Shays Places Deposit On City Condo; What’s Next? Plus Sunday Suds, And Support For Evans

Former Congressman Christopher Shays, in an interview with OIB, confirmed he has placed a binder deposit on a condominium in Black Rock as he weighs his decision to seek the Republican nomination for governor.

He cautioned, however, he has not made a final decision to enter the gubernatorial race and it was always his intention to find a weekend place in Connecticut after moving to Maryland. He sold his home in Black Rock to David Walker, the nation’s former chief auditor, several months ago. Shays is still listed as a registered voter in Bridgeport where he lived for 10 years. Shays added he did not want to specify the condo address until the transaction was completed.

Shays said he’s not made a final decision about reentering public politics because he’ll be reversing a major lifestyle change made in recent months that he and his wife Betsy are weighing. He said he expects to make a final decision before the end of February.

A public opinion poll released on Wednesday by Shays’ former staffer Rob Russo, who’s running for Shays’ former congressional seat, provided good news for both Shays and Russo. It shows Russo, a former state senator from Bridgeport with low name recognition in Connecticut’s Fourth Congressional District, running just 13 points behind Democratic incumbent Jim Himes who defeated Shays in 2008, in part on the strength of Barack Obama’s presidential tsunami in Bridgeport. The poll also showed, to measure Himes’ standing, Shays running 19 points ahead of Himes, a reflection of voter anger with Washington, were he to seek his old seat. Shays told OIB, however, if he gets back in the game it would be for governor.

If Shays jumps into the gubernatorial he enters a race that includes a bunch of Republicans including Tom Foley, former ambassador to Ireland and Lieutenant Governor Michael Fedele. The leading Democratic candidates for governor are Ned Lamont who defeated Joe Lieberman in a U.S. Senate primary in 2006, only to lose to Joe in the general election, and former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy. Stay tuned.

What’s wrong with Sunday suds?

Could the puritanical minds in the legislature open up Sunday liquor sales? That’s what mayors from Connecticut’s three largest cities are urging to generate more revenue. Governor Jodi Rell is against it. What’s the big deal here? Why can’t the state give package store owners the option to sell on Sundays? If they don’t want to open, don’t open.

Connecticut’s ‘Big Three’ Mayors Finch, DeStefano and Perez Call for Sunday Alcohol Sales

Allowing Sunday Sales Would Yield $8 Million Annually in Incremental Dollars To Dedicate To Critical Government Programs

BRIDGEPORT, CT (February 10, 2010) – The mayors of Connecticut’s “Big Three” cities – Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford – today called upon the state legislature and Governor M. Jodi Rell to lift the state’s ban of Sunday alcohol sales.

With Connecticut in the midst of one of the worst economic recessions in its history, the mayors are imploring the state’s legislators to use their legislative authority to lift the Sunday sales ban in order to save critical government programs. According to a recent report by the Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee[1], the state could see an increase of up to $8 million in revenue in the year following the repeal.

“The Connecticut legislature has the power to bring an additional $8 million annually at a time when we desperately need the money. If our legislators simply lifted this antiquated ban on Sunday alcohol sales, our financially struggling state could stop bleeding business – and sending tax revenue – to stores in neighboring states,” said Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch.

According to the report, sales in Connecticut towns along a state border were 35 percent to 43 percent lower than sales in Connecticut towns not along a border.

New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. stated, “The additional sales and excise tax revenues Connecticut would earn have the power to save vital programs that are currently on the chopping block.”

Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez continued, “Repealing the Sunday sales ban is a common sense move in this competitive business climate.”

Letter to Mayor Finch from Evans supporters

February 9, 2010

The Honorable Bill Finch
Mayor, City of Bridgeport
999 Broad Street
Bridgeport, CT 06604

Dear Mayor Finch,

We the undersigned demand the immediate reinstatement of Dr. Marian Evans as the Director of Health and Human Services for the City of Bridgeport. We are acutely aware of the fact that the Health Director serves at the will of the mayor; and are even more aware that as the highest elected official, the mayor serves at the will of the people. A very large segment of the people of this city view the firing of a competent, Black woman during the start of Black History month, as a poor management decision and an insult to every Black citizen of Bridgeport.

In this instance as in others where minority personnel are involved, you went beyond expressing the will of the mayor in not having the person continue in his or her appointment, but made a point to drum up frivolous charges and to defame the person’s character. Let’s set the records straight, the WIC program and the personnel managing it have been under the supervision of your administration Chief Administrative Officer, Mr. Andy Nunn; so then, who should be blamed for the DPH’s decision to terminate the city’s WIC contract? And now, let’s address the Holiday Seminar – a creative way of incenting people to participate in a H1N1 (Swine Flu) awareness seminar. The City Attorney was cited as confirming that there is an ongoing investigation about whether “separate and appropriate funds” were used for the event. That being the case, why is the defamatory term “misappropriation of funds” being bantered around among your staff?

Dr. Evans, an accomplished Ob-Gyn from Griffin Hospital, left the comforts of that health care environment to work tirelessly for the residents of Bridgeport for six years. She did many wonderful and important things for those that didn’t have a voice. The effort to heighten the issues facing those with diabetes, pre-natal care concerns, the crisis in community health, and the search for a new Health Department building come to mind; however, the list goes on and on.

In her six years of service, Dr. Evans has conducted herself with the highest level of professionalism, has demonstrated a great deal of passion for her work and the people she served and serves as a great role model for young minorities. The people of Bridgeport deserve to be served by a Health Director who has the credentials, is highly qualified and can not only sympathize with their plight, but naturally empathizes because the person has walked in their shoes – this City needs Dr. Evans; reinstate her. 

Signatories: * connotes individual and the organization is listed for identification purposes only. Organizations listed connote an endorsement from the organization.

Andre Baker

Anthony L. Bennett, D. Min., *Pastor Mount Aery Baptist Church

Bob Walsh

Bridgeport Black Pride

Carolyn Nah

East End Community Council

East End NRZ

Environmental Justice

Bridgeport Firebirds

Gloria Garcia

Edward Gomes, State Senator

John Gomes

Bridgeport Guardians

Minority Business Association

NAACP Greater Bridgeport Branch

National Council of Negro Women

Carmen Hatton, *Negro Business and Professional Women, Bridgeport Chapter

Reverent E. L. Smallwood, *Protestant Minister, University of Bridgeport

Save Our Babies

Voices of Freedom

Witness Project of Connecticut