Robo Calls, And Where’s The Freaking Mail!

Note to candidates: if you’re planning to trash your opponent with a sucker-punch robo call see State Elections Enforcement Commission rule below:

Attribution Requirements for Campaign “Robo” Telephone Calls

If any candidate, candidate committee, or exploratory committee makes or incurs an expenditure for automated telephone calls that promote the success of the candidate or the defeat of another candidate, the candidate’s name and voice must be contained in the narrative of the call.

We’ve all received an automated call, aka robo call. You pick up the phone and a voice says “Did you know that Haystacks Fortuna sleeps with his dog, cat and parrot confiscated from the Amazon region of South America? The dog froths at the mouth, the cat has scratch fever and the parrot speaks ill of Jesus.”

Translation: my opponent’s a mental case.

Well, if you’re going to do that, the candidate promoting the call must be identified.

In the old days, before Connecticut’s public financing system offered free dough with lots of regulations, blindsiding an opponent without attribution was common. I’m sure that many campaign camps have lawyers figuring out ways around the rules, but it’s much tougher now. And it’s not worth the risk of getting caught. Screw around with taxpayer dollars in a campaign and the culpable candidate and treasurer will get punched in the nose. And that’s why you’re seeing and hearing lots of paid for by…and approved by…

Edgy robo calls won’t go away entirely, but they won’t be as sinister out of fear they backfire. In the past it was clear nefarious calls came from the opposition, but the candidate could always say no way it came from us, that’s outrageous, we would never do that, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Remaining Connecticut candidates seeking free dough from the state will get the word sometime today whether they’ve qualified for public financing. There’s a lot of paperwork involved that must be checked and requirements met before election officials say, okay your check’s being wired. Then it will be a mad dash to spend with just a few weeks left before the Aug. 12 primary. Anticipating how the money will be spent, before public financing approval, is key otherwise there will not be enough time to turn around mailers. Direct mail, the stuff delivered by Uncle Sam, is time consuming. Once you figure out content, someone needs to design it, review it, sign off on it, print it, deliver it to post office. One little mistake can become a big one, like your mail never gets out the door because money wasn’t deposited into the bulk rate mail account with the post office.

State Rep. Chris Caruso’s campaign for mayor last year was a nightmare in the final days because of mail glitches.

If you want to see all the rules regarding attribution requirements check this out:

www.ct.gov/seec/lib/seec/CEP_GUIDE_JUNE_2008_-_FINAL.pdf

And if you want to learn about Democratic congressional candidate Jim Himes’ plan for tax relief, check this out:

www.himesforcongress.com/page/-/documents/TaxRelief.pdf

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79 comments

  1. I guess Rob Russo is not going to be able to do anonymous robocalls to people in Trumbull and Monroe bashing Bridgeport this time around. Sorry moneybags…this time around you are going to have to take credit for your divisive silver-spoon-in-the-mouth blue blooded anti-urban little spoiled shit tactics.

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  2. Yikes, the opening bell has not even been rung on Wall Street. Anna, setting the tone for a Bullish day on Brawl St. Yahooy must be next door at Mickey D’s getting a little sauseege and egg for Anna. I hear that Yahooy is Solid at the Libery Rock. They’ve even named a Suite for for him. Not so Sweet one Anna, during their passionate love making, has been heard to scream Ya Hoooooooo eeeey.

    Rumor out on the street is that Yahooy needed a little aboost last night. After all what goes up must come down.

    Talk about “Attribution” is Anna’s rant a “Retribution”.

    Market set to open in 5 minutes. The Oracle is projecting mixed results based on Q2 earnings results. Watch for Westport based Terex to exceed Street expectations in their report today.

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  3. Politics aside, I wish some crafty politician would find a way to identify and permanently remove all robo phone calls thus saving the public a major nuisance that is annoying and limits personal productivity.

    Speaking of politics, don’t be surprised if the current economic situation prompts the Democrats to name a culprit and remove President Bush from his remaining days in office. That would make Nancy Pelosi our first female President and provide a sad consolation prize to those that wanted Hillary to be our next Prez or it could pave the way for her subsequent revival.

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  4. “Bill Finch wants to raise income taxes in Trumbull and Monroe to pay for property tax relief in Bridgeport”

    Anonymous robo call to Monroe and Trumbull (note: NOT Bridgeport) on Election Day 2004 from the Rob Russo for Senate campaign a.k.a. Senator Moneybags a.k.a. El Douchebag.

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  5. what did i have for breakfast this morning? a hearty cup of delicious brooklawn suburban fearmongering and a “big city of dreams” waffle(ing) special…

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  6. I hate those fucking robo calls. I recieved so many prerecorded robo calls, featuring the voices of Bill and Hillary, Sneezy, Dopey, Grumpy, Donner, Blitzen, etc. that I called every Democratic Party office and demanded that my name be removed from their call lists.

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  7. Maybe Senator Moneybags should sponsor legislation adding political robocalls to the Do Not Call List so that the next time he chooses to drive a wedge in between Bridgeport and the ‘burbs that he can only expose those who are willing to be exposed to his bourgeois dribble.

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  8. Finch has to do something about the crime spree that has been going on in Bpt lately. Today everybody was in shock at what happened to this young man. Bpt is starting to get crazy again.

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  9. Norwood is doing a very commendable job dealing with crime and public safety in Bridgeport. Finch, after some initial remarks about a $600.00 tax rebate to property owners, has been conspicuously inert.

    Sitting around and hashing over the various personal relationships of the players in Bridgeport’s DTC-dominated political scene is a just a distraction. We never discuss the issues that REALLY MATTER, like the lack of employment opportunities and the sad state of our public schools, the overabundance of careerist political hacks spewing hot gas. . .

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  10. “Russo has pulled off in just three months something that no one in the city’s legislative delegation has come remotely close to accomplishing.” OIB

    What is that…his white hood?

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  11. OIB regular poster, and good guy, Con Filardi must be like E.F. Hutton. When Con Speaks! People Listen!!

    Yesterday’s discussion on Charlie Carroll had Con piping hot over the overgrown condition of the berm along Gilman Street entering St. Mary’s.

    Choo Choo Charlie and his landscape engineers must have been there today. They did a Good n’ Plenty job! Shows the power of the peeps here on OIB.

    I guess you could say that Filardi is a real power broker.

    Too bad the Mayor doesn’t understand the amount of people who are public intellectuals on this blog that could help this city. He should form a Board of Directors or a Kitchen Cabinet based on people who live here and always seem to get stuck sharing the pain but not the gain.

    Even though I will always disagree with The Bridgeport Kid on the Grogins-Keeley race (He steadfastly refuses to believe that Finch is the Frank Gehry of Auden’s campaign) he brings about some good points. Especially about how the suburbs stick it to us all the time with the unbalance of power towards the urban centers.

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  12. Hey Warren – Bill Finch is no Frank Gehry. His political architecture is more like a house of cards. He’s a real Joker without a foundation.

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  13. The Working Families Party is playing a bigger and bigger role in Connecticut politics. This year, for the first time, the minor party will appear on every ballot in the state.

    The party has made endorsements in over fifty state legislative races so far this year. The party plans to make more endorsements before the September 3rd deadline.

    Most of the candidates endorsed by Working Families are Democrats. Two are Republicans. If the candidates win their party’s nomination, they will appear on the ballot twice: once on their party’s line and once on the Working Families line. A vote cast for a cross-endorsed candidate on the Working Families line counts towards that candidate’s total, but also, say supporters, shows support for Working Families’ priority issues, like affordable healthcare, living wage jobs, quality schools and fair taxes.

    It’s not clear whether endorsed candidates who lose in a primary will choose to remain on the ballot only on the Working Families Party line.

    The endorsed candidates running in Bridgeport:

    Marilyn Moore
    Chris Caruso
    Jack Hennessy
    Andres Ayala
    Robert Keeley

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  14. I too was surprised at how bad the overgrowth had gotten on Gilman. If that was Con Filardi’s doing – Thanks.

    Everyone should go back and read post #13. I fully agree with Bpt Kid on this one.

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  15. Terex Beats the Street. Q2 earnings rose 35%.
    Hot Doughnuts, Stale Sales Plague Krispee Kreme.
    Won’t go Jelly-Up! However, sales and market cap are glazed and dazed. With 550 stores in U.S. could be ripe for a merger with another emerging franchise forming a tweening concept.

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  16. I have no idea why Warren all-you-can-eat Buffet thinks Terex’s earnings are important to OIB readers – but I do know this: mergers move an industry towards monopoly status which is sometimes referred to as “socialism”. Mergers frequently involve the union of two hopeless enterprises that seek betterment by joining forces(shaking my head and rolling my eyes to the sky) – sorrow likes company.

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  17. Charlie Carroll…former Barnum Festival Liaison…now head of Public Facilites and the Parks Dept. Bridgeport…where the circus never left town.

    The rumor in City Hall is that Charilie Carroll will hold BOTH positions of Director of Public Facilities AND Parks. This is a win-win. The City saves money on a salary; Charlies gets to move to the big office at the Taj Mahal Annex near his girlfriend and the hard-working union employees at PF and Parks continue to do a FANTASTIC job with NO recognition or thanks from Big Charlie.

    Charlie has come a long way. Under Joe Ganim, Charlie was an electrician in the Bd of Ed and not a very good one from what I hear. He was on the verge of getting FIRED for insubordination when then CAO Dennis Murphy gave him the made-up job of Barnum Festival Liaison. For several years, Charlie had an office in the Annex where he was paid well to do Barnum Festival stuff.

    When Fabs became mayor, he made best friend and Barnum Festival cohort the CAO, a job Charlie was a disaster at. Then he made him Chief of Staff where his job was basically to follow Fabs around and keep him out of trouble. Charlie actually did this well until Fabs decided on his own and unbeknownst to Charlie to testify on behalf of a sex offender. We all know the story from here. Before leaving, Fabs gave Charlie the job of Parks Director with a 3-year contract so that he can further boost his pension. And now Finch, undoubtedly under advisement from Dennis Murphy, gives him yet another high-paying job.

    I wish Finch had made another choice. SURELY there are better-qualified candidates for this job. But if this rumor is true then I have a piece of advice for Charlie: the employees of your dept(s) make you look good. Why don’t you take a few minutes EVERY SINGLE DAY to say thank you to some of them. A little kindness and recognition can go a long way!

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  18. Jon K.-

    The Working Families Party endorsement isn’t worth nada in the Bridgeport primaries…and their extra line in the general elections is only worthwhile in a competitive Republican/Democrat race…of which there is only one.

    Outside of this Senate general election WF are a waste of space. If they bring more than a few hundred votes to the general Senate election (that the Dems would get anyway)…well, I’ll be amazed.

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  19. Thanks Charlie for a super job along Gilman Street. I’ve never seen a municipal department “turn-to” as you did this morning. It was like all Hell broke lose. – And then what a difference a few hours made (and many men making the best of a difficult job and heavy rain). Wow!

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  20. To do a good job in City Hall, you need three things:

    1. The backing of the mayor

    2. The backing of the Council and OPM to give you the money to pay for what needs to be done.

    3. Dedicated and hard-working employees.

    Charlie appears to have the first two and hopefully he works on #3. He can start by dealing with the situation at the Transfer Station. The supervisor is still out on a paid suspension and it’s week #6. What a waste of the taxpayers’ dollars. And what a kick in the teeth to the hard-working employees of Public Works. Charlie is a no-nonsense guy. Hopefully he has the balls to deal with this supervisor once and for all.

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  21. What on earth is the working families party? I’ve never heard of them. People that come out inventing their own little parties like this only have their own personal interests at heart. They are spoilers like that Nader guy that pops up in presidential elections – no point to it. Warren – you sure do love to talk about food, I had to go to the diner at lunch today because you had me wanting blueberry pie.

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  22. Charlie Carroll did a great job as Parks director and I think he’ll be just as good as Public works director. Those guys work hard keeping this city in shape and they deserve somebody that can respect and relate to them, I think he’s that kind of guy.

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  23. Charlie – here’s your chance. To the workers at Gilman Street and everyone else who works in the pouring rain; blistering heat and freezing cold…why don’t you make the rounds tomorrow and say things like “thank you” “I appreciate the hard work” and “good job” Go ahead Charlie, make someone’s day!!!

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  24. Did my little kitty wash it down with a saucer of cream or did you have it a la mode?

    Whatever happened to that Bridgeport First Party?

    Bridgeport is highly undervalued and is positioned for a good buy. Speaking of a good buy. Check out that beautiful Queen Anne Victorian on Brewster Street. Could make a great B & B.

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  25. Re: the supervisor on suspension.. He might be lucky cause he’s in the supervisor’s union. If he was in the corrupt union that starts with an L, he would have been gone long ago. I’m not sure if the supervisors union makes back door and political deals the way that the L union does. Word is the L union is coming down hard on their members who didn’t vote for the “old” officials and even though all but one kept their position, they are going hard and dishing out payback. This L union is in bed with the admin, so they hold a lot of power and are intimidating their own members. Such a shame. Unions shouldn’t be political. All members should have the same fair treatment.

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  26. A B&B in Bloodport? Who would want to stay there? This is becoming the murder capitol of CT. I can’t wait to sell my home and move the hell out of this hellhole.

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  27. Charlie will do a phenomenal job. He just has to be on the look out for Andy Valery, Bobby Kennedy and all of the dead weight they have in Public Works.

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  28. No bowl of cream here Warren, I’m a coffee kind of gal. Just read the paper about Lieberman and that crazy minister Hagee…the guy is a complete predjudiced a-hole and Lieberman compared him to Moses. Hope he isn’t looking for jewish or catholic votes if he’s stupid enough to seek re-election next time.

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  29. Unionless: I don’t understand why you bring up your union problems every time I write about the injustices at the Transfer Station. Everyone is entitled to union representation. But even the best union can’t help someone who falsifies timesheets and takes kickbacks. This guy is just a bad egg and the city needs to cut its losses. And good luck with your union.

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  30. Any word out there on Caruso, Silva, Santiago and Rivera, Moore, and Musto qualifying?

    I think the Fightin’ Filipino qualified but not sure. Sly is “Everyday People” and I hope he qualifies and WINS!
    Interesting article in Rolling Stone about Obama’s drug policy. It mirrors many of the things that Salcedo has been espousng for years. He has a different strokes for different folks approach. Salcedo is smart, sincere and honest. He deserves our help.

    I guess one could say that in Bridgeport, Sly is Solid as Barack!

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  31. In the know – so what’s happening with that transfer guy anyway – got any updates? I read about that in the paper quite some time ago, but never saw anything else about it. He’s still on paid leave – on our tax dollars? What’s that all about?

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  32. What’s the story with Tony “Doing bodily harm to the taxpayer’s asshole by sticking a dick in it” DePrimo? He should have been fired generations ago. Last I heard he was over at the Yonkers Raceway spending money like Bridgeport Democrats.

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  33. City Kitty – yes he is still on paid leave. Week #6. And yes those are our taxpayer dollars. From what I hear from my City Hall friends, Larry Relations is involved in a huge cover-up. Other supervisors knew about this guy for several years yet they continued to sign his time sheets. Even when they actually saw him riding around on his motorcycle during city time. One supervisor (mentioned above in # 33) caught him putting in for overtime on the same day he called in sick. He still got paid for the day and nothing ever happened.

    There’s other stuff involving his close “friendship” with at least two female city employees. They were quite open about their relationship and people saw them at various spots, again during city time.

    Labor Relations is trying to protect these other people so they are keeping the supervisor out on a paid leave hoping it will all quiet down and then they can sneak him back to work. It is a travesty. I know former employees who have been fired for far less. And they weren’t given a 6 week + paid vacation either.

    There is so much more that Labor Relations is totally ignoring including the out of town haulers and the misuse of federal block grant funding. And the awful part is that this is common knowledge in the city. The whole PF dept knows about it and they are waiting to see what happens. If this guy comes back to work then Labor Relations has truly given him permission to steal.

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  34. Leaders do the right thing and managers do things right.

    It is incumbent that leaders who serve as mangers do the right thing and do things right. One of the trendy management business philosophy books in the mid-80’s was a “Passion for Excellence” by Tom Peters. The former Mayor of Baltimore, Donald Schaefer was profiled as having a Do-It-Now mentality. He was a firm believer of Management by Wandering Around (MBWA). He would drive around the city with one of his department heads and take notes on blight, garbage, street repair, activity of police etc. The same day or day after a memo went out to the appropriate dept. head and if the next week the task wasn’t done the dept’s head would roll. We need all our managers to be managers first and show leadership in their actions and words to the workers and the taxpaying public. There are times when a worker needs a good motivational kick in the ass and when they need a good thanks and a pat on the back. If you see a city worker doing a good job tell him thanks and maybe send a note to the department. If you see him or her goofing off call the Mayor’s office. We will all get a better return on our investment of human capital.

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  35. Bill Hicks, sounds like you’re in the know too. There have been many Tony sightings this summer. He is having a great ole time riding around on his motorcycle while collecting a city paycheck. And with permission this time.

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  36. Wait a minute here! You are telling me that Labor Relations is so incompetent that they can’t properly terminate a bad employee. Are you kidding me??? Every employee had to SIGN an ETHICS statement. If this situation is not a clear case of unethical behavior then I don’t know what is.

    And aren’t we paying an outside consultant to negotiate the union contracts? Maybe we should pay the outside consultant to fire the transfer guy. What the hell are we paying Labor Relations for anyway if they are INCAPABLE of doing their jobs!!!!!

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  37. In The Know–What’s Tony riding these days? A Road King Classic or a V-Rod?

    Tony used to get ridden by female city employees all the time. They know who they are.

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  38. Day 1: Yonkers Raceway

    The first stop on Tony DePrimo’s Taxpayer Funded World globe-trek is Yonkers Raceway, New York. Former COB Transfer Station Director gives insider tips on where to stay, eat, fill out OT time sheets and play in Yonkers.

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  39. Holy crap! I sure did get the low-down from you guys! And here I figured that he was already fired because there was nothing else about him in the news. Our tax dollars at work, hah!

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  40. In the know

    Seems to me you are a hater. Maybe you tried to “get with” transfer supervisor, and you got REJECTED. As for everyone is entitled to union representation, you should see some of the bullying that goes on in one paticular union, or maybe you know first hand. You seem extremely close to these two stories, stop hiding behind your log in name and tell us what you really know.

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  41. Unions only fuck the Taxpayer. Unions are killing the City. I say Lay Off all union employees (except DePrimo god forbid they get rid of him) and replace them with something called … Competent people who can do the job. Don’t be afraid; it’s currently going on all over America in the Corporate and Non-Profit World.

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  42. Sorry – I’m not a member of the boys club honey. And the beauty of a blog is that you can express your thoughts without fear of being outed. And I can’t help but notice that you are also “hiding” behind a blog name as well.

    You need to get over this guy and move on. He is not true to you anyway. And damn, aren’t you afraid of catching an STD?

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  43. yes “in the NO” I do write about unions thus my screenname. For that is a part of the corruption that I am aware of. And I am speaking up for all union members who believe in what a union is and that is unity. But you on the other hand keep bringing up this transfer station guy. This must be personal. I do agree with you that Labor Relations does cover up plenty of problems with many of the politically “in crowd”.

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  44. Unionless said that Tony was being helped by the Supervisors union. They’ll probably cut a deal and Tony will get a slap on the wrist and a free summer vacation. If this happens then Bill Hicks is right about unions killing the city. Shame on the union and shame on the city. We should demand justice!

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  45. In the Know

    Is the STD you’re talking about the Sexy Transfer Dude? You seem to be the one who is obsessed with what he does, where he does it and who he does it with. You even talk about his “genitals”. Not too obsessed huh? What is your deal? You seem to only want to obsess about him.

    Unionless: I agree with you that union members should represent unity…unfortunately, it isn’t true in the union you are referring to. Hang in there and remember that there is strength in numbers.

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  46. When the world economy is on a downward spiral why do unions ask for MORE??? It doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. Most unions have 355 sicks, personal and vacation days. Give us taxpayers a break. I work on Lafayette Boulevard and I saw a Cop just standing there while the utility workers broke their backs. I know it’s a state law to have the pigs on a dig site, but I would be pissed off. I have some asshole making $156k including overtime watching me work. That’s BULLSHIT!!! I hope Keeley can repeal that state law and have these assholes out preventing murders like the one that happened the other night.

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  47. The city needs to clean house in Labor Relations. Get rid of the politically connected, no-show incompetent employees and hire some qualified neutral people who will treat everyone fairly no matter WHO THEY ARE or who they KNOW.

    Someone should file a FOI and see how much we are paying the outside consultants to do the work that Labor is incapable or unwilling to do.

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  48. STD = sexually transmitted disease. Transmitted from one person to another through protected sex. If you’re a friend of Tony’s you should be reading up on this.

    And Bill – the utility companies – not the city – pays those cops. But we still get screwed as that is all included in our utility bills.

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  49. What to do – you are absolutely right. There is “strength in numbers” and total agreement that Tony P has gotten over on the city long enough. All of you hard working employees out there you need to stand up and shout “We’ve had enough and we’re not gonna take it anymore.”

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  50. In the Know

    You mean UNprotected sex right Dr. Ruth?

    Bill Hicks: what union do you know of that has 355 sick, personal and vacation days? Sign me up. As for why cops don’t help utility workers….well i guess if you work on Lafayette Blvd and you can see these guys working why aren’t you helping them??

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  51. Bill Hicks

    Well if you are one of the workers you should be glad that the cops are “watching your back”, as for their pay if it sounds good to you – take the test

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  52. What to do- I’m sorry I prefer to do an honest days work unlike what you probably do. For all we know you are DePrimo. If this is the case you are a waste of flesh and organs. How many miles per the gallon do you get on the bike?

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  53. Lennie and OIB fans,

    Just a quick update from curbside in the 130th District…got the call from Hartford and the SEEC just before sunset, and it’s all good news…we’ve been granted the full $25,000.00 for a grand total of a $30,000.00 budget to do political battle with Chico and Ezequiel…on sea, land and air.

    Saw Barry Piesner and Charlie Coviello at Jim Himes’ Listening and Leading Town meeting at the Burroughs Center…they got their grant for Chico, too.

    Let’s rock…

    20 days and counting…the Salcedo for State Rep, 130th District campaign is fueled up, fully funded and rolling out, “Solid as Barack.”

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  54. Solid as Barack – I have it on very good authority that Caruso, Silva and Moore have qualified for public funding and will receive their grants in the next few days. As for Salcedo and the others, I haven’t heard but I hope Salcedo makes it.

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  55. Sorry Bill – Don’t ride bikes so I couldn’t tell you, maybe you shoud ask in the know. This is a first, earlier I was accused of sleeping with him, now I am him…I must be a SUPER HERO!

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  56. Congrats to all of those who qualified. Who else applied for the grant? What To Do I know exactly what you can do. If you are TD you should go play tag organ donor in the middle of I-95. If you are nailing him you can continue licking his semen like a small kitten sucking on a cow udder.

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  57. JFBR-Thanks!

    Sly-Congratulations!
    Let’s get ready to rumble!!!
    You are “Solid!” “Solid as Barack!!”

    Those of you who would like to help Sly in this important race and be involved with a spirited and smart campaign.
    Please sign up at electSalcedo@aol.com.

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  58. Bill

    You will sleep good because you just got off on your own blogging. You really should make up your mind. Who am I? The transfer dude, unionless or maybe you and in the know are one in the same – both obsessed with the transfer dude. Sleep on that one tonight. Nite Nite.

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  59. Late posting again, but here it goes, anyway.

    Do you know why the Unions give the City such a hard time. Because the Unions HAVE TO defend their members. Do you know how they get members?

    THE CITY HIRES THEM!

    Labor laws are in place to protect workers from abuses in the work place. The problem in Good Ole Bpt is that the City hires undesirables and political lackeys, and then the Union is stuck defending them.

    Now, why don’t Unions turn their backs on lazy, unmotivated employees? They can’t. It’s the law. The Unions would open themselves up to litigation.

    Thank your City and the system that hires bad employees. Don’t blame the Unions for defending them.

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  60. Bobbby Kennedy Deputy Director of P.F.D. Give me and all the Taxpayers a break. He should go back to where he started 23 years ago, the Sewerage Treatment Plant. After all, he is the biggest piece of shit in all of P.F.D. Just ask anyone who has worked for him in the Dept. And he should bring his kiss-ass brown-nosed buddy, Paul Albuquerque with him!

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