Where did 10 years go? The first week of April 2003, John Fabrizi started his first full week as mayor of the state’s largest city replacing Joe Ganim who had been convicted on federal corruption charges March 19, St. Joseph’s Day, and submitted his official resignation two weeks later. Fabs, the City Council president, per City Charter, ascended to the mayoralty. Talk about a guy who loved being mayor, it was Fabs. The director of the city’s Adult Education Department, the job he had prior to becoming mayor, watched a portion of the public hearing conducted by the City Council’s Budget and Appropriations Committee Monday night to stay current on the city budget, just in case duty could once again call to the mayoralty. Is Fabs a dreamer? Of course, but if you love a job and want it back you show your face every once in a while.
Fabs could very well be mayor today were it not for two major public gaffes after he had won a four-year term in his own right in November of 2003 after filling out Ganim’s term. A public admission of cocaine and alcohol use while mayor started it, but it was his courtroom appearance in 2007 seeking leniency on behalf of a sexual offender who was friends with his son that did him in. Fabs was trying to help his boy. He did not count on Connecticut Post reporter Dan Tepfer sitting in the courtroom that day triggering an electoral and political revolt and forcing Democratic insiders to recruit a candidate they thought could defeat party maverick Chris Caruso in a primary. They recruited State Senator Bill Finch who defeated Caruso by a razor-thin margin and remains mayor today, five and one half years later.
Say what you want about Fabs, he did not run and hide after he left office. He did not move out of the city as is the norm for most former mayors. Fabs is the Ralph Kramden of city politics, flawed but likable. In the years after he left office it ate away at him that he was not mayor. As 2011 entered he had hoped Finch had stubbed his toe enough for party regulars to run back into his wide open arms. Did not happen, and in fact Fabs endorsed Finch’s reelection over Mary-Jane Foster with whom he had a strong relationship as mayor.
Fabs is a product of the city’s political establishment. Live by the establishment, die by the establishment. Fabs is not inclined to stitch together coalitions, raise money and run a challenge race outside the establishment, as Caruso did twice in close races and Mary-Jane Foster did in 2011 receiving 43 percent of the Democratic primary vote on the machines, a respectable showing while outspent by Finch two to one.
Fabs has accumulated a whole bunch of years with the Board of Education, enough certainly to retire with a nice pension. And perhaps retirement from the BOE will come soon. But Fabs still loves the political action, and it’s why every now and then he presses his nose up against the window, just in case.
Lennie, this is a good layout of John and you were on target when you said, “Talk about a guy who loved being mayor, it was Fabs.” I must say John has pissed me off at times in dealing with him but he was fair. I found him to be great to mediate issues and to cut through things especially when he was president of the Civil Service Commission but once he became mayor he had other things to do in running the City.
John had to deal with a lot of embarrassment not only for himself but for his wife and family and that had to be hard. We must remember John Fabrizi did NOTHING illegal, hey, he was trying to help his son’s friend and he admitted his drug use and sought help. How long do we hold something against him? I hope he does continue to press his nose up against the window because you just don’t know.
*** No doubt, Fabs breathes and bleeds Bpt and maybe one day he just may come back as the city’s mayor again. Maybe a second time around term might lead this city towards bigger and better things, no? *** ONE NEVER KNOWS, DO ONE ***
I thought John Fabrizi was a great mayor. It would have been great working in his administration but as a manager at Home Depot life was a blur for 10 years. ‘… But people in the City were hopeful …”
Off topic. This afternoon en route to a wake in Stratford I was stuck in traffic for a long time due to a tractor-trailer accident. I happened to be stuck right at the Arena at Harbor yard. One billboard was touting FUN performing in September. Excellent as I am a big fan. Also saw the FINCH ad … Actually two ads rotating and I was pleased and thought it was a great investment for promoting Bridgeport so again I say KUDOS … lolol
Fabs has a job for you.
Let’s see it as it is. Fabrizi was a drunk and a drug abuser. He demonstrated extremely poor judgement in supporting his son’s friend in open court. Did nothing illegal? I suppose you pea brains think it’s not illegal unless you get caught. The man admitted to using coke while he was mayor. No Virginia, while there may be a Santa Clause, it is not Johnny the Nose. Suck up all you want, you sycophants. Fabrizi is a bum. But he is a connected bum. Percentages indicate all you worthless door holders are better off kissing Fabrizi’s ass. So long as this city is held in the mire by Calamarian rule, we will suffer while others prosper. We need to identify a candidate right now and begin to build an infrastructure.
Fabrizi was a GREAT mayor? Bullshit.
It is unfortunate that Fabrizi suits the culture of Bridgeport media. He had the personality to confront and survive. He did not have the intellectual capacity to bring our city to the next level. In fact, he brought it down. He was an embarrassment to those of us with half a brain.
Case in point: one of the more salient speakers at the B & A Meeting cited Fabrizi’s horrible performance as director of Adult Ed, citing the atrocity of his $125,000+ salary, asking how can we justify a tax increase on our citizens with such travesty in place, and his statement was then received with rousing applause by all present. All the Post reporter wrote was what an event it was he (Fabrizi) attended. So does OIB. The effectiveness of a democracy is dependent on having an informed electorate. An informed electorate depends on quality and freedom of press. The press needs to do a better job!
Post reporter Keila Torres usually does better on her articles. Not only was the Fabrizi criticism not mentioned, the article said mostly Black Rockers were there, which actually was not true. There WERE many from other sections of town. You are right, Bridgeporteur, objective, accurate reporting is so important and hard to come by in this town.
Nice going, Bridgeporteur.
America loves a great comeback story. Fabs would be taking a pay cut, right?
No pay cut. Finch is now at $134,000. Besides, Mary Fabrizi would just take another raise if needed. Between the two, they take home at least $200,000.
I think it is a very bad idea to keep drawing from the same well. Maybe Fabrizi has done an extraordinary job working his 12 steps, but his movie ended badly the last time it ran and I do not think I want to sit through another showing.
He is in tight with the Finch crew and the company he keeps tells me all I need to know. People are always telling us who they are. They tell us by what they do and say, and don’t do and don’t say. We know Fabrizi is a man with the poor judgement and lack of foresight to link his name to a registered sex offender, and not in a good way. He told us that. Bridgeport deserves better. Forgive him? Sure! Put my faith in him to make good decisions for our City? Negative.
I realize Bridgeport is a city that recycles, but bringing Fabs back in would be taking recycling too far. 😉 It’s time to break ties with these goons once and for all. It is time for new blood.
Fiscal Alert!!! The Mayor’s Budget Proposal is not complete!!! The Board of Education will receive the School budget for 2013-14 tonight. I assume they will review it in detail, make whatever changes are necessary and then vote on it.
What happens then? Great questions. You see the City, with Sherwood’s stargazing, received a single expense number for the BOE, probably around $234 Million. The Mayor proposed maintaining this years’s budget of $219 Million. That is why page 7 of the budget document shows a Variance of “0” for the BOE.
It is why I have asked the Council on two public occasions to confirm the City proposal. If the City fails to post a budget that meets the State Minimum Budget Requirement. See reference on Page 349 of the 2013-14 proposed Budget. The State has informed the City that $3.3 Million is required in added funding to meet the MBR and the City proposes flat funding. Does this risk other State support? What’s the story, Mayor Finch? Too long to Tweet? Is the City so broke at this moment answering truthfully is harmful? Does it mean more than a 6% tax increase will be required? Time will tell.
Lennie,
Best and most accurate description of John Fabrizi. He has made his mistakes, owned them, learned from them and gracefully moved ahead. As Mayor, I felt he always directed attention to Bridgeport and all the things he loved about it. Unfortunately, the press was not always so kind to him, and most people only know what they read. Yes, he abused drugs and alcohol; he owned up to it, cleaned up his act and paid the ultimate price. John Fabrizi is a man who truly eats, sleeps and breathes Bridgeport. He is not in this for personal gain and if he chooses to run again, I would vote for him. Say what you will about John Fabrizi; but first ask yourself this question, “Would he and could he be any worse than Finch?” Think about it!
That’s a terrible conclusion … “would he and could he be any worse than Finch?” The true answer is he was as bad as Finch is as a mayor. He got caught by the Feds (in his mayoral office) with cocaine. He refused to tell them his source (the Marerro Bros.) to save his own ass from being at the bottom of LI Sound. He did NOTHING for the economic development of Bridgeport. Yeah, he loved being mayor. So did Mandanici, Paoletta, Moran, Bucci and Ganim. None did anything but milk the system with the aid of the guy who owns the restaurant on Madison Ave. And he doesn’t really live in Bridgeport.
Name one thing John Fabrizi has accomplished in his entire life.
He has educated 1000’s of students. He was the Mayor of the largest city in the state of Connecticut. He is a great guest radio host on WICC. He is a husband and a father. I think yahooy between you and Chosen 1 I am not sure who is the bigger loser but both of you are pretty disrespectful and pretty low with your attempts at character assassination.
Look deeply into Fabrizi’s record as an educator. Besides, how the hell do you know? Don’t tell me you’re leaving ass jockeys on this guy too.
Well, he got 100’s (MAYBE 1000’s) of dropouts their GED. To what level they were educated is unclear. He was Mayor of BPT which would put him in with the likes of Ganim and other convicted felons. He did not do the city any favors reputation wise. He is a father but that only takes an injection. I could not speak to his qualities as a husband. Abusing drugs or anything else probably does not lend itself to a wholesome, stable family environment. He does have a show on WICC. I have never heard it but I think you could reach more people yelling out your window.
Who cares what you think?
Who cares what you think? Door holder.
Speaking only for myself, I feel we should stop settling for “Could he be any worse than …” and start expecting excellence.
It’s not that I don’t give the guy credit for kicking his addiction and trying to help out his son’s friend. I just don’t know how those actions point to good leadership qualities.
And loyalty? Finch gave him a job. Not that I think anyone should be loyal to Finch, but the man gave him a sweet little gig over there in Adult Education Land. If I were him, I would not be flirting with biting the hand that feeds. Once again, he is telling us who he is.
No, Fabrizi serves Fabrizi. Thanks, but I will pass.
Okay so I have just been “schooled.” I guess Finch had NO influence whatsoever over Fabrizi getting that sweet gig on the BOE.
Silly silly me. I stand corrected. 😉
Sally,
No problem with learning. Expect something new every day and you will rarely be disappointed. I am not sure who did your schooling or what they said, but my sense is Fabrizi left a full-time position in Adult Ed to assume the Mayoral position to which he was entitled as City Council President. When he departed there is a protocol that would allow him to return to such a position or perhaps its equivalent at some future date. I believe that is what happened.
I watch kids fly through the public schools (for free, of course) and fail to use the opportunity for learning, growing and becoming fully independent. When they realize a HS diploma ties into work and an economic life it comes as a shock, because now they have to pay for an education with time, money and commitment that seems harder to do, especially when some of your contemporaries got it right the first time. With the choices available to high-school-age kids upcoming, will more of them seize the day and take advantage of public financing? Time will tell.
Fabrizi had his shot. It is time for new blood I agree with Sally we have to stop settling for an also-ran or a dumb ass. A new candidate has to have vision and a message that reaches all areas of Bridgeport.
Fabrizi showed up at Muñoz school for the mayor’s talk on the budget. It gets interesting.
Why is Fabrizi a better choice than Ernie? I think both should be elected. If you are going to go for laughing stock you may as well go all the way. BPT can go from ‘The Park City’ to ‘The Party City.’
How come nobody answered my question? What has Fabrizi ever accomplished?
yahooy, I answered it. Now pick up a glove and get in the game or disappear.
His radio show stinks too. You are deplorable. Ass-kissing door holder. You know bupkis.
Steven Auerbach’s an honorable person. yahooy’s a hairy monster.
When it comes to choosing a mayor, the standard should NEVER be: ‘Good enough is our very best.’
But Bruce, it is in Bridgeport. Look around at this once-thriving city that was called “The Armorer of the United States” and tell me what you see in the way of serious economic development since the 1970s. Nada, Zilch, u cazz’!
That takes in every mayor up to now … any development, especially in downtown Bridgeport has been cosmetic. Look at the section from Fairfield Avenue to the Sheehan Center and tell me what you see.