Bridgeport’s most famous pizza maker Marty McCarthy, the genial Black Rock city councilman, has had trouble the past several months attending meetings of the city’s legislative body with so many business and family commitments. To be fair, Marty’s business burned down two years ago, then he resiliently fit up a fire truck with a brick oven and sold pies out of that until he could get his Fire Engine Pizza Company up and running at 2914 Fairfield Avenue. Now word is with all of Marty’s commitments, kneading his pizza dough must take priority over kneading the taxpayer dough during the budget process. Could he be leaving the council shortly?
If Marty does resign from the council, or does not seek reelection in November, the name popping up as a possible replacement, according to numerous OIB readers from Black Rock, is Steven Stafstrom, nephew of former Democratic Town Chair John Stafstrom, the 2013 Barnum Festival ringmaster.
Steven Stafstrom is a bright young civil litigator with the Bridgeport-based law firm Pullman & Comley where his uncle handles bond counsel duties on behalf of the city as well as other legal matters for the firm. Steven Stafstrom has resided in Black Rock for about five years. You want someone to handle a contract dispute? You hire Steven Stafstrom.
It’s not such a bad thing to have another lawyer on the City Council. Currently, the council has one member lawyer, City Council President Tom McCarthy who serves as deputy director of the city’s Labor Relations Department. Big Mac, as a government employee, serves at the pleasure of the mayor. The City Council, believe it or not, does not enjoy legal counsel independent of the executive branch, one of the institutional peculiarities of city government. Yes, the same lawyers appointed by the executive branch advise the legislative branch. And so it has been forever.
Steven Stafstrom arguably knows more about contract law than any member of the City Attorney’s Office that presents all of those contracts to the city’s legislative body for approval on behalf of the taxpayers. Can you imagine, a council member lawyer that would actually question a contract?
More on Steven Stafstrom from the Pullman & Comley website here.
All roads lead back to Andrew McDonald, Dannel Malloy and Pullman & Comley.
They will all take care of and cover for each other.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Am I reading this right? His father has a contract with the city of Bridgeport?
Both Steven and his uncle John work for Pullman & Comley. That law firm does business with Bridgeport. John handles the Bond Counsel work for Bridgeport, not directly, but as an employee of his law firm.
Apples and oranges.
*** Why not, Bpt’s open to anything good or bad. Certainly couldn’t get any better or worse than what the city council has now, no? *** MISERY LOVES COMPANY ***
So this is the DTC plan going forward? Put up a slate that has relatives and the candidate’s business has contracts to work for the city, but they are not city employees, and an attorney to boot, one who can doubletalk their way out of any issue. And sooo good-looking too! Lipstick on a pig.
Ms. Buchanan–isn’t it a bit of a stretch to refer to this intelligent young man as a pig? Pullman & Comley doesn’t make a practice of hiring anyone who isn’t top-notch.
Which is why they wouldn’t hire you, Godiva2011. Then again, if you had an uncle on the inside …
The reason for that being I never applied to work for that firm. And for the record, I don’t need an uncle. I see you continue to cling to my every word; amusing in an odd kind of way.
I did not refer to him as a pig–it is the DTC putting lipstick on a pig in their way of skirting the conflict of interest. I understand he is a very well-liked, gregarious family man in Black Rock, so this is not about him, it is about any candidate who has ties to the city via contracts, or relatives with contracts or jobs with the city. That is the issue, Ms. Liz.
But in your earlier comment you clearly described him as good looking as well, so it would be indicative as you continued to comment you were in fact describing him as a pig as well. Seemingly open for interpretation I suppose. Do tell, who is Ms. Liz? Are you assuming I am she? If it makes you happy, I’ll play along.
I shall craft my posts more carefully–I can see why you read the post the way you did.
Really Jennifer? You just realized this has been going on? Did you just move here? This has been going on for decades IN BOTH PARTIES.
Ah but shining a light on the practice is what it is all about. I have been here for 15 years and not as deeply involved in the inner workings of this city. I have always heard rumors and whispers, but prefer to work with facts. Finding the facts has been very eye opening. I think it would be a very good thing for everyone who is interested to share all the information they have about who is connected to whom on the DTC and the city payroll. No one knows everything, but everyone knows something. Keeping the focus on the conflict of interest and making public those who have this conflict on multiple levels just might make a HUGE difference …
“I think it would be a very good thing for everyone who is interested to share all the information they have about who is connected to whom on the DTC and the city payroll. No one knows everything, but everyone knows something. Keeping the focus on the conflict of interest and making public those who have this conflict on multiple levels just might make a HUGE difference …”
You mean, Pry Open the Juicy Stuff?
Yes!
Lennie, it is not a bad thing to have lawyers on the city council or any other occupation for that matter … there is, however, if they have conflicts of interest not to mention family political dynasties which is another problem. One thing that is needed is more democracy in both major parties in BPT. It is too hard to primary for town committee seats and for elected office in this city … maybe the answer is a local party … but unless people get out and vote it will be another futile exercise … and every year people who would fight this are leaving for financial reasons and some because they have just given up which is a shame.
BRG, you write it’s too hard to primary. The process isn’t supposed to be easy. It can be a lot of work depending on the office being sought. But Jack Hennessy, Auden Grogins and Andres Ayala are examples of candidates who won primaries without the Democratic Town Committee endorsement in legislative races.
As for Steven Stafstrom, if he were to serve on the council, what conflict does he have as long as he recuses himself from any city business involving Pullman & Comley?
Andres as we all know was the favorite of the DTC and there were some backroom deals going because Finch wanted to get even with Ed Gomes (I admit to being biased, I volunteered for Ed) and Andres had the support of the party regs. I agree with you, it shouldn’t be easy but it shouldn’t be a stacked deck as it has been here in recent years. The DTC is considered a closed club which is self perpetuating … in CT we should require mandatory primaries for all offices and not give the town committees the right to make endorsements except in extraordinary circumstances such as special elections.
Lennie–are you going to give a class on recuse and attend every meeting to make sure this practice is followed? You are sooo cute!
Come on Lennie, tell BlackRockGuy what you really think. Before anyone knows what hit them, Stafstrom will have all the votes to get his nephew selected as Bridgeport City Council President. Give John Stafstrom an inch and he’ll take a yard. Doesn’t Danny Roach have a voice here, Lennie?
Having McCarthy leave is no loss. He was a big zero on the council. BTW did he ever pay his back taxes?
Putting a lawyer on the council may be a good idea but a relative of Stafstrom is a BAD idea. It means we will have a great BS artist on the council as we all know a lawyer can talk the balls off a brass monkey.
Another Stafstrom in Bridgeport politics is disgusting and detrimental to Bridgeport.
BTW when are they going to name a replacement for Curwen?
I understand no resignation letter has been submitted.
It’s Mike Marella, wake up you people in the 138th.
Wow, we could get a council member with a brain?
Not a chance, he is a lawyer.
Not after the Zombies get to him.
They are not going to name a replacement until they can find someone who will kiss Martha’s ass, vote the way they are told and someone who will not think for himself.
Who is Martha?
Martha Santiago is the district leader for the 138th.
Curwen announced his resignation at a council meeting. Well wishers even took him out for a few drinks. He moved out of state months ago, and recently sold his home. Perhaps he is ignorant enough to think his resignation is official based on those facts alone. Why isn’t the council voting to remove him? How long will they allow his status to be in limbo? Oh never mind, until Marella can prove residence in Bridgeport.
Yes, Roach probably has the most say and he likes Steven Stafstrom.
Roach likes Stafstrom because he was told to like Stafstrom.
Lennie, the title was very punny!
This young man (more famous than Marty) is the second runner-up to replace McCarthy.
www .youtube.com/watch?v=icWy4eeTJuU
Speedy needs his meds!
If I were a conspiracy theorist, I would tell you Speedy has got it exactly right. It’s a little earlier than planned, but oh well.
Yes, apparently “Speedy” skipped a dose or three.
What candidates will the “Black Rock Committee of the Self-Important” run??? Maybe Rob Foley.
Bozo the Clown, perhaps.
I’d like to see Fox & Foley run for CC.
Fox was right about McCarthy, he missed more CC meetings than anyone.
Then he sold Black Rock out in the end to the strip club owners.
He was Danny Roach’s great pick for Black Rock City Council.
James, that’s a good joke, right? What candidates will the “Black Rock Committee of the Self-Important” put up?
Since Marty McCarthy has his hands full running a pizza joint (one that retails a large pie for 20 bucks, no less) it is time for him to step down. I’m happy for his success in the restaurant field. However it takes up so much of his time–eating, drinking, shmoozing, acting like a bigshot–that he wasn’t able to attend regular City Council or committee meetings for more than six weeks. No one can serve two masters. (I’m sure Marty’s kid brother Matt will log on under an assumed name to call me a drunk and a loser as he did on Facebook earlier today.)