One week after the lowest general election mayoral turnout in city history (18.2 percent according to the official number provided by elections officials), time to take a quick look at the numbers within the numbers. City Council members love it when they run ahead of the mayor’s vote totals. Other than Black Rock where Republican mayoral candidate Rick Torres had a big win, Mayor Bill Finch run up potent wins across the city. He ran ahead of all City Council members except in these districts … drum roll please …
In the 130th District, Black Rock School and Longfellow School, Finch received a total of 842 votes. District City Council members Sue Brannelly and Marty McCarthy compiled 1010 and 976 respectively. Particularly impressive was the vote splitting in Black Rock School, Torres’ home precinct where he also owns the popular Harborview Market. Torres won the precinct 698 to 439. Brannelly posted 618 votes and McCarthy 609. These numbers validate their popularity in Black Rock. Republican council candidates John Weldon and John Slater received 494 and 513 respectively at Black Rock School. Write-in candidates David Moore and Jim Fox trailed with 11 votes and 52 votes respectively.
In the 133rd District, City Council President Tom McCarthy reaffirmed his strong West Side/North End following at Central and Blackham schools with 854 total votes. Mayor Finch received 818. McCarthy’s district partner Howard Austin ran behind the mayor. Big Mac has emerged as one of the biggest vote producers in the city, particularly at Central where he’s established a pattern for delivering candidates he supports.
In the Noth End 134th District both City Council members Michelle Lyons, with 1279 votes and AmyMarie Vizzo-Paniccia, 1152 votes, ran ahead of the mayor’s 1106 votes. The North End has a history of independent voting. Ticket splitting translates into Lyons’ and Vizzo-Paniccia’s strong constituent work.
What does all of this mean? The mayor had a big win, but council members running ahead of him shows they’ve built a strong following on their own beyond the Democratic party registration advantage. Pols tend to snuggle up to council members who build neighborhood prestige. An independent following is also helpful to secure extra goodies for their district. And a little bragging rights as well.
Lennie, did these numbers include absentee ballots at Black Rock? Some crazy splitting must have been going on ’cause I voted for Finch the Democrat and voted for Slater the Republican at Black Rock.
Yes, absentee ballots included.
Lennie, do you have Dunbar and Wilbur Cross numbers???
This kind of leaves me to wonder if there were, in fact, a noticeable number of voters who left the mayoral choice blank.
The number difference is small. In some cases if just a hundred more people came out to vote, election outcomes would have been changed.
Tonight on the program … people come to Bridgeport for entertainment and we will look at one of the entertainment ordinances. Also we will discuss the city charter.
On the city charter … I am confused. Do we need to change the city charter which still says the BOE is elected by the people? “Each political party entitled to nominate candidates for election to said board shall nominate three persons and the four persons receiving the highest number of votes at such election shall be elected.”
Or does Section 10-223e(h) of the Connecticut General Statutes, cited in the takeover, overrule the city charter? If so, what else overrules the charter?
Nothing to do with politics (but then, it’s food that gets out the vote–see Mario’s restaurant).
Bridgeport Schools served actual, real chicken legs today.
It wasn’t (I know it’s hard to believe) a chicken tater or a pre-heated chicken nugget. This lunch involved an actual broiled leg wrapped around a real chicken bone. I was in shock.
It brought me back to the days of spaghetti creole, a much beloved, almost home-made, baked overnight with cheese on top lunch most of us older Fairfield County educational alumni remember (with love–sniff).
That’s what lunch is all about. Somebody serving something who cares enough to take it above the mediocre.
www .greenwichalumni.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&func=view&id=3&catid=10
The relevant section of 10-223e of the Connecticut General Statutes states that, “notwithstanding the provisions of chapter 146, any special act, charter or ordinance, grant the Commissioner of Education the authority to reconstitute the local or regional board of education for such school district in accordance with the provisions of subsection (h) of this section.”
That provision is intended to preempt the Bpt. Charter and any local or state legislation that conflicts with its provisions, such as the requirement of an elected school board. The constitutionality of that issue may be determined by the Supreme Court, if they get past the issue of whether the State followed the statutory perquisites of requiring the BBPT to undergo a specific type of training and reporting.
MCAT,
Good to hear from you again. Always instructive as to what is happening and the possible legal movements. So we have a sitting State-appointed Board today and a non-unanimously self-unseated Bridgeport nine with the “velvet glove secret” activities of Mayor Finch also weighing in on the scales. Do we have a “third group or set of persons” who would claim some right or authority to govern education in Bridgeport? (Like the Mayor’s office, or designees of same?)
My goodness, wouldn’t that put us in a situation similar to the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages when there were three claimants to the papacy, one from Rome, another from Avignon and yet another from Pisa? Took many decades to work that one out. It was about power and influence then.
So what about the kids in the meantime? Look for open, accountable and transparent process. Go to the meetings and hearings. Listen to the words. Look at the actions. Time will tell.
David Moore had 2 more votes at Longfellow so the total should have been 13.