Heat and hot water back on at Success Village, albeit it many issues still to work out. It could have been lives lost.
Think in these terms: You’re a seasoned land use attorney with mountain ranges of experience navigating complex property issues, municipalities, corporate clients, courts and a bunch of other pain-in-the ass stuff.
But, just another day at the office, you think, and a call from Superior Court Judge Dale Radcliffe, an expert in land use and zoning law, asking you to do something you’ve never done before and very few on the planet, as well, on behalf of a private entity, not government financed.
It’s a complete mess, the judge says. Bridgeport and Stratford government leaders asked me to put someone in charge of Success Village, no easy task, because the designated board failed to do the obvious: provide heat and hot water. In addition finances are so screwy, millions in the hole, no one has figured out where the money went (or was funneled.)
Knowing Judge Radcliffe, as I do, he may have said a few other things. He has an intriguing way of making a point.
The 1,000-unit, 2,000 residents occupying Success Village, split between Bridgeport and Stratford, needs someone like you, he explains.
The person Judge Radcliffe placed in charge, Stratford-based attorney Barry Knott, has taken on ferocious hell on steroids, day and night; night and day. Does he need the money? No. Does he care? You bet. It’s what he does. Even at age 75. It’s what he knows. Success is broke, let’s fix it, not really knowing what he’s getting into because it’s not as simple as fixing a dead end street.
(Full disclosure: we’ve been friends for 35 years.)
The thing about this entire madness, it would have been worse, much worse, if nothing had been done because of the things uncovered…and not just by Barry Knott. (More to come on that.)
If not for the intervention, Bridgeport and Stratford would have an immense health crisis on their hands: a rats nest of no heat, no hot water, people in the street searching for answers, an immense burden on public safety in so many ways. The owners there paid more than $500 a month to cover heat, hot water, maintenance and taxes in a fund account controlled by the board.
None of that was paid… for a long time by the board. The bottom line: the co-op houses were worthless, who’d buy them, unless paid in cash because taxes not paid. Banks aren’t going to finance that stuff.
What was going on there was in the news for many months, as reported here.
City Council members matter. They make noise on behalf of their constituents to grab higher decision makers by the throat, or if not maybe by their ties. It’s easier that way.
The two council members who represent Success Village, Jazmarie Melendez and Maria Pereira, get to the point, even when they disagree with each other. So it goes in the circle of life.
Hello? Anyone getting this?
Tom Gaudett serves as Bridgeport’s chief administrative officer, a super bright guy whose bulb will soon shine with a law degree from Syracuse University. (Stop your complaining, he does his schooling remotely on line.)
Gaudett has a way of looking down the road to see a problem in the making. No heat, no hot water, no taxes paid, no utilities paid for 2,000 residents, a mini community, not a cul de sac. It all amounts to one gigantic sewer sandwich and everyone must take a bite.
So tasty. Want some?
Gaudett takes this to Mayor Joe Ganim. You’ll have scourge on your hands if we don’t do something about this? Translation: you and me the team. I’ll do the work if you sign off.
Ganim signs off to apply for court action.
Now, this doesn’t work if Stratford isn’t on board. Success Village covers two municipalities, built shortly after America’s involvement in World War II, what they termed war workers housing complex, so close then to the former Remington Arms which had manufactured the majority of the arms and munitions for the allied cause. Bridgeport’s manufacturing tech a huge deal back then.
Laura Hoydick is mayor of Stratford, a Republican who in reality isn’t netting many votes from the predominately Black and Brown residents of her district. Her history is risk aversion. Sometimes doing nothing is riskier in the face.
Gaudett makes his case to Hoydick: if you don’t help us float a loan to keep this place alive it will infect your constituency that you don’t care about putting people in the street.
So, it was done. Hoydick signed on.
Without Tom Gaudett, Success Village would be a historic mess.
Now, let’s look at this from a political affiliation perspective.
Judge Radcliffe: Republican
Barry Knott: Republican
Hoydick: Republican
What’s the point? If you make the right arguments, irrespective of political affiliation, things can happen for the better good. Depends on the situation.
Success Village manager Barry Knott’s latest report to the court includes itemized $5 million in hole and plans to rectify it.
Why isn’t it laid at Mayor Ganim’s doorstep (and the other Bridgeport mayors for 20 years who allowed the Fair Housing Commission to die, while keeping it on the City website, but failing to make current qualified appointments as an example of ownership of one’s residence as a form of ‘wealth building’?
Tom Gaudett could see the developing potential tragedy and expense. He and others could see something wrong when tax bills were not paid, when utilities went unmet, when complaints of heat and hot water surfaced at first, and when public safety officers were called, yet little if any of self-governance was working as shared within their community as ByLaws directed?
Where is the Fair Housing Commission that governs housing broadly, and not just rental units that can get assistance from a Fair Rent Commission, also malnourished by appointments for the better part of 20 years? I have asked that question often in recent years. Who cares?
The question of training for board memberships comes into question. CIVICS? Where is it taught and learned? Where are the respectful opportunities for Casual Civic Conversations? Time will tell.
Lennie, I made a big mistake in sitting in front of JML that evening, then again, I’m a masochist ! After his expression of rage caused by you, he freaking jumps into his Fair Rent Commission bandwagon loaded with questions. “I’d like to know why Barry Knott hasn’t started training folks to serve on the board, blah, blah, blah. Near the end, Knott was asked about a new board. “There will be no board for a long time”, Knott replied. I turned around and asked JML if he heard what Knott had just said. “What?” he asked. I said to myself, “another fucking question.” I repeated what Knott had just said and you can imagine the rest.
“He that twiddles his thumbs shall eat no plums.”
Lennie, anything on reaching out to my rich uncle? Success Village is on life support.
Joel,
Can you do two things at a time? Can Barry Knott as Receiver, or Tom Gaudett as Mayoral “right hand”, or the Mayor himself? Certainly. But the genuine question is can a series of elected officials, as Democratic Mayors, in the largest City in the State appoint (as Charter provides) enough qualified citizens to the Boards and Commissions in a timely manner and support them with training, evaluation of results, and affirmation as they pursue their purpose of OVERSIGHT in specific areas of municipal governance? An active Fair Housing Commission can be a first line of approach for citizens where self-governance is failing to operate and putting residents, owners, the municipality, and taxpayers in general at risk. But not if the Commission dies in place for want of nominations, and stays dead because there ceases to be a voting number.
You have had your problems throughout the years. Why not share your story of “governance, support of rights, and results” as Lennie has? Then you can explain, for all to know, who your rich uncle is, and how he got that way, perhaps, or not.
I understand that Knott’s appointment as a RECEIVER does not specifically cause him to do anything such as providing one, or a series of workshops for Bridgeport residents or specifically those who reside in Success Village so that they (as part of the generality of Bridgeport citizenry) may overcome their aversion to becoming informed about what affects their lives, property, and wealth accumulation, and then VOTE with a good grasp of the issues at hand. But I want him to know that there is one person who supports his professional activity , for which he is paid, and who has a general interest in improving the “culture of governance” in the City. While curious about the multiple allegations of wrongful handling of bank accounts, monthly common charges, receipt of insurance benefits, proceeds of property sales, etc. I can be patient while the accountants fashion a factual and reasonably accurate story that has not previously been communicated by the officials elected to do that.
Joel, if it was a “big mistake” to sit down where I waited for Public Speaking, kindly don’t impose such an error on yourself in the future. You allowed me , once again in this note, to raise the issue of Charter errors caused by Democrat officials ignoring official duties as state in the Charter. Aren’t you a ‘follow the rules’ preacher these days? As a former Council member do you select which Charter duties to execute, or not? Or do you only preach when a ‘personal enemy’ seems to show up on your scope? Where is your good governance target these days? Where does the common good in this diverse community reside? Time will tell.
What?
So; is there a long-term plan to help the co-op owners of SV keep their equity without facing financial ruin?! Are charges being prepared against the embezzlers that financially raped and pillaged in their roles as BOD members? Any nefarious others involved in real-estate schemes, etc., beyond the BOD?! Any notions as to political interference being run on behalf of the connected BOD members involved in this horror?!…
More than happy to answer your questions.
1) Knott has a full plate on his hands, not everything in his plans are guaranteed. Issues with insurance cost alone is a challenge. Plan will obviously change as he moves along.
2) Knott couldn’t comment on this question. Translation: The feds are investigating. There will be no BOD for quite a while.
3) Pereira asked about a piece of land sold by the BOD for $10,000. She spewed her conspiracy theory. Barry Knott went to the moon searching for the minutes of the land deal. He found Jimmy Hoffa’s body. He found a $5000 payment made and accepted payment of the balance. Without the minutes, he can’t make any accusations. Notions not allowed.
Jeff, the problem is the same as the solution–MONEY. My very wealthy uncle may be willing to help out. It won’t take long before Pereira snaps and starts to nibble on Barry Knott, she eats children, spits them out and on her free time enters the apartments of seniors like Barry Knott in search of ABs. Call my uncle Lennie, Barry knows him and tell him I’d like to see him.