Mayor Joe Ganim has made appointments to three key boards and commissions that will be referred for approval to the Miscellaneous Matters Committee at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
The regular legislative meeting has been pushed back a day in honor of Martin Luther King Day.
Ganim has appointed East End Democratic District Leader Ralph Ford to the Civil Service Commission, former city councilor Denese Taylor-Moye to the Parks Commission and Tiheba Bain to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Ford has served as district leader for decades in the African American rich neighborhood and supported Ganim’s return to the mayoralty in 2015 over then incumbent Bill Finch whom Ganim defeated in a Democratic primary. His selection comes as the city plans to announce a national search for chief of police administered by the Civil Service personnel office.
Taylor-Moye lost her 131st District council seat, covering the South End, Downtown and portion of West End, in a close primary last September to Tyler Mack.
Several speakers are also lined up to address the council on “The Empowered City Council Act” including Bridgeport Generation Now leaders Gemeem Davis, Callie Heilmann and Greater Bridgeport NAACP chief Rev. Stanley Lord.
The speaking portion begins 6:30 p.m., followed by the council session at approximately 7 p.m.
See full council agenda.
This meeting will be conducted by Teleconference. The public may listen by calling the following conference line and then entering the conference code: Dial-In Number: (929) 436-2866 Meeting ID: 381 083 245
Mayor’s office must have a short memory or like moving the goalpost.
http://onlyinbridgeport.com/wordpress/civic-duty-city-seeks-residents-to-fill-vacancies-on-boards-and-commissions/
Applicants must
— not currently hold or have held a public office or a role in an organization with the primary purpose of influencing legislation
From OIB Dec 2, 2020
How long does it take a City to complete staffing of Boards, Commissions and other bodies of unelected but informed and interested parties? Too long. Thank you Joe S. for referencing the OIB entries around December 4, 2020, over 13 months ago.
Q. What progress has been made?
A. CC Newton became alert to the fact that bodies like Fair Rent Commission were part of our governance history but were allowed to “die on the vine”!! New members capable, interested in the work of the group, and free of conflict were not discovered or appointed.
Q. Who does oversight in City of Bridgeport over those who own, manage, or administer rental properties as market value, section 8 or any other program type of property? Is there consolidated control and command for such properties? If a fire event like happened in the Bronx this past week were to occur, would it only be the Fire Department investigated for problems, issues and concerns previously reported that failed execution, or is there a chain of command between the Mayor;s Office and each supervisor in charge? Public money for staffing, for rent subsidy, etc. flows out but what responsibilities are fully viewed and enforced?
A. Time will tell.
This is East End Democratic District Leader Ralph Ford second time as a member of the Civil Service Commission, he serve on the board over 20 years ago.