printer, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman and diplomat, died poor.
      He invented the lightning rod for example; Franklin decided not to seek a patent for it. The lightning rod saved millions of lives and property–with a simple patent, he could have made millions and set up Foundations and Universities with that money. He elected to let people use his idea for free and die broke. This might explain why the elected officials of today want us to die broke and are taxing us to death.

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  3. MCAT: I am not going to yell socialism but I will tell you regionalism is pie in the sky. I am for regionalization but our suburban neighbors are not. There are maybe 6 big cities in CT and 163 small towns. These 163 small towns screw the cities every chance they get. Just look at the allocation of state funds and where the majority of monies end up. Do they throw the cities a bone every now and then? Yes. Can you tell me why I pay a lot more taxes here in Bridgeport than someone in Greenwich (assuming my small house was in Greenwich)? Can you tell me why the small towns on average get more school funding? Look at these schools in the ‘burbs and then look at the schools in the cities; also look at classroom size. The only time the ‘burbs want regionalization is when it’s to their benefit and their benefit alone. Just look at the recent sewer deal that Monroe and Scinto and Finch tried to force down our throats. Other than an initial payment Bridgeport would have gotten screwed in the long run. BTW MCAT just look at the stimulus package that came out of the house of representatives and tell me there are not a lot of giveaways there (see I did not mention socialism).

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  4. I subscribe to an on-line legislative alert system that is designed to alert financial services companies of proposed or contemplated regulations. Governor Rell has proposed to increase by 5X the filing fees for starts of new businesses and triple the annual fee. I wonder how many budding entrepreneurs will take a look at this fiasco and decide to do business elsewhere?

    MCAT really has the cliche down pat. I’m glad she makes a lot of money. It really enamors her to the public she so adamantly strives to preserve. Tsk Tsk.

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  5. When I mean wealthy, I mean in comparison to 90% of the world’s population, that 10% also includes you yahooy and probably most people on this blog as you have computers, homes and jobs. I am sick to death of the Eeyore mentality of it will never work. Wondering, you missed the point about the taxing structure. Connecticut relies on property taxes more than any other state, except maybe New Jersey. The system needs to change.

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  6. “Where the hell are we going to get the money to get us out of this hole we’re in?” … the goombah mayor said to aids.

    “Taxes. Raise taxes on the corporations” said the dumb shit the goombah mayor hired as a budget guru because his uncle Angelo delivered some votes.

    “There are no corporations left in Bridgeport” … said the goombah mayor.

    “How come?” said the patronagely employed minion.

    “Taxes are too high” … so said the goombah.

    “Where are we going to get the money to pay our city pay checks then?” … said the exasperated sycophant.

    “Tax the people” the self-proclaimed wise old goombah snorted.

    “Oh.” said the still “I don’t get it patronage plant”. Let’s go down to Épernay, it’s Friday happy hour.

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  7. Perhaps the more common (and proper) spelling is Eeyore. Eeyore is the sad little doom and gloom donkey who is the constant companion of Winnie the Pooh. While I am not a Winnie the Pooh seeing only the honey in the swarming beehive optimist, I do believe that is preferable to little Eeyore who thinks disaster is around every corner and there is no sense in trying because it will never work. I think someone else said it better, “For myself I am an optimist–it does not seem to be much use being anything else.”
    Sir Winston Churchill, speech at the Lord Mayor’s banquet, London, November 9, 1954.
    Wondering, trust me when I tell you there are many suburbanites who want a thriving Bridgeport, just look in today’s CT Post letters. Wouldn’t it ease that knot up just a little to believe “hey, maybe there is a chance we can make things better?”

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  8. “If you’re one of thousands of city homeowners pulling out razor blades regarding your tax assessment you have until March 22, the appeal filing deadline, to persuade the Bridgeport Board of Assessment to shave the number.”

    For Rent:
    Hand-made guillotine with two (2) pound hammer. Only one made in 1994; used once. Specifically designed to cut wood, paper, meat and bones, any large tax bill or assessment bill; guaranteed or your money back. Nine (9) times more effective than a razor blade. For inquiries contact agent Lennie Grimaldi at: www .onlyinbridgeport.com

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  9. Hate like hell to see anyone ever lose their job … but with that said, Mr. Quinn has been stumbling through the news for awhile now and forgetting to complete his sentences … sorry to say he lost his fastball … Dennis Miller??? Hope it’s the Saturday night live newsman Miller and not the Monday night football Miller.

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  10. Franklin was the first one to suggest levying property taxes for the public good, such as firehouses. A measure of a man is not the wealth he died with but rather the wealth he shared during his lifetime.

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  11. And just as a side note–I read in the paper not that long ago from Philadelphia …

    “Among those (fire) companies closed was Engine 8 at 4th and Arch Streets, the oldest fire company in the United States which was founded by Benjamin Franklin.”

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