Shortly after he was elected mayor in 1933, Socialist Jasper McLevy implemented a campaign promise to limit the spoils system of hiring municipal employees. Basically municipal positions were all tied to a revolving door of patronage administrations leading to widespread corruption in municipal departments.
McLevy for years castigated the sins of both Democrat and Republican administrations caught in the cookie jar of impropriety. The cure, he said, was merit-based hiring through the Civil Service testing system that classified and protected positions from political tentacles. Only those appointments closest to the mayor such as department heads and inner-office staff would be direct at-will employees.
When voters finally had enough, they elected McLevy and kept him there for 24 years. For decades, the Civil Service system was sacred soil for voters: mess with it and we will punch you in nose at the ballot box. Over time, however, various mayoral administrations have toyed with it, finding loopholes, run-arounds, back-door meddling to limit its independence from politics in many cases in violation of the City Charter that set timelines and protocols for filling positions.
City Councilman Ernie Newton claims the most egregious act of violating Civil Service comes during the lame-duck period of mayoral administrations without regard to checks on the system.
He is proposing draft language, in conjunction with the City Attorney’s Office, to “restrict selecting, reclassifying, or otherwise placing political appointees/unclassified service appointees in vacant positions in the classified service during the period the Mayor is a “lame duck.”
See draft language newtonlameduckordinance.
Excerpt below:
See my Brother that’s the kind of shit right there that makes individuals think you are either a damnn fool or riding blind! Was David Dunn a lame duck appointee when he was left in the position of Director of Civil Service by Mayor Ganim? Is
Eric Amado a lame duck appointee when he was given both the Head of Labor Relations and the Director of Civil Service? C’mon man, you just want to say and do things that have no benefit to the City of Bridgeport or to its residents!
Why are you not stepping to the appointment of Eric Amado as the interim head of both Labor Relations and Civil Service? Why aren’t you telling Mayor Ganim how is it in the best interest of the residents of Bridgeport or the city of Bridgeport to have him in both positions? Does he get two salaries, does he work in one capacity for four hours a day and then work in the other for four hours a day or does he divide his time by working Monday and Tuesday in Labor Relations and Thursday and Friday in Civil Service and Wednesday’s he do virtual meetings for both departments. My Brother cut this bullshit out because it does absolutely nothing to enhance the quality of life in Bridgeport nor does it answer the glaring questions about transparency and honesty in City Government. This is merely a See What I’ve Done moment and does nothing to enhance your leadership position on the CC. NOTHING! This appears to be you throwing a handful of shit into the eyes of Bridgeport’s residents so that can’t see the hypocrisy, deceit and duplicity of Mayor Ganim who you love so dearly. We have in fact, two kinds of morality, side by side: one which we preach, but do not practice, and another which we practice, but seldom preach.
I’m exhausted just reading Donald Day’s post.
If that’s the way he treats his “play cousin”, I wouldn’t want to be his enemy.
(whew!)
Don, this is straight up bullshit, “City Councilman Ernie Newton claims the most egregious act of violating Civil Service comes during the lame-duck period of mayoral administrations without regard to checks on the system.” The most egregious act of violating Civil Service comes from former mayor Bill Finch and Mayor Gamin by not following civil service rules by allowing David Dunn to remain as the “Acting” Personnel Director for 12 years instead of doing what the City Chapter calls for that being a nationwide search. During that time frame Dunn duties was the hiring of most the City’s workforce and giving all of promotional exams. Ernie, where was your voice when you knew that the City had not ANY women to hired as firefighters. Ernie you the entire City Coucil said nothing and did nothing. The past two fire chiefs along with AJ Perez were all in violation of the charter requirements but Ernie we didn’t hear from you, the city council, the members of the civil service commission members, the police commissin members and the fire commission members. ” “Lame-duck,” the civil service office has been running as a “Lame-duck” for 12 years under David Dunn and the question that needs to be answered is, who else has Dunn cheated to get hired and promoted?
What qualifications does Eric Amado has to be the interim Labor Relation Director or the “Acting” Personnel Director, has the announcement gone out for a nationwide search for a new Personnel Director?
Donald, that was exceptional! WOW
Don and Ron
You both missed the whole point. John Fabrizi and Bill Finch did some things to hurt this city. Remember i got on the City Council in 2017. Let’s start with the Finch administration. He signs a MOU with the fire Union to expand retirement at 70 years of age. State law is 68 years of age. O i forgot you two turn your head on that one because you support the Brotherhood. Finch leaves office after losing and give everyone and their mommas a Raise putting this city 20 million dollars in the hole. When i served as the City Council President all Mayoral appointees served at the pleasure of the mayor. Now every one is tied into some union or another. No Mayor should be allow to do those kinds of things leaving office. Don you and Ron remind me of Number 45 with his obsession, with our former President Obama. you and Ron have had that with David Dunn now its Eric Amado. I’m going to start calling you to The WINNERS! I put this in, it will go to the ordinance committee.
Ernie, Don, myself and 46 other Firebird Society had dropped out of the union, we were no longer union members because our union dues were being used to other blacks from being hired in other cities in America. As for Eric Amado, I don’t him, Lisa said that he’s nice guy so I take her word about him. My questions about Eric Amado is about business nothing personal, there’s NO WAY that anyone can run both Labor Relation Director and Personnel Director, so what are Mr. Amado qualifications?
Ernie, Ron and I had what with David Dunn? For over 12 years we told you, Mayor Ganim, Mayor Finch, OIB and anyone that would listen that David Dunn was a cheat and a liar and that he was manipulating the Civil Service system to hire only those that Mayor Finch and Mayor Ganim wanted. Now you insinuate that we did that because we didn’t like him? We expect that bullshit from some white people not a Brother we have known our whole lives who know that our character is beyond reproach.
We don’t know Eric Amado, but we do know that the City of Bridgeport had both a Head of Labor Relations and a Director of Civil Service and if it was a good idea to have separate individuals as Department Heads for over 70 years, it’s still a good idea. C’mon man, you’re better than this bruh! Why are you reticent to say it’s a Very Bad idea to have one person doing these two very important jobs? Who are you afraid to offend? Don’t answer, that’s rhetorical.
Again, WOW, Ernie I implore you as a friend, be careful
Oust the Fig Newtons!
Ron & Don,
This sentence says it all. He is proposing draft language in conjunction with the City Attorney’s Office.
This in itself is a joke. When I was new to the council I would listen to Mark. But eventually I realized that many “loopholes” the City Attorney would find were loopholes he inserted that didn’t necessarily make any sense.
I remember one time we were putting forward an ordinance that included language that said the city reserves the right to rewrite or void the ordinance. I said it made no sense. A future City Council could do anything they wanted. But Mark still insisted that it be included.
I let it go but have kept an eye on it just in case he tries to retroactively change the meaning of the ordinance.
The mayor doesn’t find loopholes. Mark plants them there in case they are needed.
Bob, Ernie likes to say that he’s his own man and nobody tells him what to do but just as you pointed out about Ernie and Hamilton Burger speaks for its self.
Lennie, has the office of Labor Relation and the office of Personnel have been merge togther? Again, what qualifications does Eric Amado have?
People please!!!!!! I see by the comments that you all see through all this B S.
I worked with Hank Sheinkopf back in the 80’s and early 90’s. -please google him and see who he is- He worked on Bill Clinton’s second campaign and asked me to leave/retire from the PD and assist him with the emerging political markets in Europe after the Soviet’s crumbled. (I have the language skills to have gone there and the political BS insight to formulate campaign radio spots- or so Hank thought anyway). As a political consultant, Sheinkopf gave many seminars on politics and tactics. He always told attendees the following: “politicians only care about one thing. That one thing happens on the first Tuesday in November. They will say and do anything to be successful on that day.”
So Ernie, everyone sees through your and everyone else’s bullshit. The common individual does not need to take any classes or seminars to figure it out. Especially in an area like Bridgeport where ideas and promises are stated but never kept. People who follow this shit have had it with empty words and ideas.
Cheers!!!!!
Ernie, if you are reckless enough to move that, I respectfully warn you that I will publicly out you. I’ll work to try to prevent you from getting the support you’ll need. BE CAREFUL. I am your friend.
Lisa, Ernie thinks that he’s smarter than you and eveybody else.
Lisa
You know I Don’t listen to many people on OIB You know one thing about me and we served together. It is what it is. If you feel you need to get involved so be it. People have to do what they have to do. Bye the way the city Attorneys office had nothing to do with putting this together. I’m sure Joe Ganmin will not support this. The City Council should make sure what Bill Finch and John Fabrizi allowed to happen never happens again.
It is what it is!!!!
Most of the time that’s true!!
Cheers.
Lisa, Ernie’s reply is just like the President, “it is what it is.” Lisa, where was Ernie’s voice for the past 12 years that David Dunn was the City’s ‘”Acting” Personnel Director?
Ron
I wasn’t on the City Council the past 12 years,so maybe you should direct that to thought that was there.
Ernie, what were you doing 12 years ago? I had been retire for 7 years 12 years ago and not holding any position or title in any group or organization.
Lisa
I wasn’t on the city council under joe Ganmin first term I was a State Rep. Why Now because the city council has a loud much of it power over the years to be watered down. Its time to get it back.
Ron
2006 I was incarcerated I came home in 2010. I ran for the senate in 2012 lost by less then 400 vote> Ed Gomez was in that race with Andres Ayla. 2012 I ran for state rep seat against Andre Baker I Lost
that race. 2017 I ran for the City Council against three other individuals Holloway, Martinez, and Simmons. I won along with Martinez. In the general election Martinez and myself won beating Wanda Simmons. I was the top Vote getter,having not served in about 10 years! Ron that’s what i was doing. since you ask
Sorry
I ran for state REP in 2014!
So why now. You had fours years under Ganim’s first term to get creative. This is why credible sources don’t reach out to you. As the late Senator Penn would say “keep your powder dry. “
Lisa
I wasn’t on the city council under joe Ganmin first term I was a State Rep. Why Now because the city council has a loud much of it power over the years to be watered down. Its time to get it back.
I realize that, I haven’t been on the Council for a long time now, but that doesn’t stop me from stepping up and speaking out when I can. I recognize those on the Council who have potential, and I’ll do anything I can if they want information or advice. If it’s in you, you can’t just shut it off.
Ron and Don, I don’t have the words to express how impressed I am with both of you. You two never waivered or gave up for years regarding the Dunn situation. No one listened, except the FBI. So many of you bloggers share experience and knowledge. Rich, you don’t go back with some of us, but you sure sound as if you do.
Lol. I have “sources”!
Cheers Lisa! 🥂
Ernie, I’ll admit this sounds good and all and will make a good headline, but come on. First off the City Attorney’s office won’t help draft anything that limits Joe’s authority, I would bet Anastasi was on the phone with Joe as soon as your idea came out, “ Joe, it’s Mark, how do you want to handle this?”, how about I just tell Ernie the charter forbids this, that always works”… Secondly, you’ll never get enough support from your fellow counselors, they have to much to lose angering Joe like that.
Why not just demand Joe to be responsible for his attorney’s fees he is charging to the city. Start with that for Christ sakes..
Harvey
When David Dunn and AJ Perez plead guilty the judge and the FBI ordered them to pay restitution back to the city combbind its about 200 hundred Thousand back to our city. I’ve check with our attorneys and what every is owed back to our city we will get!
Ernie,I’m not talking about Dunn&Perez,I’m talking about Joe and the others he so graciously had the taxpayers pick up the tab for…
Well Harvey you’ve done it again, I totally agree with your sentiments. How about an Ordinance that makes Mayor Ganim, ya boy,
responsible for his attorney’s fees he is charging to the city. And while you’re at it make any Mayor that is under suspicions for breaking the law, ineligible for any city money for an attorney.
Don,Ernie had his chance to speak up about the lawyers fees when Maria brought it up last month,but he just sat silent like a good loyal soldier of Joe.
You want to reformer Civil Service?
Ban the word acting.
That is where it gets all f’d up.
Use PROVISIONAL and abide by the rules of a provisional and you would immediately see changes for the better.
They rotate the provisional every three or six months until a permanent is named.
Bob, there’s a problem in how the City put that into play in the fire department during the late 1970’s until now. The BFD was sued for racial discrimination in hiring because the city had only two blacks, Clarke and McCalla for their entire history. Federal Judge TF Gilroy Daly held up all testing in hiring and promotions until blacks were hired and were eligible to take a promotional exam. The BFD needed to fill vacant promotional position in order to manage and run the BFD so the City promoted lower rank fighters to their next highest rank as PROVISIONAL but here’s where the problem came in, they didn’t rotate anybody, some fighters remain PROVISIONAL for over 14 years and they were able to retire with the same property rights as if they had passed the exam and got promoted to that higher rank. Bob, the BFD lawsuit decision was in 1982 but the action to allow PROVISIONALS to reitire at a higher rank for a position that they NEVER passed an exam for is still going on, Chief Rooney retired as a PROVISIONAL Fire Chief before he passed the fire chief exam and was hired as the new fire chief for 10 years. Rooney collected a pension as the fire chief plus he got paid while working as the chief.
Bob, you are 100% right, rotate PROVISIONALS without allowing them to retire at a higher pay rank.
Is that another Dunn rule?
It seems as if a provisional done in accordance to charter couldn’t retire as a provisional since it had to be rotated.
Bob, in the 1970’s the BFD said that they couldn’t run the department with provisionals rotating officers and they said that it was an emergency because they could not give any test but that was then and this is now. Bob, I was made a provisional Lieutenant but on the next day I refuse the appointment because in talking with George Bryant and Don Day I knew it would look like I was bought off not to speakout against racism in the BFD and against Mayor Ganim and the only way to a Lieutenant was for me to pass exam which I did. Dunn was one of former mayor John Mandanici’s “kiddie corp” members who were hired in the late 1970’s.
AJ was acting Chief because he couldn’t pass the test. But the mayor doesn’t schedule a test and therefore he doesn’t get rotated out.
I believe this is more of a problem than lame duck appointments. Especially when Mark writes the correcting language.
Bob, as you can see nobody has been watching how Civil Service and the City Charter has been functioning. When someone is in a “Acting” position they are selected by seniorty on a day to day and they are paid the higher pay only when working in the higher position and no loner than 120 days.
Bob, provisional and acting are there for temporary measures to prevent a work shortage but the city continues to use provisional is from the city failure to give test in a timely time frame by David Dunn thereby saving the city from paying for new testing but that’s against the city charter because cost is not reason to give a test. Anything that Hmailton Burger writing with Ernie is being written to help Joe Gnim plus it shows how Ernie is a team player for team Ganim. Why is Ernie the only council member involved working with Burger?
Ron
First of all Mark didn’t write this language we got this from another municipality. Its time to address this seeing whats going on in our city!
Ernie,it was time to address it 3 years ago,why all of sudden now do you want to address this?
👌🏿👍🏿What Harvey said.
Ernie
If you haven’t noticed Board & Commissions have been a problem for at least two decades.
Every one has people serving in expired terms. Whoever is mayor uses this ploy to get his way or else he will name a new replacement commissioner who will vote the way the mayor wants.
I tried to propose changes when I was on the council but they fell to Marks legal opinion.
Add to the language that says boards and commissions should reflect the demographic makeup of the city which has never been even tried to be enforced and you could be a hero.
True that Ernie!!!
Ernie, you said, “Its time to address this seeing whats going on in our city!” Ernie, what have been doing during your time in office? OIB has a had a number of serious issues listed by different people right here and now all of a sudden it’s all eyes on you Ernie after the FBI comes to town. Ernie, is this going to be a City ordinance or a City resolution, does it require a change in any contracts?
I don’t understand the criticism. It sounds like a sound policy. Much better than political game policies like trying to censor Maria. Or CC calling to defund the police, funding that approves. Port’s outgoing mayors tend to overreach when they lose. This goes to show the Port’s residents aren’t always being looked out for or has their best interest in the Port’s political system. JS
Oh wait a minute, I do understand the criticism. Port’s political system has become Elf eat Reindeers with the blood lust for Elf flesh. :).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMMobGbRyLI
They approve.
Oh silly me. The Civil Service Commission was for years Chaired by a Trumbull resident who’s brother just happens to be a developer in the city. Now how’d that happen Ernie?
And this will probably be as worthless as the ordinance that requires all members of boards or commissions once a year in January attest to the fact that they are bone fide residents of Bridgeport. How’s that working out Ernie?
Bob, that’s my point, the City Charter has been violated so much and there’s nobody checking, the Civil Service Commissioners are all a joke because it was David Dunn who ran and chaired all of the meetings. The City’s has 13 unions and they haven’t said anything over the years about those violations. Bob, have you noticed that when Ernie is questioned about something his reply is that he wasn’t in office or nobody tells him what to do.
Ernie “I’ll propose any ordinance that will rooted out corruption as long as it is unenforceable” Newton.
*** This ordinance sounds like its a “lame-duck” no thought’s given to the process, wasted bunch of B/S. ***
Ernie, you know I really, really like you and it probably sounds to you as if a lot is placed on you, but a lot has to be placed on you because you have the time and experience that the other members don’t have. Too many times you’re all over the place, and that makes you appear to either have an agenda or council brain fog. Stop pontificating and take a stand that doesn’t change like the wind. So what if you piss anyone off, you don’t need any of them if you choose to run again. And, you don’t have to remind anyone of the time you’ve spent in public service, they know. Now please don’t waste your time on submitting ordinances that will sit in committee forever and eventually die there. There’s so much wrong going on that can be fixed by the authority of the City Council., get a couple of co-sponsors and and go for it. Start with the Boards and Commissions, that’s an easy one and way overdue. I’m only using that one as an example, there’s so much out there that need attention. You were once a leader, do it again. P.S. When I point out your flip flopping, it’s out of frustration because I know you can do better.
Lisa, thank you, you are right on point but Ernie for some reason Ernie feels the need to tell us again about his past instead of leaving it in the past and move on. Lisa, I would hope that Ernie would get some other council members to deal with issues that can win but Ernie has this need to be the Lone Ranger. Hopefully Ernie will made some adjustments because he doesn’t like people telling him what to do.