The Editorial Board of the Connecticut Post is supporting Mayor Bill Finch’s shout out to voters to empower him to appoint members to the Board of Education. The Post commentary declares: “Finch wants to be answerable for the schools? Then make him so. Here’s the chance to establish accountability, to eliminate any excuse for not to fully funding the system.”
Connecticut Post Editorial Board members: Publisher John DeAugustine, Editorial Page Editor Michael Daly, Assistant Editorial Page Editor Hugh Bailey, Photo Editor Catherine Zuraw, Community Relations Manager Doreen Adams Madden. Editorial boards are couched in democracy. Generally, however, what the publisher wants the publisher gets unless there’s big blowback. Bailey, for one, has railed against the secretive state takeover of schools (that ultimately led to this charter question) in his commentary pieces. Editorial below:
You wouldn’t put textbooks for students into the category of radical steps championed by “education reformers,” but the fact is in Bridgeport it’s a noteworthy accomplishment that’s come from the work of Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, Supt. Paul Vallas and a reconstituted Board of Education over the last 15 months. It is inexcusable that until Vallas worked out a deal to get new textbooks for city schools, it was commonplace that they had out-of-date books and students couldn’t take them home.
We encourage Bridgeport voters to vote ‘yes’ Tuesday on charter revision that will create a mayorally appointed school board. Any step that heightens opportunities for the 21,000 students, any step that will help them emerge as educated, enthusiastic youngsters trumps any other card that might be played by opponents of the change. Voters are not being disenfranchised. They will continue to vote for their city’s leadership: the mayor, city council, representatives in Hartford and Washington. It’s time for a change. Frankly, it’s the children, teachers, parents and administrators who have been disenfranchised for years by a system that’s broken. Finch wants to be answerable for the schools? Then make him so. Here’s the chance to establish accountability, to eliminate any excuse for not to fully funding the system. The mix of skills he promises to bring to the board will be good for children.
It is not giving Finch the power, it gives the power to whomever is Mayor. Pretty scary considering it is presently Finch.
Why don’t we first have him answer for, and hold him accountable for, the powers he already wields. He has not yet earned his ‘big boy pants.’
None of these Editorially Bored Members live in Bridgeport!
Thank goodness. I would not want them to lose the right to vote. This is America!!! … well, at least on the other side of the Bridgeport City line it is America … it looks so pretty there.
*** My question to the CT Post Editorial Board is just how do city residents make Mayor Finch accountable should he fail with the entire school system improvements, etc.? No charter revision type “recall” was established in any of their changes. And should Finch decide not to run for another Mayoral term in three years, how again do voters hold him accountable for not only failure but the lost of voting rights for BOE? The search for the same things by both parties “yes” and “no” could reach the same goals without the “loss” of something so “valuable” as voting rights! This endorsement only proves just how out of touch the CT Post has become when it comes to the city of Bpt and its city government and politics in general. *** VOTE “NO!” ***
Duh? We hold him accountable by saying we are holding him accountable!
Plus, do you really think residents of Bridgeport should be allowed to vote??? Look what we did in the most recent Mayoral Primary. I say we would be better off if the powers that be make all decisions for us. It’s not like anyone fought and died every decade or so for the past 250 years to guarantee us the right to vote.
Duh???
The Bridgeport Post continues to be against the people of Bridgeport. They have never spoken out about the Finch budgets for the past five years. They have never written a word on how he flat-lined the education budget for five years. I would like the brain trust listed above to tell me how a yes vote is going to make it better for the kids.
The Post states Finch will be accountable on election day every four years, big deal; he and his appointed band of nine bobble head dolls who will be appointed by Finch can do a lot of damage in four years.
John Marshal Lee and I have brought tons of facts and paperwork to the Post and spent hours talking to their reporters on Finch’s false budget and hidden monies in the budget all to no avail.
You have an editorial board that is out of touch. When was the last time Mike Daly wrote a piece that did not tell us about his family, his travels, even his freaking dog. He votes in favor of charter change. On what information?
Why doesn’t one of these brain surgeons on the editorial board tell us how the charter change will help the kids because the article here is pure and utter bullshit.
Andy?
Mike Daly has lost his testicular fortitude and is along for the ride. He is working on a screenplay with Jimmy Shannon and John Ratzenberger titled: “What We Did on Our Summer Vacation!” starring Chevy Chase!
Good one, never thought of that. It explains why he has not written a news article in ages.
Doreen Madden lives in Deep River and is telling us to deep six our Board of Ed?
Then again, this is the same bunch of jamokes who endorsed Chris Shays in the August primary!
Holy Cow. I just came off the road, got me a nice haircut at a barbershop downtown and damn all I see are Vote Yes signs plastered all over Bridgeport. You would have thought there is no senate or presidential race going on. Not one Obama sign I have not seen; not one Mitt Romney sign I have not seen. All I see is vote Yes signs from downtown all the way to the West Side down to Black Rock. I will be voting no.
Savor your vote, you never know when a Fascist dictator might come along and take it away.
City Truster: Many thanks for the early-morning giggle with my coffee! I just wish the vote “yes” people realized fascism is so 2011, and we in BEPO are “metro-educational.”
Lennie, notice they didn’t sign their names on to the endorsement. I can’t wait to see the day a dictator rises and takes away the Constitutional right of Freedom of the Press. The day that happens we at OIB will go underground and continue our fight while the CT Post Editorial board members move to Canada.
… but wouldn’t we get to vote on whether they can take away our right to vote??? That could never happen.
No American would ever ask another to give up such a precious right that our forefathers, son, daughters, neighbors, friends, have fought to protect … unless you live in Bridgeport.
Wait ’til we find out the Charter provides for the building of a wall separating Bridgeport from the rest of west Fairfield County and they are renaming the City East Berlin.
It’s not so bad. Forty-some years later they got back the right to vote. (Is that when Finch left East Germany to move into Bridgeport???)
This violation of the people’s right to vote will end up in court:
Sec. 9-363. Circulation of misleading instructions. Any person who, with intent to defraud any elector of his vote or cause any elector to lose his vote or any part thereof, gives in any way, or prints, writes or circulates, or causes to be written, printed or circulated, any improper, false, misleading or incorrect instructions or advice or suggestions as to the manner of voting on any machine, the following of which or any part of which would cause any elector to lose his vote or any part thereof, or would cause any elector to fail in whole or in part to register or record the same on the machine for the candidates of his choice, shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or be imprisoned not more than five years or be both fined and imprisoned.
There are a total of two reporters at the Post, Keila Ocasio and Mike Mayko. The rest could’t find their collective asses with both hands.
To the owner of this rag, PLEASE FIRE THE ENTIRE EDITORIAL BOARD or assign them all to writing obituaries.
Sadly they are getting their training on Obits by writing an Obituary for the voting rights of Bridgeport residents.
Shameful.
I was at the Bpt Post office with Andy and John who met with a female reporter who was very knowledgeable in matters of finance and accounting. When all of the facts and figures were presented to her by Andy and John about the mismanagement of BOE funds and such, she couldn’t wait to get this matter past her seniors and printed … WELL, we see where that went … in the toilet with all of their other “one-sided” news about Bpt.
But once we no longer need to hold elections in Bridgeport, think how much money will be saved.
It’s for the children.
It is unbelievable anyone would voluntarily give up their right to vote for future members of such an important board.
Very disappointing. The vote yes signs that have popped up around town also tick me off. Let’s shock them. Let’s turn this down handily at the polls Tuesday. And if you don’t mind … I would really like to work for us in Hartford. I need your vote if you live in the 131st. The last name is an eye-catcher, folks. Two N’s, Two Z’s. Iannuzzi. I won’t let us down!
… plus U an’ I.
Don’t throw eggs at me. That story about the UI workers getting pelted was terrible.
Here’s a little story you can be sure you won’t find on the front page of the CT Post.
Way back when I was on the City Council (what was that, a year ago?) at budget time some members of the council would complain about the amount of money the city spend on legal ads and we would be told those are required by charter but the next time there’s a Charter Revision Commission we can do away with that requirement and save the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
And yet, lo and behold, with all of these silly technical changes the city made up, they didn’t do away with this requirement.
And the CT Post continues to reap obscene profits. Do you think there could be a quid pro quo here?
Hey Bob, when was the last time the City of Bridgeport Tax Collector’s Office conducted a property assessment–a thorough one–on the CT Post?
… and Bridgeport being on the coast, squid always bountiful.
Last Tuesday night I set out to go in the dark with my bulletproof vest, and my Canon–the camera–to check up on my family and their properties. I spotted two UI trucks at the Walgreens on Park Avenue and followed them around for about four hours. I took the tapes to the CT Post and the editors never called. When I read the story about the egg-throwing incident and read the horrible comments by the poster in the comment section, I posted what I had taped and the fact the CT Post didn’t think it was newsworthy. I also posted the link to my YouTube videos. The next day, my comments were removed despite the fact that it was all clean as far as language goes. The CT Post only wrote about the brawl at the courthouse and no mention about the arraignment of the guy who shot at a Bridgeport Police Officer on Friday of last week. The CT Post hasn’t reported on any of the many robberies and pistol-whipping that took place in the dark hours of last week mainly on the East Side and UB area. Nothing said or asked of where Mayor Bill Finch was staying during the blackout–The Holiday Inn downtown.
I’d like to know what OIB readers or posters think of my following statement:
I feel and I think most of the OIB readers and posters agree Lennie Grimaldi’s views and analysis can be taken more seriously than most of the ones we’ve heard from the CT Post. OIB has been successful thanks to the posters and readers of OIB. Lennie Grimaldi is not just a journalist, he is one of the few who has a good reading of the pulse of this diverse City of Bridgeport. Having said that, Lennie Grimaldi owes us his opinion on this most important issue. Does Lennie Grimadli support question one?
We deserve an answer. You like when we stick our necks out, Lennie. Walk the plank! It would make all of the time we’ve spent here on OIB worth it, if Lennie Grimaldi not only endorsed the ‘NO’ initiative, but also blogged it on his CT Post OIB blog.
I do not believe Lennie owes us anything; I am appreciative and grateful for the clean, fresh and unbiased take Lennie provides to this City with OIB.
Thank you, Lennie.
I absolutely do NOT believe Lennie should take a published position on this Charter Question. Lennie provides factual and unbiased information to the blog members. Given his established relationships and obvious expertise and experience, his publishing a position on this Charter Question would thoroughly undercut the overarching purpose of this blog. This purpose in my estimation is to provide a venue through which Bridgeport Citizens past and present, along with anyone else who has an interest in this city can voice their points of view an engage in dialog without having his or her subjective opinion color-washed by the opinions of an expert. If Lennie were to start slanting his posts how would that make him any more objective and without agenda than the current Administration at City Hall?
Amen.
Since the CT Post doesn’t want to waste ink and time to show us the extent of the damage caused by Sandy, I gathered some nice video footage and threw in some narrative for you OIB junkies.
Walk with me to Seaside Park where I recorded most of the damage there. Take a look at my little and growing collection of videos. On occasion, I will be taping and reporting on issues that matter here at OIB. We all could use a laugh. If you listen carefully to the narrative on some of the videos, you will probably laugh or chuckle at least.
I forgot to add the link. It’s better if you go straight to my channel at Joel112264:
www .youtube.com/watch?v=ZJmKd4eyoVY
Let’s connect some more dots:
How much money do these individuals/groups get from the City of Bridgeport or have contracts (maybe after the charter vote the CT Post can look into this) and the amount we know they have given to the Yes vote campaign.
Aquarium $14K
Port Jeff Ferry $14K
Bpt Hospital $14K
Harbor Yard $14K
Juda Epstein $1K
Merit Insurance $3K
Pullman Comley $7K
St. V Hospital $14K
UI $10K
Just for openers.
The boys and girls (a.k.a. cub reporters) at the CT Post couldn’t even report these contributions. They came from blogger Jonathan Pelto.
Bpt Hospital is getting the Harding High School land for $14K?
The Arena has a pending zoning matter for a mega-digital-advertising billboard to be placed on the outside of the building.
Joel,
Get that camera ready for when the Port Jefferson Ferry starts moving their operation over to Steel Point.
I am sure there will have to be some city or state bonding required also.
Why is it Hartford is the State House and Bridgeport is the Whore House?
Because over and over again the same cast of characters are elected to “lead and serve” our city. One time I saw a flowchart of how intertwined our elected officials, Town Committee leadership, contractors, city employees and state reps are. It was eye opening. Answered a ton of questions I had. Time to break up the party.
The Post’s endorsement of “YES” is, among even more disturbing things, a reflection of the editorial board’s obsequious relationship with the Bridgeport Regional Business Council–the function of which (as the “bucket boy” organization for the Business Council of Fairfield County/SACIA) is to suppress high-value taxbase/job-intensive development in Bridgeport so we will remain the “servant’s quarters” for The Gold Coast/suburbs.
Related, under the Hearst Corporation, the Post’s pandering to Gold Coast interests has never been more obvious. It’s no minor coincidence the big push for an appointed BOE in Bridgeport has its origins in Gold Coast-based hedge funds and their political lackeys–such as Bill Finch and Dan Malloy.
But getting closer to the heart of the “YES” matter; it is really alarming how much influence the “education-industrial complex” has come to wield in the US–and Connecticut–in a fairly short time. With the Vallas Group in the vanguard of this insidious analogue of the military-industrial complex, and with Paul Vallas becoming well ensconced in Bridgeport, it would appear we are “ground zero” for this subversive, money-driven, parasitic “education change-agent.” It has already, through its business-council mechanism, managed to hijack the political and journalistic machinery of Bridgeport during the course of a critical national election. (This “YES” endorsement by the Post–as meaningless as it will prove to be–is truly a disturbing sign of the direction in which the Fourth Estate is heading in Fairfield County.)
As far as the accountability “argument” used by the Post to justify their “YES” endorsement: The Mayor appoints the members of all of the city boards and commissions–including the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Police Commission. When has Mayor Finch ever been held accountable for the terrible/illegal decisions rendered by these boards? If he has nine members to appoint to the BOE, he will have nine people to throw under the bus in the event of controversy. Nine ways to avoid accountability!
And who will “call” the mayor on education issues and expose the raw facts of shortcomings in the Bridgeport public school system for the public to consider? The members of the board appointed by the mayor?! The “YES”-endorsing Connecticut Post?
Lennie, it seems it might be a good time to resurrect the Bridgeport Light. I’ll take out a subscription!
Resurrect it in bilingual form. Lennie can also expand the OIB webzine by adding recorded City Council meetings; video footages/news of acts of activism by real people …
Selectively repeating or posting CT Post articles is kind of a bore as most of us have read them by the time they are posted here. The good part about it is we can post comments here (on OIB), without being censored by the very newspeople who claim they want to educate and inform the public.
Here is one CT Post article you or Lennie may have missed:
blog.ctnews.com/dixon/
It is time for the OIB editorial board to tell us if they support the charter change.
I think Lennie considers all the regular OIB posters as The OIBoard of Editorial. Good points by Zena Lu and Jeff Kohut.
Good point, Speedy. OIB posters comprise the editorial board and we certainly have eclectic voices.
When we go to the polls on Tuesday we should remember the politicians running for office who have kept silent on the charter change involving the BOE. The only one who came out was Jack Hennessy. The following have stayed silent:
1. Andres Ayala
2. Charles Clemons
3. Rev Stallworth
4. Eze Santiago
5. A. Grogins
6. A. Musto
These gutless wonders should not get your vote.
While I am at it I only know two council members who have stood up to be counted:
1. Andre Baker
2. Jim Holloway
The rest are Finch puppets. Remember the 18 who stayed silent when they are up for election next year.
Vote YES to cancel your subscription to the CT Post, yes dump that rag!
If I no longer get the CT Post, what will my dog defecate on? He already refuses to touch Murdoch’s WSJ or the NY Post. I guess I could use some old Finch photos; B Green!
Lol, almost choked on my fried chicken–note to self: don’t eat while reading OIB comments.
Good for CT Post in recognizing “it’s the children, teachers, parents and administrators who have been disenfranchised for years by a system that’s broken.”
In an era where most politicians run from responsibility, it’s refreshing to see a politician who wants stop the finger pointing and is willing to step up to take the responsibility to make the education of our children a REAL priority. Good for you, Mayor Finch.
Vote YES on the charter change.
The best way to fix disenfranchisement is to take the direct vote away from the taxpaying citizens and parents. That is why a fascist dictatorship works so smoothly. I just wish we could have the Taliban step in to start making our decisions. Think of all the money we could save if we did not have to educate females. Between the savings on elections and education, Bridgeport could be the shining swastika of the Gold Coast.
And did the CT Post say why businesses that do business with the city of Bridgeport are ponying up big bucks?
If it’s for the kids why haven’t they been doing more all along?
What a crock of shit.
And if it is for the teachers and administrators, then why are they opposed to the change?
ReallyFrustratedBptDemocrat should change his handle to ReallyDumbAssBptDem or maybe ReallyGratefulTestaFinchWaterboyDem or maybe ReallyAdamWood!
Looking at what is going on with national politics and the stalemate in Congress, the nation’s citizenry has been subjected to a system that is broken.
FINCH FOR FASCIST DICTATOR of America. Certainly Hearst and the CT Post endorses.
I guess your frustrations are over.
R.F.B.D.
Wrong once again. You must have stopped your primary lessons on OIB. In short form:
** The “educational governance reform” that is mentioned in the Charter question is here today. It came in with Paul Vallas in January 2012. It will be with us on Wednesday, November 7, 2012 regardless of how the Charter vote ends. That has been for the “kids.” But the Mayor has not had City funding of education a priority during his first four years. Evidence is flat education funding in the budget. Isn’t it absurd members of the BOE did not trust the Mayor’s office and the Mayor’s office didn’t trust the BOE fiscal administration??? How to break such a deadlock? Let the BOE commit suicide, let the State come in and get an appointed Board. BOE forgot, and so did Bill, that democracy does not work when people fail to listen to each other, talk about their purpose, and remember it is about the education of youth.
** Era of politicians running from responsibility … you are talking about Bill Finch, Adam Wood and Tom Sherwood who refuse to live up to the directives of the current Charter. They have not been accountable on financial reporting!!! Less than 50% of the year are they on time with a comprehensive report as directed!!! Champions of UN-Accountability!!!
** When you point one finger (in blame or praise) you have several more pointing at yourself. Be careful of praise or judgement, unless you are stating facts, as I attempt to do.
And if you wish to see what OPEN, ACCOUNTABLE and TRANSPARENT presentations might look like in Bridgeport, why don’t you go to the Bridgeport Public Schools web site and look at the various fiscal models, reports and projections. They include more info than has ever been presented to the people of Bridgeport previously. That is a fact. BOE is currently reporting more MUNIS info than the City does on its site!!! Fact!!! Where is City accountability??? Time will tell.
But isn’t providing all that information cumbersome? Wouldn’t it be more efficacious to just turn our futures over to the concept of fascism? Do you really think this whole American democratic experiment thing is working out?
I say, let’s just call it a day. Vote, schmote. It’s not like anyone ever fought for that right.
What is your feeling about this politician (Finch) who flatlined the education budget for five years? He did this as the prices of materials, heating, electric costs and many others went up over the five-year period. These bills needed to be paid. Where did the money come from? The money came from areas of the budget that were to be spent on the kids.
Power, heat and electricity production are polluters. Part of Finch’s B Green initiative was to reduce school expenditures on pollution producers. Hence, flat-lining education for five years. With Finch, it has always been about the children.
How did that Donald Neversley appointment never make out?
BridgeportBooster // Nov 2, 2012 at 1:51 pm
“Up On Bridgeport: Guess what! Bridgeport magnet schools are PUBLIC SCHOOLS! And Finch’s two little kids also go to neighborhood public schools. Get the facts right on the demographics of Black Rock School before you verbalize your ignorance. My cousin sends his kids to BRS and I’ve been there for family night. That school is at least 80% Hispanic. Look at the racial breakdown and the tests scores of that school before you comment. It’s not the bastion of white privilege you think it is.
AND finally, at least this mayor is sending his kids to a Bridgeport public school!! He has a personal stake in the success of these schools! Do you? Name the last mayor who sent his kids to the city’s public schools? Fabrizi was a Bridgeport teacher and sent his kid to St. Joe’s. Ganim, private schools for his kids. The list goes on.”
You are Boosting Up the Wrong Tree! Fabrizi’s son went to Notre Dame of Fairfield.
Here’s a better question. What members of the the Mayor’s Charter Revision Committee had children who ever attended a Bridgeport Public School? Estrada and Simpson/Bohannon have great kids who attended parochial schools and graduated and will graduate from Notre Dame in Fairfield.
So if I understand correctly, this one mayor sends his kids to B’port Public Schools, but if the next mayor is anything like the other mayors, the next mayor’s kids will be in private schools.
So in keeping with your line of thought, the next mayor will most likely have no personal family interest in Bridgeport Public Schools, but will have full control of the Bridgeport Board of Education, and all the parents who actually send their children to Bridgeport Public Schools and have a vested interest in Bridgeport Public Schools will have no direct input or vote regarding the Bridgeport Board of Education.
If I supported fascism, I would so totally vote yes to remove any direct control and input from the hands of the public. Therein lies the dilemma; either you support the concept of fascism in America or you have a vested interest in maintaining democracy in America.
I am in favor of democracy, others are in favor of fascism and turning over their voice to Mein Führer. You have let us know where you stand. This is a fascist concept at the local level.
I remember running into Max Medina a short time after he left the Bridgeport Board of Education.
I said to him the Board of Education will never be the same without you. Bill Finch did a great job at flat-funding the BOE to have it his way. Everything Finch touches is sabotaged.