Mary-Jane Foster, 2011 mayoral candidate, calls Mayor Bill Finch’s budget proposal a cruel prank. See her commentary below that also appears in the Connecticut Post.
Mayor Finch has taken April Fool’s Day pranks to a new and most unwelcome level. First is the lack of respect and courtesy he showed in deciding not to discuss his proposed budget as scheduled on Monday night’s City Council agenda. The Tuesday morning session for Council members precludes most of the public from attending, which, given the details of the budget we’ve heard so far, was no doubt intentional.
Second is a lack of respect, lack of courtesy and lack of courage to stand up as scheduled and tell taxpayers the real prank. To propose any tax hike at all is the cruelest prank on what some experts call the highest-taxed city in America. The obvious lack of thoughtfulness, sensitivity and effort is an affront to the taxpayers of this city. Mayor Finch needs to go back -or go for the first time–to the drawing board and return with a budget that is respectful of the present circumstances. Those circumstances include stalled economic development, a growth in the grand list that amounts to a hiccup, and an already overtaxed population. The residents of Bridgeport have had to do more with less for long enough. Let’s see the Finch administration do the same.
MJF, as far as stalled economic development goes it’s time to get rid of steel point. The city has been at this project for almost three decades and still nothing. The latest development is who pays for the underground electrical service. What about the developer, what the hell has he paid?
I don’t care if Target, Walmart or some other big-box store goes in there as long as they pay taxes. The
taxpayers have been footing the bill for this exercise in futility by absorbing the taxes that were lost when all the buildings were torn down to make vacant lots. Enough is enough.
I attended a public information session on the then “Harbor Point” project somewhere mid- to late-’90s. The project managers were the Miami group. They stated at that time construction would not begin in earnest until the CITY had laid out the utilities, electric, gas, communications, streetscapes etc. I don’t see how UI is responsible for burying electric lines when there are audio/visual/data lines that need be provided also. There was discussion on job opportunities as well, but they mostly fell into security guard type as best as I can remember.
Will somebody impeach this asshole before he turns this city into one big F.U.B.A.R. (fucked up beyond all recognition)?
*** Hey Fluck, it’s already been turned, homes; with city voters continually pimped by city and state government year after year; with the same political party that uses and abuses its members, election after election. Take, take and take some more type of attitude that sells its taxpayers false pocketsfull of dreams that turn into future costly nightmares or just complete blanket failures. It’s a “Zombieland” in the making and it’s unfortunately time to part the Rooster River and set our asses free from this one-way never-going-to-change-for-the-better urban bondage! *** STEP FROM THE DARKNESS INTO THE LIGHT! ***