The League of Women Voters of the Bridgeport Area will lead a free open forum tonight (Tuesday) at 7 p.m. at the Burroughs Community Center on Fairfield Avenue featuring candidates for City Council in the 130th District that covers Black Rock and a portion of the West End. One of those candidates is Enrique Torres who’s also the Republican candidate for mayor.
Torres and Republican Town Chairman John Slater are the GOP candidates, Katie Bukovsky and Scott Burns the Democratic candidates while John Marshall Lee and Tyisha Toms are running as petitioning candidates. The top two vote producers On Nov. 3 will represent the district on the City Council. Torres will appear on both the GOP mayoral and City Council district lines.
Bridgeport resident Gail Janensch, a member of the League of Women Voters, will serve as moderator.
If, and that’s a big if, Black Rockers are smart and really want a voice on the council, they will elect Toms and Lee. They both have attended council and BOE meetings. JML has been to every budget hearing for five years and knows the budget better than anyone in this city.
Torres is running just in case he loses his bid for mayor, which will happen. Slater is running because no one else will run on the Republican line. The two endorsed candidates Katie Bukovsky and Scott Burns are running because Danny Roach told them to run. These two have no clue.
You know the truth about Bukovsky and Burns, at least.
Andy, BINGO!!! Toms and Lee all the way. Rick Torres is like Rand Paul who is running to be president and senator at the same time, two losers.
Ron,
Quack-quack-quack.
Ron, I was at the forum last night. The endorsed candidates should hang their heads in shame. The tax reval was discussed. They acknowledge the whole non-Black Rock section of the city are overpaying taxes by as much as $5,000 per year, and they said, oh gosh, why should Black Rock pay more just because the majority of the poorest in the city are not taxed fairly. The only way to keep taxes in Black Rock from going up is to postpone the reval. Are they really the voice and face of typical Democrats running in this city? Toms pointed out the Land Use Tax, which the city applied for only because of Torres, will tax the big business owned vacant land at best use to keep the taxes either flat or lower in Black Rock, and she studied a tax abatement program in NYC which is a limited tax abatement, with specific concessions to the city, such as living wage jobs to residents. This woman knows her stuff. JML of course is the cut the budget without reducing services wizard. The endorsed candidates event said, more tax abatement! The more apartments in the city the better without developers because the developers must make a profit, spread the abatement costs to cover all the taxpayers in the city. We have a $14 million pilot from the state next year, the endorsed candidates did not even know that is to make up the shortfall of car taxes we will not collect because of the reduced mil rate on our cars. They have decided how to spend that money already, and Torres announced he did not want anyone to vote for him for city council. He endorsed Lee and Slater, the reason he endorsed Slater over Toms, and he expressed great admiration for Toms, is because he feels it is very important to have minority party representation on the city council, Slater with his financial services background is qualified, and gosh, he must have listened to you and realized he did not want to disappoint you.
Huge mistake not endorsing Tyisha Toms.
Like Andy Fardy, I don’t live in Black Rock but I know John Slater and think that he would be a great addition to the Council.
Are the candidates for or against the city’s proposed Black Rock Harbor storm surge mitigation plans? My understanding is this project will redirect and intensify storm surge velocity into Ellsworth Park.
Here is the only thing available “WB/unabridged with Yale/ARCADIS – Resilient Bridgeport—Bridgeport, CT – This proposal provides a set of integrated coastal, urban, and riparian design strategies and planning principles. CDBG-DR funds ($10 million) will be dedicated to focus on flood protection in the South End/Blackrock Harbor area, with a particular emphasis on protection of public housing (Marina Village and Seaside Village).”
Get it right.
Claude,
Were you in the audience last night or at the pre-primary forum at the Library to ask this question? Will you be at the upcoming NRZ Board meeting next week that is open to the public to raise this, or other, issues? It appears you are indicating Federal money may be used to protect or alleviate conditions in one neighborhood yet at the same time worsening or failing to protect another neighborhood. What are the facts as you know them? What info has the City provided to Sue Brannelly, for instance, who is the current Council member with the longest service? Has she shared the info or her opinion with the neighborhood? Time will tell.
Put in an FOI for Kooris’ design. Don’t think they will share it with you openly, like most things, JML. It protects a lot of commercial campaign donors. I guess the people of Ellsworth Park didn’t donate enough to the Finch campaign.
Claude,
I tend not to use FOI. But I understand why you are not pursuing it with a phony name. Let’s see if I can develop some info that will tone down your accusations and leave us with an understanding of Planning and Development process that includes “show and tell” sessions with the public, and funding schedules with HUD that are far more limited in grants than the amounts requested.
Which campaign donors are you focused upon and where did you generate the data and conclusions? Time will tell.
Here is how it plays out in Rick’s worst nightmare. Ganim wins Mayor and the entire city blames him. Tyisha Toms and Katie get elected council members and Enrique Torres and John Marshall Lee continue attending council meetings. Black Rockers will either vote for Foster for Mayor and Torres for council or Torres for Mayor and Tyisha and Katie for council. Ganim in Black Rock doesn’t even fit into the equation. I’m betting on Foster for Mayor in Black Rock.
Ganim will win and Toms and Katie will win council. It would be nice to see MJF take an election here but too little too late unless there is a crisis of conscience with voters.
Not. This could also be an indication of your citywide thoughts. Thank you for your kind thoughts towards me previously. I am looking for a spot to reciprocate. Also, to reply to the big mistake not endorsing Toms, Rick consistently votes his thinking, not your politics. Best.
Jennifer B.–Torres said not to vote for him for city council? Why IS HE RUNNING FOR COUNCIL then? What a stupid turd that guy is. He’s going to lose both his races, which he should, but this should even show you what a fool is. That man has earned the respect of about two streets in Black Rock and the rest can’t wait for him to lose both elections so he can go back to making the donuts at his overpriced market. And let me also add, if he were so willing to forgo a first-year salary as mayor, maybe he can afford to pay someone to work his grill on Sunday mornings so it’s not a 1-hour wait for an overpriced egg sandwich.
stevenl–you seem like a miserable, nasty person (who probably works for the city). Did you go to the debate last night? B & B were by far the least informed and the worst possible choice.
Instead of maligning a man most people adore, why don’t you:
1) use your REAL Name like a real man
2) point out some great attributes of your favored candidates
Flicka, you are an example of the stupidity that is Torres campaign kool-aid. What is it Jesus says again? Let he cast the first stone who has not sinned? You accuse me of not using my real name but is Flicka really yours??? It must have been tough repeating second and third grade with the name Flicka. I don’t work for the city. I work for a company that is profitable and run competently and I assume you have never worked for any job except a city one yourself. Judging from your sentient comments.
Here’s the thing, stevenl. I didn’t attack anyone; you did you attack Torres. I think you should be man enough to say those things to his face if in fact you are a man for all I know you’re a woman but I didn’t attack anyone so I don’t have to use my real name and you still sound like a miserable, nasty person
Sorry for the run-on sentences. I’m talking into my phone because I’m too lazy to type and I don’t really care that much. As much as I would love Rick to be the next mayor, I believe Ganim will be the next mayor
Just stop in a day before and order it, tell them somebody said they will pay for it and I will buy it for you. Have a coffee and relax awhile.
Aint that the truth! Call in your order the day before, come in on a Sunday and your wait will be cut in half. 1/2 hour for your overpriced egg sandwich.
flicka, how about you do the same?
I have a feeling Flicka takes pills for high blood pressure.
How ’bout this Andy? I didn’t attack anybody. I told you some FACTS about MJF you refused to believe and that’s okay, your vitriol helped make my decision for TORRES (I voted MJF in the primary).
TORRES is honest, intelligent and beholden to NOBODY! He cares deeply about the city and will weed out corruption and abuse, just as it’s happening in the corporate world. A vote for TORRES is a vote for transparency, honesty and integrity!
Yeah, right. You are a dreamer. This is a two-person race between Ganim and Foster.
Have a good night, Mr. Fardy. Tomorrow Torres will still be in the race to win and definitely leading any debate yet seen. When it comes to ideas, they ride his, because they resound with the public. And yes Ron, John Lee will be the single most valuable asset to the council this season. Besides Torres who should be sitting in the middle top center seat. You will get a look behind the curtains at Bridgeport government like never before, as no exaggeration.
However, you said earlier you want to hear all three leading candidates, so I don’t want to dissuade you from that. I do wish to see all seven candidates in the debate. They each say things that reveal Torres, Foster and Ganim’s arguments, and take a bit of polish off them. Let them speak, they earned their way onto the ballot, in all its definitions in Bridgeport.
I almost feel sorry for these people. How depressed are you all going to be on November 4th when Ganim sweeps the city and Torres takes 15%?
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz (deep breath in) zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
(Directed at the Flicka and God lovin’ bible thumpers out there. Because only dreamers believe the actual real business of politics is highly moral and not beholden to anyone.) Good luck getting anything done.
You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one.
Did the candidates in Black Rock discuss Kooris’ plan to flood Ellsworth Park or the proposed Walmart? What about the missing $500K in state bonding money that was supposed to be for Black Rock’s streetscape. The same $500K Finch tried to pinch for the salaries of politically appointed officials, which the state rebuked:
www .ctpost.com/local/article/Black-Rock-poised-for-500-000-face-lift-5187750.php