Yes! The days are getting longer. Is it almost time to push the clocks ahead? I know, I know, we just hit winter and I’m already yearning for spring.
I’ve got fried calamari and baccala on the brain right now. Yup, got the seven fishes planned for Christmas Eve. My damn cat Stinky is sharpening his teeth waiting for any of it to hit the floor. He loves sleeping with the fishes (in his belly).
So, what’s on tap for the week? What are you hearing about the last of the city unions voting on concessions to help Mayor Bill Finch close the budget gap? Just after the new year, the legislative session commences, with freshmen Auden Grogins and Eze Santiago (House) and Anthony Musto (Senate) learning the legislative ropes as the noose tightens on spending. By the way doesn’t Bob Keeley, dethroned by Grogins, the blonde banshee from Black Rock, begin his new teaching job today? Wouldn’t it be a riot for Rapid Robert to invite Finch, Grogins, Johnny Fabs, and State Rep. Chris Caruso in for one of his social studies classes?
I can hear Keeley now “Okay, boys and girls, this is how your government works. Now please stand up so our visitors can throw chairs at each other.” Meanwhile, slipping quietly into the room is Democratic Town Chair Mario Testa with a stack of absentee ballots. Why wait for the last minute?
The mayor and his local bean counters have one eye on closing this year’s budget gap with the other poised for the revenues (pray) that will come from the legislature for the budget year that begins July 1, 2009.
On one level it’s exciting for the new crop of state legislators in Hartford and Congressman-elected Jim Himes handling federal duties in Washington, but a bite in the butt with all that’s swirling around them economically. I just hope the city has all those infrastructure plans in place for what appears to be Barack’s near trillion-dollar stimulus package.
Thanks to Connecticut Post scribe Joe Meyers for his Sunday feature about Bow Tie Banker, my biography of David Carson, retired chief executive of People’s Bank, who saved the state’s largest bank from the financial storm that hit the northeast in the early 1990s. And, can you believe it, a photo of me that didn’t have a number cut across my chest!
Ummm hey–guess what, I heard this song about Mayor Finch.
You’re a mean one, Mr. Finch.
You really are a heel.
You’re as cuddly as a cactus,
You’re as charming as an eel.
Mr. Finch.
You’re a bad banana
With a greasy black peel.
You’re a monster, Mr. Finch.
Your heart’s an empty hole.
Your brain is full of spiders,
You’ve got garlic in your soul.
Mr. Finch.
I wouldn’t touch you, with a
thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole.
You’re a vile one, Mr. Finch.
You have termites in your smile.
You have all the tender sweetness
Of a seasick crocodile.
Mr. Finch.
Given the choice between the two of you
I’d take the seasick crocodile.
You’re a foul one, Mr. Finch.
You’re a nasty, wasty skunk.
Your heart is full of unwashed socks
Your soul is full of gunk.
Mr. Finch.
The three words that best describe you,
are, and I quote: “Stink. Stank. Stunk.”
You’re a rotter, Mr. Finch.
You’re the king of sinful sots.
Your heart’s a dead tomato splot
With moldy purple spots,
Mr. Finch.
Your soul is an apalling dump heap overflowing
with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable
rubbish imaginable,
Mangled up in tangled up knots.
You nauseate me, Mr. Finch.
With a nauseaus super-naus.
You’re a crooked jerky jockey
And you drive a crooked horse.
Mr. Finch.
You’re a three decker saurkraut and toadstool
sandwich
With arsenic sauce.
Nice poem. Suitable for the for the Yuletide.
Spent a lot of time this weekend at the local bistros where the cognoscenti and the non-cognoscenti tend to dwell.
I was utterly amazed at the commentary about Moonbeam. Despite all of Finch’s ignorant political maneuvering and blatant patronage paybacks, most are giving the stupid bastard “credit” for his efforts to close the budget gap. It seems that he is taking a strong position with the unions and is getting the concessions he needs. I was also unaware that Finch has openly challenged the BOE to properly account for their budget. The BOE’s dynamic duo are struggling to get their ducks in row so to speak. I guess having an already funded audit looming (thanks to Russo) makes it imperative that one looks closely into one own closet.
I may have to soften my stand on the Jackass. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day. It also wasn’t built by a bunch of self-interested, agendized, truly unintelligent sycophants either.
I’ve got my eye on you Bird Man. Pull it off and even I might utter an … “atta boy!”
The City should book the Arena for the Inaugural Celebration. Ten bucks a ducat with music, song, and prayer. Swearing-in ceremonies with large TV screens. Throw in a commemorative program book and sell the place out.
Pick up a nice piece of change for the City’s coffers.
I continue to approve, applaud, endorse and support Mayor Finch’s efforts to close The City’s budget gap. Even yahooy (behold the winner within) is swayed by others who see The Mayor’s strategy take form. For a moment I thought I saw him smile at the prospect of a balanced budget. This could only happen in Bridgeport.
I’m with Local Eyes. I support and applaud Mayor Finch in his efforts to balance the city’s budget. He has taken a lot of flack (not a little of it from a small group of malcontents that contribute to this blog) for making a valiant effort to untangle a mess inherited from his predecessors. And let’s not forget that Mr. Finch has to deal with the twenty members of the city council, each of whom has their own agenda, agendas that don’t always jibe with the interests of the people the council members were elected to represent.
I’m still registered as a Democrat, but will be changing to UNAFFILIATED in the near future. Any and all political ideology makes me want to stick a finger down my throat to induce vomiting.
Bpt. Kid – If you become an UNAFFILIATED voter you’ll have no say in who runs for office. You seem to think Finch is doing a good job. Well, if he has a primary next time around (and it’s a safe bet he will) you won’t be able to support him. How does giving up your ability to vote in a primary help?
Just wondering.
Bpt Kid; When was the last time Finch had trouble getting something thru the council? Valiant effort? You are kidding right? Please point out what you think is a valiant effort. Is it the list of Police Officers he published and later had to rescind? Is it the hiring of a city hall greeter at $40K? Is it adding people to his overall staff while laying off nuts and bolts workers? Is it the sudden urge to sell the Mechanics and Farmers Bank? Is it the urge to cut a deal with Monroe that will hurt the city in the long run? Is it the fact that the city Bond rating has fallen below A minus and we now have to figure out how we are going to pay for the condo dumpster now that we can’t borrow or Bond for the funds?
Is pointing out obvious missteps being a malcontent? If it is I will proudly wear that title.
Let’s not get carried away here. All I said was a lot of people are impressed with “some” of the steps dickhead has taken to resolve budget deficits.
I still think we would have been better off offering the job of Mayor of Bridgeport to the first guy (or gal) who got off the bus on election day.
When you look at the list Wondering has amassed, Moonbeam still comes up way short.
I hope he pulls it off. I really do. He probably won’t, but I can’t fathom wasting 4 years at a time so critical to economic recovery. Every single day should be spent trying to figure out how to get us out of this mess. He’s not exactly what I want in a mayor. Not by a long shot. But he is mayor so he is expected to make improvements. Let’s see if he does.
*** Finch as a “long time” community activist & politician in local, city & state affairs has nobody to blame but himself for the mess he’s in as city Mayor. Before the city primaries, he had influence “to a point” on who some of the candidates running on the Dem. ticket with him would be. He had input & knowledge as to who would be part of the council leadership, part of his admin. and who was to get city jobs based on election promises, etc. He had time to sit with the outgoing admin. to get an idea on just exactly how the city budget & BOE budget was doing. Fabrizi had opened his office to him to assist in a easy informative transition as reported in the media, etc. So in other words, he made his bed, decided who was going to be in it, so now he has no choice but to lay in it! As well all of the Dem. party that endorsed him & the rest of the elected officials. ***
Solid as Barack–post #3–has a GREAT IDEA: TELEVISE the upcoming Obama Inauguration at The Arena and use the money to close the budget gap. Witness history and help Bridgeport–what a great combo! 10,000 people can’t be wrong.
The Detroit Pistons–NBA basketball–sell out every away game their team plays.
Heartfelt posts–on this page–from yahooy, Mojo and Wondering
Why did I get the blame for the loss on Sunday? After I am done with the J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS! I can replace Rose Hoyt in the Dept of Aging.
*** #11 She’s a Patriots fan like you! So be nice ’cause things have a way of coming back @ you, “twice”. ***
260 Condo dumpsters, one $160K frontend loader to service them all. Paid for out of General Fund not Bond monies.