Many skeptical union members challenging the city’s numbers don’t want to cough up more concessions to balance the city budget. Mayor Joe Ganim is threatening more layoffs soon if they don’t step up. Who’s right, who’s wrong? Maybe it’s somewhere in the middle.
CT Post scribe Brian Lockhart examines the numbers:
Dwayne Harrison, head of one of the largest unions–the National Association of Government Employees–said his members are also skeptical. About a month ago NAGE rejected the Ganim administration’s request to forgo negotiated raises and also take ten unpaid furlough days.
The vote, Harrison said, was 279 to 24.
Since then, Harrison said, the city has seemingly come up with over $7 million. The Ganim administration agreed to sell Sacred Heart University 8 acres of wetlands for $4 million; settled a sewer system dispute with neighboring Trumbull that requires the latter pay Bridgeport $1.3 million; and passed a budget that set aside $2.1 million for unspecified tax relief–money Ganim has since tried to dip into to fund summer youth programs and an initiative helping ex-offenders find employment.
Full story here.
Who can believe anything this administration says? They have continued the hiring of unqualified political people. They have not reopened any contracts to renegotiate them. In fact this administration is among the least knowledgeable I have seen and Ganim seems like he is coasting instead of leading. Meyers, go back to law school.
I like what you said, Andrew.
Joe leaves Indiana with $10,000 grant from Finch project–so reduce Finch debt and reduce taxes?
patch.com/connecticut/bridgeport/bridgeport-mayor-recognized-sustainability-efforts-thermal-loop-project
Three and one-half years left of this myopic egocentric mayor and his gang (Flatto, Gomes, Meyers, City Council) leaves me truly depressed.
Given his track record on the spending his treatment of the police union it’s hard to imagine how the mayor can ask for concessions from the other unions with a straight face.