Foster Friendraiser

You know what’s interesting in the Mayoral sweepstakes this year? Our friendly City fight card of Mayoral contenders:
There is an incumbent who is photogenic, able to raise lots of money (heard a City employee say he did not go to the $500 fundraiser because he had already maxed out), has so far explained his Municipal actions with cover stories that don’t hold up on close inspection so therefore is still in the ring dancing around looking for all the world like the champ he thinks he is.

In the other corner there are several candidates at varying levels of running. They seem to be sharing their particular viewpoint on why they are upset and intending to represent the public. Some show interesting differences of experience and perspective, but they are not fighting each other! Isn’t that different? There is genuine respect for the ideas offered, the objections raised, and the willingness to challenge. Isn’t that unusual for this City? Now it may be temporary, but it creates a different climate. And that may be because for many posters the idea of the incumbent out of the ring next term is so favored they are willing to consider any challenger with any kind of chance.

And so OIB writers, rather than do some research into the bad things that are happening to good people who reside in Bridgeport (like foreclosures, loss of health insurance because of monthly costs, loss of job and income) and see how the City is responding, helping fellow neighbors deal with these issues, the posters keep asking, “But what is your program?”

You know if you go into the emergency room with a bad headache and ask them to operate, right now, they would laugh at you. That is similar to what is going on here. Soon … take a lap … not just now.

Do the work. Check out the evidence for what the City is doing, audits, reports, minutes, comments about systems and processes from those who have been here for multiple administrations …

What should Bridgeport be doing? (What is in the Charter? What more has been added to the menu through the years?) How many employees does it take to do that? (Want to attend the Budget hearings this year in April and see how few/many people have been working for how much?) Are they doing it efficiently? (Would an efficient CitiStat with public results answer some of this?) Check out the Grand List comments and objectively report how the 10-1-2008 assessments and those since have impacted the List? (How many people have gone to Court to fight the old assessments? What are the PILOT properties and how much is due annually and how current are the payments?) What percentage of taxes are current? (It’s not just one or two payers in this economy.) What is the status of projects from Grants budgets? (If grants are approved as payments for 12 months of work but meaningful activity only occurs in the last quarter of the year, are employees involved really necessary to be retained full time?) What is an internal service fund doing with City health plans or other City obligations? (Who can explain? Former City official seemed to indicate that this was a discarded tactic of the last Century turned to by City administration in 2007 that is getting larger. What is hiding here?) How much City property is hiding or being poorly used? Do we have a plan? Who is charged with executing that plan?

It’s Friday. I am tired of posting all the things you folks might do that might help get us to ground zero. In an emergency room you would want the doctor to be very sure of what your major problem is before they took out the scalpel. There are unintended consequences when you don’t fully understand the problem, and often they are not pleasant or a waste of time and money. So let’s look at this pre-primary period as the advantageous time to build the case as to the City’s problems. It will require different thinking than what is on exhibit today. It will probably require more money … more property tax. It may also require a cut (not deferral) of what the City tries to do, and make things that are necessary, more efficient. It also will require leadership that respects the career City worker, helps them understand their total effort must move the City forward and their total compensation for that effort must be affordable today and into the future. It may take another look at the City Charter. It may also require a more serious ethical standard than the one we have today about voting on City financial matters when you and your family will benefit. (That is a clear appearance of impropriety.)

Ideas for making things better will come from lots of places. But our exercise in outing the secrets, in poking around for low-hanging fruit, etc. is not wasted. So help out!