The campaign camps of Joe Ganim and Mary-Jane Foster, one of them likely the next mayor of the state’s largest city, haven’t done much lately in the area of public policy statements or news announcements. Knock knock, any press releases out there? That’s partly because they’ve been busy dialing for dollars, organizing fundraisers, building campaign coalitions in the final outreach for the Nov. 3 general election.
When Democrat Joe Ganim was elected Bridgeport’s 50th mayor in 1991, he had turned just 32 years old a few weeks prior, becoming the youngest chief executive in city history by defeating Republican Mary Moran. If Ganim is elected in November he will make history on several fronts: he will be 56 years old regaining the office he lost following his conviction on corruption charges in 2003, having done it taking out incumbent Bill Finch in a primary without the Democratic Town Committee endorsement, albeit having nearly 50 percent support of the party at the July convention.
Thursday night, in celebration of his birthday, the Ganim campaign is throwing a fundraiser at the city’s municipal golf course, with an asking price of $500 a head, resuming a fundraising tradition when Ganim was mayor. In golf terms that would amount to multiple birdies after taking out an incumbent named Finch.
In political terms, birds of a feather flock together, right? Well a bird named Finch has decided he’s flocking with Foster and is putting his financial weight behind her at upcoming fundraisers. Finch, as mayor, has been a mighty fundraiser. While Ganim tees off his birthday at the golf course, Foster will drive a big-ticket fundraiser on her behalf at the architectural offices of Antinozzi Associates, across the street from her Downtown headquarters, where members of the business community are expected to flock at the urging of Finch et al. Foster has several more fundraisers planned in the coming weeks.
Bill Finch does not want to be remembered for losing his mayoralty to Joe Ganim. He’s backing Foster who finished third in the Democratic primary. Although Finch and Foster have had their differences, if Foster wins the mayoralty she too will make history, providing a tonic for Finch losing the primary. No candidate in city history has lost a primary to surge back to win the mayoralty as a petitioning candidate. If Foster wins, it’s history.
Jasper McLevy, you say? McLevy was a Socialist who ran on the Socialist line, owning the mayoralty from 1933-57. He was not a Democrat, Republican, or petitioning candidate. He was a reformer who castigated the political establishment for 20 years until the timing was right.
On November 3, Ganim and Foster hope the timing will be right for one of them.
Really Lennie?
Finch-wood helping Foster???
I think you mean John Stafstrom helping Foster???
Or do you think this is the creative thinking of those at 999 Broad Street rather than those at the Main Street offices of Pullman and Comley?
Carolanne, that was a hole in one! Nice shot!!!
Anything that would shed a bad light on Foster does not make it off the cutting-room floor.
How can anyone who says she is transparent and not a liar team up with Bill Finch and Stafstrom who tried to sell the BOE, say she is this proud jury duty civic person but yet get out of it before it starts going with her campaign manager to do it, and now goes back on her platform of eight years and will keep McCarthy and company in place on the city council?
Foster is disgusting.
REBEL–So Foster, in your quaint words, “is disgusting?” How would you describe someone who, without any foundation whatsoever, claims she went to the courthouse with her campaign manager to get out of jury duty? “Disgusting” doesn’t even come close to describing such an outlandish lie. She was in the courthouse from 8:30 a.m. until 1:15 p.m. and went through two different jury-selection panels before being released! Her campaign manager did NOT accompany her. Do you run a political-smear consulting service?
CC, the reference to Finch et al. was Stafstrom. He’s hosting a fundraiser for Foster next week.
Mayor Finch has been totally supporting Mary-Jane Foster and they apparently have developed a very strong chemistry as witnessed last evening at a very successful well-attended meet and greet. John Stafstrom is disturbing to you supporting Finch more than Testa is supporting Ganim?
Finch has to be supportive as he has a lot of buried skeletons that will come out under a Ganim regime but will stay buried under Mary-Jane Finchster.
BPT REBEL, can you say Grand Jury?
Yes.
G R A N D J U R Y !
Steve,
Another non-sequitur from you.
Torres is a fiscal conservative, he seems to be generating a lot of interest in his candidacy with a small fraction of the money the other candidates need to produce to find success. I respect him for that and believe he would do the same for Bridgeport, doing more for less. The other candidates would keep spending more and more, needing more and more thinking they could just raise taxes. The problem is the taxpayer well is going dry, how much more can they get out of us? Ganim and Foster will continue to bring more of the same to us lowly taxpayers with poor management practices. For me I want the real change Bridgeport has needed for such a long time. Stop disrespecting the tax dollar that comes out of hard-working residents’ pockets. Time for something different? I hope so because there is nothing wrong with that.
Ganim’s birthday? Maybe Mario Testa will buy him a pony.
I would again wish Joe Ganim a Happy Birthday, BUT WE KNOW HOW DISRESPECTFUL EVERYONE GETS WHEN I TRY TO BE KIND.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Steve. Self-pity doesn’t look good on anyone.
No press release MJF on ducking out the backdoor thanks to your campaign manager at Jury Duty? It is the joke of the courthouse today, what a fake publicity seeking nobody you are.
REBEL–Don’t miss my challenge to your lie, posted above.
REBEL, tell us the story of what happened. You don’t know, do you. You are full of it.
Yes I do know Andrew, I work at the courthouse and know for a fact she came in with her mouthpiece and he got her off before having to sit in the boredom room or a panel, your girl who made a big deal out of jury duty punked out.
NOTICE
No Follow the Money denying this, she got snagged and I’m happy to say it was by me and the courthouse crew laughing at her bullshit fake attention seeking lying ass.
You are so full of shit. They would not let an idiot like you work at the courthouse.
REBEL–Again, see my response to your repeated lies, posted above.
Mary-Jane is down three stokes, with two holes to play. With Finch and Stafstrom on her bag, Joe Ganim has “taken the match dormie.”
Given the endorsed Democrat is a man convicted of fucking over the people of the city of Bridgeport and the “petitioning Democrat” is a brusque business person obfuscating the details of her past (she had a relatively privileged upbringing, contrary to how she is portrayed in the campaign propaganda) who is not well liked by many of the people who previously supported Tax Bill Finch, it should not be a surprise the GOP candidate’s campaign is picking up steam and voter interest. When Finch came aboard he brought John Stafstrom, the well-connected attorney who controls a large chunk of the DTC. Ms. Foster’s much-boasted-about “core values” have been compromised by the deal she made with a pair of devils named Finch and Stafstrom.
Joe Ganim is supported by Mario Testa, who controls the other chunk, is the DTC chairman who has a foot-high stack of absentee ballot applications on his desk, waiting to by mailed out in the name of the elderly, senile, drug-addled or otherwise infirm. Danny Roach, Ganim’s campaign manager, was convicted of AB fraud at the age of eighteen. Once a crook always a crook. Is it at all surprising he and Joe are such fast friends? “Honor among thieves” and all that rubbish. Birds of a feather? No, just a pair of leopards with unchanging spots.
The one is a convicted felon and disbarred attorney; the other is a hypocrite.
Bpt Kid, you’re giving Stafstrom too much credit as far as the DTC is concerned. Since his fall from the DTC leadership as well as being a member of the 132nd TC, his reputation consists of fundraisers. I always suspected he had some sway with the leftover TC members who served with when he was a member, but of course not one of them would admit that. If true, it was all in vain because I never went along with the leftovers and always prevailed in advocacy causes, i.e. Bd. of Ed. and any candidate I supported, including his nephew Steven, won. His local political might has been long gone. I don’t know, nor do I care what role he’s involved in in this election, but if he’s working hard it’s understandable, he has a lot to lose if Joe goes in another direction with the Bond Council contract. Of course there’s still the State work so he won’t go broke, but you never know. I must add he was the best Council partner I had, and he’s a genius at what he does. Actually, I think I like him.
Danny?
Is that spelled LYDIA?
When asked what do you want for your birthday Joey, I’m guessing his answer is CASH, nothing by CASH.
Bpt Kid–Tell me more about Foster’s “relatively privileged upbringing.” I understand she went without a father from age 4 to age 16, started working at age 8, and after a two-year scholarship at a junior college, arrived in New York City with just $200 to her name at age 20. She has been lights out ever since. Sure sounds like a privileged upbringing to me. Why not check out the facts before embarking on your next political smear?
$200 went a lot further in 1970 than it does now. Her mother owned a jewelry store. She wasn’t picking cotton or shining shoes.
Kid, you are full of BS when cornered. Come Back Bridgeport hit the nail on the head.
According to the New York Times, “Her father was a surgeon and a professor emeritus of surgery at the University of Colorado Medical School in Denver. Her mother, Patricia Foster, founded Foster & Son, a jewelry store in Denver.” Doesn’t say she was on welfare. Sounds like a fairly privileged upbringing.
Stick it up your ass and fly to the moon.
Kid–you’re too much. Her mother hocked everything and borrowed heavily to start up her one-employee small jewelry store when MJF was ten. Her mother took 15 or more years to get out of hock. What/who is your shaky source otherwise?
She may have hocked everything but I seriously doubt she moved out of the ‘burbs to live in a trailer park. You guys act as if Foster’s life story reads like a novel by John Steinbeck or William Faulkner.
It would seem a bit unusual for a 16-year-old to assume a stepfather’s name. But, in any event, she apparently did, and it implies she was a surgeon/college professor’s daughter during her adolescence and young adulthood. That doesn’t imply hardship during those years. And since her mom married a surgeon/college professor (and founded a jewelry store), it doesn’t imply neglect or hardship previous to that period, either.
Not a “Bridgeport” story, plain and simple.
Thank you, Mr. Kohut.
Kiss my ass, Kohut. At least you acknowledge all you know and all you care to know about Mary-Jane Foster comes from a wedding announcement in the New York Times. You have become a major disappointment to me.
Bob, I have to agree with you about your comment about Jeff when you said, “you have become major disappointment.”
I’m sure he’s all torn up over that, Bob. Mary-Jane Foster came from a very privileged background. No one is denying that. She arrived in New York with a child and $200 in her pocket. I’m sure that’s true. I doubt that her college professor stepfather and jewelry store owning mother would have allowed her to live on the street or a homeless shelter. Her first husband was a business executive. He is a longstanding member of an exclusive country club in Fairfield. Her current husband is a millionaire. She wouldn’t know hard times if they crawled up her leg and bit her on the ass.
Ms. Foster is completely out of touch with the grinding poverty many of the people of the city of Bridgeport have to live with every day. She must have had fun carousing with the swells at the fundraiser. If she really wants to prove herself she should spend a week living in P.T. Barnum Apartments. She should apply for welfare benefits and spend a morning at the DSS office on Housatonic Avenue, waiting to speak with a social worker with untreated attitude problems. She should have gone to the job fair at the Klein to see how many people showed up looking for a job because they want to work.
Ms. Foster can talk the talk. Walking the walk is another story.
And I’m sure you would say the same about how John Fitzgerald Kennedy was completely unfit for public office because he couldn’t “walk the walk.”
Either paint JFK with the same brush, which in his case happened to be true, or shut the fuck up.
Bob, and the fact this is the only available info on her doesn’t cause concern? If Jeff being an “INFORMED” political individual doesn’t know much more about her and the electorate knows much less, should cause concern amongst her supporters.
Ms. Foster is the well-bred product of a privileged upbringing. She may have arrived in New York with two hundred bucks but it is highly doubtful mommy and daddy would have left her high and dry. Her stepfather was a surgeon and college professor, her mother owned a jewelry store. I doubt Ms. Foster had to drive a cab, sell dope or turn tricks to survive. She grew up with money and married into money, twice. This is not a dim-bulb from the trailer park. I grew up with women like her, using beauty and brains to get ahead in life.
Come Back Bridgeport: You say:
“Bpt Kid–Tell me more about Foster’s “relatively privileged upbringing.” I understand she went without a father from age 4 to age 16, started working at age 8, and after a two-year scholarship at a junior college, arrived in New York City with just $200 to her name at age 20. She has been lights out ever since. Sure sounds like a privileged upbringing to me. Why not check out the facts before embarking on your next political smear?
“Kid–you’re too much. Her mother hocked everything and borrowed heavily to start up her one-employee small jewelry store when MJF was ten. Her mother took 15 or more years to get out of hock. What/who is your shaky source otherwise?”
The math you present doesn’t seem to add-up: MJ’s mom “had to hock everything” to start FOSTER and Sons Jewelry store when MJ was 10–but MJ didn’t become a FOSTER until she was 16?! And MJ’s mom was a single parent for a 12-year period but managed to “scrape together” enough money to establish FOSTER and Sons Jewelry Store (before she met Dr. FOSTER?!) in the midst of this difficult existence.
Come on, Come Back–a lot of things in this story just don’t add up–literally and figuratively. If your information above is correct, I could just see a couple of TV police detectives ripping this apart and having a lot of fun with it. I could just see Peter Falk’s character “Columbo” wincing and tilting his head as he tried to make sense of the math in this biography. Now, making a up a portion of her biography for MJ’s purposes doesn’t make her bad or evil (I still see her as a nice person)–it just makes her someone who is trying to become mayor of a place she really can’t relate to, try though she may. And that implies she shouldn’t be trying to fit her square political peg into Bridgeport’s round political hole. It just can’t work. She should just go back to UB, where she has done an outstanding job.
Jeff–Apparently unlike you and Bridgeport Kid, I check out the facts before making unfounded charges. Mary-Jane’s mother changed the name of her jewelry store to “Foster & Son” after her son, and MJF’s brother, joined her in the store many years later. Enough already.
Yes, enough already. Only a few have drunk the Kool-Aid spiked with promises. Ms. Foster may have lacked a father for several years but she appears to have turned out okay, marrying two millionaires and snagging a vice president’s position at a local university. It’s not the life story, there is more than a little obfuscation in the telling. You make it out she went through the whole Scarlet O’Hara routine: “As God is my witness, I’ll never go hungry again!” That’s horseshit. Her whole life has been spent in pursuit of privilege and comfort.