Light up a cigar. Fill a champagne flute. Make a bubble bath. Philip Sherringham is gone. Ciao. Adios. See ya.
The rogue chief executive of Bridgeport-based People’s United Bank, who built himself a Taj Mahal office, lined his floors with carpets that could buy a small mansion, fitted his doors with frost-covered arrogance and told bank employees and the people of Bridgeport to kiss off, has been canned. Oh, the official press release issued by the Board of Directors says it was mutual, but the reality is board members had enough of him after a few years of me, me, me, me. Get out the blowtorch.
I know several members of the People’s Board of Directors. It’s not easy to blow out a guy you hired. It would be nice, as a next step, if the board got back to what made the largest bank based in Connecticut the single most influential business force in the city. People’s Bank had a motto, if not a written declaration, then a practice: our bank can make plenty of money while boosting the city where we make money. That means commitment to the state’s largest city, social responsibility, being part of the community and the community part of the bank.
I’m too puny for board members to consider my suggestions, but here’s what I’d do: I’d contact Mayor Bill Finch and say you know what, we want to own the naming rights to the ball park and arena for five years. Yes, “People’s United Park, People’s United Arena.” Has a nice ring, no? The city needs a financial and psychological boost.
Am I dreaming? Sure. But it’s a layup to make it happen. It only requires board members show the same kind of will they had for getting rid of Phil the Bill.
Candidate Fever
A crowded field of guber candidates will fill the Bridgeport Holiday Inn Wednesday morning at a forum hosted by the Bridgeport Regional Business Council and the Connecticut Post. OIB will be there to check out the bs quotient.
Tonight, Tonight, Tonight …
Correction from earlier post
: The City Council’s Budget and Appropriations Committee will take up the Board of Education budget tonight at 6 in the Wheeler Room of City Hall on Lyon Terrace. The full budget public hearing including General Fund and BOE is scheduled for Thursday at 6 in City Council chambers. Let’s see who shows up.
From Ned Lamont
Lamont Urges Focus on Rail Improvements
New Haven, CT – Businessman and candidate for governor Ned Lamont released the following statement in support of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s visit today to discuss the future of rail travel in Connecticut:
“We can’t get Connecticut moving forward with a rail system that’s stuck in the 1950s. I’m glad Secretary LaHood and so many state leaders took a firsthand look at the state of our rail lines today. As governor, I will work to build on the progress made at today’s meeting and over the past few years to finally build a fast, reliable rail system in Connecticut.”
Lamont has released a Business Plan for Connecticut that would ease congestion across the state by improving the speed, quality and scheduling of passenger rail and revitalize our urban centers. As governor, Lamont will also work with governors from neighboring states to expand freight rail in order to remove more trucks from Connecticut’s crowded interstates. www.nedlamont.com
*** Great idea on the rented name changes & good news about “Philip of Sherringham!” *** Another free meal @ the Holiday Inn should bring many business & political “Panhandlers” to the social event of the day. Let’s bring the vote Malloy/Glassman signs to get the party started right! *** Is it the City Public Budgets Hearing or the actual budget screening of the B.O.E. depts. tonight there Lennie? If it’s the Public Hearings, I don’t think it will be too crowded due to the fact it’s pretty clear the B.O.E. is not getting what they want or even close this year. However the time should be used to address the overall running of Bpt. and the double-standards & wild spending by the present administration, etc. … ***
Good catch Mojo. Budget committee will take up BOE tonight.
*** Getting off today’s topic, I would like to in an “OIB” way give a thumbs-up to R.B. for his pursuit in cracking down on craigslist websites, which deal in the exploitation of women & children to the tune of $36 million in general. This man will no doubt be a stand-up U.S. Senator for the country & state of Conn. should he win the election. His shoes will be very hard to fill & right now, it looks like Jepson will be the man next in line to try. SuBy is much too career-minded & unpredictable in my opinion for the job of S.A.G. & may find herself in a state office violations investigation sometime in the future? *** Tonight is the city’s public hearings of “What’s in your wallet?” ***
Lennie:
People’s Bank doesn’t need to be pissing away goodwill and money by putting its name on a baseball park. They already got their name on THE building in the City of Bridgeport.
If the bank goes back to doing what it always did best, it would make one helluva contribution to civic life. The last thing it needs to do is throw lifesaver rings to Bridgeport politicians. It is above that.
People’s made its reputation by doing stuff in the region. A lot of the things didn’t get a lot of attention, or individually made a lot of money. Added together they made the community better, and that made them money.
I don’t think the bank wants to be clawed at as the last standing monument to the industrial age in Bridgeport. In any case, it is not healthy for the community. People’s has been historically part of what tried to make the community better. Let’s hope that continues and is invigorated.
On reflection, I think you can think of a half-dozen more important things than that baseball park.
By the way, what kind of cigars you got?
Jim
I don’t smoke them, but if I did I would dig up an old box of Topstones! Hey, you still got one of those boxes?
I may have an empty Topstone box around someplace. The last time up to Connecticut I went looking for Topstones and couldn’t find them. I had to settle for Muniemakers. They don’t give off the same cloud and aroma that so clearly stated: “Leave me alone.” I think I missed a word or two in that quote.
Joe Ganim built himself a Taj Mahal at 999 Broad Street. I always did like the music.
I’m more, not an Evermore, Oscuro kind of guy.
Ah yes, a good Topstone. When I was flush I’d grab a Topstone Executive, sold in its very own individual glass tube, at the News Corner. The fresh ones arrived on Tuesdays. The price, a whopping 95 cents, was almost twice the price of a tap beer at the 19th Hole Restaurant.
Let’s crank up the ‘ol Wayback Machine … Name some great city cigar smokers. I’ll start …
Frank McGee, who could tell you how the city was going to vote after the returns of the first three precincts, no matter what precincts they were;
Joe Kelly, a member of the Republican Action League from the days of then-local pol and future Judge Jim Stapleton. My friend was killed in the offices of the city’s Weatherization program by a well known city shooter as at least two other guns sat silent.
Bill Walsh, the Post-Telegram political editor who taught Jim and I not to antagonize polling place bosses on election night. “Get the numbers and get the hell out!” he commanded. Bill was a chewer, fired up one end and chewed the other and expectorated the moist waste under the desk at 410 State Street.
RIP to one and all!
How about Mike Rizzitelli? Jesus, The Rizz would poke me in the chest with those things. But for me my favorite is John Donald Guman Jr. About 20 years ago the Dem party chair puffed happily as Rizzi and Mario Testa exchanged eye gouges during a town committee endorsement session for mayor. Just a little entertainment to go along with a cloud of smoke.
And then there was Frank “Cigars” Piccolo … Bridgeport’s most famous … ah, let Lennie explain who he is …
My favorite Frank McGee story involves a Democratic Town Committee meeting at the Three Door which had typically devolved into anarchy–before the meeting was gaveled to “order” by riotmaster John D. Guman Jr., himself with an el mondo grosso Caribbean cigar. Frank was about 75 and looking frail standing in the middle of out-of-control committee members yelling incoherently at each other. “I don’t know, Jim,” Frank said, pulling the cigar from his mouth and exhaling smoke with a sigh. “At least in my day everyone spoke English.”
The thing I remember most about Kelly was yakking to him about a potential Election Day issue in a particular precinct. “Oh, that shouldn’t be a problem,” he said.
Looking straight at Kelly, with the cigar in the corner of his mouth, with his bright eyes and kind of a grin on his face, one was left to think: No need to worry about the future of democracy with that answer!
As one of Mr. Walsh’s students, I would sit next to the perfessor, particularly late in the evening, reviewing the issues of the moment, soaking up the wisdom of decades whilst a cloud of bluish-gray smoke enveloped us and the entire government-politics rim of the newspaper office.
Typically some of the fem staff members would come over to complain about the comforting warmth and aroma that surrounded our reflections. Not wishing to disturb the old gentleman, and his viciously funny deconstruction of critical personalities, they would direct their shrieking tirades at the student. Most notable amongst these shrews was one Elaine Ficarra–say, doesn’t she have something to do with current events around here? After Ficarra left in a disturbed state one night, Walsh looked over his smudgy glasses at me and stated: “What she needs is a husband.”
And as to Frank Picollo, perhaps Lennie can further explain Post-Telegram reporter Mike Mayko’s mythic description of Cigars being “disconnected” from a payphone at Main and Jewett streets.
Ah, The Gooz … How did I overlook The Gooz, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa … Well, the truth of it was none of us could afford the cigars The Great John D. Guman smoked! On our salary we smoked the fine products of the Connecticut Valley …
*** People’s has much more to gain with a little advertisement @ Harbor Yards Arena & the ballpark with a (temp.) name change. They have expanded far beyond little old Bpt. & its political parties to a banking federal level. Their present & past contributions towards Bpt’s communities & citizens were just a piece of the banking world’s puzzle to move forward & succeed in good business towards expanding to bigger & better things. And name advertising in any sports venue, especially @ those prices for a Harbor Yards, or ballpark (temp.) name change is a potential win-win for Peoples & city revenue. After all, banks are in the business to make money first, then throw lifesavers! *** Big cigar smokers who come to mind are Chico Rivera & Walt Flaherty from the 131st district. ***
See ‘ya Sherringham! I really hope the next CEO will care about Bridgeport more than California.