With three weeks left to the general election, the seven candidates for mayor engaged in a forum on radio station WICC. CT Mirror coverage here. CT Post scribe Bill Cummings has more.
Crime, education and subtle references to Democratic nominee Joe Ganim’s past corruption highlighted a lively debate Tuesday between seven candidates vying to become the city’s next mayor.
“I will never tell the people of Bridgeport a lie,” said independent candidate Mary-Jane Foster, referring to Ganim’s 2003 conviction for taking kickbacks as mayor.
“If we are going to get the resources we need to grow taxes, we need transparency and a guarantee government will be an honest broker,” Foster said.
Hosted by WICC 600 talk show host Jim Buchanan, the live radio broadcast offered a unique format in which candidates drew names out of a hat and asked each other questions.
Those participating included Ganim, Democrat-turned-independent Mary-Jane Foster and Republican Enrique Torres. Also involved were unaffiliated candidates Charlie Coviello, Tony Barr, Christopher Taylor and David Daniels.
Full story here.
People must go to bed early around here, to be the first comment at 10:30pm.
Congratulations to Joe Ganim, Rick Torres, Mary-Jane Foster, Charlie Coviello, Dave Daniels, Chris Taylor, Tony Barr. Any others?
Ganim was well-spoken, thoughtful, deferential, intelligent, even kind. So my only stance still is, you don’t just get a free pass back, you have to earn it. Redemption is not an eraser.
Torres was well spoken, but decides to give his lead-off question to Tony Barr, who could go almost anywhere with it and basically used the opportunity to deny the existence of a political machine, which is the point of all outsider candidates. Then he says children take up too many resources. Not too bright. Probably not really meant that way, but geeze, get a grip. Thoughtful otherwise.
Mary-Jane, smart lady, not tough enough to enter the lion’s den.
Coviello, great community guy with a good heart.
Daniels, knows a few things about public safety, paramount in Bridgeport.
Taylor, ran a successful business and wants to see a grocery store built on the East End. Well meaning, but had dinner, not hungry now.
Tony Barr. Now there is the wild card in here. If he could focus his points he would be good TV. Represents a lot of sentiment, but has some real homework to do to make sense of it.
Good luck All. Like Jim Buchanan said, you have to be congratulated and thanked for showing up.
Barr said the comment about children, not Torres.
Torres did say public or low-income housing was not a good idea in the old Stop & Shop site, because it does not increase our tax base, and does bring in more people who need services, including children to our schools and the lack of school funding is already an issue, who was going to pay for the additional children in school–in response to Foster’s suggestion perhaps moderate to low-income housing at the site.
Rick sounds like Mitt when he talk about the 47% needing things from the government.
And you sound like a mental dwarf every time you try to connect Rick Torres to ultraconservatives. Grow up already.
Look BK, I don’t know who the fuck you think you’re talking to punk, you don’t have to like what I say but Derek Brown you are fucking with the wrong person when you start calling me names.
Get a grip, Mackey. You’re a narrow-minded person who thinks everyone else is as stupid as you are. Grow some thicker skin and get over yourself.
Derek Brown, I understand you can’t reply back to my comments so now you have to go into name calling. You don’t have to agree or like anything I post and there’s nothing wrong with that but I’ll be damned if you think I will allow you to call me names, so the ball is in your court, Derek Brown.
I saw TBK today, told him I was going to hold him down if a group of firefighters arrived to give him what for. I am sure you are more than capable of fighting your own battles. But on the record, enough of the unnecessary name-calling from Torres supporters is my message.
Considering 52% of the poorest neighborhoods pay up to 800% more in taxes based on assessed value and Rick has both brought this to attention and has specific plans to stop this without overburdening the other 48%, I think your candidate who is on record to delay the reevaluation two more years, you might have the analogy attributed to the wrong candidate.
I didn’t call you a name, Ron. I pointed out what you sounded like. Go back and read the post again.
I don’t understand your hostility toward Rick Torres. That’s between you and him at any rate. But it will never get resolved because you are unable or unwilling to come down and talk to the man, hear what he has to say. I will venture a guess you prefer to maintain a bigoted and myopic world view. Donald Day said it was Afrocentric. Sounds like racism to me, and that’s unacceptable no matter whose mouth it comes out of. I’m not going to get into a pissing contest with you over what the Republican Party has or has not done for the black man. I’m not a registered Republican, for one thing. It’s up to you to do the research. Get off your ass and go to the library.
I respond to your comments with intelligence and an articulated view. You respond with anger, contrived ignorance and macho posturing. I can appreciate your position and world view but it comes across as shortsighted. We must be working together for the common good, the greater good. The needs of one community are no more or less important than the needs of another. No one should benefit at the expense of another. I cannot correct historical wrongs because I live in this time. Rick Torres cannot be held accountable for the actions of elected officials holding court and office in Washington DC because he has nothing to do with what goes on down there. Only a person with a bigoted, narrow-minded view of the work would think that way.
You ask questions and don’t want to know how others answer them because we aren’t going to agree with you. Guess what? The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees all of us the right to disagree. Ain’t that a beautiful thing?
I believe Rick Torres should be given a four-year trial period to run the City of Bridgeport by being elected mayor by Independents first, Democrats and Republicans. From a Bridgeport Democratic family, I do not believe people should pull the Democratic lever simply because it is their family tradition and so have to choose between someone who clearly abused the office and has the nerve to want it back and someone who could only gain 1100 or so supporters in the primary. However Rick can be reflexive in comments and the reflex should not be to say housing will attract more children. You gotta frame your message too ya know. Go Enrique. He is pro-people first, before graft and “chewing,” the word used by some who would keep the government feedbag to themselves. He will greatly reduce housing taxes in the East Side, as it keeps business out and people struggling and is overburdened. What Democrat has suggested this? As far as Black Rock taxes, he lives there.
He will advocate for reducing the taxes, whether there are forces that try to stop that, I don’t know.
I heard him say said low-income, public housing, which is much different from housing.
“Mary-Jane, smart lady, not tough enough to enter the lion’s den.”
Could you be any more sexist? Would you like her barefoot and cooking a pot roast? Really really shameful.
Your read on some of the others was laughable. Coviello is a duplicitous conniver.
Torres sounded like a pompous ass. A self-impressed pompous ass.
Mary-Jane Foster is a very smart lady. I do not know if Park City too was being mean with that Foster comment. Maybe the comment was made because Foster did not go after Ganim. She didn’t go after Ganim last time and now after both Torres and Ganim. Can she do it? I think she can. I just noticed signs Democrats for Torres. I recommended signs Republicans for Foster. Nobody listened. Mary Moran also used that strategy Democrats for Moran. It worked. She won. SHHHHHHHHH.
It was sexist, and even more shameful if Park City too is female.
Funny. Is that sexist also? I do not think she is strong enough to withstand the hard character lurking in the shadows of Bridgeport politics. We all hear things through our own filters. No, I have no barefoot image of Mary-Jane and didn’t know she cooks pot-roast. There is no shame in thinking she is not tough enough to be the chief executive of such a tough city to deal with. If wrong, then maybe comments like mine can prompt her to show a tougher side. Simple. There are some tough businesswomen out there, is she one of them? The answer would not be she built a ballpark or runs a university. If she ran the Bridgeport K-12 school system, I would think twice before questioning her toughness, she won’t be playing softball at the helm of the city. Sorry for offending you, but you are hearing my comment through your own life experiences. All the best.
And you sound hyper politically “correct.”
Park City too, everyone was glued to CNN for the Democratic debate. I responded to the Bridgeport debate on the previous article. I thought your post was thoughtful.
As a very poorly run “DEBATE”–I’m going to be mayor–No I’m going to be mayor; Torres was the better of all the candidates. Ganim failed as a five-time mayor, now he wants to try again. If Gov. Rowland did not pour money into Bridgeport, nothing would have happened!!! MJF could not run the Bluefish, but she will be able to run the city of Bridgeport! Coviello runs when he needs a job! Daniels as a retired Lt. of the BPD says he cannot afford to work for nothing, unlike Torres can. Daniels makes more money now than when he worked and he and his spouse have LIFETIME benefits, COURTESY of the Bridgeport taxpayer!!! Torres stressed jobs and said building mega housing projects would only add to the debt! As a successful businessman in Bridgeport for years, I feel he is the best qualified to change the STATUS QUO that has made Bridgeport one of the highest-taxed cities in AMERICA and the SECOND WORST EDUCATIONAL system in the state with a 91% illiteracy rate and a dropout rate of over 30%!!! The sad thing is many of the people who write on this post who support the Democrats, suck on the teat of the taxpayer of the city of Bridgeport!!!
Torres did a great job as I posted on a previous page. It was a really poorly organized debate. I think Foster was unfortunate to have Taylor not ask her a question. Coviello wasting his question attacking Foster on accepting Finch’s endorsement, Ganim talking like he was the anointed one. Too many candidates. Torres’ closing remarks were outstanding and memorable.
But Malloy poured money into Bridgeport and what did Finch do? Nothing! In eight years. So I’d like to see what Ganim does now with Malloy’s money.
Ganim will immediately take 15% off the top for himself.
Ha.
BptPorter,
Mayor Finch used the state money as it was intended. Housing, Steelpointe infrastructure, brownfields, etc etc etc. You are a very ill-informed individual and it is sad reading your posts.
WICC puts up a mayoral comedy show against a presidential Bernie destroys Hillary series? Not a genius move.
Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton did a great job last night as well as Gov. O’Malley.
Joe was very eloquent, won this debate hands down! Rick had some good points, Mary-Jane had very little air time and Barr had too much! Coviello did a good job. Daniels and Taylor tied for last.
The Connecticut Mirror gave a very good interpretation of last night’s DEBATE.
Mary-Jane Foster sounded as though she was reading from a script.
I hope Bridgeporters understand the difference between a script and a verdict and vote accordingly.
(wink)
Joe Ganim promised a negative campaign so here I am practicing my nastiness: I believe in second chances and Joe Ganim can start by coming in second place to MJF on election day. Think of the future.
Bonus: www .fosterforbridgeport.com
Well you must be a very nice person if you think that is a nasty comment. That is my take on Mary-Jane, a nice lady, but Bridgeport needs someone a little meaner than she is, yet maybe without a felony or 16. If somebody were running for mayor who had a track record of burglarizing houses, would they show up and say, “Hi, I broke into your house, but if you give me the keys to the front door, I promise not to take anything else.” Then the police union shows up to endorse them for mayor, and you, the homeowner, think what? You think Bridgeport will figure out that question with a nice person running it? Torres was raised in the projects, has respect as a businessman and family man and has street smarts. Mary-Jane is not ready with her 1100 supporters, Finch’s don’t count as true believers, coming in after he was gamed right out of his pants.
Steve, that Democrat Party diversity was really on display last night on CNN! A bunch of old white people on stage talking about giving away free shit!