Bridgeport’s next mayor will receive the oath of office Dec. 1. CT Post reporter Brian Lockhart examines the potential faces who could enter City Hall.
Ex-Mayor Joseph Ganim defeated Finch in the Sept. 16 primary.
Finch has endorsed rival-turned-ally Mary-Jane Foster who came in third in the primary but is now running as an independent.
Ganim, Foster and Republican Enrique Torres have all provided some insight on the campaign trail into how their administrations might look different from Finch’s.
The incumbent’s defeat has excited those who dislike certain members of Finch’s inner circle.
Full story here.
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Changing faces at City Hall with a new administration will be real. Speculating about it now may be fun but it is not news.
If Mayoral candidates on Lines A, B, and G have ideas why attorney, finance and/or labor relations need changes perhaps those are issues that are newsworthy. Issues like those are part of the reason for the ever-decreasing effectiveness of those on the City Council.
Several years ago a CT Post article referred to me as a City fiscal watchdog. When you track down the money and how it gets spent, it connects with other City problems and issues, so perhaps my commentaries are broader than originally. But City governance is broken in structure, process and operation and that is not good for taxpayers who do not stand a chance with the way the City fails to report (or inaccurately reports) its financial affairs: revenues, appropriations, variances, Net Taxable Grand List, grants and employees thus supported, Capital budgets and accounts, and even an annual Comprehensive audit with 20 or more errors. Where do you start? Where is ghostbusters or a sheriff?
Most importantly understanding the trust issues he faces for choices made years ago, how does the Line A candidate get away with these three lines relating to TRANSPARENCY?
1) Restore accountability in City Hall–great line but where are the specifics of this issue? Joe has never spoken to this “watchdog,” the only one Lockhart referenced, about these matters and I have been available. There is so much to do. Why hasn’t Ken Flatto or the Mayor want-to-be read the material I have been raising for five years or more? What will they correct for the people of the City that serves OPEN, ACCOUNTABLE, TRANSPARENT and HONEST (and that would allow trust to return if these values are served)?
2) An “independent” office of public integrity is offered, but if the Mayor is the individual nominating the members, drafting the mission statement for this group, and the group has no powers of enforcement by Charter or otherwise, just how does this work? Ed Adams, retired from the FBI, can be hired and will provide his advice as requested to his employer, but how would the prosecutor of the avaricious behavior who broke the law comment on this candidacy? Or do opinions and endorsement really matter unless the person commenting is known by the audience as someone who lives with integrity?
3) Opening locked doors at City Hall probably refers to the top-down control over comments, decision making, and search for ‘better practices’ necessary in all institutions today, but ignored unfortunately by members of the Finch administration who believe if you had enough PR commentaries every day telling people the City is getting better, all would be happy. What a shame. What a waste of taxpayer funds.
Knowing what getting public safety up to speed for short- and long-term duties and what that will cost, what areas are open to budget knives? Anyone? There are voter taxpayers who care about this stuff, and whether you are paying $7,000, $17,000 or $70,000 annually for your residential or business property, you should believe the billing is fair, honest, and well monitored, right? Look for watchdogs with experience who can discuss the specifics. Time will tell.
My hope is whoever is elected, David Dunn who heads the Civil Service will be one of the first fired. Dunn is the first Director of Civil Service who had no experience or expertise in that field and his lack of knowledge was painfully obvious.
Under David Dunn for the first time in 47 years no blacks were hired for the police department. For the first time in 39 years no blacks were hired for the fire department. For the first time in 35 years no women were hired for the fire department as well.
In fact, more jobs in both police and fire departments went to suburbanites rather that Bridgeport residents than under any Civil Service Director in the last 50 years. David Dunn is bad for Bridgeport and needs to be replaced immediately, if not sooner.
Good riddance to the carpetbagging suburbanites who have been pimping off the taxpayers of the city of Bridgeport. Given his past record of labor management Joe Ganim will probably leave the hiring and firing to Don Mario Testa.
It’s understandable a mayor-elect will put his or her own stamp on the administration of municipal affairs. It goes without saying the first order of business should be conducting an efficiency study. Too many city agencies do not work for the people of the city of Bridgeport. A little civility goes a long way toward making the show run smoothly.
If Ganim wins, there will be a lot of his old henchmen hired back, you can bet on that. Look for Roach to be chief of all the nickels and his wife Bonnie will be the head of the aging programs.
Ganim has not secured the election. Even with all the experts at election fraud working his campaign, he still has a long way to go.
Will be interesting to see who moves into the oval offices.
If Roach takes DeadWood’s place and Gomes with his business degrees takes Nunn’s place, does Flatto get to uncook Sherwood’s books?
Dubay Horton got a kick save and a beauty!
If Ganim wins, Jeff Kohut will be director of wonkage theory.