To quote a famous philosopher of the 20 the century, Carlos Santana:
“Most people are prisoners,
Thinking only about the future or living in the past.
They are not in the present, and the present is where everything begins.”
At the end of the day, all politics are local and I will judge by what I have seen in Bridgeport’s South End over the past 4-8 years.
1. My taxes increased by 300%. They literally tripled.
2. The tax abatements on the Lofts at Lafayette expired with people paying $8,000 in taxes and in many cases more. This happened at the critical time following the economic decline. Rather than the city working something out administratively with the abatements, many people have foreclosed, which has depressed the value of homes in the South End altogether. As a result, homeownership has decreased substantially in the South End.
3. Then the Lofts on Lafayette had structural damage. The roof was leaking and the steps were deemed structurally unsound. How some of these issues were not caught by city inspectors is alarming. So on top of high taxes and foreclosures, the people at Lofts at Lafayette had to pay out of pocket to pay for these structural issues.
4. On top of this all this, the city plans to build a $32 million public housing project to place Bridgeport’s most vulnerable families in a FEMA flood zone (across the street from the Lofts). The project is poorly designed with virtually no open space for children and families, which means the streets will become the playground. How it is acceptable for Bridgeport’s most vulnerable families living paycheck to paycheck to be housed in a FEMA flood zone, when the rest of the country is moving away from these decisions, is essentially immoral, shortsighted and unpractical. This is a classic example of poor urban planning, in which the economically vulnerable carry the brunt and the taxpayer pays for the poor planning decisions in the future. Not to mention this project is being constructed a block from the Webster arena and baseball park and only blocks from the University of Bridgeport. This summer nine people were shot at the Terrace housing complex. In the midst of Bridgeport’s current gang war, imagine the publicity of nine people being shot a block away from Harbor Yard. Or how would UB convince prospective families their children would be safe?
5. This housing project was supported publicly by the South End NRZ at a time when the NRZ was operating illegally because it was not even recognized by the state and thus had issued an illegal vote in support of the project as “evidence” of community support for the project (despite over 200 signatures in opposition). A review of approximately NRZ 17 meetings in an approximately two-year time period showed only one meeting had been approved due to lack of quorum. Yet the NRZ’s illegal vote of support to place poor families in a flood zone was continuously used in public meetings to convince the Bridgeport Planning and Zoning commission to support the project. And then, the minutes to the one approved meeting previously mentioned (and separate minutes of the Bridgeport Housing Authority) revealed a financial interest on behalf of the Chair of the NRZ, at the time, and this development. Yet this was never addressed by the city and this individual continues to preside on the NRZ Board.
6. And the main asset, among others, in the South End is the University of Bridgeport. Unfortunately, there were a couple of newspaper articles that indicated a negative relationship between the Mayor and the university. This is unfortunate for the South End and for Bridgeport.
Thus, while I wish to be optimistic about Steelpointe, I strongly question its value to the city if it will not yield tax relief for 20 years while at the same time the level of urban planning that appears to be occurring is more focused on Steelpointe while other neighborhoods such as the South End continue to deteriorate. There needs to be a balanced urban planning approach in this city. If other neighborhoods continue to deteriorate this will offset the value added of Steelpointe once it is completed.
Andmar, just so I understand, you had a tax abatement that expired? Gee, we all pay taxes even in a declining economy. So for years you were getting a free ride so to speak and you are shocked when the abatement expired? Bridgeport’s taxes will continue to rise until economic development is well underway and/or the union contracts are completely renegotiated. Bill Finch is our only hope with development. Not Joe Ganim and definitely not Foster based on her advisers and economic plan.
“Bill Finch is our only hope with development.” Obviously Steve is not thinking of the future of the people of the city of Bridgeport. A housing project in a flood zone? That is urban planning at its worst. Finch has more advisers being paid six-figure salaries than President Obama and the best they can do is Steel Point? What about the South End? What about the East Side? What about rebuilding the Golden Hill Street bridge?
Development under the Finch administration is very very limited and shortsighted. There is no immediate or near-term benefit for the people of the city of Bridgeport. All Bill Finch can do is raise taxes, neglect education and confiscate the cars of poor minority drivers. That’s great, that’s just great.
Andmar? What housing project is going across the street from the Lofts? Are you mistaken? Housing project? I haven’t heard Joe Ganim or Mary-Jane Foster address that. Are you certain it is a project or are you just in shock that your abatement expired? Because you know most people on this blog are anti-abatement. I am not one of them.
donj,
if Mayor Finch had not gotten Steelpointe off the ground as well as every other project, I would be inclined to agree. However, the voters are not stupid and as horrible as taxes are, they have been the highest for decades, and Bridgeport development has never been as brisk in the past 50 years as it is now. Voters know, that is why they are supporting Mayor Finch.
We really don’t need to say anything else. Stupid people may vote for him expecting different results, but leopards never change their spots. These development projects are like an avalanche in an otherwise very quiet election cycle.
Note to Joseph P. Ganim. Sorry Joe, your supporters bring out the worst in me. I mean I think you are a lot of things. Not the future mayor, but you are a nice guy and I do not bash you on the street unless it is absolutely necessary to change a 4 to a 1. Only kidding. I do hate calling you a felon and a thief and I do tell voters you are a nice guy until I go into my pro-Finch mode.
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Steve,
I will assume you are seeking clarification. Regarding the abatement, I did not receive an abatement. This does not apply to me, it applies to the individuals at the Loft on Lafayette. Regarding your statement “you were getting a free ride so to speak and you are shocked when the abatement expired?” My point is less about ‘shock’ and more about being strategic about the tax and abatement process. While the expiration of the abatement could have been anticipated by homeowners, this is not the point. The point is taxes and abatement processes are negotiated and re-negotiated very often (e.g., tax breaks to developers, delay of revaluation). Given the timing of the economic decline there could have been other alternatives in working with the individuals at the Loft on Lafayette to mitigate foreclosure. In fact, in many cases the amount of taxes was not commensurate to square footage and within context of the depressed values of homes in the South End. However, because the revaluation was pushed back, these individuals were essentially taxed based on a previous revaluation that was arguably not applicable. In the end, the point is more could have been done and there is now a situation in which homeowners outside of the Lofts have difficulty selling their property because they are assessed based on recent selling prices. The Lofts continue to have foreclosed properties and this continues to drag down prices (along with other properties outside the Lofts). The other issue to consider is the Lofts were a pilot of the City of Bridgeport which was touted under Fabrizi and used to attract outsiders to Bridgeport. However I think the city, to date, has failed tremendously on this project (the fault of various administrations) (e.g., quality, structural issues, inspection, tax process) and this can severely hurt the image and confidence of attracting homeowners to purchase property in Bridgeport, particularly new larger-scale developments.
Regarding your point “Bridgeport’s taxes will continue to rise until economic development is well underway.” While I understand and agree with the general gist of this statement, I think it is a bit simplistic. For example, there can also be economic development with high taxes. As stated in my posting, Steelpointe represents development, but as other neighborhoods deteriorate this may offset gains made in Steelpointe, especially when considering this parcel will not be taxed.
Regarding the public housing project, yes, this is a Public Housing Project. It will be located at 375 Main Street, the current Ferry Parking lot. This has been approved by the Bridgeport Planning and Zoning Committee. The juxtaposition of price ($32 million) and placement of vulnerable families, mainly ethnic minorities, in a FEMA Flood Zone that flooded during Sandy and Irene is very concerning and shortsighted, especially since the housing authority owns dry land (e.g., Father Panik). The counter argument is the first level of the structure will be parking, but in my opinion this still falls short and is unacceptable given these are fragile families with an array of disabilities, chronic illnesses, with children, in poverty, and often one check away from homelessness. It’s poor urban planning. In addition, from an economic development statement more could probably be done with that parcel.
Andmar,
I want to thank you for taking the time to explain your post.
First, as for the housing you were referring to, i was very critical of the Finch administration, as everyone on the blog was aware. Neither Mary-Jane Foster nor Joe Ganim had a problem with it. People on this blog, like a staunch supporter of Foster’s, never reacted as he was the beneficiary as a resident of Seaside Village. imagine after 50 years Marina Village coming down.
The project in question will include market-rate housing as well as retail. Remember neither Foster nor Ganim had a problem with this proposal. I CANNOT SPEAK TO THE ABATEMENT OTHER THAN TO SAY, ALL TAXPAYERS IN THIS CITY HAVE BEEN PART OF THE ECONOMIC DECLINE AND OUR TAXES WERE NOT RENEGOTIATED. AS FOR THE REVAL, Mary-Jane Foster is asking for another two-year delay. So much for criticizing MAYOR Finch.
Ron, his role is to fill his pockets with money! Like when he was against the Wentfield Park halfway house, until Sal DiNardo offered the SENRZ a $50K kickback fee to support the halfway house, Old Carl did a Kingfish move on the SENRZ, and excepted Brother Sal’s offer.
Then Carl told everyone on the NRZ it was time to back up the truck!
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The above described tract of land is the former Marina Apartments on Main Street. This proposed developer is JHM. Same developer looking for the 40-year deal.
Tells me a lot when the Foster-slanted OIB has Ganim way ahead, this will be a larger landslide (providing it is a fair election, Mr. Finch) than I figured.
This blog is heavily Ganim slanted. I think the landslide FOR Finch looks pretty good! Time will tell. Walking the 135th yesterday was very telling. Very very strong Finch support. NOT A SURPRISE. THE HOMES SURROUNDING WILBUR Cross are all beautifully maintained. They may support Ganim as mayor of Trumbull Gardens (even though those residents love Finch), but certainly not for Mayor OF THE CITY OF BRIDGEPORT.
Please Vote Out Finch, McCarthy, Hamilton Burger, Tippy, Auerbach!, both Stafstroms, Pullman & Comley, Local Eyes, Chief Fife and the Librarian Twins!!!
Isn’t this ironic. This election cycle the blog is terribly anti-Finch. So many Ganim supporters and Foster supporters. Yet it appears our Mayor is doing extremely well. THAT IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!
The mayor is doing “extremely well?” What did you eat for breakfast? All polling data indicates he is going to lose by at least two to one. Wishful thinking and $1.50 will buy a cup of coffee.
Rick Torres is showing his polling data? He can afford a poll? Breakfast was at Red Rooster Deli. Staunch Ganim Supporter, John Gomes, owner, Eggs and Sausage on a toasted Portuguese roll with cheese. Medium coffee. Thanks for inquiring.
I don’t work for the Torres campaign. I do advocate for him.
The polling data I referred to was from an independently conducted poll of likely voters. Finch came in a DISTANT third to Mary-Jane Foster. Joe Ganim, not surprisingly, came in first by a tight margin.
It was the kind of poll that was not skewed by a paying politician’s bias. No matter how you look at it Bill Finch is going to be slinging hash or shining shoes come November.
Lolololololol you and Jim Fox play checkers together. You and your poll are a joke. You advocate for Rick Torres but not on his campaign? Because you are a lazy ass?
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I advocate for progressive change. Rick Torres is more liberal than Finch or any other alleged “Democrat” in Bridgeport. I’m not lazy; my talents are put to better use than knocking on doors.
Face it, Baghdad, you’re an asshole, just a loudmouthed asshole. You have absolutely nothing of value to contribute here. No one agrees with you because your opinions are composed of hot inert gasses.
Run along now, I hear your mama calling.
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Thanks to my friend DT, he’s willing to give me more of the USA poll info. I’ll put it up on Friday.
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By the way, Baghdad,
I NEVER asked what you had for breakfast.
I am not lazy. I have health concerns that prevent me from tramping around knocking on doors. You are doing more than enough to turn off the voters who may have been considering support of the incumbent. At least a dozen Black Rockers have told me they said to you “Yeah, I’m voting for Finch” just to get you away from the door and off the porch. Even the people who are voting for Mary-Jane Foster or Joe Ganim lie just to get rid of you, Baghdad. You’re loud, obnoxious, bully others into agreeing with you. You’re also ugly and your mother dresses you funny.
Bill Finch’s treatment of the black community has more than a little in common with the way the state of Israel treats Palestinians in the occupied territories.
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Steve,
While on one end you are correct, everyone was affected by the decline and everyone must pay taxes, there were some differences with the Lofts on Lafayette project, which I think should have warranted more intervention/attention.
1. Foremost, the argument about everyone paying their taxes is not correct. As previously stated, taxes are negotiated and renegotiated all the time. This happens a lot with developers etc, and has happened at Steelpointe. Using this argument, then there should be no tax abatement at Steelpointe. So that point does not make much sense.
2. Once the tax abatement expired, taxes were much higher given the square footage. For example, the Lofts were paying higher taxes than surrounding properties despite less square footage. Some may argue this would make sense because they were “newer” but the counterargument to this is they also were marred with serious structural issues that slipped through city inspection. Some have stated off the record it was an effort of retroactively try to make up for lost taxes.
3. Moreover, within the context of Bridgeport’s revitalization efforts and trying to move toward large economic development projects, the lack of intervention is simply problematic. So the black and white thinking of “everyone should pay taxes” is simplistic and ignores the fact municipalities engage in proactive strategies that promote specific economic development objectives. Renegotiating taxes is one of them.
4. The other reason this is problematic is because the Lofts on Lafayette are now used by developers in their pro formas as evidence of neighborhood viability now that they are seeking to introduce similar large-scale housing projects. So the decline of this property can hurt developers in making a strong case for building in the neighborhood and attracting investors to support their project. Again, this is another reason why the Lofts were a pivotal project that warranted greater attention –developers need to make a case for their investors.
5. Aside from all this, you mentioned the public housing will contain market -rate housing. In fact it will include a few slots of homeownership. But this is all because the community advocated for a lot of this including myself. Otherwise, it would not have been part of the plan. However, a market analysis was conducted indicating the market-rate housing will not attract individuals outside Bridgeport. And this is fine, but just a minor point to add. I will also add in one meeting the community indicated there were not enough parking spaces. The Housing Authority indicated families would ride bicycles. Unless the families are riding tandem bikes with four seats, this is a slap in the face to Bridgeport’s vulnerable low-income families, aside from the fact poor families will be housed in a FEMA flood zone.
6. Last, you mention the housing authority owns the land. However, the city appoints the board and controls many of the regulatory bodies that determine whether it is ethical or unethical to place poor families in a FEMA flood zone. In fact, the South End NRZ is one of these bodies and they supported the project despite financial conflicts of interest, voting irregularities, not having approved minutes for nearly two years, and not even being recognized by the state of Connecticut. The city has an NRZ office, how this happened is confusing.
Andmar, again thank you for your thorough explanation. More important, I appreciate your time, effort and involvement. I hope you will consider Mayor Finch next week. Thank you again for your involvement!
Baghdad Steve thinks Bill Finch is going to hold a tickertape parade down Main Street to celebrate electoral victory. Hope they both have a goodly supply of Dubra vodka on hand for the night of September 16th. They’re gonna need it.
Lol, I couldn’t. I was at Central High school in a class that was 110 degrees. You can only vote once. I thought I was only one of four Finch people on this blog. I assumed all were Ganim supporters except Wicca, Cabana Frank, Walsh, Fardy, Come Back Bridgeport, Up On Bridgeport, etc.
Well it is good we are a diverse crowd. I respect everybody’s position. I am proud of my candidate and his accomplishments!
Andmar, are you aware the same developer for the Lofts at Lafayette just received millions to develop the old social security building in downtown even though the administration knew of all the problems at the Lofts?
Hello concerned citizen, I did not know the same developer now received funding to build downtown. I really hope the same issues do not repeat. But if there were to be a more rigorous vetting process of developers I would be surprised this developer would be invited back given all these issues. This is very disappointing.
So let me get this straight: Bill Finch and his “advisers” are so focused on developing Stealpointe, they didn’t notice they were planning public housing on a flood plain? This is not a surprise. Most of the residents will be African American. We already know what Bill Finch and his cronies think of the city’s black population. They’ve been stealing their cars for Charles Valentino’s benefit. Why should we expect the Finch administration to care if low-income tenants are flooded out of their homes during the next big hurricane? Baghdad Steve will dismiss this as urban development or just gloss over it entirely by blaming Joe Ganim for it.
Hope his surgery went well. It’s been nice not having his obnoxious posts cluttering up the blog.
Would you get off your race-baiting crap? May I remind you Derek Brown, you are white. You may be white trash but you cannot get away with thinking Mayor Finch does not treat all residents equally. You know Kid, it was the Connecticut Post that wrote story about Joe Ganim serving on the legal team that defended a white supremacist selling guns to the KKK and your candidate Rick Torres has a strange relationship with the African American community. The black power tattoo on his forearm is creepy to me and I am positive it is more disturbing to the African American community. I will let Ron Mackey address that.
Now, I am not part of Mayor Finch’s social circle but I do know for a fact he has many friends of all persuasions as most mayors do. I do know for a fact his support with all minorities is extremely strong. Your attempt to project your sad lack of social skills onto Finch is weird.
You are going to be so unhappy Sept. 16, which gives me great joy.
You still have no ability to sell anybody on this blog on your candidate. You offer no solutions. You are part of the problem and your constant rants against Finch are tiresome at best.
Can you talk about a better candidate and why they’re a better choice? Your criticism of Mayor Finch is like that of an angry adolescent and we know those days are long gone. Like myself of course. 🙂 Perhaps you could be a little more respectful to the mayor, the highest elected official in the city of Bridgeport. Perhaps you could say one nice thing. You do realize the mayor has four children who may read this blog. I’d say you were somewhere between 50 and 70, you should know better!
Whatever, Baghdad. Tomorrow I will be as sober as I was yesterday and the day before, and you will still be the same socially challenged asshole who knows nothing.
To quote a famous philosopher of the 20 the century, Carlos Santana:
“Most people are prisoners,
Thinking only about the future or living in the past.
They are not in the present, and the present is where everything begins.”
Vote Mayor Bill Finch
Hey Lennie, I am in CA. Can you send me a couple of ABs for your current poll?
Flex your abs, Bucky!
Digerati for Finch. This is the place where Mayor Bill Finch gets a four-second digital promo every thirty-two seconds.
www .BlackRockCTUSA.com
At the end of the day, all politics are local and I will judge by what I have seen in Bridgeport’s South End over the past 4-8 years.
1. My taxes increased by 300%. They literally tripled.
2. The tax abatements on the Lofts at Lafayette expired with people paying $8,000 in taxes and in many cases more. This happened at the critical time following the economic decline. Rather than the city working something out administratively with the abatements, many people have foreclosed, which has depressed the value of homes in the South End altogether. As a result, homeownership has decreased substantially in the South End.
3. Then the Lofts on Lafayette had structural damage. The roof was leaking and the steps were deemed structurally unsound. How some of these issues were not caught by city inspectors is alarming. So on top of high taxes and foreclosures, the people at Lofts at Lafayette had to pay out of pocket to pay for these structural issues.
4. On top of this all this, the city plans to build a $32 million public housing project to place Bridgeport’s most vulnerable families in a FEMA flood zone (across the street from the Lofts). The project is poorly designed with virtually no open space for children and families, which means the streets will become the playground. How it is acceptable for Bridgeport’s most vulnerable families living paycheck to paycheck to be housed in a FEMA flood zone, when the rest of the country is moving away from these decisions, is essentially immoral, shortsighted and unpractical. This is a classic example of poor urban planning, in which the economically vulnerable carry the brunt and the taxpayer pays for the poor planning decisions in the future. Not to mention this project is being constructed a block from the Webster arena and baseball park and only blocks from the University of Bridgeport. This summer nine people were shot at the Terrace housing complex. In the midst of Bridgeport’s current gang war, imagine the publicity of nine people being shot a block away from Harbor Yard. Or how would UB convince prospective families their children would be safe?
5. This housing project was supported publicly by the South End NRZ at a time when the NRZ was operating illegally because it was not even recognized by the state and thus had issued an illegal vote in support of the project as “evidence” of community support for the project (despite over 200 signatures in opposition). A review of approximately NRZ 17 meetings in an approximately two-year time period showed only one meeting had been approved due to lack of quorum. Yet the NRZ’s illegal vote of support to place poor families in a flood zone was continuously used in public meetings to convince the Bridgeport Planning and Zoning commission to support the project. And then, the minutes to the one approved meeting previously mentioned (and separate minutes of the Bridgeport Housing Authority) revealed a financial interest on behalf of the Chair of the NRZ, at the time, and this development. Yet this was never addressed by the city and this individual continues to preside on the NRZ Board.
6. And the main asset, among others, in the South End is the University of Bridgeport. Unfortunately, there were a couple of newspaper articles that indicated a negative relationship between the Mayor and the university. This is unfortunate for the South End and for Bridgeport.
Thus, while I wish to be optimistic about Steelpointe, I strongly question its value to the city if it will not yield tax relief for 20 years while at the same time the level of urban planning that appears to be occurring is more focused on Steelpointe while other neighborhoods such as the South End continue to deteriorate. There needs to be a balanced urban planning approach in this city. If other neighborhoods continue to deteriorate this will offset the value added of Steelpointe once it is completed.
Andmar,
Look on the bright side. Oh, I forgot, there is no bright side.
VOTER FOSTER
Andmar, just so I understand, you had a tax abatement that expired? Gee, we all pay taxes even in a declining economy. So for years you were getting a free ride so to speak and you are shocked when the abatement expired? Bridgeport’s taxes will continue to rise until economic development is well underway and/or the union contracts are completely renegotiated. Bill Finch is our only hope with development. Not Joe Ganim and definitely not Foster based on her advisers and economic plan.
“Bill Finch is our only hope with development.” Obviously Steve is not thinking of the future of the people of the city of Bridgeport. A housing project in a flood zone? That is urban planning at its worst. Finch has more advisers being paid six-figure salaries than President Obama and the best they can do is Steel Point? What about the South End? What about the East Side? What about rebuilding the Golden Hill Street bridge?
Development under the Finch administration is very very limited and shortsighted. There is no immediate or near-term benefit for the people of the city of Bridgeport. All Bill Finch can do is raise taxes, neglect education and confiscate the cars of poor minority drivers. That’s great, that’s just great.
And you’re supporting a Republican!
So? What’s your point?
Andmar? What housing project is going across the street from the Lofts? Are you mistaken? Housing project? I haven’t heard Joe Ganim or Mary-Jane Foster address that. Are you certain it is a project or are you just in shock that your abatement expired? Because you know most people on this blog are anti-abatement. I am not one of them.
For eight years Finch and McCarthy have been gouging the taxpayers!
Vote on Sweet Wednesday! 9/16/15
Finch will lose on the simple fact taxes went sky high under him. We can like that downtown etc picked up steam but high taxes are a no no.
donj,
if Mayor Finch had not gotten Steelpointe off the ground as well as every other project, I would be inclined to agree. However, the voters are not stupid and as horrible as taxes are, they have been the highest for decades, and Bridgeport development has never been as brisk in the past 50 years as it is now. Voters know, that is why they are supporting Mayor Finch.
Stevie, you’re right, voters are not stupid!
And why should they wait 20 years for a return on their tax dollars!
THAT’S Why JOE GANIM WILL WIN!!!
Finch could build the flucking Taj Mahal! But if not adding to the Grand Tax list for 20 years, WHAT GOOD IS IT?!!!
Joe Ganim is a thief.
We really don’t need to say anything else. Stupid people may vote for him expecting different results, but leopards never change their spots. These development projects are like an avalanche in an otherwise very quiet election cycle.
Note to Joseph P. Ganim. Sorry Joe, your supporters bring out the worst in me. I mean I think you are a lot of things. Not the future mayor, but you are a nice guy and I do not bash you on the street unless it is absolutely necessary to change a 4 to a 1. Only kidding. I do hate calling you a felon and a thief and I do tell voters you are a nice guy until I go into my pro-Finch mode.
Steve,
I will assume you are seeking clarification. Regarding the abatement, I did not receive an abatement. This does not apply to me, it applies to the individuals at the Loft on Lafayette. Regarding your statement “you were getting a free ride so to speak and you are shocked when the abatement expired?” My point is less about ‘shock’ and more about being strategic about the tax and abatement process. While the expiration of the abatement could have been anticipated by homeowners, this is not the point. The point is taxes and abatement processes are negotiated and re-negotiated very often (e.g., tax breaks to developers, delay of revaluation). Given the timing of the economic decline there could have been other alternatives in working with the individuals at the Loft on Lafayette to mitigate foreclosure. In fact, in many cases the amount of taxes was not commensurate to square footage and within context of the depressed values of homes in the South End. However, because the revaluation was pushed back, these individuals were essentially taxed based on a previous revaluation that was arguably not applicable. In the end, the point is more could have been done and there is now a situation in which homeowners outside of the Lofts have difficulty selling their property because they are assessed based on recent selling prices. The Lofts continue to have foreclosed properties and this continues to drag down prices (along with other properties outside the Lofts). The other issue to consider is the Lofts were a pilot of the City of Bridgeport which was touted under Fabrizi and used to attract outsiders to Bridgeport. However I think the city, to date, has failed tremendously on this project (the fault of various administrations) (e.g., quality, structural issues, inspection, tax process) and this can severely hurt the image and confidence of attracting homeowners to purchase property in Bridgeport, particularly new larger-scale developments.
Regarding your point “Bridgeport’s taxes will continue to rise until economic development is well underway.” While I understand and agree with the general gist of this statement, I think it is a bit simplistic. For example, there can also be economic development with high taxes. As stated in my posting, Steelpointe represents development, but as other neighborhoods deteriorate this may offset gains made in Steelpointe, especially when considering this parcel will not be taxed.
Regarding the public housing project, yes, this is a Public Housing Project. It will be located at 375 Main Street, the current Ferry Parking lot. This has been approved by the Bridgeport Planning and Zoning Committee. The juxtaposition of price ($32 million) and placement of vulnerable families, mainly ethnic minorities, in a FEMA Flood Zone that flooded during Sandy and Irene is very concerning and shortsighted, especially since the housing authority owns dry land (e.g., Father Panik). The counter argument is the first level of the structure will be parking, but in my opinion this still falls short and is unacceptable given these are fragile families with an array of disabilities, chronic illnesses, with children, in poverty, and often one check away from homelessness. It’s poor urban planning. In addition, from an economic development statement more could probably be done with that parcel.
Don’t expect Sourback to read and comprehend all that. Steve is the Bridgeport equivalent of Baghdad Bob.
YOU ARE SAD!
Lol.
Andmar,
I want to thank you for taking the time to explain your post.
First, as for the housing you were referring to, i was very critical of the Finch administration, as everyone on the blog was aware. Neither Mary-Jane Foster nor Joe Ganim had a problem with it. People on this blog, like a staunch supporter of Foster’s, never reacted as he was the beneficiary as a resident of Seaside Village. imagine after 50 years Marina Village coming down.
The project in question will include market-rate housing as well as retail. Remember neither Foster nor Ganim had a problem with this proposal. I CANNOT SPEAK TO THE ABATEMENT OTHER THAN TO SAY, ALL TAXPAYERS IN THIS CITY HAVE BEEN PART OF THE ECONOMIC DECLINE AND OUR TAXES WERE NOT RENEGOTIATED. AS FOR THE REVAL, Mary-Jane Foster is asking for another two-year delay. So much for criticizing MAYOR Finch.
Question, what is the name of the pastor who has been the leader in the South End NRZ to get this project done?
Rev. Dr. Carl McCluster.
So what role has Rev. Carl McCluster played with the NRZ for the good or for the bad?
Ron, his role is to fill his pockets with money! Like when he was against the Wentfield Park halfway house, until Sal DiNardo offered the SENRZ a $50K kickback fee to support the halfway house, Old Carl did a Kingfish move on the SENRZ, and excepted Brother Sal’s offer.
Then Carl told everyone on the NRZ it was time to back up the truck!
The above described tract of land is the former Marina Apartments on Main Street. This proposed developer is JHM. Same developer looking for the 40-year deal.
JHM also made a notorious $4000 “contribution” to Finch’s campaign.
Tells me a lot when the Foster-slanted OIB has Ganim way ahead, this will be a larger landslide (providing it is a fair election, Mr. Finch) than I figured.
This blog is heavily Ganim slanted. I think the landslide FOR Finch looks pretty good! Time will tell. Walking the 135th yesterday was very telling. Very very strong Finch support. NOT A SURPRISE. THE HOMES SURROUNDING WILBUR Cross are all beautifully maintained. They may support Ganim as mayor of Trumbull Gardens (even though those residents love Finch), but certainly not for Mayor OF THE CITY OF BRIDGEPORT.
BTW, THE BRIDGEPORT HOUSING AUTHORITY OWNS THE LAND!
Taxpayers Justice! on 9/16/15
Please Vote Out Finch, McCarthy, Hamilton Burger, Tippy, Auerbach!, both Stafstroms, Pullman & Comley, Local Eyes, Chief Fife and the Librarian Twins!!!
Jim Fox,
Thank you for putting me in the company of heavy hitters. It is an honor and your misfortune!
Isn’t this ironic. This election cycle the blog is terribly anti-Finch. So many Ganim supporters and Foster supporters. Yet it appears our Mayor is doing extremely well. THAT IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!
The mayor is doing “extremely well?” What did you eat for breakfast? All polling data indicates he is going to lose by at least two to one. Wishful thinking and $1.50 will buy a cup of coffee.
Rick Torres is showing his polling data? He can afford a poll? Breakfast was at Red Rooster Deli. Staunch Ganim Supporter, John Gomes, owner, Eggs and Sausage on a toasted Portuguese roll with cheese. Medium coffee. Thanks for inquiring.
This isn’t Facebook, Steve. No one gives a rat’s ass what you ate for breakfast.
You asked!
I don’t work for the Torres campaign. I do advocate for him.
The polling data I referred to was from an independently conducted poll of likely voters. Finch came in a DISTANT third to Mary-Jane Foster. Joe Ganim, not surprisingly, came in first by a tight margin.
It was the kind of poll that was not skewed by a paying politician’s bias. No matter how you look at it Bill Finch is going to be slinging hash or shining shoes come November.
Lolololololol you and Jim Fox play checkers together. You and your poll are a joke. You advocate for Rick Torres but not on his campaign? Because you are a lazy ass?
I advocate for progressive change. Rick Torres is more liberal than Finch or any other alleged “Democrat” in Bridgeport. I’m not lazy; my talents are put to better use than knocking on doors.
Face it, Baghdad, you’re an asshole, just a loudmouthed asshole. You have absolutely nothing of value to contribute here. No one agrees with you because your opinions are composed of hot inert gasses.
Run along now, I hear your mama calling.
Thanks to my friend DT, he’s willing to give me more of the USA poll info. I’ll put it up on Friday.
By the way, Baghdad,
I NEVER asked what you had for breakfast.
I am not lazy. I have health concerns that prevent me from tramping around knocking on doors. You are doing more than enough to turn off the voters who may have been considering support of the incumbent. At least a dozen Black Rockers have told me they said to you “Yeah, I’m voting for Finch” just to get you away from the door and off the porch. Even the people who are voting for Mary-Jane Foster or Joe Ganim lie just to get rid of you, Baghdad. You’re loud, obnoxious, bully others into agreeing with you. You’re also ugly and your mother dresses you funny.
Bill Finch’s treatment of the black community has more than a little in common with the way the state of Israel treats Palestinians in the occupied territories.
Steve,
While on one end you are correct, everyone was affected by the decline and everyone must pay taxes, there were some differences with the Lofts on Lafayette project, which I think should have warranted more intervention/attention.
1. Foremost, the argument about everyone paying their taxes is not correct. As previously stated, taxes are negotiated and renegotiated all the time. This happens a lot with developers etc, and has happened at Steelpointe. Using this argument, then there should be no tax abatement at Steelpointe. So that point does not make much sense.
2. Once the tax abatement expired, taxes were much higher given the square footage. For example, the Lofts were paying higher taxes than surrounding properties despite less square footage. Some may argue this would make sense because they were “newer” but the counterargument to this is they also were marred with serious structural issues that slipped through city inspection. Some have stated off the record it was an effort of retroactively try to make up for lost taxes.
3. Moreover, within the context of Bridgeport’s revitalization efforts and trying to move toward large economic development projects, the lack of intervention is simply problematic. So the black and white thinking of “everyone should pay taxes” is simplistic and ignores the fact municipalities engage in proactive strategies that promote specific economic development objectives. Renegotiating taxes is one of them.
4. The other reason this is problematic is because the Lofts on Lafayette are now used by developers in their pro formas as evidence of neighborhood viability now that they are seeking to introduce similar large-scale housing projects. So the decline of this property can hurt developers in making a strong case for building in the neighborhood and attracting investors to support their project. Again, this is another reason why the Lofts were a pivotal project that warranted greater attention –developers need to make a case for their investors.
5. Aside from all this, you mentioned the public housing will contain market -rate housing. In fact it will include a few slots of homeownership. But this is all because the community advocated for a lot of this including myself. Otherwise, it would not have been part of the plan. However, a market analysis was conducted indicating the market-rate housing will not attract individuals outside Bridgeport. And this is fine, but just a minor point to add. I will also add in one meeting the community indicated there were not enough parking spaces. The Housing Authority indicated families would ride bicycles. Unless the families are riding tandem bikes with four seats, this is a slap in the face to Bridgeport’s vulnerable low-income families, aside from the fact poor families will be housed in a FEMA flood zone.
6. Last, you mention the housing authority owns the land. However, the city appoints the board and controls many of the regulatory bodies that determine whether it is ethical or unethical to place poor families in a FEMA flood zone. In fact, the South End NRZ is one of these bodies and they supported the project despite financial conflicts of interest, voting irregularities, not having approved minutes for nearly two years, and not even being recognized by the state of Connecticut. The city has an NRZ office, how this happened is confusing.
Andmar, again thank you for your thorough explanation. More important, I appreciate your time, effort and involvement. I hope you will consider Mayor Finch next week. Thank you again for your involvement!
Steve logged on every computer at the library to vote for Finch all those times.
Baghdad Steve thinks Bill Finch is going to hold a tickertape parade down Main Street to celebrate electoral victory. Hope they both have a goodly supply of Dubra vodka on hand for the night of September 16th. They’re gonna need it.
Dubra Vodka is lighter fluid, I’ll pass, thanks!
Lol, I couldn’t. I was at Central High school in a class that was 110 degrees. You can only vote once. I thought I was only one of four Finch people on this blog. I assumed all were Ganim supporters except Wicca, Cabana Frank, Walsh, Fardy, Come Back Bridgeport, Up On Bridgeport, etc.
Well it is good we are a diverse crowd. I respect everybody’s position. I am proud of my candidate and his accomplishments!
Andmar, are you aware the same developer for the Lofts at Lafayette just received millions to develop the old social security building in downtown even though the administration knew of all the problems at the Lofts?
Spenser Garfield?
Hello concerned citizen, I did not know the same developer now received funding to build downtown. I really hope the same issues do not repeat. But if there were to be a more rigorous vetting process of developers I would be surprised this developer would be invited back given all these issues. This is very disappointing.
Andmar, all that “facts” stuff went over Steve’s head. As far as he’s concerned you have Seaside Beach, get over the high taxes part!
??? Another Torres supporter. Quentin honestly I do not understand your post. But you will understand the election is over on September 16.
So let me get this straight: Bill Finch and his “advisers” are so focused on developing Stealpointe, they didn’t notice they were planning public housing on a flood plain? This is not a surprise. Most of the residents will be African American. We already know what Bill Finch and his cronies think of the city’s black population. They’ve been stealing their cars for Charles Valentino’s benefit. Why should we expect the Finch administration to care if low-income tenants are flooded out of their homes during the next big hurricane? Baghdad Steve will dismiss this as urban development or just gloss over it entirely by blaming Joe Ganim for it.
Hope his surgery went well. It’s been nice not having his obnoxious posts cluttering up the blog.
Would you get off your race-baiting crap? May I remind you Derek Brown, you are white. You may be white trash but you cannot get away with thinking Mayor Finch does not treat all residents equally. You know Kid, it was the Connecticut Post that wrote story about Joe Ganim serving on the legal team that defended a white supremacist selling guns to the KKK and your candidate Rick Torres has a strange relationship with the African American community. The black power tattoo on his forearm is creepy to me and I am positive it is more disturbing to the African American community. I will let Ron Mackey address that.
Now, I am not part of Mayor Finch’s social circle but I do know for a fact he has many friends of all persuasions as most mayors do. I do know for a fact his support with all minorities is extremely strong. Your attempt to project your sad lack of social skills onto Finch is weird.
You are going to be so unhappy Sept. 16, which gives me great joy.
You still have no ability to sell anybody on this blog on your candidate. You offer no solutions. You are part of the problem and your constant rants against Finch are tiresome at best.
Can you talk about a better candidate and why they’re a better choice? Your criticism of Mayor Finch is like that of an angry adolescent and we know those days are long gone. Like myself of course. 🙂 Perhaps you could be a little more respectful to the mayor, the highest elected official in the city of Bridgeport. Perhaps you could say one nice thing. You do realize the mayor has four children who may read this blog. I’d say you were somewhere between 50 and 70, you should know better!
Are you drunk? My surgery is tomorrow and I will continue to post because you love me!
Whatever, Baghdad. Tomorrow I will be as sober as I was yesterday and the day before, and you will still be the same socially challenged asshole who knows nothing.