Sly Salcedo Throws His Hat Into The Ring?

Good Afternoon, Lennie … and Greetings to all the OIB fans out there in Internetland! May I extend my belated “Congratulations” on this updated OIB website. Nice job, Len!

Yes, my name is Sylvester L. Salcedo. I’m 51 years old and I live in the East Side. I am a lifelong Democrat and an almost 8-year resident of Bridgeport as of July 1 of this year.
I have never run for political office before so this will be my first time, if I decide to jump in feet first into the fire.

But before I make that fateful leap into the exciting world of Bridgeport politics, I am quietly looking for words of wisdom and nuggets of knowledge from this august body of admitted Bridgeport political junkies to help me down the right, or is it left?, path…of potential political nirvana and victory.

What should I do to do it correctly, that is, how to make the most friends (and enlist hard core supporters and win the ‘hearts and minds’ and votes of real live voters) while creating no enemies? Can it be done Only in Bridgeport?

Any unengaged political campaign managers, pollsters, advisors, freelance political cheerleaders, printers, sign makers out there?

As a simple neighborhood, urban lawyer (much like former North Carolina Senator Sam Ervin of Watergate Hearings fame was “a simple country lawyer,” I will need the famous MOM (money, organization and message) as dissussed extensively on this website…so I have initially decided to educated myself on the new Connecticut Citizens’ Election Program. And after attending the workshop hosted by the program director Beth Rothman and her helpful staff in Norwalk last Tuesday, I decided I will participate and “opt in” that program as a first step. As a participant for a State Rep run, one needs to raise $5,000.00 before you can receive matching funds of another $20,000, but you need at least 150 donors of $5-100 from the district which is any part of Bridgeport to show one has grassroots support.

However, I forgot to ask if the “S & M” (sailors and marines) proviso-exemption is in effect for 2008 regarding the new Federal Elections laws that prohibits political journalists, foreign or domestic, from asking virgin, aspiring political candidates the de rigueur prostitution question.

I believe Chico and I would “legally” be able to claim this exemption. I will double-check my old Navy diaries and logbooks to make sure I am in the clear…let’s see…the Mediterranean (Naples, Reggio di Calabria, Genoa, Malaga, Toulon, Tunis), North Atlantic (Copehagen, Oslo, Glasgow), South America (Rio, Salvador do Bahia, Cartagena, LaGuiara, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Punta Arenas, Puerto Montt, Antofagasta, Callao, Guayaquil, Canal Zone) West Africa (Dakar, Freetown, Abidjan, Lagos) the Caribbean (Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo, Antigua, St. John, Anguilla)…that’s a lot of port calls from a long, long time ago!!!  Memories fade, payments in US Navy cash, no phone/internet records…

All good ideas welcomed.

Final decision and public announcement to follow. 

Resume attached for your review:

Sylvester Lee Salcedo

326 East Washington Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06608
cell: (203) 650-0118
email: ssalcedo98@aol.com

Education

Suffolk University Law School – Boston, Massachusetts
J.D., May 1994

Naval War College – Newport, Rhode Island
M.A., National Security and Strategic Studies, June 1991

College of the Holy Cross – Worcester, Massachusetts
B.A., Religious Studies, May 1978

Cranwell School – Lenox, Massachusetts, May, 1974

Becket Academy – East Haddam, Connecticut, May, 1970

Legal Experience

Jan 06 – present
HODGES & SALCEDO, LLC (Attorneys at Law)
602 North Avenue, Bridgeport

Dec 03 – Dec 05
Law Office of SYLVESTER L. SALCEDO, LLC
177 State Street, Suite 401, Bridgeport, CT

Jan 02 – Dec 03
Temporary Assistant Clerk
Fairfield County Superior Court, Bridgeport, CT

Mar 93 – May 94
LAW DEPARTMENT, City of Boston, MA.
Served as Legal Intern assisting staff attorneys in trial preparation, research and writing legal briefs

Sep 92 – Sep 93 
GREATER BOSTON LEGAL SERVICES, Chelsea, MA.
Served as a student attorney representing mostly Spanish speaking indigent clients in court matters pertaining to Landlord/Tenant issues

Non-Profit Organizational Experience

Sep 91 – Jul 99
FIELDS CORNER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, Dorchester, MA.
Board Member and Vice-President from 1995.  Served in an advisory capacity to initiate and cultivate working relationships with charitable foundations, area businesses, and city, state and federal agencies to support the CDC’s affordable housing program.  Provided briefings and advocacy for the CDC at various forums, including compliance audits and review/update meetings by donors and government agencies

Work  Experience

Jan 88 – Dec 90
PILGRIM PRINTWORKS, Dorchester, MA.
Self-employed/Owner of a home based silk-screen printing business.  Marketed services, produced finished goods, and controlled inventory and financial requirements

Sep 84 – Dec 87
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS, Boston, MA.
Spanish teacher at the Middle and High School levels

Military Experience (Lieutenant Commander, USNR – Retired)

Oct 78 – Apr 99
U. S. Navy (Active and Naval Reserve Duty)

Nov 96 – Apr 99
COMMANDER, JOINT TASK FORCE SIX, El Paso, Texas.
Served on five 6-month rotational tours with Federal Law Enforcement Agencies in support of the Department of Defense and Department of Justice counter narcotics programs: with the FBI in NYC; the US Customs Service in San Juan, PR; the HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) in NYC; the South Florida Investigative Support Center in Miami; and the US Customs Service in NYC  Awarded Navy Achievement Medal (active duty)

Sep 96
JOINT INTER-AGENCY TASK FORCE, EAST, Key West, Florida.
Supported counter narcotics operations in the eastern Pacific area of operations (active duty)

Aug 95 – Sep 95 
OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE, Suitland, Maryland.
Assigned as operations officer to the J-2, Chairman, JCS Bosnia Intelligence Task Force at the Pentagon.  Supported watch teams for current tactical and operational intelligence support.  Awarded Joint Service Achievement Medal (active duty)

Jun 84 – Apr 95
NAVAL RESERVE DEFENSE ATTACHE PROGRAM, Wash, DC.
Served as Naval Reserve Assistant Naval Attache to Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina and the Philippines.  Served in-country tours and desk officer positions at DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) headquarters in Wash, DC (reserve duty)

Jan 82 – Apr 83
COMMANDER, SOUTH ATLANTIC FORCE, Roosevelt Roads, PR.
Served as Flag Staff Officer to RADM James S. Elfelt, USN, Commander, South Atlantic Force, US Atlantic Fleet.  Performed planning conferences with South American and West African senior naval officers and participated in the six month naval deployment to South America and West Africa (active duty)

Dec 79 – Dec 81
USS CAPODANNO (FF-1093), Newport, Rhode Island.
Served as Navigation/Administrative Officer, Public Affairs Officer, Schools and Training Officer with overseas deployments to the Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic and South America (active duty)

Oct 78 – Nov 79
OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL and SURFACE WARFARE TRAINING COURSES, Newport, Rhode Island.  (active duty)

Community Activities

Bridgeport Public Library, Board Member
Connecticut Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Connecticut Bar Association
East Side Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Planning Committee
Greater Bridgeport Bar Association, Board Member
National Federation of Filipino American Associations
Naval Reserve Association, Life Member
COL Charles Young Post 140, American Legion, Bridgeport, CT
Greater Bridgeport Veterans Council, Judge Advocate
William Street Condo Association, (East Side) President/Treasurer

Languages:   Spanish, Tagalog

Personal

Married: Timothea Anne Ryan, M.D., Tufts/New England Medical Center, Boston, MA