Saturday Salute Planned For Finch

Finch family and Obama
Finch and family with Barack Obama during the president’s visit to Bridgeport in 2014.

Education advocate Jessica Martinez is organizing a grassroots community event  “to show appreciation and thanks to Mayor Bill Finch and Family for their service and dedication to Bridgeport.” The sendoff will take place Saturday 3 p.m. at Dolphin’s Cove, 421 Seaview Avenue, not far from the Steel Point redevelopment area of the East Side that is Finch’s economic development legacy featuring Bass Pro Shops as the anchor tenant wooed by Finch and his Chief of Staff Adam Wood.

On Nov. 30 Finch’s eight-year run as mayor ends. At the stroke of midnight Dec. 1 Joe Ganim will once again resume the mayoralty with a formal swearing-in ceremony to take place 6 p.m. that evening on the grounds of McLevy Hall at State and Main Downtown.

Finch, Houston
Bass Pro officials and supporters joined Finch for the development announcement the summer of 2012.

This will be a sweet-and-sour week for Finch with the grand opening of Bass Pro Shops Tuesday night featuring celebrity visits to the redevelopment plan more than 30 years in the making first proposed by Mayor Lenny Paoletta.

“Given the fact that the Mayor has been through a rough and emotional few months, we would like to send him off with a proper, “Thank you” and words of encouragement,” Martinez writes on the Facebook page informing readers of Finch’s event. “If you have a song, dance, poem, and gift or would like to be one of the guest speakers for the Mayor and his family, please contact Jessica Martinez at 203-923-4446 or jmar2230@gmail.com.”

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34 comments

  1. The one thing amongst all others that screwed Bill Finch was when he turned on Dottie Guman. Dottie was a true friend to Finch and would have kept him on the straight and narrow.
    The worst thing Finch did was get involved with Adam Wood who is a nasty bully but I know on the inside he is a coward. He was nasty to everyone and a lot of this bully attitude rubbed off on Finch.
    Too bad, a few different decisions and Finch might still be mayor.

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  2. Adam Wood is a moron. Just a young white man who doesn’t know much about inner cities and families in poverty but thinks he could apply his textbook knowledge and bully people because of his white privilege. The young boy got lot to learn. Go try your bullshit somewhere else.

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  3. I am looking forward to this event. It amazes me how nasty the alias bloggers are. I look forward to Mayor Finch enjoying his moment tomorrow evening at Bass Pro. I am glad it is finally opening after all the naysayers said it would never be built. Steelpointe is the future of our city. But I digress. Thank you Mayor for the good, the bad and the ugly. Thank you for your concern for the environment. I will focus on the good things Mayor Finch has done for the city. As Bridgeport closes one chapter and begins another, we must always thank elected officials for their sacrifice. A little common decency is in order. When Bill Finch entered office he had two very small children. Eight years is a sacrifice. Many people were the beneficiaries of his time in office. Clearly, many were not. It wouldn’t hurt to wish the Mayor and his family well. Just as it wouldn’t hurt to show support for the incoming Mayor, Joe Ganim. He will enjoy many fruits of the labor of the Finch administration, just as Mayor Finch benefited from the previous administration. We move forward and enjoy the ride. I expect the best is yet to come. I am sure many will be on hand to wish Mayor Finch and his family well. A Saturday afternoon at Dolphin’s Cove, the first weekend of Bass Pro’s opening should be the perfect sendoff.

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    1. Nasty comments from alias bloggers are a reasonable target I guess, Steve. And kumbaya moments where we have a moment to reflect on the good that was part of the passing scene are also fair.
      But perhaps someone needs to remind the body politic there has been much waste of resources, human, emotional and financial, in recent administrations. People paid for work who do not perform as such from the start and/or better perform each year after are one type of waste. Closing off feedback of citizens regarding services builds resentment and builds a reservoir of such in the public mind. And dollars misspent in one year can never be spent again, by the person who paid the tax in the first place to provide the City with revenue, nor by the administration who did not get the expenditure right in the first place. Worse yet is when borrowed dollars are not appropriated strategically and effectively. For the 20 years following you are paying for something long-ago forgotten and unappreciated currently, dragging down the available funds from current revenues to apply to current needs. (Repayment of debt takes precedence in budgets.)
      Steve, you do not talk about such subjects in your many postings. Yet we know you are a consumer of food, entertainment and professional services. You must have some respect for the dollars you spend and the value derived, don’t you? Time will tell.

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  4. *** You know all the Finch supporters, especially those who got a piece of the admin. pie throughout the eight years of his Mayoral service will be there to suck up one more time, no? *** Wonder how long the “Everything I did while Mayor of Bpt” list will be during his outgoing speech? ***

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  5. PIMPanelli was too late, UI owes Finch a ton for screwing the city for the foreseeable future, or Bass “no taxes” Pro can hire Finch as a gun buyback expert so they can sell them to the rival gang members.

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  6. The time has come to wish everyone well. Good luck to Mayor Finch and your family. Thank you for your service. Good luck to Mayor-elect Ganim. May your new Mayoralty be as successful for Bridgeport as your comeback effort was.

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    1. When I read your news above, I began to wonder whether I should wrap my snow shovel with a big ribbon, so Mayor Bill would understand it was not a weapon meant to do physical damage to human beings. Though I realize there has never been a “snow shovel buyback program” (and I hope there never will be even though snow shovels are not Constitutionally protected), I choose to keep that particular “snow shovel” as a public symbol of speaking up for the expectation of factual and honest reporting from leaders when they serve up big errors. So many people remembered it in the campaign, I began to realize how honest feedback to sitting power is noted in this community. Bob, what’s your symbol from your years as a critic? Time will tell.

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  7. This is Jessica Muñiz Martinez! I didn’t waste my time reading all of these ridiculous, insensitive, ignorant comments but I read enough to piss me off. First of all, I did not invite Mr. Grimaldi nor did I give him permission to put this invitation on his blog when it was supposed to be a surprise for the Mayor.

    Why would Mr. Grimaldi tag the crook Ganim on this event is beyond me as he has sh*t to do with celebrating Finch, his family and his dedication and service to Bridgeport.

    None of you negative, heartless, haters are invited. I am making damned sure this event is as perfect as possible.

    If you do not know me, make sure my name does not come out of your mouth with ignorant comments and lies because Jessica Martinez will shut you down with the truth.

    Just because you don’t have lives and you’re so interested in mine, let me break it down to you in plain English.

    I Jessica Martinez born in 1982 Bridgeport Hospital, am more Bridgeport than any one of you. I am a daughter of Bridgeport lifers, I am a wife of a Bridgeport lifer and Y am a mother of Bridgeport lifers. When I am spoken about I must be properly introduced. As a Bridgeport parent, I am an advocate for change and better education especially when our schools have been failing us for over 30 years. A baseball coach and mentor of the Bridgeport Caribe Youth Leaders. A community LEADER and giver of my time and resources.

    I do believe parents need school choice and charter schools benefit some kids, especially those who need that type of structure.

    I do believe Achievement First is amazing and provided a superior education for Bridgeport students.

    I did 1000% support charter revision and support MY Mayor Bill Finch’s campaign for reelection.

    As a parent, our BOE is a disgrace to our children and their future. The great board members we do have are constantly held back from progress by those with personal vendettas and personal agendas. Less than 1% of registered voters even voted for the BOE, damned straight I supported the charter revision.

    If you have a problem with my leadership and the love I have for my city and my people, screw you and your opinion. When you walk a day in my shoes and live the life I live and give how I give then we can talk. But since Mr. GRIMALDI put my personal information out there you can call or email me anytime and we can have a deeper conversation.

    Love him or hate him, Mayor Bill Finch will be sent off the way he should be. Honoring and acknowledging a great man for his time, love and service to Bridgeport. If he made you mad, that means he did his job. Politicians will not please everyone and they won’t always make popular decisions that are in their favor. But I commend him for pissing people off with meaningful initiatives and for sticking his neck out there for the parents, children and future of Bridgeport.

    You are NOT invited.

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    1. Jessica, if you wanted this event to be a surprise don’t put it on Facebook. It’s not a surprise. It’s the worst kept secret in the city. I dared to publish this item because I thought you were making a nice gesture about the outgoing mayor. I don’t need your permission to write about public officials, especially when the item appears on a FB page. Also, don’t judge OIB readers by those who post. Only a fraction of OIB readers post comments which means Bill Finch has many OIB readers who do support him.

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  8. What are you doing to add value and progress to my city?! Right, exactly, sitting on this whack blog wasting your life away while I am doing meaningful work and making meaningful progress.

    Love you, Steve A. Keep staying true to yourself and your beliefs. You know I got your back.

    Thank you, that is all for now, I am busy finalizing this beautiful, amazing, well-deserved celebration.

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  9. Thank you Lennie, your pure intentions are appreciated. However, I created a private FB event and allowed others to add and invite on there as well. It was not a public FB status and no you don’t need my permission for anything but you do need my permission to publish my personal phone number and email address. Anyhow, it is what it is, the Mayor probably already knows anyway. I am more angry that this extremely well-deserving event is posted on here and made fun of. As well as people yet again talking about me when they don’t know me. This is one of the problems in Bridgeport, people talk about what they don’t know, creating assumptions and division among our own neighbors!

    If people don’t like the Mayor, fine, they made that choice when they reelected someone who is not deserving of the position again. But if you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all, keep you opinion to yourself. I’m referring to the ridiculous comments. Oh and by the way Joe Ganim doesn’t have to be tagged to this kind gesture coming from the community but that’s just my opinion this is your blog and you do what you want with it.

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    1. Jmar2230, Jessica, wow! First, thank you for your kind words! Second, I totally believe Lennie Grimaldi had good intentions by posting this event. Third and most important, you have to treat this blog like a totally dysfunctional family. Alias people feel protected and empowered to say cruel and mean things. Others use their real names and some have no filters. Few show signs of dementia and others are just plain nasty.

      Lennie is correct. There are hundreds of Mayor Finch supporters who do not post and observe. They enjoyed me getting insulted on a regular basis. We hold no grudges on the blog. Well I hold no grudges and G-d knows I have taken more crap than anyone. Bob Halstead holds a grudge against me, I forgave everyone.

      Your desire to send Finch off with a gathering is most thoughtful and will most definitely be appreciated by the Finch family. I admire your passion and your involvement with issues. Mayor Finch is very fortunate having you in his corner. If only he were surrounded by more genuine people like yourself. I will be attending your gathering and look forward to seeing you there.

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  10. Thank you Steve for helping me better understand! I do believe Lennie had great intentions for posting this and for me overreacting at the negative comments towards the Mayor and me, I apologize Lennie and hope you can make it to celebrate with us.

    I shouldn’t care what strangers say or feel about me because they have no idea who I really am and the positive impact I have in Bridgeport. I never had or was I interested in a paid City position, I just have a huge heart! I can’t sit back while there is injustices all around us.

    My apologies to Lennie and to those whom I allowed to get me upset with lies and assumptions.

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  11. *** There’s nothing private about Facebook, anyone with sense would know that! *** (Moving On,) I wondered at times after the primary and general Mayoral election just why after eight years of being the Mayor of Bpt and all the pro-boasting concerning the numerous accomplishments, events, developments and positive future plans for Bpt, did voters decide to come out to support and vote (60%) for an ex-mayor who is a convicted federal ex-con who can’t get his lawyer’s license back to practice law yet! Why? Is it because Joe did such a great job during his 10- or 12-plus years as Mayor of Bpt? Is it because he’s so well loved by Bpt residents young and old and they wanted to give him a second chance? Or is it regardless of what Finch did or claimed he did or was going to do, people just did not like him for whatever the reasons? Maybe he was considered a smiling pro politician willing to say and claim anything but the truth. Or did the city and state’s overall high taxes and rise in city services help in doing him in? How about lack of Finch administration transparency, rise in city shootings, police brutality cases, no jobs, family and political nepotism in city hall, bad morale among city workers, etc. Whatever the reason, the city will have a new ex-con Mayor coming back and an eight-year ex-legislative and urban city “green jeans” Mayor who lost to the clear “people’s choice” Mayoral candidate, JOE GANIM! ***

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