Vote Yes! Moving Bridgeport Forward Through Charter Reform

From Chief Administrative Officer Tom Gaudett:

Amending our City Charter—the blueprint for how our local government is structured and operates—is a rare opportunity. On November 4th, Bridgeport voters will have the chance to approve a comprehensive Charter revision which was the work of a bipartisan group of thirteen Bridgeport residents committed to improving local governance and the image of our city. The proposed reforms substantively improve and modernize several aspects of local government, while also signalizing a renewed commitment towards professionalism, integrity, and ethics in Bridgeport.

As both a lifelong Bridgeport resident who served on the Charter Revision Commission and as the City’s Chief Administrative Officer, I strongly encourage voters to support this Charter rewrite.

Ethics Reform

Bridgeport is moving in the right direction with balanced budgets, higher credit ratings, and exciting new development projects. But there’s no doubt that Bridgeport’s reputation has been a drag on its success. Understanding this reality, the Charter Revision Commission made ethics reform a centerpiece of charter revision, turning what is currently a single paragraph in the Charter to an entire chapter.

The revised Charter formally reestablishes the Ethics Commission and creates an Office of Municipal Ethics, providing an independent mechanism to uphold integrity in local government. The Commission will have the power to adopt a City Code of Ethics, investigate alleged violations, and impose fines—demonstrating Bridgeport’s commitment to accountability and public trust.

Civil Service Reform

Bridgeport’s civil service rules, which have not been meaningfully updated in decades, have created challenges for city officials tasked with enforcing them and have resulted in costly litigation for taxpayers. Building on the work begun by the 2012 Charter Revision Commission, the proposed reforms bring much-needed clarity and modernization.

The revisions clearly define which positions serve at the Mayor’s discretion—typically only department heads and senior policy roles—and which are protected civil service positions—most positions in local government—which continue across administrations. This balance ensures both alignment with the Mayor’s goals for the city and stability in city government.

The reforms also create a structured process for the creation of city positions moving forward, allowing for local government to adapt with the times. Overall, the proposed civil service changes protect employees’ rights, ensure consistency in hiring, and strengthen the integrity of our personnel system.

City Council Reform

For years, members of the City Council and civic advocates have called for changes that give the Council more independence and the tools to perform its legislative role effectively. This Charter revision delivers on many of those long-awaited improvements.

The Office of Legislative Services will now be formally recognized as an independent arm of the City Council, led by a Director chosen by the Council and staffed to meet its operational needs. The revisions also clarify Council leadership roles and responsibilities, empower the Council to act when boards or commissions have long-standing vacancies, and set procedures for creating new boards, commissions, and departments. Together, these reforms strengthen the Council’s independence and capacity to govern effectively.

Modernization and Good Governance

The current Charter has not been comprehensively updated in decades. It still references long-defunct agencies, omits essential modern departments, and includes outdated notice requirements, structural inconsistencies, and typographical errors.

The proposed revision—informed by best practices from Connecticut’s leading municipal charter expert Attorney Steve Mednick and modeled after recent charter reforms in Norwalk and New Haven—brings Bridgeport’s Charter into the modern era. It reflects the city’s actual organizational structure and creates processes for the City Council to make future updates as the city evolves.

Additional improvements include consistent formatting across the Charter itself, gender-neutral language, and clarification of ambiguous provisions. Together, these updates make the Charter clearer, more usable, and aligned with good-governance standards across the state.

Making Clerk Positions Nonpartisan

“Question 2” on the November ballot proposes converting the City and Town Clerk positions from elected partisan offices to professional, nonpartisan civil service roles, with only for cause removal, beginning after the 2031 municipal election. This proposal will not impact the current incumbents or the 2027 municipal election for these offices.

While the voters of Bridgeport elect a Mayor, City Council, and Board of Education to make policy decisions, the work of our City and Town Clerks are largely administrative in nature—filing records, preparing agendas, and administering absentee ballots. It is the opinion of the Charter Revision Commission that these positions demand professionalism, not partisanship.

Bridgeport made a similar change decades ago to the position of City Treasurer, which is now a nonpartisan civil service role. City government is better off for that change. Furthermore, setting the start date for these changes to December 2031 allows the current incumbents to remain in office while allowing time to plan for a smooth, depoliticized shift.

A Vote to Move Bridgeport Forward

The reforms that have been put forth by the Charter Revision Commission are the result of years of proposals and debate, build on the positive aspects of the 2012 Charter Revision Commission, learn from costly lawsuits and mistakes of the past, and are aimed at creating a better, brighter future for Bridgeport.

It’s rare in Bridgeport politics, but the Charter reforms have brought most of our local government officials and reform advocates together around a common cause—building a government that works better for everyone.

On November 4th, I urge my fellow Bridgeport residents to vote YES on Charter Revision. By improving our City’s founding document, we will move Bridgeport forward towards a better future.