From Brian Lockhart, CT Post:
A pair of development decisions being made in Joe Ganim’s City Hall will affect the city’s economy for years to come–and much of the nitty gritty work is being done out of the public eye by government insiders.
Ganim has launched an aggressive effort to keep a campaign promise and rehabilitate the historic Majestic and Poli Palace theaters at the northern gateway to downtown. Last week the mayor announced his administration had selected a Manhattan-based company, Exact Capital, with one prior theater renovation in its portfolio.
… Transparency was supposed to be a hallmark of the Ganim administration. He promised it on the campaign trail in 2015. And after voters returned Ganim to office–he was first mayor from 1991 until toppled by corruption in 2003–a transition task force recommended that when it came to economic development, City Hall should “demonstrate commitment to transparency in every aspect of operations.”
Full story here.
Give me a break. Everything that Ganim,Testa,The DTC,the City Council and other behind the scenes players have done is nothing short of a travesty. All jobs in The Government of the City of Bridgeport are becoming patronage jobs. Your employment depends upon your participation in Testa’s money laundering scheme. Shame on all of you. We will remember all the sycophants who participate in the political orgies on Madison avenue.
“Local stakeholders”? Yes, plenty of City employee representation but aren’t they paid by taxpayers, to whom public service is due? But also don’t they owe their position and compensation to the Ganim2, whose current hopes and dreams are focused on statewide office?
Keep your eyes on the parking meter issue. It is an amazing example of apparent mis-steps legally, avoidance of transparency and openness with the City Council Contracts committee, and failure to place fiscal accountability right into the open, before any votes are taken. Isn’t that the only way we can “follow the money” plan before enaction of contracts, ordinances, etc.? Is Ganim2 performing the puppet act with this Council in the same manner as was done during his first act? Does anybody think this show is a comedy? Can people begin to see how the youth of the community are sacrificed to the “dreamy ego” of the Mayor relative to education funding and summer programs? You don’t even need to go door to door to hear such resentment being voiced. How many rabbits will the Mayor pull out of his hat this week? When he pulls out a budget surplus of millions will you be surprised? Didn’t he plan it that way? What will you do to the team that supported him in the fall? Time will tell.
I plan om making my first comments to the City Council on the July 3rd CC meeting.Probably everone will be away for the July 4th long weekend. I will be asking;why the secrecy about the Majestic/Poli theaters and Exact Capital? Why the rush?
Those interested in Bridgeport-style transparency should read what the developers have to say about the upcoming, uptown theater renovations: http://exactcapital.com/media/
As JML has mentioned in the past, the City has a purchasing ordinance. It outlines requirements and the oversight. The city council is supposed to oversee city ordinances and enforce them.
Is G2 complying with the purchasing ordinance? Is the city council aware that there is a purchasing ordinance?
In G1 the Board of Public Purchases was, in affect, eliminated. Mayor John Fabrizi re-instituted and modernized it. It continued with Finch in a limited fashion.
Has G2 eliminated the Board of Public Purchases once again? Or, is the group of city employees overseeing the project the committee for the Quality Based Selection (QBS) Process as prescribed in the purchasing ordinance?