From Democratic mayoral candidate John Gomes:
GOMES CALLS FOR AN END TO “CARGATE”
Bridgeport Democratic Mayoral candidate John Gomes stated today that, “The number of official City of Bridgeport cars in use by employees is an obscene waste of taxpayer money and the Mayor should stop this feeding at the trough immediately.”
Gomes continued: “When I analyzed this abuse as Director of CitiStat-Bridgeport, I found over 50 take-home city vehicles unnecessarily used by city administration personnel. The recommendations made by my office, however, to reduce this fleet to the appropriate number were ignored for political reasons by the Mayor.
“The total value of the current fleet is approximately $500,000. This doesn’t even count those take-home vehicles used every day by the Board of Education, Parks and Recreation, the Fire Department or the Police Departments.
“It is almost as if a new municipal employee feels offended if they don’t get to take home a City of Bridgeport car.
“To make matters worse, because this administration hires most of its management positions from outside Bridgeport, we are paying taxpayer money for people to come to work and then drive to their homes in the suburbs. In one case of a take-home City vehicle, taxpayers paid for a 60-mile commute one way.
“At the same time gas consumption is over $100,000/year. Then add in maintenance, repairs and insurance and the total cost is indeed staggering.
“The point of public toleration for this abuse has long passed and it is time to get politics and greed out of City Hall.”
Gomes concluded that: “The average resident of Bridgeport is not awarded a car when they get a new job as if they had won ‘Let’s Make a Deal.’
“The awarding of a take-home City car should not be the case for our municipal employees.
“In light of the critical economic conditions affecting the residents of Bridgeport, I call on the Mayor to end this abuse by immediately reducing the number of municipal vehicles by 90% and additionally to seek additional and less costly alternatives such as Hybrid and Plug-in automobiles.”
I think I heard part of the Foster Care Plan would be to employ a Zip Car type system for the city.
Also, part of the problem is the car is considered a benefit and city employees pay taxes on that benefit.
Guess What? That taxable benefit becomes part of their salary and PENSION.
$5k benefit equates to a $3k per year bump in your pension if you have 30 years in with the city.
Learning about these fringe benefits is what got Gomes fired.
Up; there is no reason for anyone other than the police & fire chiefs and the mayor who need to take a city car home.
They claim there are people who take them home in case there is an emergency and the person with the city car needs to respond to an incident after hours. What’s the matter, their own cars don’t work?
I was on call as the city arson investigator for 9 years. When I was called back in I drove my car from my house to fire headquarters where I picked up the arson van. Why can’t that be done now?
In the PD there is a husband and wife who each take home a city car to the valley; why?
With gas at $4.20 per gallon this is one hell of a benefit we are paying for.
There is no excuse for this. The mayor promised us years ago this abuse would stop. Like everything else he says, it’s pure and utter bullshit.
Finally, what we’ve all been waiting for … some real CitiStat information. Tell us more, John! BTW, Andy Nunn takes his car home to Monroe each night. Charlie Carroll goes home to new digs in Newtown. The list goes on. Finch promised that all but 3 (mayor, police chief, fire chief) cars would be returned by July 1st. Don’t hold your breath.
city hall smoker // Jun 1, 2011 at 7:29 am
to your posting
chs,
Yes, do not hold your breath … this Mayor is not known for his truth-telling, is he?
July 1st of what year?
I’ve been here before to discuss this very topic. In the Police department alone there are about 30 cars that go home every night. Most to the valley. You are correct about the husband and wife. Worst is they handle personnel needs in those cars like shopping or dinners. The Chief drives an Escalade all the way to Newtown every day and night. What does that get? 10 miles to the gallon? When does he move to Bridgeport? Hear is isn’t because he hasn’t really never been a cop and is scared. I hear that a lady cop drives a car home to Shelton or Seymour and has no real job. Don’t know what that means, but come on! Do these cops claim these perks on their taxes? Doubt it. Good job Mayor Gomes!
Look it up, 2 years ago a resolution was submitted to the Council regarding take-home cars and the Mayor immediately held a press conference to defuse attention on the resolution.
And last year, the Mayor still under attack for this issue, announced that as of July 2010 the only folks with take-home cars would be the Chief of PD, FD and the Mayor …
BUT, what they really did was the dept heads with take-home cars now have license plates without the ###-BPT plate … But sit and watch them drive out 999 Broad and the dept heads with Ford Escapes are city owned …
Celia Cruz // Jun 1, 2011 at 8:07 am
to your posting
And besides the Resolution, there was the first time CitiStat-Bridgeport analyzed the take-home cars in February 2009, and made the recommendation to significantly reduced the number of take-home city cars. Well you see where that got us …
We can change all this from waste and self-indulgence to savings and accountability that benefit the whole City … on September 13, 2011. And by the way, would you like to join me as we take pictures of the cars going out of 999 after June 30th on their way home? A surprise picture party …
Just like the idea of term limits … the only people who could limit terms are those whose terms would be limited.
Carolanne, please make sure to post the pictures. We need proof Finch is a liar.
Can someone please tell me one promise made by Mayor Finch that he kept? He is so divorced from the day-to-day operations of this city and from previous promises that nothing he has promised has been done.
He has submitted 3 budgets that have been false budgets and has placed the taxpayers of this city in a position that for many will be untenable.
tc,
He promised Councilman Curwen a City job. Oh that’s right, Finch tossed him under the bus, too.
I followed a Bridgeport police car down route 8 from Waterbury all the way to Bridgeport on Sunday … it made me cringe.
town committee said “there is no reason for anyone other than the police & fire chiefs and the mayor who need to take a city car home.” Unless it can be shown the need for a City-owned car to be taken home is because there is a potential life and death incident that can be PREVENTED by the City employee arriving on the scene immediately, if it can’t, then no taken-home City car.
Ron Mackey // Jun 1, 2011 at 10:11 am
to your posting
Ron,
The other department head who would qualify if they had a real Health Department to run would be the Health Director … do you agree?
OPM has a take-home car too; why???
They don’t even leave the office, not even for a smoke.
Why do I have a feeling as time goes by toward Sept 13, that Mr. Gomes will have a lot of fun facts for us to ponder.
The fire chief has 3 cars; a FEMA-purchased van/suburban he uses to clean out his Monroe home garbage, a hybrid he said he wanted and a Ford Crown Vic. He makes the firefighters clean and wash these vehicles every day. This is the high school graduate Fabrizi appointed and the “Village Idiot” has kept in place. Wonder what he pays in taxes to Bpt? Sorry, Monroe. What a dirt bag!