UPDATE: includes footage of Saturday’s Democratic unity rally. Standing in his Bridgeport campaign headquarters Tuesday morning Ned Lamont contemplated the morning after, looking forward to a big primary win with an eye toward the paramount prize, a general election with his opponent who leads Connecticut’s largest city totally on board to take out the Republican.
“If the results go as expected Joe should call you tonight.”
“I hope so,” Lamont responded enthusiastically. “Bridgeport is important.”
In politics, when pragmatic minds come together, the intensity of a campaign can be wiped clean quickly.
Joe Ganim made the call Tuesday night following Lamont’s big win. The next night they met at Testo’s Restaurant, the mothership of Bridgeport politics, owned by Democratic Town Chair Mario Testa with a collection of heavyweight state pols that included Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman and Attorney General George Jepsen.
“There wasn’t an ounce of tension,” Jepsen told Brian Lockhart of the Connecticut Post. … “Joe and Mario very graciously from the onset of the conversation offered their full support any way they can be helpful. They didn’t ask for anything.”
Full story here.
Based on Lamont’s campaign pledges if he becomes governor, and can deliver, it would mean tens of millions extra for Bridgeport in school funding and extra dough to cover payments in lieu of taxes for tax-exempt properties as well as supporting an open, competitive process for a gaming destination in the city. Lamont has already offered what they want, no sense to ask anything else at the meeting, as Ganim eyes his mayoral reelection in 2019.
On Saturday Ganim attended the Democratic ticket unity rally in Hartford for the general election and received a shout-out from Lamont. See video above.
Mayor Joe Ganim needs to get back to being the mayor of Bridgeport by providing funding for the 21,000 school children, finding a way to cut property taxes, dealing with a police department that seems to be unmanageable, where are the jobs, more importantly show some leadership and be a problem solver. This is why the voters voted for you Joe two years aCgo and you failed. Joe, do your job and show the voters that they were right in putting you back as mayor, show some loyalty to those who said let’s give him a second chance to be the mayor. Joe, you and Mario got your ass kicked by Ned Lamont, Joe you are a better speaker, debater, a better retail politician than Lamont but you still lost a 80% to 20% margin. Lick your wounds and dust yourself off and be the best mayor that you can be and work to get Ned Lamont to be governor so that you both can work on ways to improve Bridgeport. Getting mad and not supporting Lamont will not o anything to help Bridgeport so let’s get to work.
Let’s flush those tolets and move Joe!
On
The quality of life in this town will improve once Joe Ganim is out of office and Mario Testa retires to Florida.
I’m sure that Ned will need all the showers and baths that his place has to get that stench off of him.
It’s not Sauce it’s Gravy. How much gravitational pull will your Jaguar bring?
*** Glad to hear that Joe is getting on board with the Lamont campaign. Unity in the Ct. Dem. party is important to get other Dem’s nation wide, up & running against the defunct Republican party that’s dividing this nation! Lord knows America needs positive leadership to mend & unite this country as one nation under God. Bye recognizing & understanding America’s good & bad history; only then can we stop over looking the cancers that continue to plaque us from the past & keep us from becoming the great country, “made up from immigrants” that we can move forward to truly be! ***GOD BLESS AMERICA***
Hope Lamont didn’t leave his testes with Testa in Testo’s.
If Ned Lamont doesn’t spend major time knocking on Bridgeport doors and talking with Bridgeport people, in-person, between now and November, about his specific, committed plans to give Bridgeport a major boost — including creating major tax-base and local,living-wage jobs — there will be a very anemic turn-out of Bridgeporters at the polls on election day… Ned Lamont will not be able to trick Bridgeporters into supporting him by using an army of surrogate, out-of-town union members running around Bridgeport on Election Day with our own political dupes backing them up by a last-minute phone-banking blitz, like Malloy did… And Malloy fooled us twice… We should have stayed home both times… Twice we bent over for Malloy and received his “thanks,” sans KY… If we turn out for Lamont without having gotten mega-bucks, and Bridgeport-tailored state economic development policy-change commitments, by way of very public, official-campaign platform announcements from Lamont, we should not turn out on Election Day for him… The other guy (Trumpanowski)can’t hurt us more than Malloy did, and if Lamont can’t spend time here and make us — the state’s biggest, most-troubled, most ignored and under-appreciated city in the state — the urban-agenda centerpiece of his platform, then we should just stay home, regardless of who, from Bridgeport politics or state-wide politics calls us, or knocks on our door, or leaves $4 pieces of glossy propaganda around our house and stuck in our doors… If Lamont doesn’t make Bridgeport his focus between now and November, we have to assume that his administration will just be Dan Malloy’s third term, which will be a very bad thing for Bridgeport — as bad as “Trumpanowski” when all is said and done…
Bridgeport voters should not respond to any overtures from his campaign coming through a surrogacy. He needs to have his campaign HQ here and he needs to spend a lot time here talking to a lot of Bridgeport and making very public commitments to rebuilding the state’s largest city…
Bridgeport needs to be the centerpiece of Ned Lamont’s urban agenda, or we should all stay home on Election Day… Amen…
Jeff, what good is it for Lamont to do half of the things you listed if Mayor Ganim is doing nothing, remember needs to be out front because Lamont won big without Bridgeport. Ganim and Mario need Lamont more than Bridgeport Lamont needs Bridgeport. Bridgeport comes into this election with a weak hand, with the hometown hero getting only 58% of the Bridgeport vote with only 9,000 voters coming put to vote. The ball is in Ganim and Mario hands and if they sit on their hands Bridgeport’s will have a sorry future with Democrats statewide in the future. Lamont needs to make a strong showing in Bridgeport by doing the leg work but remember New Haven came out really big for Lamont with 78% of their voters voting for Lamont.
He should begin by cleaning house. Danny Drug Dealer Pizzaro, Danny unfaithful Roach, Ed unethical Adams, Sam illiterate Marks, Carol do nothing Curry, Christopher bullshitter Alarcon, Russel milking the system Liskov. I just savied the COB one million.
That was the primary and many saw it as an opportunity to stick it to Ganim; sort of a mini referendum. In November without that pull, I could see many who came out on a warm summer day choose to stay home.
Maybe Mario told Lamont “no worry Neddy, we get you 20,000 absentee ballot votes”.
Ron: In the general election, Lamont, like Malloy, will be depending on Bridgeport, more than any other city, to secure a win… He needs
to deserve it before we give it to him… The poor turnout in Bridgeport — even with out “home boy” in the race(!) should have already sent a very loud message to the state DCC that Bridgeport is not happy with the rancid scraps and disrespect that has been our portion at the DCC table for too long… Even John Rowland’s Republican Administration treated us 100X better than Malloy —who owed his election to us… Now we have a potential Malloy#3 sniffing around for the same advantage… MAKE HIM EARN IT! If there are no Lamont public promises of Bridgeport’s urban primacy in a Lamont Administration, then Bridgeport should stay home on Election Day… No RESPECT, No votes!
Jeff that’s right, “No RESPECT No votes!” So you’re saying that the poor voter turnout for Bridgeport’s Joe Ganim was aoud message of Bridgeport not being happy with the rancid scraps and disrespect that has been our portion at the DCC table for too long… C’mon man, Bridgeport voters didn’t come out and support their own guy because they want to punish the DCC? And your answer is for Lamont to kiss Bridgeport’s ass because Bridgeport is mad, what does that do for Bridgeport? Stay mad and put in Republicans, what a future for Bridgeport.
Ron: That’s not quite what I meant… To clarify: Bridgeport Dems obviously were underwhelmed by their primary choices last Tuesday… Neither candidate was convincing in their intent or ability to deal with Bridgeport’s progressive failure to thrive and its continued downward trajectory… The vote was paltry and the percentages not reflective of powerful momentum for either candidate —even the “winner,” Ned Lamont… 9000 votes, with a hometown candidate in the mix, really speaks of an electorate deliberately withholding its vote… That should certainly send powerful messages — especially to the winner, who will need the vote of every registered Bridgeport Democrat to win the November election… And I contend, that at this point in our history, if we can’t elect a candidate who will actually make us a priority and set things on the right track for us — as a major part of his gubernatorial agenda — he doesn’t deserve our vote and shouldn’t get it… Then, next time around, the next candidate will take us very seriously and treat us with respect.., Hasn’t happened for Bridgeport in decades… It’s high-time that it does! No RESPECT, No VOTES!!
Our Mayor has a cornnacopia of new projects coming down the road!
Keep your eyes open.
New projects come fast on the heels of “older NEW projects” when the earlier project fails support even after tweaking. The signs were up for NO PARKING on the north side of Fairfield Avenue on August 20, that is today. I did not understand why parking on the south side would find the meters turned off. Later I heard its photo meter removal day on the street and that Steve Auerbach is in charge. Time to see SA at work? Time will tell.
Today is fact the day that the state of the art meters that Bridgeport fought against are being removed. The good news is that the new Smart meters will be installed starting in a day. I am proud of the entire city that has been in support of this team effort. The Photo-meters in fact being removed as we type. There will be new smart meters installed simultaneously. There is a lot of detail involved and teamwork is critical. Downtown merchants have been advised by the city last week. Communication is all over social media. The marketing for the media is making its way with Phil Kuchma’s Bijou taking center stage on the cover.
People will have many options- coin/credit / Mobilenow and ParkMobile applications. Unlike the photo- MPS Meters being installed only in downtown, the new smart meters by IPS will be installed throughout the city. The obsolete meters will be gone in just a week.
The new meters are also used in New Haven and Norwalk.Unlike Bridgeport that has neters in operation from 8 am til 6pm and currently free parking on weekends, our sister city’s have meter usage until late evening and no free parking on weekends.
We added the Parkmobile app since it is very popular and used in Norwalk and New Haven. Credit cards will now be used on 600 meters as opposed to 200. I am proud of the efforts of so many including the Manufacturing and vendors as well as the great job by Public facilities and Laz parking. If there are any issues with these – I will take the full responsibility- But I certainly will not take full credit. Thank you JML for addressing this issue today and allowing me to share some information. some PEOPLE WILL APPRECIATE FREE PARKING AT SOME 0OF THE METERS BUT THAT WILL NOT LAST! 🙂 I HAVE RECEIEVED 3 TICKETS FROM THE METERS AND I HAVE PAID MY TICKETS. 🙂
Steve,
Always appreciate good factual info unadorned by viewpoint, so here’s one addition to your narrative. New Haven meters were not in use on Sunday. Believe that they operate 6 days per week per meter notice, not 7. Something you can and will check out.
Free parking will still be available in certain locations in the City. Perhaps we could offer a list of spaces in the “downtown teardrop” where folks can park on the street all day, close to downtown courts, restaurants, shops and other businesses, but not face a meter? Put them on the map, you suggest? Time will tell.
No one gives a shit about your diet or parking citations, Stevie. Now go get your shine box.
Very idealistic Jeff especially when you say, “if we can’t elect a candidate who will actually make us a priority and set things on the right track for us. Were you talking about the mayoral election of Mayor Ganim or the gubernatorial election?
I see this as a distinction without a difference where you’re asking more from Lamont than you are demanding from Mayor Ganim.
A very narrow view indeed. There are two possible outcomes.
1) We withhold our votes and the Republican wins. In 4 years what do we do? If the Republican has been somewhat successful we are totally screwed. The will be somewhat successful by withholding aid to the city. More of the same. Read NYT article from yesterday that talks about states have a surplus while cities suffer.
2) We withold ourvotes and Democrats win. They don’t need us. That is really a brainstorm.
So out of three possible outcomes only one possiblely works to Bridgeport advantage. Not good odds.
Jeff Kohut, Donald Day got it right when he said, “you’re asking more from Lamont than you are demanding from Mayor Ganim.” Jeff, Joe Ganim and Mario Testa took a big gamble with Ganim challenging Ned Lamont instead of trying to make deal before the primary and now they will pay the price.
Jeff here’s what you are missing, Bridgeport voters will turnout for Democrats because of 45’s policies on race, immigration Obama Care, plus they want to make sure that the U.S. Congressmen and Senators are elected to fight 45 and to take over the House and Senate and you will see a large turnout of Blacks, Hispanics in Bridgeport to be apart of that fight. It will be the same statewide with Blacks and Hispanics plus white female suburban voters. This election expose how weak Mario Testa and Joe Ganim and Bridgeport’s DTC really is when they didn’t get a large voters turnout plus Joe Ganim got ONLY 58% of the Bridgeport vote, Jeff that has nothing to do with the state. Jahana Hayes, the 2016 School Teacher of the Year is the Democrat candidate for Congress in the 5th District will get a huge turnout of votes which also go to Ned Lamont. Bridgeport Democrats can stay mad and stay home and not support Ned Lamont, let’s see what that gets Bridgeport. We’ll see people from New Haven and Hartford being selected to be in the Lamont administration but Bridgeport would have made their point to the State Democratic Party and gain nothing and if Republican Stefanowski is elected governor Bridgeport won’t get shit.
A Gold Coast (nominal/pretending) Democrat is no more likely to bring good things to Bridgeport than a Laffer-Curve Republican from Madison… Just look at how Malloy treated us… Stamford will get its labor-importation accomodations and an underemployed, cheap labor pool from the rest of Bridgeport/SW CT and Bridgeport will get more state aid reductions… Our votes will count when they are in sort-supply… Supply and demand… Let the state get turned upside down as Bridgeport has been for most of 50 years because of the strategic withholding of the Bridgeport, and we’ll be appreciated in the future… Either way, we can’t lose, because we’re getting screwed no matter who is elected — as things now stand… Again: what did showing up for Malloy (2X!) do for us… Without a Bridgeport primacy commitment from Lamont, our votes on him will be wasted… No RESPECT, No VOTES!
*** “CALL TO POLLS, CALL TO POLLS”; every democrat, independent, or disillusioned “real party of lincoln republican” voters. The election’s time is getting near on local & national levels & in order to make an America nation-wide statement, local & federal political seats must be taken away from do nothing, “45” supporting, career government politicians in office. ***VOTE***
Opinions, perspectives, theories they all make for good reading, and mindful consideration. But, in politics, the voters will do what the voters do. The primary, and in particular Bridgeport, have pretty much set the scene for November. This is politics 101, I shared a month ago what I believed would happen when Lamont won, it’s happening, we just have to wait a while longer to witness the inevitable. It may be that Joey G. runs for another term as Mayor, and with no rising star on the horizon in Bridgeport and a few political dance steps, who knows! The Reptile Testo will screw things up for Bridgeport, including any potential Joe may have. Theoretically, if it should happen that Joe runs for another term for Mayor, assuming he’s unopposed, he’s going to clean house of all the freeloaders that carried his water while he attempted his run for Governor. He may even hire qualified individuals since the ineffective minions who surround him at this point sure as hell didn’t deliver for him.
Lisa, you are right on point about Bridgeport, Joe Ganim and Mario Testa. It’s crying time for any type of muscle flexing my Joe, Mario and the DTC, their ego once again has gotten in the way of reality, Lamont will win with Joe, Mario and the DTC just looking on.
Lisa lets move beyond politic 101. You and Mario have been around long enough. Mario was never really in Joe’s camp. His weak support for Joe if there was going to be a tie in DCT endorsement over Finch was a pony show, to say the least. As leader of the DCT for decades all Mario would’ve need was one vote to avoid such a tie breaking vote. If Mario couldn’t conjure up one vote in his pocket in the DCT, well that says it all, not to mention John’s endorsement for Finch. Those who are lumping Joe and Mario into the same camp are either still in taking politics 101, confused, or BS. Even you Lisa is putting some distance between them by putting more blame on the “reptile” to diminish Joe’s potential. While Mario’s support for Joe was weak and apprehensive in his comeback, based on the good of day of flush money in the tune of 170 million in capital improvement bonding, on the back of taxpayers. like Lisa’s and Maria’ s support for Joe, Mario support for him is almost non-existence. The only person behind the scenes Mario can put up to viable challenger against Joe would be Bill Finch, maybe Moore based on her race. Chris is still to young. Lisa your comment is definitely politic 101 with this claim. “if it should happen that Joe runs for another term for Mayor, assuming he’s unopposed, he’s going to clean house of all the freeloaders that carried his water while he attempted his run for Governor.” “IF” Joe decides to run. OK, if there is any doubt in anybody’s mind about Joe running for reelection, you are smoking smoking potpourri, BS’ing, In politic 102 they’re asking who does Lisa think could defeat Joe, because we know Joe did some pre-house cleaning in his comeback election, if you know what I mean Lisa, and you do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY5NSjUpJeY
Do you know something Robert, you’re right!!!!!
Maybe, but what would I right about? It’s just a theory I received for the bartender who served me my Ginger Ale on election night. It was a lasting impression. TWT.
PS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StJS51d1Fzg 🙂
Democrats seeking statewide office don’t give a rat’s ass about Bridgeport until Election day draws near when they need the votes. Doing business with Mario Testa and Joe Ganim could sinch the election but neither of them is to be trusted.
Kid, Lamont will win with or without the little guys!
This time around, the Dems don’t have anything sewn-up… Even with Herr Trump and his Black Shirts scaring reasonable people away from the Republicans, nationwide, Connecticut is a special case of a cross-section of angry voters that are sick of the Gold Coast, (presently) Democratic-fronted Connecticut Plutocracy letting the rest of the state die so that the Gold Coast can prosper… Most Democrats are willing to look outside of their party for statewide leadership… A smart, believable, independent candidate with $1,000,000 and some name-recognition could beat either of the “Plutcratic Party” candidates facing off at the present time… And most Republicans aren’t impressed with Pay Day Bob and his proven-wrong Laffer-Curve bs and would much rather hear something smart, powerful, original, and reasonable — salted with lots of specifics — regarding a plan to revitalize the Connecticut economy, from an independent candidate, than more Laffer-Curve bs or phony-Dem, Gold-Coast bs gibberish…
With a disgusted Connecticut Electorate gagging on the bs-propaganda being floated around the Connecticut, gubernatorial-contest cesspool presently, sans an independent candidate appearing on the scene between now and November, or a change of party candidates, we will see the next governor elected by an extremely-anemic vote, in an election-night “toss-up”, with the vast majority of the Connecticut Electorate “electing” to just stay home and watch the Weather Channel or UFC on November 6, knowing that sitting home is just as valid and powerful a choice (maybe more-so) in Connecticut this election year, than casting another Plutocracy-endorsing vote for either of the contra-indicated (Plutocracy) Party candidates (or an ineffectual independent candidacy) running in this election… In 2018 Connecticut, there is really only one Party in Connecticut… The Plutocrat Party, which is controlled by, and for, the Gold Coast Oligarchy… Better to just stay home this time, and get good and pissed off and ready to elect a real, popularist gubernatorial candidate next time around… This time around, we have only two, “bad” choices — Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum… Makes no difference which one we choose when all is said and done… No matter which one is elected, taxes will go up for middle-class-homeowners, jobs will leave the state, and more young, energetic, talented people will head away from this state (devoid of legal economic opportunity, with its extortionate taxation, criminally-high utility rates, and generally- ridiculous cost of living) — taking fine, Connecticut educations with them…
It’s very difficult rationalizing a vote for any of the present candidates this time around… We shouldn’t vote and thereby indicate that somehow we had a reasonable choice in this election… Better to “vote with our seats” and create a deafening political silence in this dying state… Maybe that will break the pattern of “plutocratic replacement” and cause the Media and the Parties to stop taking their marching orders from the Connecticut Plutocracy (of which the dominant Hearst Media Syndicate is a part)…
Jeff, your solution is what gave America President 45, so Connecticut and especially Bridgeport keep your ass home and don’t vote for a better America and a better a yet don’t vote for a better Bridgeport, remember just stay home on election day and let others make decisions for you.
Ron I think the Democrats just running on a platform against Trump is somewhat going to harm them in the long run. At some Trump the circus called Trump is going away and the Dems are going to have to put up some ideas to improve the cities they run. Other then Heath care there socialism is not a strong platform to improve the working and middle class and it doesn’t move the poor into the working and middle class. While there are some social needs all Aericans need well give a man a fish he eats for a day teach a man to fish he eats for a life time. JS I give Trump least then a year then what. Ron,
I’m late to the comments for this posting but I will advise that the title of this posting was incorrect. This was NOT a summit…it was a surrender(Ganim and Testa).