Mayor Bill Finch and wife Sonya wave to peeps in front of Holiday Inn on Friday. Photos courtesy of mayor's Facebook page.
OMG, it's 2013 Barnum Festival Ringmaster John Stafstrom, former Democratic Town Chair. If nothing else this festival season is going to be fun.
City Council President Tom "Big Mac" McCarthy is excited, for a new pope and a nice day for a parade Downtown.
The Uptown String Band makes the turn at Fairfield and Broad.
What's a parade without the Gaelic Club?
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12 comments
*** Nice parade on a cool March day with Gaelic clubs and marching bands, school kids, the uptown Mummers, the cycling Murrays, P/D & F/D’s from parts of CT and the usual yearly clowns, no? *** CHEERS! ***
Hmmm, I wonder who has been profiting from the City’s–Bridgeport–“deep troubles?”
“… But Wall Street isn’t shedding any tears, as it has found a way to profit from Motown’s deep troubles. With the city seeking loans to cover pension shortfalls, debt payments and deficits since 2005, Wall Street companies have profited to the tune of $474 million in fees, according to Bloomberg …” money.msn.com/now/post.aspx?post=1f8f523a-e1a0-49ff-9dc2-a9a7770bd64f
Joel,
It’s just business, isn’t it? I am sorry to keep referring to the recent authorization by the Council Budget and Appropriations Committee to place the requested $110 Million Tax Anticipation Note on the consent calendar. As you are aware the City Council approved the item without discussion. That is the nature of the CONSENT CALENDAR PROCESS.
A taxpayer assumes the inquiry and fact finding are done in B&A Committee. However, if good questions are raised but info sought about interest rates, marketing expenses, legal expenses, etc. is not presented by City Finance, then the minutes will show nothing to the taxpayer.
If the City representative offers to get requested info for the Council member (and subsequently actually does that, but perhaps not in time to inform ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS voting on the consent calendar) the COUNCIL is voting in the DARK. And the info so supplied never becomes an exhibit to be read along with the Committee minutes. And the minutes for the past two years will show only questions were asked, with a City response of I CAN GET IT FOR YOU. This is the slick process the Council has been using. It is not efficient in that 20 Council members cannot answer the questions one of their members has raised. And it has to do with spending tax dollars.
What if Council members refused to vote on an issue unless and until they had all of the information they deemed necessary to vote on matters competently and prudently in light of the City’s precarious financial position??? I love that question. Do you? Ask your Council member why answering that question causes them pause to think. Why aren’t they demanding such info routinely? Lack of courage? Conflicts of interest that require you determine what move is best for your rather than what is best for those you represent? Time will tell.
JML, there are ways to combat this kind of activity by the City Council. Imagine how many people would become better informed of the facts surrounding the $110 million TAN if you and I stood on Fairfield Avenue (in front of Marty’s) with signs that read “You owe $110 Million” and then proceed to give the curious Bridgeport taxpayer a flyer explaining it all. Imagine doing this citywide. It’s fruitless to ask questions of people to whom ‘keeping things quiet’ is in their best interests.
Joel,
Fruitless would mean the tree or vine is bearing no fruit. However before you have fruit, there must be a flowering, and before a flower, a healthy plant that has sufficient nutrients and water plus a soil conducive to its habits.
What I am doing is holding up Council behavior, which may have descended to its current level from where it was when Andres Ayala was Council President. (And if he is aware of that, it would be an excellent reason for him to support the Hennessy bill. And if he doesn’t know or care then he can remain blind to the operating governance structure of Bridgeport, for when the crisis is upon us finally and solutions are sought, he will be blamed for allowing the game to continue. It will be seen as a former Chief Watchdog, he left the kennel with only the blind, deaf and dumb companions to warn the taxpayers of Bridgeport what was being done in their name.)
The Mayor is in current violation of the City Charter regarding posting of the Capital Budget. That is not just a tardy matter, but one of actual annual public participation, distribution, hearing and regular access. We await the Operating Budget the Charter says must get to the Council not later than the first Tuesday of April. However the 2012 CAFR claimed the time period became overdue if not received 120 days before the end of the fiscal year, about March 2. Error in the CAFR? Misunderstanding? Sowing confusion in public? What would Tom Sherwood say? Soon enough … Time will tell.
There should be a rule stating any matter with financial implications costing or involving over $2,000 must (not shall) be sent to committee and voted on by the City Council. Any borrowing (including TAN) over $1 million, a Public Hearing must be held.
Discussion this morning at the den of inquiry by a group consisting of city employees, elected officials–and just folks–were city employees paid to march in this parade?
They should have run Finch out of town on a rail for his inept handling (or is it MIS-handling?) of the blizzard. He has some nerve even showing his face in public.
*** Nice parade on a cool March day with Gaelic clubs and marching bands, school kids, the uptown Mummers, the cycling Murrays, P/D & F/D’s from parts of CT and the usual yearly clowns, no? *** CHEERS! ***
Nice pictures. Thank you for sharing!
Hmmm, I wonder who has been profiting from the City’s–Bridgeport–“deep troubles?”
“… But Wall Street isn’t shedding any tears, as it has found a way to profit from Motown’s deep troubles. With the city seeking loans to cover pension shortfalls, debt payments and deficits since 2005, Wall Street companies have profited to the tune of $474 million in fees, according to Bloomberg …”
money.msn.com/now/post.aspx?post=1f8f523a-e1a0-49ff-9dc2-a9a7770bd64f
Joel,
It’s just business, isn’t it? I am sorry to keep referring to the recent authorization by the Council Budget and Appropriations Committee to place the requested $110 Million Tax Anticipation Note on the consent calendar. As you are aware the City Council approved the item without discussion. That is the nature of the CONSENT CALENDAR PROCESS.
A taxpayer assumes the inquiry and fact finding are done in B&A Committee. However, if good questions are raised but info sought about interest rates, marketing expenses, legal expenses, etc. is not presented by City Finance, then the minutes will show nothing to the taxpayer.
If the City representative offers to get requested info for the Council member (and subsequently actually does that, but perhaps not in time to inform ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS voting on the consent calendar) the COUNCIL is voting in the DARK. And the info so supplied never becomes an exhibit to be read along with the Committee minutes. And the minutes for the past two years will show only questions were asked, with a City response of I CAN GET IT FOR YOU. This is the slick process the Council has been using. It is not efficient in that 20 Council members cannot answer the questions one of their members has raised. And it has to do with spending tax dollars.
What if Council members refused to vote on an issue unless and until they had all of the information they deemed necessary to vote on matters competently and prudently in light of the City’s precarious financial position??? I love that question. Do you? Ask your Council member why answering that question causes them pause to think. Why aren’t they demanding such info routinely? Lack of courage? Conflicts of interest that require you determine what move is best for your rather than what is best for those you represent? Time will tell.
JML, there are ways to combat this kind of activity by the City Council. Imagine how many people would become better informed of the facts surrounding the $110 million TAN if you and I stood on Fairfield Avenue (in front of Marty’s) with signs that read “You owe $110 Million” and then proceed to give the curious Bridgeport taxpayer a flyer explaining it all. Imagine doing this citywide. It’s fruitless to ask questions of people to whom ‘keeping things quiet’ is in their best interests.
Joel,
Fruitless would mean the tree or vine is bearing no fruit. However before you have fruit, there must be a flowering, and before a flower, a healthy plant that has sufficient nutrients and water plus a soil conducive to its habits.
What I am doing is holding up Council behavior, which may have descended to its current level from where it was when Andres Ayala was Council President. (And if he is aware of that, it would be an excellent reason for him to support the Hennessy bill. And if he doesn’t know or care then he can remain blind to the operating governance structure of Bridgeport, for when the crisis is upon us finally and solutions are sought, he will be blamed for allowing the game to continue. It will be seen as a former Chief Watchdog, he left the kennel with only the blind, deaf and dumb companions to warn the taxpayers of Bridgeport what was being done in their name.)
The Mayor is in current violation of the City Charter regarding posting of the Capital Budget. That is not just a tardy matter, but one of actual annual public participation, distribution, hearing and regular access. We await the Operating Budget the Charter says must get to the Council not later than the first Tuesday of April. However the 2012 CAFR claimed the time period became overdue if not received 120 days before the end of the fiscal year, about March 2. Error in the CAFR? Misunderstanding? Sowing confusion in public? What would Tom Sherwood say? Soon enough … Time will tell.
How hard do you think Stafstrom searched to find wheels that matched his jacket?
I think finding a jacket to match the wheels would have been much simpler.
There should be a rule stating any matter with financial implications costing or involving over $2,000 must (not shall) be sent to committee and voted on by the City Council. Any borrowing (including TAN) over $1 million, a Public Hearing must be held.
Discussion this morning at the den of inquiry by a group consisting of city employees, elected officials–and just folks–were city employees paid to march in this parade?
Bridgeport politics would be much easier without the politicians …
They should have run Finch out of town on a rail for his inept handling (or is it MIS-handling?) of the blizzard. He has some nerve even showing his face in public.