State Withholds Funds Until City Hires Permanent Health Director

A spokesperson for the State Department of Health says “There are statutory requirements for appointing a permanent health director that have not been met in this case. Until they are, we will be withholding a portion of state grant funds from the city.” The city has formed a search committee that includes Jack McCarthy who worked in the Health Department during Joe Ganim’s first tenure as mayor. McCarthy is not a candidate for the job, according to Ganim’s Chief of Staff Danny Roach.

From CT Post reporter Brian Lockhart:

Mayor Joe Ganim’s decision to lay off the city’s public health director could hurt the health of his budget.

Specifically, the administration’s failure to find a permanent replacement has jeopardized $154,605 in state aid. That represents half of health grant funds provided Bridgeport for the fiscal year that began July 1.

Ganim has laid off dozens of union and nonunion employees, blaming a $20 million deficit inherited from former Mayor Bill Finch when he was sworn in Dec. 1.

See more here.

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14 comments

  1. This is confusing to me. The present Acting Health Director, a member of Tom McCarthy’s TC, was discussed during the Ganim campaign as the next Health Director. I know this because I was present in Ganim’s headquarters where these discussions took place. I wasn’t a part of the dialogue, just eavesdropping, and I assure everyone there’s nothing wrong with my hearing. I don’t know Ms. Baptista, never heard of her prior to her interim appointment, but I would think she holds the required designation for the position. So what’s going on? If Ms. Baptista is qualified, why not present her name, qualifications and experience to the Council for approval? Why did it have to get to the point of risking State funds? Preoccupation with the budget is BS. He’s submitted almost 12 budgets in the past. God help us, what will preoccupy him next, and what will the damage be?

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    1. Lisa,
      SHE is an AFRICAN AMERICAN.
      Don’t you remember Roz Hamilton, another female African American Public Health Director whom Joe refused to get along with?
      Bringing back Jack to form a search committee is just cover for when Ganim hires a white male to assume the position.

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    2. I would like to say I am more than willing to call someone out for being incompetent, or serving on a DTC and being employed by the City of Bridgeport, but especially when they serve on Tom McCarthy’s DTC, however I have had to deal with Ms. Baptista regarding a variety of blight and health issues, and she has been incredibly professional, responsive and competent in dealing with every single issue.

      I would be supportive of her serving as the permanent Health Director, but she should resign from the DTC.

      There, I did it. I actually praised a Ganim appointee.

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  2. This is just one of many things that shows how out of touch Joe Ganim and his administration is. Many, many people voted for Ganim this time because they thought Ganim 2 would be like Ganim 1.
    What people did not know was it was the brain trust of his advisors that made him look good. This present bunch has no clue what they are doing thus it costs us money.

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  3. It’s my understanding Jack had relocated to Florida.
    Is the city hiring him as a consultant to head up this search effort?
    My guess is YES.
    Why not? We have saved so much, we should share the wealth with former city employees who now live out of state.
    And Jack was on Danny Roach’s town committee. Keeping it all in the family.

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  4. Just checked. Tim Callahan is still Director of Health in the city of Norwalk. An in-law to the Brannelly clan. Former Bridgeport Director of Health. Can this be all show just to bring back Tim?
    And lest we forget, Tim quit due to political interference way back in the beginning of G1. Time do tell.

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  5. How can the mayor of the state’s largest city get a letter form the state Dept of Health threatening to cut funding and do absolutely nothing about it? This is a true and total disgrace.

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    1. Bubba, Ganim’s actions and decisions appear to indicate some sort of brain deficiency. I was at the Council meeting tonight, it was the first time I’ve seen him since about one week after his election. I sat in the front row so I could see for myself how disengaged he is with City business. He walked out with what looked like a tee shirt on, with a black sling on his arm. I would bet that gear is what he wore when he went on his seven-year vacation. Then he began to speed-read the agenda, there’s no way anyone could follow him unless they had an agenda in front of them. A couple of the council members raised their hands to be acknowledged and he barely stopped long enough for them to state their business. It was a sad sight to see. I could only take it for about five minutes and had to get out of there. Poor Bridgeport, poor us.

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