UPDATE: Kimberly Staley who most recently served as vice president and director of client services for the KRA Corporation, a workforce development company, has been hired as assistant chief administrative officer. Staley was raised in Father Panik Village and PT Barnum public housing projects. The annual salary is $127,555.
A news release by Mayor Joe Ganim states “Staley’s duties will include leading the planning, coordination, and execution of targeted programs and operations to bring a fresh approach to the challenges Bridgeport is facing.”
To those who know Staley, she brings strong organizational and management skills to the table, something critics of Ganim’s administration assert is lacking. Ganim made her announcement official on Thursday. Upon taking office last December, Ganim hired John Gomes to serve as acting chief administrative officer. Gomes has been a high-profile chief department head serving as the administration’s “hatchet man” grappling with finance and personnel issues. Gomes attended the mayor’s Tuesday meeting with leaders from two municipal unions to sign a concession agreement. It’s unclear if Staley will report directly to Gomes.
From Staley’s LinkedIn profile:
Responsible for implementation of newly acquired contracts; leveraging partnerships, staffing, policy and procedure development and training for federally funded Workforce Investment Act (WIA) adult/dislocated worker programs and the state Welfare to Work (WtW) Jobs First Employment Services (JFES) program.
Leadership of over 70 staff including 2 deputy directors and 7 team leaders 65 career agents, job developers, quality assurance and administrative staff; overall responsible for operating Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and JFES programs with a 5.2 million dollar annual operating budget servicing over 4000 customers. Ensure all state and local Workforce Investment Board guidelines are met and/or exceeded.
Staley has degrees from Howard University, Southern Illinois University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
Staley biography:
As a native of Bridgeport, CT and a proud product of the Bridgeport public school system, Kimberly Staley welcomes the opportunity to serve the city as the Assistant Chief Administrative Officer. Kimberly was raised in Father Panik Village and the PT Barnum public housing communities. She possesses a great deal of zeal, passion and commitment to the City that provided her foundation. “Bridgeport has had a major impact on my life. Bridgeport has helped to shape my perspective and values, and I am humbled to have the opportunity to give back to the community that has meant so much to me and my family. I look forward to working with Mayor Ganim and his administration to improve the quality of life for Bridgeport’s residents by providing superior community programs, services, and resources.”
Ms. Staley career encompasses over 25 years of leadership, management, workforce development and career education experience with a solid background in customer-oriented services. She has provided strategic leadership, direction, and administrative and fiscal oversight for State and Federal contracts in South Carolina, Virginia, California, Florida, and Connecticut. Kimberly has developed a reputation for fostering collaboration and encouraging the engagement of partnering agencies and stakeholders to deliver high-quality services. The operations she has managed and the staff she has helped to develop consistently exceeded expectations with respect to performance, quality, and accountability.
In her most recent position, she served as the Vice President & Director of Client Services with KRA Corporation. In that role Kimberly was responsible for implementing the local Board of Director’s strategic vision and direction for workforce and career development service functions in Hartford, San Diego, Miami, and Oakland. She provided leadership and oversight of the workforce development services for jobseekers and employers.
Prior to KRA Corporation, Ms. Staley was the Manager of Workforce and Delivery Systems for the Hampton Roads Workforce Development Board in Norfolk, Virginia. Kimberly provided oversight, directed and coordinated activities of 30 employees under a 2.2 million dollar federally-funded contract to ensure continuous operations of the OppInc One-Stop Career Center and attainment of federal and state performance standards.
As the Assistant Chief Administrative Officer, Kimberly will rely on her experience in executive management, program development and implementation to lead the planning, coordination, and execution of targeted programs, operations, and activities. Her skills in team building, staff training, and creative problem solving will help to bring a fresh approach to the challenges Bridgeport is facing. She will strive to deliver measurable benefits and outcomes for the residents of Bridgeport by working across departments to develop/refine the overall service delivery service structure and leverage the nuanced relationships between these programs to improve consistency, gain efficiencies, and enable a “big picture” view.
Kimberly serves on the executive committee and is the Membership Chairperson of the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP). She also serves as the Vice Chair of the KNOTS Community Development Corporation. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Howard University and earned a Masters of Science in Education Degree, with a Major in Workforce Education and Development from Southern Illinois University.
The Ganim Administration is falling apart as we speak and right in front of our own eyes. THIS IS THE TITANIC. Doling out more high-paying positions when the pizzamaker is making all the decisions. Ganim is sinking fast and the sharks are circling.
Joe, you really are an arrogant asshole. You raised our taxes, you blackmailed the unions for givebacks and then go and hire a person for a $139,000 a year job. This person may be very capable but do we need another high salary? To do what? We are paying Ed Adams and former chief Chapman a combined $5,000 per week. For What? Why are we paying a bar owner $91,000 per year for checking potholes? BTW Joe, where is John Gomes’ Masters degree? Does he have one? Who is making money by the city taking over the transfer station? We are buying four Ford trailer trucks, dumpsters and dumpster trucks all being engineered by John Ricci, the same guy involved with the $400K spent on a driveway at the airport. Joe, you are nothing more than a short, balding version of Bill Finch.
Attaboy, Andy!
If John Gomes was doing her job and the city is broke, why did we hire her? She may in fact be extremely qualified. Perhaps she is Gomes’ replacement??? Still wrapping my head around an Economic Development chief who has no record of achievement in development projects during the Mandanici era, to replace Kooris. I think now people may wonder if Finch did have a good team and now it is dismantled with only Finch projects in the queue, I am very disturbed by this. I am sure I am alone on this and that is okay.
BTW Ms. Stanley, Good luck and you have a beautiful smile!
The OIB crowd was complaining and crying about Finch for F****** eight years. Ganim makes Finch look like an amateur.
Andy–Hate to burst your bubble. John Ricci is a Professional Engineer. He understands the fiscal ramifications of his decisions. Your above mention of purchase of vehicles is way off base. It’s not a purchase deal but a lease deal with a favorable outcome at end of lease. Furthermore, this deal is a more efficient and fiscally fit decision to run this transfer station.
OHHH, please tell us about John Ricci. Ask John Ricci ANY QUESTION, and his answer to EVERY question is I DID WHAT I WAS TOLD TO DO. UMMM. UMMM. UMMM UMMM.
Frank–Would you like some Whine with your Gyure Cheese?
You’re killing me!
STILL NO PUBLIC NAME. Your statements would not even deserve to be on a recipe for KOCSNYA.
Grin Ripper. You are an alias and therefore you have no balls and no courage. After that you have no knowledge of surnames and therefore you assume and make an ass of yourself.
Want some Szalonna served with your surname?
Finally you got it right after I put it directly in front of your face. I CHALLENGE YOU. TELL US YOUR REAL NAME. If not, take the kolbasz and hurka and stick it up your a**. Are you coming public? OR ARE YOU GOING TO HIDE BEHIND YOUR ALIAS.
Csokolom! Want some Paprikash?
Grin Ripper, still hiding behind your alias. I gave you some hints so you took your insults from France to Hungary. Guess what? Not a single piece of you would even be put into any Kocsnya.
Frank–Here’s a hint. My last name rhymes with Jelly!
Ohh really? No games GRIN REAPER. Tell us your name or get lost. I have no time to rhyme with jelly.
Grin–thanks for the lease information. Good to know.
My pleasure!
You are not bursting my bubble. I only have your word it’s good for the city. We are going to lease at least four (4) trailer trucks, multiple dumpsters and dumpster trucks and a bulldozer. So Ricci is an engineer? When was the last time he worked as an engineer? When was the last time he received training as an engineer?
I live near the transfer station, can I get a new driveway?
Andy–every day he works as an engineer, a civil engineer. He’s no Choo-Choo Charlie! If you had an easement on city property he could get you an access driveway. I’ll see if he can pave your street.
I am sorry, he does not work as a civil engineer in his present job. In fact the park he is now in charge of he is not qualified to be head of the park department.
What is he, a Pumper Engineer?
www .bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/civil-engineers.htm
Pumper Engineer:
Operating the pump at a working fire can be a high-pressure job, if you will excuse the pun. Pump operators are obliged to supply water on demand to a wide variety of appliances ranging from booster reels to cellar pipes to sprinkler systems, including every kind of handline and master stream in between. Each appliance has its own exigencies and requirements. For the study of hydraulics, friction loss formulas, pump specifications, and so on, to lead to precision in pumping operations, it is necessary to understand the underlying concepts and terminology on which they are based. Some of the basic concepts of fire service hydraulics for the “hands-on” pump operator in the field are discussed below.
FLOW
Flow is the volume of water delivered through hoselines to the burning material by means of the mechanical force of the fire pump. Measured in gallons per minute (gpm), flow is the definitive factor in whether the fire will be controlled or not. The minimum flow recommended for a handline operating inside a burning building is 150 gpm, except during overhaul. Flow rates to master streams range from 350 gpm for deluge sets up to 1,000 gpm for elevated platforms.
Most standard fire pumps are designed and rated to flow a capacity of either 1,000; 1,500; or 2,000 gpm. Hence, a 1,000-gallon pumper would be capable of supplying one tower ladder or up to three deluge sets, provided that conditions are right, meaning that the water source was capable of yielding 1,000 gpm to the intake side of the pump.
Ron–I’ve always admired and respected our bravest.
Now we know the Grin Ripper is none other than John Ricci. Keep standing up for yourself, John. No one else seems willing to do so.
Grin Ripper is not John Ricci.
And his last name really does rhyme with jelly belly!
K
Shame on you, Joe. You say we have no money, you ask the unions for givebacks and now you hire someone. Shame on you. One term, Joe. Do more with less.
I don’t know this woman from Adam. But what exactly is her job going to be? Does he really need her? Her resume sounds to me like someone who has created a niche career in the privatization of unemployment industry.
For $140K I would think we need more than this.
I’m pleased to know a woman of experience has been hired in a high-profile position and I wish her only the best. With that said, I’m told the environment in the Mayor’s suite is quite volatile among existing staff, I would attribute that to those holding positions they’re not qualified to hold, thereby they all seem to be vying and competing among each other. I have a feeling when this qualified woman begins her work, egos in that department will begin to rear their ugly heads. From what I gather, she appears to have experience and credentials that far exceed those presently navigating that department. I’m sincerely not demeaning the “firsts.” I hope she’s ready to deal with that because she’s in for the fight of her life as she tries to do what she was hired to do. I have a way of knowing the machinations of what goes on up there. I’ll never reveal my source, but I will share with my blogger friends when the sparks start flying. Good luck Kimberly, from one woman to another.
Lisa, I agree with you, she will be run out of town just like in G1 with Marie Dukes, who is black, who was the Labor Relation Director who worked for the former New York governor, Mario Cuomo.
And thanks Ron. I was trying to remember Marie Dukes’ name ever since Ganim got reelected.
And let’s not forget Roz Hamilton. African American woman who was head of the Health Dept. Joe undercut her authority by creating a new position above her so she reported to a white male who was not qualified for the job because he did not have a Masters in Public Health.
Joe Ganim has always had a problem with strong smart black women.
Ron, Joe Ganim has always had a problem with all strong, smart women! On that he doesn’t discriminate. When I was CC, he had to fight with all his might to try to keep up with me, what frustrated him most was he couldn’t get rid of me, I was elected the same as he, I didn’t screw up because of ambition, power or greed, I kept being reelected until I decided 20 years was enough. I, unlike some, left of my own volition.
What are you saying, Ron? If Ganim has a problem with smart, strong black women, is Kimberly Staley weak, stupid or both? If you can’t stay in your lane at least try to stay in one lane.
Do you know Kimberly Staley? Please, but guess you think you are a strong woman and that’s why you hide your real name because you feel that Ganim will fire you.
I feel Kimberly Staley will do a great job if she is allowed to do her job.
That is good to know. What IS her job? The one you are so sure she will be good at.
Didn’t he just recently get rid of another African American lady who was the Health Department Director? Whom did he replace her with, maybe another crony? The city of Bridgeport is quickly becoming an endangered species under the Ganim regime. Are the citizenry and the unions just going to stand by wringing their hands and tolerating this nonsense? They should be rioting in front of his kingdom at 999 Broad St.
I hope those two city unions that came up with their givebacks aren’t counting on that no-layoff clause.
Isn’t that what Malloy told the state unions when they agreed to givebacks? The no-layoff clause last on budget cycle.
But the unions will say it’s in writing, but then again so was the contract that is being changed.
Amen!
I KNOW ONE THING, KIM IS A GREAT PERSON. SHE KNOWS HER JOB AND I BELIEVE WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND MOST OF THESE BUMS HIRED DON’T.
Please tell us coach, what is her job? No one seems to know that! Just another junior deputy Chief Administrative Officer.
Let’s do some simple math here. Ganim put the squeeze on two unions and got concessions amounting to $500K. Now he goes and hires four people, Coble at $75K, Pizarro at $75k, Magdaly Matos at $52K ($25 hr x 40 hrs) and now this lady at $127,555 for a total of $329,555, and G-d only knows who else he will sneak in through the back door. He has spent over $329K of the $500K union concessions to hire four people after crying he needed to close a hole in the budget! This guy is a shameless liar and a shyster. What a disgrace and he has no remorse about his actions. The unions let him get over on them again, and I don’t know what, if any, recourse they have.
The entire ‘giveback or layoff’ negotiating is an insult to the taxpayers. Do you need the workers or not? If you can lay the people off, do it. Shrink city government. What if the unions took the layoffs? How would the city run? If you could have done it then, do it now. These people whose jobs were saved should start looking for a new one. You now know you are expendable. Your job was not saved. The inevitable was just postponed.
In the past two days this Administration has spent $203,000 on the salary of a tax deadbeat and a THIRD layer of Chief Administrative Officer. There goes almost half of the Union Concessions. They release this information expecting buy-in from those whom are paying these people? Are they out of their minds?
I think the hiring of this young lady was to keep John Gomes in check.
Wouldn’t it be a better use of taxpayer funds to just get rid of Gomes if they found someone who is actually worth the salary? Was it really necessary to hire a baby sitter for him at $128K a year, on top of his $135K salary? What a slap in the face to taxpayers.
G2 could use people with relevant experience at the municipal or state level. I worked for the local regional workforce board prior to working for the city. There is no relevance.
Staley may have been raised in Bridgeport but she lives in West Hartford now.
Her ‘bio’ is low on description of functional experience and high on hyperbole found in describing jobs with little justification.
She does not live in Bridgeport?