Monday night the City Council is scheduled to act on approving upgrades to the city’s ancient wastewater treatment infrastructure.
Councilwoman Maria Pereira asserts sewer user fees will bloat under the proposed plan via a consent order between the state and Water Pollution Control Authority tasked with overseeing modernization addressing environmental issues. Other council members maintain Pereira’s inflating the numbers. Still others such as State Senator Marilyn Moore who represents a portion of Bridgeport and all of Trumbull that’s piped into the city’s treatment system says keep me out of this mess until, well, you guys get your shit together.
An email thread that reached all city councilors, Bridgeport’s state legislative delegation and members of the media flushes out the exchanges.
Senator Moore:
Normally I would not respond to this because so many of you are disingenuous. You supported the people who put Bridgeport in this situation and rarely stand together for the people. It is time to stop this madness in Bridgeport, stop selling out because of individual gain, and start working united for the residents of Bridgeport. When you are ready to do that, I will join you. Until then delete me as I do not want to be drawn into fights when it is a press opportunity. My work and commitment and responsibilities at the Legislature require my full attention. When you all are ready to work together, call me.
Councilwoman Pereira:
Senator Moore,
Your response is disappointing.After reading your retort, I have just one question of you; are you still the state senator representing the people of Bridgeport and Trumbull? The very same people who will be adversely affected with a 117% sewer rate increase by 2033
Don’t you think that’s more important to the people you represent rather than this petty response?
When you’re ready to fight this massive rate increase, I will be equally ready to unite and stand with you, and any other elected official who possesses the courage to do so.
Councilman Newton:
Does anyone have Sen Moore’s response to Councilwoman Maria’s misinformation she’s telling people. Monday The truth will be told about the WPCA situation. The WPCA hadn’t raised taxes in 7 years on homeowners or Businesses in our city.
Maria has no clue about what she’s talking about. She looks to spread lies about the work that has to be done to bring our plants into the 21 century.
Another day in paradise.
Hey Ernie…………………
This isn’t only about Bridgeport, those of us in Trumbull pay WPCA FEES inflated by the ineptitude of Bridgeport management.
NOTE TO ERNIE: WPCA levies FEES, usage charges. These are NOT taxes. They are NOT a taxation body. Local and state taxes are deductible on Federal income tax returns (up to the $10,000 maximum imposed by the Trumplicans). WPCA fees are NOT tax deductible for homeowners (they may be a business expense to reduce profit for businesses and landlords).
Why am I not surprised that Ernie doesn’t know what is a tax and what is a fee and the ramifications of each? Ernie will just rubber stamp whatever Joe and Mario want and pretend he is for the people.
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BTW, I understand Senator not wanting to be dragged into the Bridgeport sewage…but she as a homeowner will suffer the increased fees.
Marshall Marcus, while I am sympathetic to your plight, Ernie doesn’t represent Trumbull and therefore shouldn’t care if this increase effects your neighbors, just his! I am somewhat reticent to believe what is being said for no other reason than the fact the Maria Pereira is on board! A lot of people I know in Bridgeport won’t believe this because Maria says so, a person who has proven to spin a web of half truths, misrepresentations and outright lies to make a point or to soil the reputation of anyone that disagrees with her. Marshall, you have an unholy ally with Maria and because of her past obfuscation of issues she is cocky and obstreperous and rude and people tend to believe a lying mayor or an incompetent city council than her.
Donald,
As I repeatedly have posted, Mrs. M and I own property in Bridgeport and pay taxes there and will be affected by the increase in Bridgeport, not just Trumbull.
Marshall I never questioned how it would effect you or your being a property owner in Bridgeport, what i said was, “Ernie shouldn’t care if this increase effects your neighbors, just his! Your altruism during this covid crisis hasn’t gone unnoticed by the residents of Bridgeport when your Bridgeport company donated milk to those that were in a dire need.
Senator Moore:
“Normally I would not respond to this because so many of you are disingenuous. You supported the people who put Bridgeport in this situation and rarely stand together for the people. It is time to stop this madness in Bridgeport, stop selling out because of individual gain, and start working united for the residents of Bridgeport. When you are ready to do that, I will join you. Until then delete me as I do not want to be drawn into fights when it is a press opportunity. My work and commitment and responsibilities at the Legislature require my full attention. When you all are ready to work together, call me.”
Councilman Newton:
“Does anyone have Sen Moore’s response to Councilwoman Maria’s misinformation she’s telling people. Monday The truth will be told about the WPCA situation. The WPCA hadn’t raised taxes in 7 years on homeowners or Businesses in our city.
“Maria has no clue about what she’s talking about. She looks to spread lies about the work that has to be done to bring our plant’s into the 21 century.
Another day in paradise.”
So: We have a State Senator — Vice Chair of the Finance Revenue and Bonding Committee — that cannot see the need for her timely, informed input on a massive/ma$$ively-expen$ive infrastructure project — mandated by (corrupt) STATE AGENCY DEEP and the US EPA, as well for the purely, local, sanitary needs of her constituents (she is also a member of the Public Health Committee), the bill for which will be footed by her over-taxed Bridgeport constituents (Trumbull has a discounted user-rate through 2026, thanks to the Finch and Ganim Administrations).
And we have City Councilman/former state senator that crows that “…the truth [about the expense/increased sewer taxes] will be told about the WPCA situation…” on Monday at the CC meeting….
Well, Senator Moore: You were/are behind a sewer regionalization effort exposing Bridgeport to financial and development harm per the need for an extra-massive, improved system that would serve Trumbull and eventually Monroe and Newtown, allowing them to expand development upstream of the Bridgeport, North End flood zone, even while Bridgeport tax-base would, because of sewage-disposal access, be diverted away from Bridgeport, with (adding insult to injury) the increasingly-tortured tax payers of your 22nd District having to foot the bill for that access… (And look at the hundreds of housing units and other development that occurred on Bridgeport’s border with Trumbull during your watch that have increasing plagued our neighborhoods with extremely dangerous, damaging flooding and vehicular traffic…But, it would seem, that to you, the well-being of your Bridgeport constituents isn’t even an afterthought (they’re an electoral “given”, right?!) — it’s really all about creating a new safety-margin of votes that allows you to keep your the “Senator” front of your name…).
And Councilman Newton; if Maria is misinformed about the price-tag and tax-impact on Bridgeport taxpayers of the new, “regional,” super sewage plants to be expanded on our waterfront i order to (chiefly) serve suburban development prerogatives, why not inform the public before the CC meeting so that we can reduce our already through-the-roof (COVID) stress levels… Have a little press conference… Send a piece to OIB and the CT Post letting the public know the detail$ of the project and how it will impact their wallets?
With representation like that at the GA and CC levels, it’s no mystery why Bridgeport is dead (with saprophytic developers and politicians feeding off of the carcass…)
So when do we become a Flucking Team……………… Bridgeport ???
Let’s just cut to the chase here,what do Joe&Mario want?
Thank you Sen Moore. This is a real shit storm ☔️ they’ve got a brewing here and you have enough sense not to get involved.
They are attempting to drag her in with at the last minute with no plan in place but just want to cry about the sewage plants in Bport that have been a problem for decades.
And how did they drag her in? By cc’ing her on an email at the last minute with no specific request or plan of action. Half baked ideas based on emotions not facts.
And where is Mayor Joe in the middle of all of this? No where to be found. Probably at the family estate up in Easton having a good laugh over all of this.
Good for you Sen Moore!
Let me explain a simple fact that it seems to have been lost here. There is city government and state government and never the twain shall meet.
I’m not saying they cannot work with each other when they have a shared interest but working together is different than dragging the other party into the fight by cc’ing them on an email. Come on kids! Can’t you do better than that?
Marshall, did you, Maria and JML sit down over an urn of coffee to discuss this matter? Is this the plan you came up with?
Moore coffee please?