So you’re a city firefighter and you feel like you’ve done your part to help dowse the flames of city red ink. City bean counters have submitted a budget with a nearly $7 million hole, according to City Councilman Bob Curwen, co-chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, anticipating roughly $4 million in employee givebacks to help close the gap. Fire employees are among the unions on the city’s giveback list. What dollar number they want is unclear. This is, after all, a negotiation. Who wants to blink first? Do you say screw it, we’ve been good, we’ve done our part? What are the repercussions for not stepping up? A fire company closing?
Curwen says a key piece of givebacks from all unions is a larger cost share for health benefits. The city wants that number to approach 25 percent for each employee. Many city employees say we’re being bled dry.
Curwen says the voter-approved referendum to fund libraries one mil, roughly $7 million, eliminates a department that could have received a cut. In reality the referendum has buoyed library finances by $2 million. Library costs, soup to nuts, in the budget year that will end June 30 will amount to roughly $5 million, so not as costly as the party-line spin from city officials. The one mil tax increase in the budget is not solely because of the library vote.
The budget also assumes flatline spending in the Board of Education and it is here that Curwen says he has a brother-in-arms in former Councilman Pat Crossin who had served in Curwen’s role when he was on the council. Now he is finance chair of the BOE. “It’s great to be working with my old pal Pat,” says Curwen. Ah, the love.
Yes, says Crossin, he has a kindred spirit in Curwen. Crossin is looking at saving money on the education side through consolidation of services on the city side such as payroll and information technology.
“We will balance the budget at $215 million. Over the next year you will see dramatic transformation with what’s going on. You will see a different Board of Ed.” Part of that different BOE is taking a hard line with the teachers union which Crossin says must do its part to keep expenses down.
Meanwhile, the Board of Education budget hearing before the City Council takes place Tuesday at 6 p.m. This can sometimes be a raucous environment. Curwen says he’s glad Crossin won’t be cranking up the education advocates. “I don’t have Max Medina (former BOE president) working behind the scenes to rile up the education people.”
We’ll see what happens on Tuesday. One person who’ll not be there is Mayor Bill Finch. Hizzoner reminds me of the fights in the Bugs Bunny cartoons. The fight starts, the dirt flies, a cloudy swirl of activity fogs the combatants. Crawling out of the madness is Bugs Bunny. What’s Up Doc?
“I’m going to China!”
L’Ambiance
I worked in the mayor’s office 23 years ago today when a faulty construction process called lift slab collapsed the partially completed L’Ambiance Plaza on Washington Avenue adjacent to City Hall and claimed the lives of 28 construction workers.
It was 10 days of cold rainy nights, misery for rescue workers, a feeding frenzy of national media and a region rallying to help families of the victims. A salute to the firefighters, police, EMS and volunteers who endured those days, and a tribute to the families and victims.
Himes HQ Opening
As we celebrate Earth Day, I have a big announcement–our campaign headquarters will open in a week and a half! As the weather gets warmer, the political season is heating up too. We won in 2008 because thousands of people came together and put in the work stuffing envelopes, making phone calls, and talking to their friends and neighbors. In order to keep me serving you in Congress, I’ll need your help once more.
My wife, Mary, and our two daughters, Emma and Linley, will join me as we officially open the doors to welcome supporters and volunteers, and I hope you can join us. It’s a great opportunity to talk with you face to face, meet the staff, and discuss all the hard work we need to put in to this campaign.
Himes for Congress Campaign Headquarters Opening!
Monday, May 3
6pm to 8:30pm350 Fairfield Ave, 4th floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604The building’s at the corner of Lafayette and Fairfield in downtown Bridgeport. Feel free to RSVP to teamhimes@himesforcongress.com or 203-450-9395.
We hope to see you at the opening, but there’s plenty of work to do before that–we have to get the office ready to open for business. If you can spare some time to help put the office together, staff need plenty of volunteers. We’ll be working the evening of Friday, April 30 from 4pm to 8pm. If you’re able to drop by for a bit, please shoot a note to Tom. We’re also hosting phonebanks all across the 4th District over the next few weeks–if you want to get involved in your town, please email volunteer@himesforcongress.com. And there’s plenty of other opportunities to volunteer–tell us what you do best by signing up at www.himesforcongress.com/page/s/volunteer.
If we miss you this time, I know I can count on you to help out soon. We’re in a tough fight, and we need everyone to pull together to keep my independent leadership serving Fairfield County in the House of Representatives.
Thanks,
Jim
From Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition
The Honorable Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, will address BCAC’s 25th Anniversary Breakfast on Tuesday, April 27, 2010, 7:30 Bridgeport Holiday Inn. Mayor Booker took office on July 1, 2006, following a sweeping electoral victory.
Elected with a clear mandate for change, Mayor Booker has begun work on realizing a bold vision for the city. To set a national standard for urban transformation, Mayor Booker calls for marshalling resources to achieve security, economic abundance and an environment that is nurturing and empowering for individuals and families.
Change the City With Your Bare Hands
Mayor Booker will bring his passion for social change to the podium. Mayor Booker will demonstrate the need for people to take responsibility for change to help this nation live up to its promise. Mayor Booker will also shed light on the necessary reforms government needs to undergo to become equipped to deal with the challenges of modern times. Drawing from a deep belief in service and social justice, Mayor Booker will inspire the audience to achieve a greater level of civic responsibility here in Bridgeport.
More information about Mayor Booker can be found at our website: www.bcacct.org
The Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition (BCAC) is a coalition of organizations, parents, and other concerned individuals committed to improving the well-being of Bridgeport’s children through research, advocacy, community education and mobilization.
*** I don’t see many Union workers on either side giving back much if anything, due to the city’s past practice in continued bogus spending after last budgets negotiations for savings! So layoffs are more than likely bound to happen sometime after July 1st 2010. Mr. Curwen & Co. have their work cut out for them if they do not make cuts in all city departments by 5% to 10% across the board, on both city side & the BPS system in order “not” to raise taxes in general. Seems the China trip could not have come @ a “better time” for the Mayor! *** Also, there should be many Bpt citizens who are “unemployed” really interested in giving their time & energy to help in any political way they can for the upcoming elections this year??? *** “FORGETABOUTIT!” ***
The city wants more givebacks from the firefighters union. Let’s see what they have done over the last few decades. The city has closed engine 11, engine 4 or it could be 3, engine 5, engine 2, engine 14 and if I have missed any someone will let us know. This has produced a heavier workload for all the remaining companies. The firefighters union gave up the 20-and-out pension for a 25-year funded pension that the city has now deferred their contribution for 2 years.
Years ago we took a bunch of zero pay raises in lieu of benefit increases and now the city wants them back.
The city and its greedy politicians have already put the citizens of Bridgeport in jeopardy by closing all of these fire companies and increasing response times to fires and to medical emergencies.
Now the city and its budget people are saying give back more or we will close another company. That means they are willing to gamble with our lives and safety. Who does this effect the most why of course the poor and the most needy in our society.
Where have Curwen and the budget people been when this administration hires political piss-boys like Murphy and Winterbottom for bullshit jobs? Where have these people been when the city hires a friend of Wood’s for clean and green? Where have they been when a new person is hired in the mayor’s office BTW what does she do?
Where have these people been when a councilmen is hired out at the airport?
What I am getting at is this administration and the budget committee want givebacks again yet they keep spending and spending. They keep hiring political friends and all this money comes from a hidden Sherwood slush fund.
To Councilmen Curwen I say cut the council stipend that’s $9,000 X 20 or $180,000 right there. Cut the liaison for the council that’s at least $50K, cut the greeter that’s another $40K cut the special projects coordinators that’s about $180K-plus. Cut 2 out of the mayor’s staff that’s another $160K. Get rid of the ticket-givers that’s got to save money let the cops issue tickets. There are other cuts you can make but that would affect the politically connected not the rank and file who actually keep this city running. How about getting rid of CitiStat that don’t do squat except provide jobs to the politically connected? I know you guys won’t do it because you have NBAA.
Has the city ever considered payroll consolidation and using an ADP or similar-type payroll service? Pennies on the dollar and no legacy costs. Click and Pay!
“town committee,” Let me add a few things to your post. Andy you have listed some very key things the public needs to know. The city has closed engine 11, ladder 3, engine 5, engine 2 and engine 14. As you said, “This has produced a heavier workload for all the remaining companies.” Well, this heavier workload is being performed with fewer firefighters, which leads to more injuries and lost days of work, which then causes more overtime for the City.
The firefighters’ pension fund for those firefighters Andy like you and myself are a part of Pension Plan “A” in which those firefighters contribute 8% of their pay each week towards their pension. That money does not go into a pension fund that draws interest for those firefighters’ retirement instead that money goes into the CITY OF BRIDGEPORT’S GENERAL FUND. That means the City has interest-free money from Pension “A” firefighters the City can use for anything.
The city and its greedy politicians have already put the citizens of Bridgeport in jeopardy by closing all of these fire companies and increasing response times to fires and to medical emergencies.
Now the city and its budget people are saying give back more or we will close another company. That means they are willing to gamble with our lives and safety. Who does this effect the most why of course the poor and the most needy in our society. I’m sure most Bridgeport residents are not aware of what we are writing about and I know most City Council members have no knowledge of this.
Don’t forget Engine 8, all the hose wagons from the double-engine companies, four Fire Inspectors, and now five Lieutenants from the 911 FCC are being transferred to office jobs. The rumor is Engine 4 is next, which means four Lieutenants, four pump engineers, and eight firefighter spots will be lost, and the area of coverage for all remaining engines will increase. Chief Rooney continues, like the Mayoral administration, to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal battles and his personal counselor, John Bohannon. There is also the lawsuit from the fire on Fairfield Ave when he closed the firehouse non-compliantly. Check please!
tc and Ron Mackey are retired firefighters. Thanks for filling us up.
Lennie 23 years ago my partner and I were the first emergency people on the L’Ambiance site. I have never seen anything like that until the trade centers. My brother was supposed to be working at that site, after much delay I found out he did not take that job. It was a terrible scene but the city and its people came together and did what they had to do. Bridgeport did itself proud in a terrible time. I think of that site and scene a lot and when I drive by the apartments it brings back memories. May everyone who died that day rest in peace. May God remember the rescue workers that gave their all.
Gomes ran CitiStat
Gomes knows the ins and outs of a budget
Gomes knows where the waste is to cut
Gomes for Mayor 2011
*** Let’s see, Mr. Gomes a recent Bpt small businessman, above average schooling, given a political job as director of a “new city dept” with some employees who are also “politically” related somehow, on the job about a “year” & gets fired for “?” In that time, learns ins & outs of the cities budget and where all the waste is for cuts. Interesting, however not quite the change Bpt needs! Besides CitiStat can be “included” as part of the budget waste that does not, nor will work in Bpt. @ this present time! “No,” good guys were black & always finish last in Bpt but time will tell. ***
Ganim was a lawyer, Fabrizi a teacher, Finch a politician who came from Trumbull? I see what Mojo is saying, but Gomes is as qualified as anyone to lead the City. In the end, what makes you qualified? Gomes has a lot of Fabrizi in him as he is a rah-rah for BPT, and after 4 years of quiet and cutthroat mayorship, when I vote at Blackham I’m voting for John Gomes.
Oh, btw
One thing Mojo, TC, CHS and all of BPT can rest assured
GOMES HAS THE STONES TO CLEAN HOUSE
Won’t just be the city folk that did him dirty, but the biggest budget waste in the city, the BOE
Kiss all your cushy do-nothing jobs goodbye, real qualified workers will be taking your place.
A person running for mayor needs a comprehensive plan to keep Bridgeport afloat. This person needs to look at all of the city departments and come up with a plan to get rid of nonessential workers. Fabrizi cloaked a lot of these political jobs under civil service and also gave these jobs union protection.
The next mayor needs to meet with the union heads and work out a plan that will benefit the city and benefit the majority of workers.
The next mayor needs to have the guts to get rid of the political jobs each mayor brings with him when he takes office. These are the jobs that are used to buy favors and to pay back favors. These are the jobs that produce nothing and drain the city budget.
No one especially the people in the Bond market are going to take the city seriously based on the previous BS attempts to keep the taxes the same. This was done by Fabrizi as well as Finch.
The next mayor has to show the people and the employees that he and his staff are doing their share of belt tightening. The mayor need to reduce his staff numbers and reduce their salaries by 5 or 10%. If as has been stated the city has financial problems it means that everyone needs to contribute to helping the city not just the regular workers.
Will this happen? I doubt it but somewhere someplace there is a person who can do this. Somewhere someplace there is a person who really cares about Bridgeport. Sometime in the future the people of Bridgeport are going to wake up and demand their elected officials do their jobs. Sometime in the future the people of Bridgeport are going to wake up and vote for the candidate and not just the party. Someday???
Dan Malloy in Bpt today at UB.