A story in the Wall Street Journal highlights a report released by the Office of Revenue Analysis of the Government of Washington, D.C. claiming Bridgeport is the number-one taxed city in America. Please, someone call Warren Buffet or Bill Gates or that disgustingly rich dude from Mexico. City needs an investor philanthropist. WSJ piece follows:
Taxes for family earning $25,000: $3,708 (5th highest). Taxes for family earning $150,000: $23,501 (the highest). Unemployment rate: 11.7% (3rd highest)
No city taxed its residents more heavily than Bridgeport in 2011. In 2011, its effective residential property tax rate was $2.77 per every $100 in assessed home value—the sixth highest in the nation. Citizens are also paying more in property taxes, due to the high value of homes in the area, at over $434,000 for a person earning $150,000 a year. In defending his city to the Connecticut Post, Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch noted the average resident paid only $6,431 in taxes a year and notes that the city’s residents are “of modest means” and that residents’ tax rates are also affected by the proximity of far wealthier cities. The median household income in Bridgeport is just $35,379, more than $15,000 below than the national median.
Read more here.
If you’re not part of the solution, you are part of the problem …
This is pathetic.
Forget about mil rates and assessment values. What matters is what percentage of the true fair market value of your home do you pay in property taxes. It’s outrageous in Bridgeport and must not go up again. We need people in City government who know how to promote economic development, transform government and cut spending. The current crew just doesn’t seem to be up to the job. We’ll see what the Mayor proposes for his budget and what the City Council does to protect taxpayers. These will be litmus tests for their continued suitability for elected office.
Here we go with the cut spending mantra. Mr. Walker I hope you don’t mean cutting services especially to those who live in our poorer neighborhoods … it would be refreshing if you in the sky is falling school of debt reduction would look at waste and fraud instead of cutting programs to people who need them. You don’t like the Mayor neither do I but I have yet to hear you call for reducing the size of his staff. For the salary of Joshua Thompson we could for example hire two teachers or housing for several homeless families or maybe job training … all things that would help not only the individuals but would contribute to economic development … and what we need to address is the fact the administration is purposely discouraging light industry (which has been leaving our area) and instead favoring high-priced housing for people from out of state who have been moving here to work in Stamford. Nothing for long-suffering Bridgeporters! Take a drive up to Pepper St. in Monroe, many of those companies were in Bpt when Finch first became mayor … Pardon my paranoia but it is almost a deliberate policy to force out the poor and the lower middle class … you are fortunate Mr. Walker in that you can afford these admittedly obscene taxes that don’t get spent on services … people who have lived here all their lives are being forced to leave because of a lack of jobs, taxes that don’t go for public services and electric rates that are through the roof (Finch as a state senator supported and still does the idiotic deregulation that left us with electric rates that only rival Hawaii, which has an excuse (their location).
The electric deregulation had to be done or they would be bankrupt too. Several things other than deregulation add to high electric rates. The constant attempts to close the coal plant in the harbor is one. Higher fuel costs. Clean renewable electricity is another. Putting solar panels on the roof sounds like a great idea. Let’s say everyone does it and they provide 20% of all the power needs in the area. The electric company loses 20% of its sales. But on a cloudy day they still need to make that power or their will not be enough to go around. The electric company still needs to maintain that capacity. That means they have all that hardware and all those employees standing around not making power unless it is cloudy. Unused capacity is getting to be a major expense.
*** HOW MANY NEWS REPORTS, MAGAZINE ARTICLES, ETC. HAVE TO ALL SAY BASICALLY THE SAME THING ABOUT THE CITY OF BPT, ITS TAXES AND BIASED POLITICAL SYSTEM BEFORE THOSE WHO SIT AS REPRESENTATIVES ON CITY GOVERNMENT POSITIONS WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE! *** STOP DRINKING THE ZOMBIE KOOL-AID, PLEASE! ***
And yet Mario Testa and machine continue. The voters in Bridgeport were given a choice of Mary-Jane Foster and Rick Torres last election and said no thank you. To the people of Bridgeport I say wallow in it because clearly it doesn’t bother you. Good luck with that.
Gabe, I volunteered for Mary-Jane and she would make a great Mayor. But Rick Torres? He has swallowed the tea party mantra hook line and equates fair minimum to the government unfairly appropriating private property. That is not the type of philosophy I desire in a Mayor. You left out Jeff Kohut who though he came in a distant third in the election ran a very spirited campaign and had REAL ideas about bring business and jobs to Bridgeport.
It’s not too late to turn things around. Stay tuned for November 2013, 2014 and 2015. Once the people realize the truth they will come together and real change will occur.
Mr. Walker, real change is not going to happen from a bunch of well-heeled people who hang around a coffee shop in Black Rock you frequent. We have poor neighborhoods in this city where they don’t even have access to reasonably priced food within access to transportation. They don’t give a rat’s you-know-what about massage parlors on Ffld Avenue or taxes for people who can afford them … they no longer can … if you are really serious about reforming this city, talk to them. They proved they will vote in state and national elections when given a reason … no one has given them a reason to turn out in local elections and people like Torres who has advocated tea party rhetoric scares the hell out of them … many already have nothing … but at least some still have a roof over their heads no matter how modest.
And Mr. Walker I have been active with dissident Democrats and the WF locally so I have spent time in these neighborhoods and I know what I am talking about.
I would guess the street money they get for voting for Finch is a good reason to vote. Most could not pick anyone they voted for out of a line up. I liked when they accused Linda McMahon of trying to buy the election because she spent so much informing the voters of her stance on issues. It is not like she actually paid people to vote for her, offered dreams of free health insurance, free car taxes or a $600 dollar property tax rebate if she won. How did that work out you, everyone?
Actually Linda did … though it failed … most if not all of the canvassers said they weren’t voting for her … I spoke to many of them and was out there.
Hey BRG–those massage parlors (10 in all, only 4 were in Black Rock)–so while you may say “they” did not give a rat’s tail, the Smut Busters did reach out to those neighborhoods and they did care and came out in support of the effort. They showed up and spoke up at State and local meetings. I too have worked in those neighborhoods–spoken with the groups who are actively seeking change and improvement. Ss to your statements about Rick Torres, he grew up in those neighborhoods. To discount his opinion and knowledge seems a bit disingenuous from a man who grew up in Fairfield. Rather than make off putting negative harsh comment on the on-line CT Post and OIB, why not come to some–even one–of these meetings, become informed and meet the citywide people who are rolling up our sleeves, putting our heads down and doing the work necessary to enact positive change?
First of all Jennifer, there is such a thing as a priority … kids are getting shot all over this city … those massage parlors are a minor nuisance by comparison … and regardless of where I grew up, it has nothing to do with the fact I have lived in this city for over 30 years. As to my criticisms of Mr. Torres I say shame on anyone who grew up in a poor neighborhood and thinks minimum wage laws are some sort of evil plot to steal money from employers … one of the biggest problems facing people outside of Black Rock is some of these people barely get by if at all because their employers won’t pay them enough. And making closing massage parlors a priority is not doing that. This city does not revolve around Harborview Market and if you thought my comments about Rick were a little harsh I thought his comments about minimum wage legislation being equated to the government stealing from you were way out of line.
BRG–I have a different take on Rick’s editorial. Essentially I see if you force small-business owners to pay a minimum wage, the small-business owner may have to either price themselves out of the market, out of business, or cut the hours of current employees and hire only those who are at a skill level for the job, eliminating many who have great potential, but on-the-job training will probably be eliminated if a forced pay scale is in place. Forbes just published a great article about hiring underqualified employees:
www .forbes.com/sites/davidkwilliams/2013/03/08/the-case-for-under-qualified-employees-the-5-best-reasons-to-hire-for-aptitude-not-skills/
While this would work for large corporations, for the small-business owner this practice would become prohibitive due to needing employees who could be ready for the job on day one.
I am a big fan of The Broken Window theory:
www. manhattan-institute.org/pdf/_atlantic_monthly-broken_windows.pdf
and while it is not perfect, the basic premise has proven to be effective. That was the discussion that started the shutdown of the massage parlors. If the quality of life is a reflection of what we ignore and do not bring into the realm of legal, not closing down the massage parlors that are illegal certainly contributes to the idea statewide Bridgeport just does not care and anything goes in this city. I was having a discussion with a couple who are from Honduras, they have lived in Bridgeport for about 20 years in the North End. He thinks Bridgeport is a beautiful city, but is appalled by the trash around Seaside Park and what could the city do about it. He used the word ignorant to describe how people from his Latin Countries are with regard to picking up trash on the street. He went on to state in most Latin countries he is familiar with, trash on the streets and properties are not seen as detrimental or something to stop and pick up. He said his opinion is most of the residents in the mostly Hispanic sections of this city are not aware how this negatively affects their property value. It was a real eye opener to me, the actual cultural difference. The essence of the long and rewarding conversation that followed was I am very aware if I went into these areas I would be viewed as the “wealthy” white woman going in to show the better way to do things. I will gladly teach how we organize, how we determine what is important to us, prioritize and how important being an informed voter is. My desire for each section of the city is to have a voice as powerful as Black Rock and the North End. We are well aware when Black Rock organizes we get things done. We are listened to because we vote and we do the hard work to be informed and we share the knowledge. Just imagine what a great city this just might become if every section were able to achieve this.
I do not know if you have ever sat down with David Walker or Rick Torres, or if your apparent dislike of them is based just on your own research.
I just cannot figure out what your goal is, other than tell Mayor Finch to resign, your one-man boycott of Harborview Market and character assault of those who are doing actual work to make some positive and productive changes to the operations of the city of Bridgeport.
People like you and Mr. Torres talk about minimum wage like it was welfare … a wage is what you earn for working … get it? Low-wage employees are often forced onto food stamps, subsidized housing, Medicaid and other govt programs which are already heavily overburdened. I don’t think we as taxpayers should be subsidizing small-business owners who pay low wages and that is exactly what we are doing if we don’t occasionally raise the minimum wage. Walmart employees are disproportionately on govt programs while Costco a similar business pays their employees adequately and guess what they are still making a profit.
I would hardly call Walmart or Costco small business owners …
Raising the minimum wage does not work. Raising the minimum wage has never had any effect on poverty. Prices adjust to cancel out the raise. Employers raise prices or cut staff.
The biggest reason for poverty is not having a marketable skill. In 1985 the minimum wage was $3.37, now it is $8.25. That would be a growth rate of 3.25 %. The inflation rate since 1985 was 2.82%. The minimum wage has outpaced inflation better than most wages have. If your employer does not pay you enough, quit. Take what you know and what you can do and get a better job or learn how to do something that will earn you more money. Find someone who makes what you want to make and do what they did. Sure you may need to learn something or spend some time on self-improvement but them’s the breaks. No job that pays minimum wage was ever meant to be a career. Minimum wage jobs are what high school kids do between all-night video game marathons.
Barely being about to ‘get by’ has a lot more to do with spending too much than making too little (poor fiscal practices). There are people who can ‘barely get by’ at all income levels. Our government wanted to close down due to a 5% decrease in what they have to get by on. Our government cannot get by at all levels.
Oh yeah! Try living in Fairfield with no sidewalks and paid trash pick up.
How about those pot holes on Redding road, and the parking lot at Jenning beach?
It was hard living in Fairfield; let’s face it, each town and city has its own problems.
I don’t know what planet you live on but a lot adults are working at minimum wage because of industries relocated to other countries. Like I said, minimum wage is not welfare … these people are working and should be paid at least enough to get by.
Putting aside the gentrification of BPT that may allow the fortunate few to either improve their quality of living or improve their houses, buildings and neighborhoods enough so they may be able to escape by selling (which is sure a big problem for most homeowners trying to move on from this city), there is a real reason BPT is what it is. This is the “black hole” (astronomical not racial reference) of one of the richest counties in the world, and low-income people really have no other choice besides BPT. Just as immigration fosters a cheap labor pool, BPT houses and supports it–an underclass is created and kept here. As time goes by this model doesn’t work too well, as so many jobs have been shipped elsewhere for even cheaper labor, and the situation deteriorates. I guess most of the population has figured this out, and the only means of improvement is to support the local candidate and political machine who can promise your group a slice of the pie after they get theirs. Corrupt and polluted as it is, it is the only alternative to what the FFLD County elites offer, which is nothing.
Not all spending is equal. Bridgeport needs a comprehensive and independent review and reassessment of its structure, processes, systems, personnel and spending practices. We have outrageous taxes and poor services. There is a lot of room for improvement if we get serious. By the time I left the GAO, the agency was generating 110 dollars in return for every dollar invested–number 1 in the world by far. In addition, the agency had a 95 percent client satisfaction rating from the Congress and was rated the number 2 best place to work in the federal government by GAO employees. Many people partnered with me to make this happen, and as CGOTUS and the agency’s CEO, I was the only political appointee in the entire 3,000-plus person agency.
When you become familiar with a story line, it is often difficult to notice changes caused by time and people aging in place. So OIB writers continue to talk about Mario and the decisions and choices made while he is making gravy.
I am a registered Democrat but I get no communication from Danny Roach and those who form the party in our District. Sort of on the outside, the very outside, and not even looking in. But I do hear things on occasion. Chris Caruso completed his political career. Dottie Guman has sold her Bridgeport home and moved from Bridgeport. But no one talks about John Stafstrom, bond counsel for the City, partner in a major City law firm, resident and taxpayer, and for a City moment, leader of the Democratic party. He is active at the State level. Shouldn’t we be asking him for his perspective on what ails the City? My last communication with him was almost two years ago when I sent him an email alerting him to one or two comments in his testimony to the B&A Committee. He did not respond to me, but rather sent my email to then Acting Finance Director Dawn Norton. Dawn then wrote me to share her “outrage at my audacity” for contacting a City vendor. Since I had that same week contacted an actuary who had appeared that same evening as John Stafstrom, with whom I found a $10 Million error in his report. The actuary thanked me for the “catch” and I was happy the City actually had a little less of a problem than the report had showed.
The point is the actuary and attorney, though they work with the City and are paid for their work, are professionals and I was simple enough to believe they would appreciate a “catch” to correct a statement, either oral or in print. Did John see himself primarily as a vendor? Or am I missing something else? Is almost everyone who receives compensation from the City in any way on such a short leash? Where are our WATCHDOGS? If the Mayor is not going to tell us the lessons he learned about the SNOWSTORM, then maybe we need to show him the lesson he delivered to us. We have to be our own WATCHDOGS!!! People from all over the City, watching what passes at the moment for due diligence, but would not in other communities, must attend sessions, record their impressions and see what type of answers come forth from Finch, his administration and our elected representatives. If you feel you don’t know enough to be a witness, please join us. We have discovered many elected have no notion about what they are doing either. Is current City governance working for the people of the City? Not at present. Time will tell.
BlackRockGuy sounds as dumb as a rock.
If raising minimum wage to the point where it can support a family of four is his goal and if that ever happened, we are doomed. If you want to make more money, then you must acquire marketable skills and have a strong work ethic.
Unlike many who comment on this blog, I have a real life-example of how this worked well.
I own a small business. Years ago, we hired an office temp. He had been living hand to mouth, on minimum wage for a number of years. On his own nickel, he went to Katie Gibbs and learned word processing/secretarial skills.
We were very impressed with his work ethic. He didn’t worry about when he was to have his break or if he had just done the minimum required but continued day in and day out to ask us for more work.
We hired him on salary and benefits. He continually worked on upgrading his skills, computer expertise, etc., all on his own and financed by him. As he learned more, he applied that to our business and kept on becoming more productive as well as working very conscientiously.
That same minimum wage guy is still with us. Only now he’s making $67,000/year and is awarded significant bonuses when the company does well.
Unfortunately BRG sounds like society should pay everybody to the point where their needs are covered, whether their skills support such a wage or not.
It’s a tough world and getting tougher. Our schools, governments, cultural organizations, etc. should start preaching the “work harder if you want to do better” message.
And you sound like a very cheap person who takes advantage. Your employee took all those courses and spent money out of his own low salary to pay for his courses and you didn’t even offer to help with some of it. It is a tough world because of employers who think they can get away paying starvation wages.
BRG,
I do not know you, but from your comments you have very little real-world business experience.
We hired this person through a temp agency We paid them, not him. (And by the way, that is an increasingly growing way to test workers before offering them a job in all skill levels.) Also, he went to Katie Gibbs prior to the temp agency because he was tired of living hand-to-mouth and knew only he could be the change agent.
He impressed us so much we hired him as an in-house employee.
Also, as he grew, he didn’t have a “low” salary. He had a market-rate salary. When he increased his marketability, he made more money. That’s kind of the way the real world works although it’s not your “Kumbaya” view of how things get done.
To your impression I am a “cheap person,” when the economy tanked and our revenues took a very big drop, neither he nor our other employees took a pay cut or were laid off. On the other hand, I took a huge pay cut that just now after three years I am back to where I was.
You are an idiot who expects something for nothing. Unfortunately there are way too many with your mindset.
You can put it any way you want with your name calling … you sound like the boss from hell. The current minimum wage is not enough to survive on let lone live well … if you knew the temp agency was taking advantage of this man shame on you … “market rate” is too often an excuse for exploiting people who have no choice.
Apologize for using idiot. But I just do not understand your position.
When he came from the temp agency over 10+ years ago, we were paying the agency $15/hr. Do not know what the agency paid him.
We hired him at $27,000 with benefits. Not counting benefits, that’s over $12/hr ten years ago.
As he grew in ability and skills, he received steady raises and increases in responsibilities. For the past four years, his salary has remained at $67,000 because of the economy and cash flow. We told the employees no raises but if business increased, there would be bonuses. This year he received a $7000 bonus. And I’m the boss from Hell?
I wish I knew more of your experiences because I just don’t see how you can be so anti-business and expect people to increase. Since CT has had no net job increases in over 20 years and is rated the 49th worst business environment, don’t you think something is wrong?
That was a low wage even then. I did an AP assignment at a company in Norwalk about 9 years ago and the agency was only paying $14. I wanted to learn the software package the company used. Well one day the invoice for my services came across my desk and they were charging $30 an hour for my services. Now I realize they have overhead and need to make a profit and later on they were pressuring me to take jobs at an even lower wage because if I took the other job they could get away with it. I am not anti-business but I find it incredible anyone would say we should do away with the minimum wage when it is so low many people on it are forced into govt social programs just to keep a roof over their heads.
Some temp agencies are good but remember this, people working for temp agencies often can’t afford medical insurance and when they get sick it can be a catastrophe. Sick employees often can’t get to work. How is that beneficial to a business?
Your livelihood depends on making a profit to at least meet life’s necessities. Like I said, people need to eat and have a roof over their heads. If you don’t think you should be a charitable institution why should one’s employees be?
I am not anti-business. But businesses need to be fair to their employees and to insure that we need at least a base minimum wage. If these people go to the govt for help as is the case with Walmart we as citizens are essentially subsidizing those businesses. Those Walmart bargains don’t sound like such bargains … do they?
Where did you even get a minimum wage job? Even a cashier pays $8.50. Higher (not by much) than minimum wage. That is the lowest wage Walmart lists. BTW–Isn’t the bill looking to raise min wage to $8.50? Walmart is already paying that. I looked for a short-time (Walmart, Home Depot, Stop&Shop) and could not find a minimum wage job.
Denis OMalley’s employee could have settled into his $12/hr job. Watched the clock. Did his time and got out. I think the point EH was making is the employee improved himself and benefited financially from it. Those who stagnate get outmoded and left behind. Doctors, engineers, teacher and many other employees are REQUIRED to improve their education throughout their careers.
If you are an experienced, dedicated, hard-working employee you will not make minimum wage for long. You may start at minimum wage but you should use that job to look for the next job up the ladder. Watch what that guy does. Learn his job and get it.
They are out there … and the fact some employers pay above that is proof it is working and making lives a little better for low-wage employees and maybe even better workers and giving them more money to help regenerate our economy.
I think people who pay more than minimum wage attract better employees. They get a lot of applicants and pick the best. Those who are not picked have to downgrade to the minimum wage job. Who’s fault is that? You apply with nothing, I apply with one semester of college. I win. Too bad for you. You apply somewhere else and John Smith applies without a high school diploma. You win. Too bad for him. Go to HCC get a two-year nursing degree and you are on your way to $40-50K/yr. How would that work for you? Can’t afford it? Join the national guard and it is free. Take a loan. Do the two years in four years. Those who get the most help are the ones who help themselves.
And who said lower-skilled workers should be paid six-figure salaries? These people work hard at jobs that can be very unpleasant and dangerous. They have earned the right to be paid at least enough for a safe roof over their heads, food and access to medical care … because when the employer doesn’t that person may have to get govt aid to get at least basic shelter … guess who pays for that? YOU!
He should just take the contract from god he has that says life is going to be fair and easy out of their pocket and show it to his employer. Let us say the minimum wage goes up, let’s say it doubles, prices will follow soon after, along with rents, utilities, et al. I pay for that anyway. Either way I end up paying because our poor worker did not take the steps necessary to make his way in life. You earn the right to be paid by what you invested in yourself. Employment is a supply and demand thing. Even if you go to school but you take basket weaving you earn no rights. If you make poor choices or do not properly prepare you get no guarantees. It is not like nobody ever told you or you did not know. ‘study hard or you won’t get a good job,’ ‘go to college or you won’t get a good job’ have been mantras in schools since the beginning of time. The rest is your choice.
Go to Stop & shop and look at the dozen registers that have no worker at them at all. Come to find out the computer self checkout is cheaper and the customers do not steal significantly more than the cashiers do. Go to an orange grove. Where a group of workers used to pick fruit, now a machine comes and shakes the tree. It is just cheaper. How did raising the minimum wage help those workers? The workers who used to do the jobs not the ones who built the machines that replaced them.
Let them eat cake … someone has to do those low-wage jobs … some people fall on hard times … to say anyone does not deserve a barebones minimum wage for working hard is like something out of Charles Dickens; I can only wish on you that you end up living what some of our minimum wage workers go through or better yet some underpaid kitchen worker spits in your soup … you deserve it.
Well that is not very nice at all. I am sure they spit plenty in both our soups. The only difference is, I like it. Who says I haven’t fallen on hard times? I started out making minimum wage. Didn’t stay there long. I saw something better and went for it.
Since you feel so adamant about this why don’t you start your own business? Pay your people well. Show us how it is done. You can lead the way to paying the people at the bottom the most and those at the top the least. Ben & Jerry’s and Starbucks had something like that, but it did not work out. Put you money where your mouth is.
Thank you Denis OMalley and BlackRockGuy for having a dialogue, an extended one, that introduces those with no experience, or a different kind of lived experience to learn something from the facts you reference. And the “name calling,” such as it was, did not interrupt the exchange.
Is OIB getting ready for “prime-time” real-world exposure? Time will tell.