Dick Update: What a nutty few days. I’m dizzy. Tuesday night Bridgeport Town Committee members endorsed incumbent state reps for reelection including (OMG) State Rep. Chris Caruso. When was the last time The Big Wave received an endorsement from the town committee? Caruso’s name was placed into nomination by State Senator Ed Gomes. Any state rep primaries? Doesn’t appear so.
Let’s see now. Dick Blumenthal is on the ropes, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz is trying to figure out what she’s running for next, Dem and GOP state convention delegates are hunkering down for a crazy endorsement weekend. I don’t think Dick is toast. Too much goodwill built up over 20 years, although now he’ll have a real battle, but Republican Linda McMahon’s campaign pulled a huge boner taking credit for spoonfeeding the NYT piece that has Dick shaking off lava welts. Never take credit for a campaign hit. Looks petty.
Even Hardball Highness Chris Matthews took a piece out of Dick. But in grilling Dick, Matthews stepped on his tongue maintaining a man with the power to indict who padded his military service should not be elected U.S. senator. Power to indict? Jesus, for crying out loud, Dick’s failure to correct the record that he hasn’t the power to indict has come back to haunt him. All Dick has as chief civil litigator for the state is the freaking power to sue. And he’s sued plenty. Power to indict? Nope.
Coming to Dick’s defense former Dem National Party Chair Howard Dean had this to say about The Times article to MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
“Let’s be fair about this. This is a New York Times gotcha story planted by the opposition. It was planned by the opposition. The New York Times did not acknowledge that in their front page article. I think he deserves a chance to get his side out there. I frankly think this is a hatchet job.”
From Blumenthal:
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
AP: Video shows Blumenthal correctly stating service
HARTFORD, Conn. – In the same 2008 speech in which he misstated his military service, Connecticut Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal also correctly said that he “served in the military, during the Vietnam era.”
Blumenthal has come under fire for a March 2008 speech at a ceremony in Norwalk.
A video clip from the speech posted by The New York Times shows Blumenthal saying he “served in Vietnam.” But a longer version of the video posted by a Republican opponent also shows Blumenthal saying at the beginning of his speech that he “served in the military, during the Vietnam era.”
The Democratic attorney general acknowledged on Tuesday that he has “misspoken” about his military service on “a few occasions.” He says the errors were unintentional. Blumenthal was in the Marine Reserves but was not deployed to Vietnam.
Start Your Wish List
Can you believe it? The City of Bridgeport celebrates its 175th birthday in 2011. To mark the occasion I’m working on a 25th anniversary edition of my book Only In Bridgeport. Yup. It’s been that long since the first edition. Lots to update. Can you hear me rubbing my hands together?
The Joe Ganim years, the John Fabrizi years and Bill Finch years. Let me know what you want included. Have any photos? Send them along. You already know I’m into political blackmail photos. I’m including a special essay section from community leaders that will cover neighborhoods, development, government, politics, education, the changing ethnic landscape, and ooh baby, the Diocese of Bridgeport sex abuse scandal too. If you wanna get in on this I’m all ears.
So I ask you, if you could wave your magic wand what could be the best birthday gift for Bridgeport in 2011? How about a governor who actually gives a crap about the city? Haven’t had one since Lowell Weicker. Next year is also a mayoral election year. Do you want to reelect Mayor Bill Finch? If not, who’s your choice? The only official candidate so far is former CitiStat czar John Gomes. State Rep. Chris Caruso will also be a candidate.
The mayor is supporting Ned Lamont for governor. Hey, if Ned’s governor would he offer Bill a commissionership? Dem Party Chair Mario Testa would like a few good jobs for his peeps. How about director of economic development for the state? That would be a nice fit for Bill’s interest areas. He could really help the city in that role. Wouldn’t it be a riot if Bill were head of state development with Caruso as mayor?
Speaking of the mayor, will he tinker with the city budget in his veto window before the City Council sets the mil rate the beginning of June? Can’t imagine so. What’s there to change? The budget has a tax increase of just under one mil (roughly $6 million) and relies on millions in union concessions.
Downtown Discussion
A forum about downtown’s new development regulations will be the subject of a forum hosted by The Bridgeport Downtown Task Force May 27, 8 to 11 a.m. at the Golden Hill United Methodist Church. “We are targeting the professional organizations that relate to the real estate development community. Land use attorneys, architects, developers, property owners, investors, banks and the like,” says Nancy Hadley, the city’s former development chief who took a lead role in the new regs. “If you know someone who walked away from investing in Bridgeport, encourage them to come and learn about the new land use policies, regulations and processes. All of this started with the 2005 Urban Land Institute Report which told Bridgeport that their economic development policies were ineffective. The City needed to do a complete overhaul. So, five years and $2.4 million later, Bridgeport has new land use policies, new zoning regs and map based on a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, new Storm Water Management Manual, new Enterprise wide Geographic Information System which digitized over 32,000 parcels and puts all of the information on-line; and a one-stop permitting system at City Hall Lyon Terrace. Three presenters and four response panelists will lay out the new changes with particular emphasis on the Downtown.”
The event is $20 cash at the door with proceeds going to the church. For more info including a listing of participants and agenda go to Hadley Group here.
Gomes 2011
A new BPT, free from corruption and Machines.
The best gift for Bridgeport would be term limits for all its elected officials. With term limits we could get rid of the incestuous leaders we now have. Getting rid of the council people and the other elected officials would allow for other people to serve and get involved in the city.
Right now we have 20 council people who think they own the seats they now occupy and in many cases that is the truth because there is no way to get them out.
The council operates on the public be damned principle. Many of the council people have to play the I will go along game because I will lose my city job if I don’t.
For a city with a one-party system we need to have term limits to start getting new and forward-thinking ideas.
Only problem is the current elected officials would have to first come up with the ordinance and then vote on it “themselves.”
I can’t imagine John Gomes being mayor … what kind of credentials does he have to run the city?
Mr BPT says it’s so. What more creds do you want?
Gomes is in no way a political lifer who owes anyone anything.
He knows the system by the numbers through CitiStat and his time as a Finch cabinet member.
He also has the energy and showmanship like Fabrizi did.
And who was qualified before this? Does being a lawyer or a teacher make you qualified? A state senator?
Gomes is a dangerous candidate who can pull this off.
Right on, Hector!!!
And besides, with the right effort I believe anyone who deserves to get booted out of office could be.
TC, when you ran for the city council did you get out the message Curwen’s wife is on the city payroll and she has received pay increases that are above what unions negotiated?
Did you talk about Richie and what has gone on there? Where the city played games with his job so he wouldn’t have to choose between losing his job due to the Hatch Act or having to step down from the Council?
Did you do all of this and question who do they represent, the voters in the 138th or the mayor???
Hey Hector it’s good to see we have someone who knows what’s going on in Bridgeport. If more people did less talking We would be all right.
I would like to thank MOJO for his terrific letter to the editor highlighting the erosion issue at Seaside Park–the Friends of Seaside Park and the Seaside Park Coalition have been raising this issue with the Park Board for several years and we have photos courtesy of Morgan Kaolian that show how the beach has eroded from the early ’60s–we previously were told the City was supposed to maintain the 1960 replenishment but of course that was all done prior to DEP existence.
Other communities (e.g. Milford in particular) replenish their beaches all the time–and if we have permission to do what is being done now then let’s correct it correctly–most of the current situation was created by the Nor’Easter of the early 1990s.
*** Thanks Common Good, I was kind of surprised they printed it so quick being I just wrote & sent it in Mon night! I got most of my info. & encouragement for the letter from my friend Richard Dawid & past articles & info from the Friends of Seaside & Park Coalition who as you know have been raising “good issues” with the city’s Park Board for years. So it’s important for everyone to be more proactive towards protecting & improving the few raw jewels we are lucky to have in Bpt. I love our Parks & everything they offer and hope all our city, state, and Fed. legislators work together to keep them truly CT’s own places of “ENLIGHTENMENT!” ***
Grin: Ann and I did not do that, we tried to run a positive campaign. We tried to show we would be more available to deal with neighborhood problems and issues. There were and certainly still are a number of issues that face this area we focused on such as:
1. No Library
2. Few to no police patrols
3. No commission or board members
4. Major flooding issues
All of these conditions still exist. The people up here did not respond. The other problem was we could not get out the people we knew in significant numbers (we tried like hell). I don’t believe in negative campaigning and I would not bring in family members and make them a campaign issue and I think Ann felt the same way.
The other thing I miscalculated was the lengths the administration was willing to go to keep us out of office.
Finch as State Development Director??? Maybe Director of Trails. Hike!!!
Yo Yo Mojo! Nice letter today on Seaside Park.
Shays throws Blumy under the bus. Says he knew but didn’t say anything.
www .nytimes.com/2010/05/19/nyregion/19veterans.html
Does anyone know where Finch was employed before he was appointed mayor by Mario and how many jobs there were?
Thanks.
Wasn’t Mario, but Stafstrom who chose Finch.
Black Rockin, the mayor had roughly the following elected positions and jobs in the 1990s: elected to City Council 1991, campaign staff Ganim for Mayor (we ate lots of anchovy pie), director Bridgeport Civil Defense, director Greater Bridgeport Transit District, fundraiser Guenster Rehabilitation Center, director Bridgeport Economic Development Corporation, elected to State Senate 2000 (more anchovy pie), reelected State Senate 2002, 2004, 2006, while maintaining BEDCO/business community position until his election as mayor in 2007.
And I believe he worked for P. Timpanelli at B.R.B.C.
The better question might be, Where will he be working after this term?
Thank you Lennie.
Black Rockin, I forgot to mention Bill worked for UB too decades ago.
Well the delegate convention starts in Hartford this weekend. It will be interesting to see who gets the party endorsement. The one thing I find interesting and upsetting is neither camp Lamont or Malloy have a Bridgeport person on their ticket. Can you imagine the state’s largest city and no candidate on either the Malloy ticket or the Lamont ticket?
These are my favorite downstate Democrats who again while courting our support are leaving us out of the big picture. Typical downstate behavior. As far as I am concerned they can both go to hell.
TC,
Lennie will correct me if I am wrong but I believe the last Bridgeport person on any ticket was Joey G when he ran for LG and before that was Eddie Caldwell when he ran for Comptroller.
So please don’t blame it on the downstate candidate. Think of it more as an anti-Bridgeport feeling across the state.
My disdain for downstate politicians was showing, sorry. Just to correct things both candidates for governor are from downstate as is the one (for the moment) candidate for attorney general.
Well I’m back and I see nothing changed here, but it’s time for a change. Remember when people don’t vote this is what happens.
Does anyone know if BOE jobs still need city council approval? At one time they did and I was told today there are all kinds of high-level jobs that are temporary/permanent and job change titles and all kinds of crazy things where they are spending tons of money the BOE supposedly doesn’t have on management jobs with no council approvals.
It’s obvious you don’t like your current boss because you think he’s out to get you but if you do your job every day and do it RIGHT then you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. If you don’t like your job or your boss then go elsewhere for a job. No one is keeping you here. The names keep changing but you write the same crap over and over to see if someone bites. You are known as an Internet Troll. You put the fuel out there to see if someone puts a flame to it. Enough already. You’re like a broken record. This story had nothing to do with the BOE or its jobs or its bosses yet you whine about this day after day after day. Suck it up!!!
LMFAO. Someone hit a nerve, eh doctor?
Nah he ain’t pissin’ me off, I’m just offerin’ some advice. I mean when you comment on a story and it has nuthin’ to do with the story but you complain about your boss day after day after day then you should find employment elsewhere. Seems like he spends more time moanin’ about his job than he does working. I’m just sayin’.
Grin Reaper:
There is not an “anti-Bridgeport” feeling across the state. There is an anti-Bridgeport politician feeling. Neither party is going to put a derelict on the ticket if they can avoid it.
Who has stature? Who can fill an ethnic or regional hole? A Bridgeport candidate should draw favorable attention from Fairfield, Trumbull, Stratford as well as Bridgeport, at the very least. Bridgeport pols are not traveling well past the town line right now.
Of course, this could all end if Lennie turns his vaunted political genius to electing Connecticut’s next secretary of state, Mayor William Finch.
No anchovies, please.
Ever suck down white anchovy? The best.
Why would a credible candidate put one of these Bridgeport thugs on his or her ticket? That Common Council fight video is all over the airwaves. We are once again a laughing stock. Unfortunately the actions of a few reflect on all of us. I have one word for those involved in the fight. I believe the word is “ghetto.”
So? It’s true!
It’s Christmas in Connecticut for Mayor Bill Finch, the next secretary of state!
Why do I suspect instead of the Feast of the Seven Fishes we are going to end up with a bucket of bunker?
Need some Chum???