The Budget Toothache, Plus: Will You Make The Switch?

Notice to City Council members:

There will be a meeting of the City Council’s Budget and Appropriations Committee to be held on Monday evening, July 12, 2010 at 6:30 p.m., at City Hall, 45 Lyon Terrace, Bridgeport, Connecticut in the Wheeler Room, Side A.

By way of this notice, the Committee respectfully requests the attendance of this meeting by Thomas Sherwood, Director of OPM and Michael Feeney, Chief Financial Officer.

AGENDA

Informational Update on the Current Fiscal Year’s 8 million dollar union budget gap.

Wouldn’t it have been better for the City Council to address the budget gap during the budget-approval process? Or at least raise questions? And why is it being called a “union budget gap”? Unions didn’t prepare the budget, unions didn’t approve the budget. The City Council voted for the budget (and its gap) overwhelmingly.

How Sharp Is Your Switch?

Just a little more than one month until Tsunami Tuesday when primaries for a bunch of state and federal offices will sort out general election candidates in November.

Who’s your horse? Any candidates inspire?

For governor Ned Lamont faces Dem endorsed Dan Malloy, for the GOP it’s a three-way race between Tom Foley, Michael Fedele and Oz Griebel. GOP-endorsed U.S. senate candidate Linda McMahon will face Peter Schiff. The winner faces Democrat Dick Blumenthal. There’s a three-way GOP  primary in Connecticut’s Fourth Congressional District between State Senator Dan Debicella, former Bridgeport GOP Town Chair Rick Torres and Rob Merkle. The winner faces Democratic incumbent Jim Himes. In Connecticut’s 22 state senate district GOP endorsed Elaine Hammers is being challenged by Trumbull Town Councilman David Pia. The winner faces Dem incumbent Anthony Musto. The district includes Trumbull and portions of Bridgeport and Monroe. And, oh, how could I forget the battle royal between Theresa Pavia and Linda Grace to choose Bridgeport’s next Republican registrar of voters.

So here’s the thing, if you’re an unaffiliated voter there’s still time to switch your allegiance to a party and vote in the primary. You can always switch back. How often is that line parroted. “I need your vote in the primary. You can always switch back.” More than 1,000 Connecticut unaffiliated voters have made the switch since June 1 according to Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz who’s pitching unaffiliated voters to select a major party to cast a primary vote.

From SuBy:

Bysiewicz Urges Connecticut Voters to “Affiliate and Participate in August 10th Primaries

Secretary of the State Reminds Unaffiliated voters They Have One Month to Enroll with a Major Party in Order to Vote in the Primaries

Hartford: Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz today urged unaffiliated voters across the state to enroll with the Democrat or Republican Party by August 9th at 12:00 p.m. so they can vote in the statewide primaries Tuesday August 10, 2010. Connecticut’s closed party system does not allow unaffiliated voters to cast ballots in the primaries, therefore unaffiliated voters must enroll as either Democrats or Republicans to cast a ballot in the primaries.

“I urge Connecticut’s 840,000 unaffiliated voters – the largest group of our state’s nearly two million active registered voters – to enroll with the Democratic or Republican parties so they can cast ballots and make sure their voices are heard in the primaries,” said Secretary Bysiewicz. “The 2010 election cycle is one of the most exciting we have seen in a long time in Connecticut, with many open seats and closely contested primaries on the Democratic and Republican side for Governor, U.S. Senator and many other important offices. Don’t let this chance to help choose leaders of our state and country pass you by. Affiliate by August 9th at 12:00 p.m. so you can and participate in the primaries August 10th!”

At a news conference in Hartford, Secretary Bysiewicz was joined today by Connecticut Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo and Connecticut Republican Party Vice Chair Catherine Marx, Tony Esposito, President of the Registrars of Voters Association, and representatives from the Connecticut Town Clerks Association, the Connecticut Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the African American Affairs Commission, and the Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission.

To get the message out to voters, Secretary Bysiewicz has been engaged in a public awareness effort to get unaffiliated voters to enroll as Democrats or Republicans through Public Service Announcements on radio and television, and newspaper Op-Eds, meetings with Editorial Boards, radio and television interviews throughout the state.

To be eligible to cast a ballot in the August 10th, 2010 Connecticut Primary Elections, an unaffiliated voter must enroll as a Democrat or Republican in person at his or her local Registrar of Voters office by Monday, August 9th at 12:00 PM. Mail-in registration forms must be postmarked no later than August 5th. New voters face those same deadlines if they wish to register with a party and vote in the primaries. Since June 1, 2010 more than 1,000 unaffiliated Connecticut voters have switched to the Republican or Democratic parties, making themselves eligible to vote in the August 10th primary. On Primary Day August 10, 2010 polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

For more information visit www.sots.ct.gov

From Mayor Finch:

Mayor Finch Announces Fourth Round Results for Advancing Capacity Together Grants

20 Local Nonprofit Organizations Receive $339,050 in Grant Money

Twenty locally based non-profit organizations have been awarded $339,050 in capacity-building and enhancing grants in the fourth round of the Advancing Capacity Together (ACT) program. The awards, ranging from $10,000 to $20,000, will be used to provide technical assistance to strengthen the administrative, financial and operational capacities of social service organizations helping the homeless and at-risk residents in Bridgeport.

Mayor Bill Finch; Alanna Kabel, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Central Grants & Community Development; Kelly McDermott, Senior Manager of Development for Central Grants; Dr. James Crispino, Senior Vice President of Community Impact for United Way of Coastal Fairfield County; Ali Wimer, ACT Grant Manager for United Way of Coastal Fairfield County; Kristin DuBay Horton, Principal of DuBay Horton Associates; Sean Campbell, Director of Project Learn for The Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport; Mike McCarthy, Director of Bluegreen Research Institute at The WorkPlace, Inc.

Advancing Capacity Together (ACT) is a program funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration of Children and Families and the Compassion Capital Demonstration Program. ACT provides capacity-building funding for local nonprofit organizations serving the homeless and at-risk communities.

ACT is administered locally by the City of Bridgeport Department of Central Grants & Community Development. Partner organizations are United Way of Coastal Fairfield County, DuBay Horton Associates, The Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport, and The WorkPlace, Inc. Since receiving a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2007, the City of Bridgeport and its partners have awarded more than $769,000 to 59 organizations in four rounds of ACT Sub-Awards.

The following organizations were awarded ACT grants:

Marrakech, Inc.

Cardinal Shehan Center

Southwestern AHEC, Inc.

Community Solutions, Inc.

The Discovery Museum, Inc.

Community Capital Fund, Inc.

Bridgeport After School Network

Regional Network of Programs, Inc.

Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition

Mount Aery Development Corporation

Greater Bridgeport Latino Network (GBLN)

Child Guidance Center of Greater Bridgeport

The International Institute of Connecticut, Inc.

Greater Bridgeport Adolescent Pregnancy Program

New Vision International Development Corporation

Friends of New Beginnings Family Academy (NBFA)

Mutual Housing Association of Southwestern Connecticut

Regional Youth/Adult Social Action Partnership (RYASAP)

The Village Initiative Project College Preparatory Program, Inc. (V.I.P.)

Higher Education and Responsibilities through Overseas Exchange, Inc. (HEROS)

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48 comments

  1. It’s pass the buck time in regards to the budget. Our elected officials did not do their jobs pure and simple.
    The budget committee held hearings on each department’s budget and cut nothing from anyone’s budget requests.
    The council like a bunch of lemmings passed a deficit budget without a peep.
    Saying this is a union budget gap is pure and utter bullshit.
    Where was the budget committee and the common council when they looked at the padded police department overtime budget? I mean $6 million in OT give me a freaking break.
    Where was the budget committee and the council when there was a request for a 4% pay raise for mayoral appointees? Let’s look at the BOE, originally they schedule 2 underperforming schools for closure one of those schools was at 50% capacity and yet they reversed themselves and kept the schools open.
    Where were our elected officials when this administration continued to hire politically connected people after the last round of union givebacks? Not a peep.
    I will just give one example. The PD hired a liaison community-relations person for the East Side community. What the hell is that? Why do we have a community policing unit? Community Relations my ass. What the communities want is a visible energetic police presence and what do they get a community relations person. That sure helps the overworked street cops.
    This is what we get when we elect city employees to the council and BOE. Bupkus. They are busy protecting their city jobs or city jobs held by relatives.

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  2. If I’m the Musto campaign, I would be looking to register a bunch of Indy 500s to become Republicans serving as a Trojan Horse to vote against Hammers and for Pia in the primary. If she wins the primary it could be Hammer Time for Musto.

    “Let the Good Himes Roll!”

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  3. American Idol and Bluefish game tonight. This will serve as a great example of why the Ferry should be allowed to cross the harbor or be forced to find a new haven.

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  4. Our Web Padrone has raised interesting questions.

    “Wouldn’t it have been better for the City Council to address the budget gap during the budget-approval process? Or at least raise questions? And why is it being called a “union budget gap?” Unions didn’t prepare the budget, unions didn’t approve the budget. The City Council voted for the budget (and its gap) overwhelmingly.”

    On the other hand, didn’t Mayor Finch predict this pickle on Nov. 22, 2008 in a press release to OIB:
    “This agreement, if ratified by the union, will provide the city with the savings it needs for the next two fiscal years, while preserving public safety,” said Mayor Bill Finch.

    The two years are up.

    This blog specializes in bad avian puns in reference to the poor mayor but isn’t it fair to ask if his “chickens have come home to roost?”

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  5. You can’t lay all the blame for budget woes on the unions. They get what the contract gives them. So, by backing up a bit, who drafted, negotiated and ultimately signed the contract? Cops, firemen, sanitation crews, secretaries and mayoral aides will all flock to and grab a good deal put before them.

    So who is putting forth the deal?

    Unions represent their members. Put a pile of cash on the table and say “Here, it’s yours!” they’ll grab it and divvy it up. It’s what they do and what they are charged to do.

    City officials (elected and unelected) represent … Hmmm, who do they represent? Before they can put that pile of cash on the table they have to stick their paws in the pockets of the taxpayers!

    Look to the City of New York … in the current city budget more than 22% goes to paying municipal pensions … repeat, more than 22% … that’s more than $14 Billion (Billion, with a “B”). Ask the guy with a house on Baychester Avenue in the Bronx what he thinks about that.

    Fact is he probably doesn’t know the dollar amount is that much. And probably the guy with a house on Bronx Avenue in Bridgeport couldn’t tell you what the number was in his city’s budget.

    Until voters take an active role and demand more from the people THEY HIRE … the hirees in City Hall will just keep rolling along.

    You see, politicians understand the commercial that asks “What’s in YOUR wallet?”

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  6. My vote for August 10th goes to Ned Lamont, Glassman, Gerry Garcia,and Mike J. Big question will Ned voters vote for Glassman or Wyman? Is there a city operation for her!!! Will Gerry Garcia win big in the Cities to offset the Suburban vote?

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  7. One of the things with this alleged deficit is we do not have a serious attempt by the administration to straighten this problem out.
    They go to one union and ask for 19 days, they go to another union and ask for 5 days and when they get it they say it still may mean layoffs for the union that met their terms.
    If there is a deficit you have to spread the pain around. You can’t have mayoral appointments getting raises while the lower-tiered employees are taking a big hit.
    If there is a deficit you can’t hire 40-plus politically connected people to bullshit jobs so you can keep the district leaders happy.
    You can’t tell the unions you are taking away take-home cars and then secretly go out and reregister these cars as if the were regular cars when plates are checked. In other words last year no one the mayor said would lose cars lost cars another lie another reason not to trust this administration.
    There is enough that can be done but the unions need to know everyone is feeling the pain. With this administration that’s not true.
    One other fact of life is just the cost of supplies have increased and you do need to expand the budget to cover these costs.

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  8. They will appear before the budget committee with the layoff list. It is a little late to wonder how the shortfall will be processed. It will be covered by the employees who will be laid off. Such smart innovative governing. Bridgeport should win an award.

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  9. A question for OIB readers … Is there anyone out there with any accurate info re:the layoffs of city employees? There have been a lot of rumors floating around but I would like to know what is true and what is false. Some city workers I know are wondering when they will be getting their pink slips and tell me this is no way to work, not knowing and wondering if you will be getting the ax. What a bummer! Thanks for any accurate info.

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  10. Lois, that is a more than fair question about layoffs.

    The short answer is no.

    Since the city council, in its wisdom, did not really review the budget, no one, including the council, knows what they passed. Well, maybe the administration knows. But that’s only a maybe.

    Speaking only for myself, this budget has a “good old days” sound to it.

    No one wants to say it, but there is a sneaking suspicion among the doo-wop crowd here the city is in deep doo and the employees are about to get wopped.

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  11. I want to congratulate TC on 2 excellent posts today. The first one really nailed it with calling out our lem-o-cratic council for passing a budget that is probably illegal, or at least should be. I know it’s not possible to keep city employees and relatives from seeking office but the level it has reached in B’port make any hope of progress impossible. So forget moving the ferry across the harbor (my hunch is that it moves to New Haven), forget Harborpointe, forget the intermodal super transportation mega-complex. If the local lem-o-crats don’t get a piece of the action, there is no action, and sadly, from B’port voters, no reaction!!!

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  12. What should have been done should have been done by the budget committee. Doing a budget and submitting a budget always includes a wishlist-like bottom line. No one submits a budget expecting to get exactly what they submitted (except Bpt).
    If the budget committee had done their job and actually made cuts in everyone’s budget I am sure the savings the city is looking for will be there.
    One department that did that had to be the PD with a $6 million OT budget. Mark my words they will reduce the OT budget to about $3.5 or $4 million and avert layoffs.
    The problem is the leadership of this city does not have the experience or the management expertise to do the job. BTW Sherwood and his magic pencil should be fired as he has screwed with this city’s budgets for years.

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  13. The Fabrizi/Finch appointees are protecting their pensions while the long-term career employees are losing ground with theirs. The state law says you are “vested” after 5 years. This means Feeney, Nunn, Woods, etc. can leave the city with a pension if they can manage to hold on for 5 years. The pension is based on 2% of the 3 highest annual salaries. So if Andy Nunn, for example, can maintain an annual salary of $120,000 x 5 years x 2% he can leave with a $12,000 annual pension ($1,000 a month). Not bad for a guy who is rarely seen. He doesn’t want to give up any raises or furlough days because that will negatively impact his pension.

    Compare this to the average employee who is making $35,000 or $40,000 and with the 0 increases and unpaid furlough days, he has been going BACKWARDS the last 3 years. Here is a guy who has dedicated many years of his life to the city, working hard in the hopes of getting a pension that MAYBE he can live on. He has lost money already and now is being asked for more. At the same time political appointees making 3 times the salary are giving nothing.
    BTW, this guy will have to work 15 years for that same $12,000 year pension.

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  14. The budget committee wants to meet with Sherwood and Feeney in regards to the 8 million deficit. Here’s a suggestion: why don’t they meet with Osborne and the $400/hour outside attorneys? Weren’t they the ones charged with renegotiating the union contracts? They achieved nothing yet Osborne keeps getting his $119,000 salary and outside attorneys Ryan and Houston get their $400 hour rate. Another question is how much has been spent on these outside attorneys? This is public information, no?

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  15. The people of Bridgeport are at a disadvantage as we have no news outlet that informs the public about what is going on. WICC is a joke who gives a shit about national talk shows?
    The Connecticut Post is a useless rag that pretends to be a newspaper.
    News Channel 12 only covers fires and other tragedies.
    This blog has a ton of readers and few posters so what’s going on in this city is in a vacuum.

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  16. People of this city are at a bigger disadvantage as WICC and CT Post are awful such is true, but this blog used to pry open the juicy stuff until the power-brokers got to it (IMO).

    No more juicy insights to the Finch monarchy.

    Never a word of the BOE management which is the biggest tax drain on us overtaxed payers.

    Not a peeper from Grimaldi on the players who are unqualified yet pulling down 6-figure salaries.

    Never was a sign in the front yard ’til recently which now reads

    SOLD

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      1. Exactly my point Mr. G.

        You used to do the prying and commenting, hence why we started reading this blog.

        I’m not making my mortgage payments to comment or pry, you are. You can’t possibly comment negatively on Lamont when his face and cash are on your front page. The PF and BOE are so full of six-figure nincompoops who got degrees in stupidity and we don’t get a word from the prying blogmaster.

        Isn’t this what this forum is about or are we the non-paid bloggers supposed to do all the prying here?

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        1. I have no problem criticizing Lamont, or anyone else, and have done so. People don’t advertise on OIB out of the goodness of their heart. They advertise because they think it’s a worthy investment. Where’s the BOE advertising? Did they buy my silence as well? Who are the stinkers in the BOE you want me to criticize? I don’t have a monopoly on criticism.

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          1. Test scores and the facilities have never been worse, do you think Ramos and the band of asst supers are doing a good job Mr. G? They all make well over 6 figures. Morale has never been worse in the history of the BOE with its workers, does a story asking the unionized personnel get copy time on here? Not one.

            How about the Public Facilities management? Things running smoothly there? Not a peep since the puppies were flushed, who made that call? No prying there sir.

            The roads can swallow a small car but I don’t see anything on it, I know, no money to fix them. Why no money? The six-figure people who do the budget must be doing a wonderful job for us taxpayers as there are no stories on it here.

            City Hall morale is at an all-time low but no comments about it, go to the annex or old city hall and poke around, you will see or do we taxpayers have to rely on the bloggers who work there to tell us?

            Not criticizing you Mr. G, just saying we had come to rely on your juicy reporting and IMO we don’t get that anymore, just one woman’s opinion mind you.

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          2. Lennie, the only way out of Jeet 2’s scope is to get Dan Malloy to place an ad on OIB that is twice the size of Lamont’s ad. Could it be that Malloy feels an OIB ad is not worth it?

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          1. He started attending after Max Medina suggested attending Harding to teach and mentor would sound great on his future campaign speeches.

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    1. Keila Torres is trying to expose the political hiring over the past year. She filed an FOI for a list of people hired during the hiring freeze including temps and consultants. So far the Finch administration has refused to provide this information. Keila will get it eventually as it’s the law. The city doesn’t want this list revealed as it will completely derail their attempt to get union givebacks.

      TC thinks there were 40 new hires. I don’t know where he got that number from but I don’t doubt its accuracy. It’s disappointing the city council didn’t request this information before passing a budget with an 8 mil hole.

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  17. OIB had the real juicy stuff in 2008 going up to primary. By the way where is the countdown clock? Half of Bpt residents do not even get news 12 because Sat TV does not offer 12 you’re stuck with NY news. I hope we have a great primary day coverage from OIB precinct results and all that. Vote Ned Lamont!!!

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  18. I think 40 sounds about right. Finch lost whatever respect he had when he screwed so many over after the election. Then he fired the wrong people, hired the wrong people and hasn’t done much else right. He proved himself to be a liar again and again. He’s blatantly guilty of saying anything just to please people then screw them behind their back. If I heard one story I have heard 50 about how this guy can’t remember his lies 10 minutes after he tells them. This is not a trustworthy or reliable guy. He doesn’t even make a good glib drinking pal anymore, as he’ll probably pin the tab on you without you knowing. How anyone could want Finch in any government job is beyond me. Heaven help the earth if Lamont wins and hires Finch to run DEP.

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  19. Sad situation … I feel for the employees potentially on the chopping block … unfortunately you have the same poorly qualified budget and finance people handling the budget strategy …

    As for hires and consultants … does anyone know if the Mayor’s college friends Bill Beccaro and Ed Maley are still getting paid??? I am not sure what the situation is with these two guys and why they are needed? I know they are political advisers to the Mayor but I hope the taxpayers aren’t footing the bill …

    johnb your comments are consistent with the buzz around town. I don’t know where you go when the general feeling is your word is not good? It is very sad, I really don’t think it had to turn out this way …

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    1. Yes, Bill Beccaro is representing Pete Finch in his court case … You know, the stealing of a street sign …

      Dave Ryan is a waste of taxpayers’ money … He’s a WUSS!!!

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      1. Did Pete Finch hire Beccaro to represent him or is Pete getting free counsel from the City Attorney’s Office? Because that wouldn’t be right now would it? Maybe Keila should do another FOI.

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  20. Gee! And you all were so afraid of the Big Wave. Surf’s Up and Caruso will be hanging 10 in 2011.

    Jeet 2? I think you are whiffing on your claims on prying open the clams.

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  21. My Summer With Scout Finch! Bill Finch clearly was never a Good Scout.

    Happy Puerto Rican Day Parade to all mi amigos. Especially Joel and Mojo. Chico Rivera will really be missed today from his front porch on Park Avenue. He will be looking down upon us threatening to collectively “kick all of our asses!”

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  22. From my source, Maley and Beccaro still run the whole show. The City Attorney’s office is controlled by them. I wish certain people would show some balls and leave that office. Beccaro also controls Bill’s PAC for political contributions; I forget the name of it. I can remember Finch screaming about Fabrizi filling his last budget with “gimmicks,” “one-shot revenue deals,” and invisible money from steal point. Finch did the same and worse. Before Finch was elected he tried to figure out some way to give a property tax exemption equaling an average of a $600 dollar reduction in taxes. Not only did he know he couldn’t do it financially, he knew he couldn’t do it legally unless the state changed a law. He told people anyway. He slick-willied them with the support of the Wood group and the Hartford folks. That is classic Finch. He had people within City Hall tell him don’t do it, it won’t work, and the law doesn’t allow it but he promised it anyway knowing there was no way he could do it but he thought he couldn’t get elected unless he promised that lie. There are people out there with hard proof, I wonder if they will ever come forward and wonder if anyone will care. Lamont sure doesn’t because he is like Finch, promise anything to win, hell he is going to HIRE Finch if he wins. If Lamont wins Hartford is going to end up like Bridgeport, full of political appointees who don’t have a clue bloating the budget and firing all the worker bees who actually provide the services we need.

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  23. The people of Bridgeport are responsible for the fiasco that is now occupying city hall. They keep electing anyone that has Democrat after their name. They don’t pay attention to what is going on in the city.
    The power brokers who attend many of the OIB parties are also responsible because they are the money people who back most of the town committee rubber-stamp candidates.
    Another big factor is the Republican party in Bridgeport. They don’t do squat and stay quiet until about 6 months before the election time. We are a little over a year away from the mayoral election and they still don’t have a candidate or candidates for mayor.
    When was the last time the Republican party criticized what is happening in this city? The Republican party is content to take the few crumbs the charter and the law allow them like registrar of voters and one or two commission seats. We are doomed to have the same cast of characters reelected to the council and we will have the choice of Finch & Caruso and maybe Gomes as mayoral candidates. We are in deep shit of our own making.

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  24. I personally am ready to give Gomes a shot. He knows what the problems are from his CitiStat research. He will certainly clear out all the politicos that hold big-time positions but have no clue what they are doing. Political hirings are a fact of life in Bpt but Finch has taken it to new heights. Never has city govt been run by so many incompetent and arrogant people. They are the cause of the budget deficit–not the union employees. The employees are trying to keep things afloat in spite of their (in most cases ) idiot bosses.

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  25. My problem with Gomes is he is staying quiet. If he thinks he can wait until there are 6 months left in the election cycle he will surely lose.
    He needs to get his name out in front of the entire city.
    Gomes knows what he found when he was in charge of CitiStat and we have not heard a peep from him.
    In reality there are 13 months until the mayoral primary that’s not a lot of time to get your name and message out there.
    It’s not like he does not have any ammunition. There is the ferry boat move or lack of. There is the potential loss of federal road paving money because someone in the administration screwed up the application. There is this latest budget fiasco with an $8 million deficit built in. The list goes on and on. He needs to come out now.

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  26. Mr. Bpt: I looked at the site you posted very impressive and a lot of what I think should be done in this city is outlined there. I for one will take a more serious look at Mr. Gomes after looking at that site. Maybe Lennie could do an interview with Mr. Gomes and get this site out to more people. Thanks for the site.

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