Nice job by Brian Lockhart, CT Post. His story below:
When Mayor Bill Finch recently announced his administration was partnering with the corporate community to revive the Bridgeport Economic Development Corp. (BEDCO, which employed Finch in his pre-mayoral life) it was uncertain whether the entity should abide by state Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) laws.
In other words, should BEDCO’s meetings and business, within reason, be open to the public and the press?
On the one hand BEDCO is a private nonprofit partnership between the Bridgeport Regional Business Council and the city. On the other, the city is a public entity, has representatives on the BEDCO board and the Finch administration is contributing $40,000 to the BEDCO budget.
I’d asked the friendly folks at the state Freedom of Information Commission (well, friendly as long as you don’t mess with the FOIA) for advice on BEDCO. They said I’d probably have a decent case BEDCO should follow Freedom of Information requirements but it would not be certain until our newspapers filed a formal complaint with the commission.
They suggested I make a friendly request to the city and Bridgeport Regional Business Council that the BEDCO board in the spirit of openness comply with the FOIA. I did and they did.
So here for all of you BEDCO watchers is the agenda for the board’s August 7 meeting. This paperwork has been filed with the City Clerk and will be available in that office going forward.
———
M E M O R A N D U M
TO: BEDCO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
DEBORAH CAVINESS
EDWARD LAVERNOICH
DAVID LEVINE
KENNETH OPPEDISANO
EZEQUIEL SANTIAGO
GARRETT SHEAHAN
PAUL TIMPANELLI
THOMAS WALSH
ADAM WOOD
FROM: STEPHANIE LINDLEY
DATE: JULY 26, 2012
MEETING NOTICE
Please be advised that there will be a BEDCO Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday, August 7, 2012, at 5:00 p.m., at the Bridgeport Regional Business Council Offices, 10 Middle Street, 14th Floor, Conference Room “A”, Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Enclosed for your preview are the draft meeting agenda and minutes from the last meeting. A complete meeting package will be sent to you at a later date.
BEDCO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
5:00 PM
Bridgeport Regional Business Council Offices
10 Middle Street, 14th Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604
Draft Meeting Agenda
I. Approval of July 9 Meeting Minutes
II. Confirmation of July 9 Board Actions/RESOLUTION
III. Freedom of Information Compliance
IV. Corporate Status
V. Report of By Laws Committee/RESOLUTION
VI. Review of Staff Job Description Draft/Next Steps
VII. Status of Renewable Energy Park Application
VIII. Status of Minority Contract Initiative
IX. Status of Quarterly DECD Report
X. Don Eversley Remarks
XI. Seaview Industrial Park Update/Funding/Meeting Request/Next Steps
XII. Other Business
XIII. Meeting Calendar/RESOLUTION
XIV. Adjournment
BEDCO in recent times has seemed to rhyme with ‘DEADCO’ in terms of newsworthy activity. Of course, it is possible I am not up to date on steady progress towards economic development goals by that organization over the recent years. However, the appointment of David Kooris to OPED has also been accompanied by news that the most recent OPED seat holder was moving on to BEDCO leadership with City funding.
Is $40,000 the limit of City support? Is that a new expense for the 2012-13 year or is BEDCO a regular recipient of City support? What is Don Eversley’s job title and what are his duties, expectations, and future evaluations (by the business community) to be based upon? I like OPEN, ACCOUNTABLE and TRANSPARENT in the public sphere and that is anywhere public money is being spent. Time will tell.
Who has the job to wake up Don Eversley when it is his time to offer ‘remarks?’
Perhaps a 6-pack of Red Bull might help. If he irreverently falls asleep at this meeting as he’s done so many times at other meetings in the past, he should be fired on the spot.
With so many out of towners on DEADCO, I guess the calling hours will be in Trumbull!
So long as the taxpayers are footing the $40,000 in the BEDCO budget and that dynamo Don Eversley’s salary, it damn well better comply with any FOIA requests. Geez.
The BEDCO Board of Directors looks like the Usual Suspects to me. Good job by Lockhart in forcing their hand. I doubt if he had not inquired that they would be so “open & transparent.”
*** Waste of more tax dollars to fund more political hack jobs that really do nothing to improve the average business in Bpt. *** PAST PRACTICE ***
And the definition of “INSANITY” is to do the same thing over and over again with the hope the result will be different.
*** It’s like putting a silk hat on a pig, no? *** IT’S STILL A PIG! ***