Time to put the pieces together to govern. Joe Ganim deserved a day of rest following a triumphant return Tuesday night. He won convincingly. There was no spoiler. Voters serenaded his quest for redemption. The campaign is over. Now he turns his attention to governing.
In 1991 when 32-year-old Joe Ganim was elected to a two-year term on a Tuesday in November he received the oath of office six days later the following Monday night. So little time to plan an administration. Now 56-year-old Joe returns to office with a four-year term and a four-week transition period to begin assembling the pieces of his administration that begins officially Dec. 1.
One of the hallmarks of Ganim’s first tenure as mayor was his department heads. He generally did not place political hacks into key decision-making roles such as economic development, public works, parks, finance.
Ganim didn’t say much about the makeup of his administration on the campaign trail except signaling Police Chief Joe Gaudett will not return for another five-year contract authorized by the mayor, a nod to rank and file police officers opposed to Gaudett who supported Ganim’s campaign. Many police officers attended Ganim’s victory celebration Tuesday night at Testo’s.
Some supported Ganim because they wanted Finch out, others supported Ganim because they wanted Gaudett out. Ganim will happily accommodate them on both fronts.
As a result of a city charter change approved by voters about 25 years ago, the city’s police chief is appointed by the mayor to a five-year term with an option for another five-year term. The police chief cannot serve beyond the 10-year period. Gaudett is finalizing his first five-year appointment by outgoing Mayor Bill Finch whom Ganim defeated in the September primary. Could Ganim name an acting chief until a permanent chief is appointed through the traditional search process? One person on the short list could be Captain A.J. Perez whom Ganim trusts implicitly. Perez, in charge of narcotics and vice, and Ganim have remained close during tough times and good times. Perez was a constant presence during the campaign.
In the coming days Ganim will also ponder the makeup of his inner office personnel such as chief of staff and administrative aides, a chief administrative officer currently occupied by Andy Nunn, and chief development officials currently David Kooris.
And then there’s all those campaign hands, many of them volunteers, who’d like a city job. Ganim will certainly sit down with Democratic Town Chair Mario Testa for input, something Finch did not do as mayor. Mario will help determine who stays and who goes and who’s plugged in as a replacement. And one thing about Mario, he’s not bashful about embracing the reward concept of helping his candidates.
On the legislative side of things there’s also the question about City Council president. Tom McCarthy, a discretionary appointment of the mayor as director of Labor Relations, has served that role loyally for the eight years of Finch’s mayoralty. McCarthy throughout the years has had a strong relationship with Testa. But McCarthy did not support Ganim in the general election after Ganim dispatched Finch in the primary. As a result it’s harder for the chairman to rescue him, if McCarthy even wants it.
The City Council doesn’t have a deep bench for the lead role that is key for shepherding the mayor’s budget, proposals, contracts and legislation. It’s no walk in the park trying to keep 19 others in line with the mayor’s agenda. But the jockeying for council president is underway.
Also, it’s likely Ganim will have a conversation with Governor Dan Malloy soon to rebuild a relationship on behalf of the city. Malloy opposed Ganim’s comeback. Part of that equation is Ganim rallying support of the city’s legislative delegation so members are pulling in the same direction.
Finally. The incompetent Gaudett is history. Bye-bye Chief Fife and his puppet master, Wood.
Amen.
The open-ended question is “Now what?”
Now the city will be incapable of attracting anything resembling professional talent to help guide it–not that the new regime has even the slightest desire to do so in the first place. Instead, related and/or connected people generally lacking professional skills or training (period) will be given positions and paid handsomely with your tax dollars to pretend like they know what they’re doing.
People who relocated to Bridgeport based on the direction it was heading under Finch will reconsider doing so. Some will leave. Some will wait and see. And some will spend many years upset, frustrated and embarrassed.
Ganim believers think he has changed. I think he has only honed his skills at betrayal. The only thing he has learned from his experience is how to better disguise his intentions, but they’re still the same. This is made plain as day by the people he’s surrounded himself with. Those who voted yesterday, and in a way those who didn’t, just handed the keys to the city over to entire cadre–call it a gang–of thieves. And we will all suffer because of it.
I hear one of those appointees is a former employee from the Fabrizi administration who was discharged for assaulting a coworker and had to be escorted from city hall by armed police because of his volatile history.
You are correct. The Ganim crowd had thugs are us written all over them. One guy, a union guy, said he was looking for a trash can to throw the Ganim literature in, but needed his job. So he kept saying, line A for Ganim, while telling me he wants to throw the literature out. Are we supposed to pretend?
Strategies that may have worked. Mary-Jane could’ve run with her name in Spanish (Marijuana) or as I suggested to a worker yesterday, pushed “LINE G FOR GANIM” (JK). Lennie, kudos on your reporting during this primary and election.
Yes, and if deceptive political marketing is the best way to elect a candidate then it won’t matter what the results are.
Lennie laid low during the process and only tried to steer the results to Mary-Jane by headline persuasions. But I lost, what do I know?
Story in the Wall Street Journal today about Ganim’s election was not flattering. Heading said ‘Convict Elected in Bridgeport.’ This is to be expected. Any mention of Bridgeport will have this connotation for awhile. I hope Joe Ganim will use the administrative skills he displayed when he was first elected and surround himself with competent people.
The city council appears to be the weakest in memory, given the lack of experience and/or lack of skills.
The council was elected by a confusing ballot. All the dolts voted line A out of unconscious necessity, like lemmings at the edge of the cliff. When you voted line A across the board you effectively choose your council candidates whether you wanted to split the ticket or not.
PCt, what are you talking about? If you voted on any other line than line A, you wouldn’t have much of a line to vote for. Ganim had a full slate and other candidates got more votes than Ganim. Suck it in, cupcake and get used to it. Joe Ganim is here to stay for at least eight years.
I don’t do vaudeville, don’t live in Vegas, there won’t be any sucking or cupcakes over here. Whatever. First. I said Congrats Joey, do a good job. As for the ballots, many people had the voting machine kick their ballot back out, because they voted across a line and then tried to pick their preferred candidates for council etc, only to find the limit of picks for a position was exceeded. That happened when they did not want Line A, candidates for council, but got them anyway. Most of this stuff is over the brain cell count, but this is the only place to try to discuss certain details publicly. There is no manual or voting tricks for dummies book either. I’m not going to be on here every day talking about it. I have let enough other things slip for a month or more during the election season, so thanks for the fun.
The ballot was pretty clear. People voted for names or lines. Park City is just reeling in disbelief thousands of people don’t believe in the pot he tried to stir. Council seats weren’t selected due to ballot errors. People wanted them. They got elected. No big surprise here unless you were a Torres supporter and then you’re just delusional if you ever thought that story was going to end up any better than it did.
No Steven, I am not surprised and believe it or not, I am not mad or anything else Ganim is elected. He is a capable man, hope he will steer his course straight. As Tom White said, it is not good for the city to have a weak council of people without experience, or without objections to the administration. It is a simple concept of checks and balances. Yes, I was delusional in thinking Torres had a shot. I have no problem with being delusional. We all spent a lot of time on here arguing points and just yelling at each other. I don’t have time for that now, just looking in for comments to comments. But I will not be following other pages for awhile, because I need to get about my own business. As for the delusion, it was hopeful we were winning polls on OIB. Why OIB is so different from the city at large is OIB readers voted based on reason and arguments. That’s not to say the rest of the city did not vote on reason. The poorer areas voted on their own reasoning, not OIB reasoning. Good for them. I know people in the Ganim chain and may offer some help if there is a place to be of some service. Don’t think I would be looking for a job, but a citizen committee of some kind. Just thinking out loud. My polling place also split evenly with Torres and Ganim, very small difference. Lastly, if we divide up campaign dollars into votes, you would see Torres votes cost much less to acquire. That means if the money were the same, the message could have reached people better. Anyway, I’m sure I will have some problem or another to solve out in the real world. If I need to know what I think about it, or how my thinking is delusional, I will check in for some advice. Best.
MJF’s people are insinuating Ganim bought off votes. That’s rich. #johnstafstrom #streetmoney
The 120 limp to the polls, everyone plays, except us ’cause we had no $$$ to spare. And while his croissants are amazing, they are difficult to hide in one’s pockets.
The first thing Joe Gainm must do is to ask for every department head’s resignation in writing. Then Mayor Ganim will decide which ones to accept.
All of them! Clean house and start fresh with new competent people.
Joe depended upon blacks and Puerto Ricans to get elected, so his first order of business should be to fire David Dunn, Director of Civil Service. Under David the City of Bridgeport hired fewer blacks, Latinos and women and more suburban white males than any other director in the last 50 years.
David Dunn has absolutely no experience in the Civil Service field other than being Finch’s boy. Joe, get him the Hell outta there, sooner rather than later.
Let’s follow that one. Donald, you were right, Torres lost both positions. If you and Ron are happy, good for you. Between Torres and John Lee, they would have opened up the government to the view of the people. As for taxes, people voted to pay 3-5 thousand dollars more a year than they would under reval. So must be willing to pay for the vote. Poor folks don’t pay the taxes, they voted for protection, we will see if a new chief of police gives compassionate protection or just terrorizes the neighborhoods. The schools are fucked, but maybe they will at least send some books.
Or just look on the menu for further instructions.
www .ctpost.com/news/article/The-plot-to-make-Ganim-mayor-6610878.php
Jennifer, I know you don’t care for Mario Testa and the DTC and their style and the fact Joe Ganim won. Jennifer, the question is what are you or the Republican Party going to do to change things? Nov. 3, 2015 should be a calling card to Republicans, Rick Torres got 15% of the vote, 2800 voters, which means 85% of the voters said they don’t want a Republican, how much clearer can it get? The Republicans came out of this election with nothing and the loss of the one city councilman they had. As a loyal Democrat I hope the Republicans keep getting mad and doing nothing. But I do believe in a loyal opposition but that opposition unfortunately is not the Republicans, instead that opposition must come from inside the Democratic Party.
“Many times I spoke to the mayor: They should reach out to the minority community and try to communicate what their needs are,” Testa said. “But the administration only came to me after they made the decisions what they want to do.”
Never met Mario, just as you have never met Walker or Torres. I have always given Mario credit for being a man of his word, based on discussions with people I know and respect. No plans to sell out my values and join your party, would expect the same of you. My plans are to accept one of two offers I have on my house and leave you to your own devices in this sad, yet somehow beautiful city and state.
And yes, I agree with you, this city needs far more representation of the multi-cultural make up in the administration in commission appointments, heads of departments and service professionals.
The needs of the minority community are not hard to see. They need to have jobs. Get rid of local and national gangs, be valued for their individual and collective intelligence, instead of just relied on for a vote and forgotten. They need to stop wondering who is next in line to the white establishment and stop fighting each other for second place, stop me before I get too real. Good night.
Now what? How about this:
makersrow.com/ <– This site connects builders–that could be you–with domestic factories. The prospect of slapping “Made in America” on YOUR product is enough to make anyone a 1-person manufacturing unit. Families are fine, too. In Bridgeport CT USA, that means every kitchen table could become a center of money-making activity. Conditions are ideal.
Well, the people have elected Joe Ganim to be mayor of this city. The one thing they did not do is elect a common council to help him do the work. This damned city would vote for a ham sandwich if it were on the Democratic line. We now have a group of the dumbest most arrogant council people. I cannot believe the people reelected that old far along with the fighter Evette Brantley who cost the city a ton of money because of her assault on Cecil Young. Out in Black Rock where the elite meet to eat we have the dumbasses out there voting in two council people, one of whom is Danny Roach’s sister. Neither she or her running mate have ever attended a council meeting. The choice Black Rock had were probably two of the brightest people to run for the council yet they could not win. Tell me who knows more about the budget and spending than John Lee. This is a perfect example of dumbasses voting for a ham sandwich because they were on the Democratic top line.
Andy, why stop there because I know you have much more to say about those who won on the top line, come on Andy.
And, Miss DTC council person-elect has three family members who are on the city payroll.
Wait, Danny will make four.
Andy, John Lee was also at Torres functions, because the two were on the same page. So Roach and co. could not have that. The saddest thing I saw all day were the families who came to the polls with their children, mostly recent immigrants, who did not know who anyone was on any ticket, if I need to make that clearer I will. They probably heard the American Dream was on the Democratic line A. So although Ganim won by a mudslide, there was also a very uninformed vote, could be as much as 20% who have no idea who anybody was. They just pull levers or fill in circles. Even the slightly informed don’t know how to work the ballots, because voting across a party line locks you in even if you would split the ticket otherwise. There are many factors that make the vote not a selection but a direction that is guided in ways voters are not aware of.
Andy, I was disappointed the Rock didn’t put Ricky back on the Council. He was what was needed on the City Council, he was the voice of dissent because he championed the cause of the least among us and their problems.
I wish he could have put his ego aside and concentrated on his Council seat where he could have done the most good for all of Bridgeport’s residents.
Because Torres is for Torres. It’s all captured on video how he gave his seat away.
Give me a fucking break.
That is so far from anything you said during the campaign, it is ridiculous.
It was known and not that long ago, anyone hired under the BOE budget had to have Mario’s OK. The Bridgeport school food budget break-out is $10 million for employees and $4 million for food. New Haven, similar demographics, $10 million for food and just under $4 million for employees. Ask any BOE Board member about this and they just shrug. The program is run by Sue Brannelly’s sister. This was discovered by Rick Torres and JML. Your Democrats are literally stealing the food out of the mouths of the children in this city who are most in need. So please, all you self-righteous Democrats, continue to be proud of your voting record and how this city is, has been and will continue to be run by the people you elect.
Jennifer, outgoing city councilor Sue Brannelly’s sister Maura runs the nutrition program and she is highly respected in her field. Democratic Town Chair Mario Testa for eight years had trouble getting a meeting with Bill Finch. Prior to Finch’s election Testa had not been town chair since 2003. What are you implying?
Highly respected by whom? I will used the words of Powell–It’s that Bridgeport is such a morass of poverty, welfare, drugs, crime, and political patronage that people are so demoralized or so corrupted themselves that corruption even on Ganim’s scale doesn’t bother them.
Actually this article.
www .ctpost.com/local/article/Mariocracy-a-force-to-be-reckoned-with-in-1340518.php
She is respected by the peers in her industry and by the educators, parents and students who benefit from her program. It’s unfair for you to apply her to your skepticism for city politics. Don’t take it out on her because you don’t like the outcome of the election in which a large majority of voters–black, white and brown–voted for Joe Ganim.
Really Lennie, are you seriously not going to fact-check school lunch budget numbers before you deflect my very valid point?
And what’s your fact-checking, Jennifer? You can go into any department of this city and spin something unflattering based on personalities. If you have a beef with the nutrition program, that’s fine. But don’t soil someone’s work when their work product has nothing to do with Mario Testa.
Oh, forgive me for holding the head of a department accountable. And for the article about Mario and his part in hiring city employees. Must have been a very bad connection on my part. And excuse me for sitting with JML and Torres, for looking at the New Haven online school budget for comparison. More than anything I would sincerely love to be proven wrong about the BOE food budget. I have never met Mario, I understand he is a man of his word from those who know him and have dealings with him. I have always given him credit for that. Dennis Bradley has promised to delve into the nutrition budget issue. I will humbly and sincerely apologize to one and all if indeed other schools across this state with the same demographics have the same or similar food/employees budget numbers. Not holding my breath as I await results.
Excuse me Lennie and Jennifer, can I suggest a solution? We put the kid’s school lunch in a vending machine and give them EBT (Education Budget Treat) cards and fire 80% of the employees.
Joel Gonzalez for Mayor 2023
Staying with the ‘now what’ theme, I understand Jennifer’s frustration. I have resigned myself to inefficiencies politically run government entities have. People are recognized for ability regardless of how inefficient it is. In the case of the Nutrition Center, could it be outsourced as colleges and universities have done? Union contracts and jobs for the party faithful. Will the G2 administration (Ganim’s second administration) address issues such as this? Not likely. Nor would any Democrat.
Tom, if you want it outsourced, isn’t that a school board function? Isn’t that something Dave Hennessey, Howard Gardner, Sauda Baraka, Joe Larcheveque, Dennis Bradley, Maria Pereira, etc. could review in connection with the school chief? What authority would any mayor have in that area?
Lennie, allow me to follow up on Mario Testa’s meeting with Mayor Finch, above Jennifer posted a link to the Conn. Post that states, “Many times I spoke to the mayor: They should reach out to the minority community and try to communicate what their needs are,” Testa said. “But the administration only came to me after they made the decisions what they want to do.” Well, Lennie seven years ago Donald Day myself and the Firebird Society executive board along with Senator Ed Gomes and council member Andre Baker met with Mayor Finch to tell Finch the same thing Mario did. We informed the mayor that he needed to hire Bridgeport residents for the fire dept. and the police dept. but Finch along with David Dunn didn’t want to hear anything that was said at that meeting.
Well let’s see if good ole Joe shows up to the BOE meeting to speak in favor of the minority supported change of name for Columbus Day on the school calendar, which a group of Italians are protesting and asking the BOE to recall the vote. Because God forbid we teach minority children in this country history that has not been whitewashed.
Jennifer, are you okay? How many times must I inform the OIB readers, for years Mario Testa had been DTC Chair in name only. Stafstrom was or assumed the role of DTC Chair. Did you really believe Rick Torres was going to win? Do you or Tom White believe had Rick Torres won this past election, he was going to end the way political parties hand out jobs? Do what I’m about to do–drink a tall can of FOSTER’S Premium Ale and toast to better days.
Mackey, Rev. Moales would tell you that’s a lie.
So much anger, Ganim, Mario, now Maura all being crucified for no valid reason.
Joe Ganim surrounds himself with smart qualified people, something Adam Wood was afraid to do and David Dunn and Gaudett carried out the marching orders.
Like Mr. Fox said, get everyone’s resignations and keep the actual qualified people if there are any.
The press might be having a field day now with Joe being back but it will be that same press that will be reporting down the line how Joe brought the city back, mark my words.
Joe’s inner circle at the 7:30am meetings has major brain power and has people of all races. The “cabinet” will not be picked apart like Finch’s was, because these people have the credentials and the brains to be there.
Lennie, Bridgeport is in the grips of a political system and city employee unions that keep inefficiency in place, mostly because it serves their purpose of providing jobs to the party faithful. The Nutrition Center is just the tip of the iceberg. Corrections on the scale of the Management Advisory Committee are needed but are unlikely in this political environment. Why bother? Jobs are provided and taxes can be raised.
I did not support Joe Ganim for reasons posted previously. Now that he will be our new mayor, I hope he will be very successful.
That said, I am very angry to read the comments regarding my wife, the executive director of the Bridgeport School Lunch program. I am responding because I know she will not. Also, she’s asleep and will be furious I responded.
Maura has worked for the School Lunch program for 26-plus years starting out as a nutrition education specialist right out of college, a high school supervisor, assistant director, acting director and now director. (There was a 2-year hiatus when we lived in Mass. and she worked in a similar capacity for the State of Massachusetts.)
Several years ago, an outside consulting firm (Gibson Group) was brought in to evaluate the BOE. They praised the School Lunch program as exceptionally well-run. Additionally she was recently awarded a $25,000 award from the EOS Foundation for her efforts establishing a schools garden program that supplied fresh produce to school cafeterias. She turned over that money to the Green Village Initiative which was the non-profit that was so important in establishing this program.
You should check out her recent interview with CNN regarding the Bridgeport School Lunch program and urban nutrition challenges.
In her School Lunch world, she is Derek Jeter.
I understand frustration but Jennifer Buchanan, you need to get your head out of your ass. You have absolutely no idea what Maura has accomplished with a minimum of fanfare or self-promotion. Your comments demean Rick Torres and his hard work.
Jennifer–you are so far off in your judgement of Maura. She earned her position and as a woman is probably underpaid in comparison to her male counterparts.
There’s No Crying in Baseball!
As I have said, when I am proven wrong, I shall apologize.
Jennifer, after reading the comments by the Milkman I would say it’s time to get off your high horse and apologize.
Hey John,
Go sell a house.
Mr. Brown, Ms. Buchanan,
You guys are a bunch of horses’ asses. Get a life.
Take a pill and get over yourself.
Maura has been quietly and effectively doing her job, plus. Is this what’s going to happen to competent members of the City and BOE whenever someone wants to spew anger and frustration toward the Mayor-elect?
Oh snap, this is getting good, now we are starting to see the truth come out in defeat, and it’s not pretty.
The Gibson Study was predominantly paid for by the BRBC to seek outside analysis of the BOE policies in an effort to find efficiencies and to save money. The Gibson Company has often found inefficient operations in the management of school food services. They were surprised to find how well run and managed the Bridgeport Public lunch program was run under the leadership of Maura O’Malley. The Gibson study made recommendations to start a free federally funded breakfast program that Maura implemented. The Bridgeport school lunch program as of four years ago was top notch and very cost efficient. Fortunately, I don’t think that status has changed.
Milkman, I have a question. Do the Bridgeport schools serve milk from your company? If not, why? How does the bidding process work? If your Milk isn’t being served in our schools, you’re not really our “Milkman.”
Joel, the Bridgeport school milk bid involves Federal monies and requires the award be made to the lowest qualified bidder. Wade’s Dairy wasn’t the lowest bidder, three years out of the past four. I respect the bid process and I will be there again to bid on the contract next year. I delivered milk “house to house” some years back and I consider myself a “milkman,” like my father, my grandfather and my great grandfather. It’s in my DNA.
Joe Ganim charges by the square foot to make things better.
This is what I got from the post. There are 6 degrees of separation. Sue Brannelly has a sister Maura. Maura is married to OIB blogger Denis O’Malley. Maura is a very well respected employee who is being questioned by Jennifer Buchanan. People think these are sour grapes. The milkman thinks the program Maura implemented is top notch and I agree. The Torres campaign used the Lennie Grimaldi mayoral poll twice to convince voters he had a chance. The question on everyone lips today is, will Rick Enrique Torres run again, and why? Jennifer, why? Why? Why? Oh yes, because the Republican pickin’s get smaller and smaller every year.
Torres got his ass whipped so hard there’s bone showing. No one wanted him. Except his merry band of miscreants. There’s no denying it, accept no one buys his magic mushroom ideology or those of his campaign workers. No one bought it. The numbers paint a picture Torres should hang above his bed when he lies there at night and says to his wife, “I think the people want me and I could really win.” No you can’t, buddy. Back to the donuts. Your numbers were abject humiliation.
Welcome Mayor Ganim, time to clean things up and make Bridgeport a proud city again. Clean house and let’s get this baby on the road. Ding dong, the Finch is dead. Let’s get going.
I understand your candidate losing and feeling down but these Republicans are blaming everybody and everything, they have been messed over and the election stolen from them. Democrats are all bad, don’t know what they’re doing, crooks, thugs, uneducated and more. Over 11,000 voters from every section of the city voted for Ganim and only 2800 voted for their guy but they don’t see they need to look in the mirror and see what they did wrong, but they won’t because it’s easier to blame others.
Naw, we also blame Bush.
Here’s the problem, what are the Republicans going to do? They will sit around and solve the problems at Harborview Market, talking about Mario, Ganim and the DTC stole and bought the election without any proof. Remember the numbers, Republicans are outnumbered 11 to 1. The one voice you had on the City Council is gone, had he stayed he would have been a leader because most of those elected are not that sharp.
There’s no blame, Ron. Mario and Joe bought the election fair and square.
Here is an early film biography of Joe Ganim:
m.youtube.com/watch?v=60YdOxvprJI
THE FUTURE OF BRIDGEPORT
So where does Bridgeport go from here? We have three tenants in the Steelpoint Project and none new pending. And I cannot imagine Tri-State developers flocking to Bridgeport now as we return to our original reputation of crime and corruption and being difficult to do business with. We now will have a Mayor who didn’t do much last time other than plant flowers and shrubs on all the esplanades, but allowed the city to deteriorate to the point where everything on Main St. from Bulls Head to Fairfield Ave looks like Europe after WWII.
I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for the Poli and Majestic to be restored. Mr. Ganim talked about that back during his prior term but nothing was ever done about it. I don’t even hope to see the Barnum Museum repaired and reopened. It has been closed now for five years due to damage sustained in a tornado in 2010. I mean, why would anyone want to do that?
We don’t really WANT to remember Barnum or any of the old Bridgeport Industries like Singer Sewing Machine, Bridgeport Brass, Jenkins Valves, Warnaco, GE, Locomobile, Sikorsky or Remington, which were all represented in the museum. Nor do we want to remember the industrialists who built those businesses. Why would we want to remember that? It only represents an evil period in Bridgeport’s history when immigrants and minorities were expected to work for a living and were “exploited” by evil, fat-cat white industrialists, right? And as Mr. Finch mentioned at the Holiday Inn debate: “The demographics have changed.” Only 23% of the city are the remnants of those days now.
My goodness. Back then in the 1950s and ’60s, we didn’t have after school programs; we had part time jobs for young people. And we didn’t have daycare in high schools for unwed student mothers, nor special restrooms for transgendered people, nor metal detectors to detect weapons. And we didn’t even think of quitting school because it was either school, a job or the army! We didn’t have the option of just lying around being useless. Today, people consider getting a GED three years later as equivalent to graduating from Yale!!!
In today’s world, we prefer to say: “You didn’t build that” and we celebrate failure and dependency and unwed motherhood and reward it handsomely. So why would we ever want to see remembrances of days gone by when people actually finished school, then got married and worked and provided for themselves and their own families and didn’t make a million excuses as to why they couldn’t, nor blame it on some fantasy character called “The Man” or “Jim Crow.”
Remembering the successes of the past and the hard work and sacrifices of our ancestors would only call into question why we are all so helpless and dependent today and cannot even come close to being as successful as our own grandparents!!!
I see you have no problem with corporate welfare or tax cuts for the rich that aren’t paid for or two wars not being paid for, but that’s okay.
Thank you, Pavlick. I couldn’t say it any better. I will remain hopeful for Joe because I know and respect a few people who think he is not so bad. OIB has turned up some nastiness I don’t want to associate with so I won’t be posting here much anymore. Glad I don’t live in Bridgeport. Wish I didn’t own property there. I am a child of those immigrants you described above.
Pavlick I don’t usually respond to nameless individuals, but I will to you. You talk about what we had and didn’t have in the ’50s and ’60s as opposed to now. What you failed to mention was the number of jobs people had then as opposed to now. You mentioned Singer Sewing Machine, Bridgeport Brass, Jenkins Valves, Warnaco, GE, Locomobile, Sikorsky and Remington, but not Bassick Company, Dresser, Moore Tool, Remington Arms and Remington Rand. These companies employed tens of thousands of workers, working three shifts a day and they all left taking those jobs. Black people want to work for a living now just like you did then, but the difference is you had opportunities in the form of unlimited jobs. Blacks are still being exploited by the evil, fat-cat white industrialists; they just call them Republicans, big banks and the Koch Brothers.
You say unwed mothers are being rewarded handsomely, by which I guess you mean welfare. The fact is welfare has never paid anyone handsomely or moderately handsome. Why not mention the $700 billion America gave to big banks for their bailout or the $48 billion America gives every year to 96% of every country in the world. That’s alright, but to take care of its own citizens is somehow a dirty word or a handout.
You talk about a fantasy character called The Man; the fact is by the Man we are alluding to the institution of White and not some individual white man who wreaks havoc on the lives of black people. The Man, who would rather send $48 billion to other countries, but doesn’t feel the same need to take care of its own citizens. The Man, who would rather pay farmers not to raise crops, but instead he calls Social Security an entitlement and/or a handout. The Man, who sends millions of jobs overseas and then tells Americans get off your lazy ass and go find a job. The Man, who can sit on his fat ass in his home in the North End and talk about things he undoubtedly knows nothing about because he has never tried to understand the plight of anyone other than his own white world.
Ah, but the Man who is sending all the money to foreign countries, while his wife is sending millions to aid women overseas, is OUR PRESIDENT and FIRST LADY!!!
I have to agree with Jennifer on the amounts being spent on the NSLP in Bridgeport. Something is severely wrong with those numbers if they are correct. I am a Food Service Director for the NSLP that is run by a Private Food Service Management Company. Last year, my account spent $619,000.00 on Labor and $819,000.00 on product. In addition, our program offers the students all kinds of healthy options. We offer up to four different menus a day. For example, one school has four different stations, one is an Italian choice of the day, an American choice of the day, a chef choice station of the day, a grab-and-run salad of the day and a build your own salad station of the day. Furthermore, we offer Nutrition education at every grade level, we have guest chefs, health fairs, etc. Bridgeport has nowhere near this level of food service for its children. The school garden programs are in our schools, farm to fork program. For the most part we are years ahead of the self-opt, or city run programs by a landslide. We have extensive and on-going training for all our employees and when the self-opts and city-run programs see us coming, they shake in their shoes. All students in our programs are receiving free lunch just like Bridgeport students. We offer a better quality meal, healthier options, and more options than the basic Bridgeport School meal. I am not trying to say someone in particular is not doing their job(s) but, I seriously hope the BOE takes a look into what a FSMC can do for them vs. what is going on now.
THE BRIDGEPORT ELECTION IN PERSPECTIVE
Out of 147,612 Bridgeporters, minus 25% who are under 18 and cannot vote, 110,709 could qualify if they wanted to, but don’t seem to give a damn. Consequently in the City there are only 57,000 registered voters or less than half of those who qualify to vote.
Out of that number, only 20,726 were inspired enough to vote this Novemnber, or way less than half of all REGISTERED voters.
Out of that number, 11,198 voted for Mr. Ganim; that represents 10% of the eligible voters and only 20% of the REGISTERED voters!!!. That is hardly a mandate!!! Of course the other candidates did even worse, with some getting as little as 72, 61 and 24 votes; not enough to elect a dog-catcher.
What does that tell you about the City of Bridgeport? Possibly that 50% of the eligible voters choose not to even register to vote and out of the 50% who do, less than half of them bother to vote.
How can you have a citizen-based democratic and participatory city government with numbers like that?
This is precisely why Bridgeport has been run by a “Machine” for 60 years!!!
The 50% who choose not even to register and the 50% of registered voters who choose not to vote, have no right to complain about anything in the city since they are either directly electing “The Machine” over and over or allowing it to control the city by their failure to vote against it!!!