An appeal from Democratic mayoral candidate John Gomes:
To All Good Men and Women of Bridgeport: 2/11/2011
To start, I ask you to consider whether you still have a real hope that the City of Bridgeport has the capacity to become a great city …
to be from …
to live in …
to work in …
to worship in.
And do you think this change can truly happen
… in your lifetime?
If you do hold that hope, you know that Bridgeport has not yet reached her great potential and her best days are still to come.
Additionally, you know that the major obstacle with going forward in this City is an obstacle irrevocably tied to those governing Bridgeport (current and past administrations), who blindly adhere to the practice of: “governance by favoritism to a political few.”
Equitable growth and goals representing sound achievement for the whole City have long been ignored. Ignored as well has been vital long-term planning, with a vision beneficial to all of us.
Bridgeport citizens no longer trust that their City government can, or will, provide: comprehensive public safety, high performing public schools, and employment opportunities through public and private partnerships.
If you do hold hope (as I do), please regard this letter as my invitation to you to become a candidate for elective office in the City-wide election of 2011.
We can work together to return and rebuild the vitality and spirit of Bridgeport that this City deserves. We can determine together to end the greed and deception that holds this City hostage to poverty and stagnation.
What has eluded us for so long in this City is a government which best serves each one and every one of us, and is an open, transparent and accountable government to her people …
As an elected team, we can insist on performance standards for all employees in all City departments.
As a former mayoral appointee, I gained intimate knowledge of Bridgeport’s municipal government operations. I was the first appointed Director of CitiStat-Bridgeport, a new city department created by the Mayor to bring long-overdue reform to the delivery of City services.
From this experience, my knowledge is unmatched by any other Mayoral candidate at this point, including the incumbent. If elected Mayor, I will start with my team on DAY ONE with the critical actions needed to serve the people of Bridgeport.
If the idea of hard work on behalf of this great City excites you the same way it excites me, I encourage you become a candidate for elective office in 2011. Consider a City Council seat, a Board of Education seat, a City Sheriff position, a Town Clerk position or a City Clerk position.
Bridgeport is a gateway to New England; and with an incredibly beautiful coastline, this City has the potential for transformative growth. Of even greater value is the diversity of our population. We have in abundance: citizens with skills, citizens with vision, and citizens who bring their ethnic and cultural contributions to the life of this City.
Working together as a campaign team, and showing the thoughtful leadership that is needed, we can build a bridge to unity and lasting prosperity for this City. Please call me.
John M. Gomes
1259 Park Ave, Bridgeport, CT. 06604
888.819.5646
The man is strategically superior. He is going to make a GREAT mayor. I believe Bpt will be back under Gomes leadership.
Well done, John. Let us know what kind of response you get. We need a fresh start with new, energized no-personal-agenda people.
Love it! You can count on my vote and my family’s. I will continue to share and spread your mission and your vision for a better Bridgeport. Move on! Press forward!
What about your candidacy? You can still deliver your and the votes of family and friends. Only as a candidate one can truly claim to share the mission and spread the vision. Any other way, the other side would be the “invincible” one.
Mary-Jane Foster is the greatest hope for Bridgeport’s future. She has far more experience working with people and agencies throughout the city, bringing economic development and jobs to the city, working with regional partners, and marketing the city. She is honest, innovative and hard working. She has contributed her talent, time and money to Bridgeport for years and years. She is ready to be Mayor. While I like John Gomes as a person, and feel he is smart and committed to the city, he would be best to get behind Mary-Jane in a significant way and insure positive change for the city. Any other course of action from him will help Finch.
R W & B
Your Mary-Jane agenda is showing. She was part of the problem and is she a solution? She raised money for Finch and was hand-in-hand with the Madison Ave restaurant crowd. What does Mary-Jane know about running a decaying city?
Gomes was trained in Baltimore MD on CitiStat. Baltimore, a once decaying city that now is a thriving city/seaport. Bpt can be a thriving city/seaport again as it once was.
Gomes 2011 believe in Bpt
2011, what’s your agenda? Get a grip, dude! Gomes raised money and worked for Finch. So what that someone supports Foster? You afraid? She’s smart and talented and it was her concept for the ballpark and arena. What has birdbrain Finch done? Blech.
Never have I read anywhere that Gomes raised money for anyone but himself this year for mayor.
Yes he worked for Finch as CitiStat director but it does not mean he raised money for him.
anna // Feb 12, 2011 at 1:13 pm
To your posting
Anna,
When did this happen?
I can still remember those radio WICC commercials where then-Mayor Ganim was campaigning for Finch when he ran for state senator … he said “Bill Finch came to me and said Joe … we need a baseball field and civic center in Bridgeport … and as a result, Harbor Yard was built!” Remember those commercials …? I remember when he was appointed to the Emergency Operations job … NOTHING! There has never been a more opportunistic politician “acting” as a mayor, than this guy.
RedWhiteandBlue // Feb 12, 2011 at 12:14 pm
To your posting
RWB,
Yours is certainly a well-thought-out consideration.
But please consider that the greatest gift the Bridgeport voters have today is the potential of choosing a true Democratic Mayor for this City as opposed to the “machine-made mayors” the City has had to suffer for decades …
Candidates can use the timeframe given to all candidates in this municipal campaign of 2011 to deliver a spectacularly different message. They can have a direct conversation with the voters.
And that begins turning the page … in a most historical sense. And it spells the defeat of Bill Finch.
As I said before, candidates with the common goal of removing Bill Finch from the Mayor’s Office will have a message that should not only resonate across this City, but it should energize everyone’s campaign. It is up to the candidate and the campaign operations to effectively deliver their message of change. Wouldn’t that be a gift to voters?
Ultimately it would be refreshing to know that voters chose the replacement, not Mario …
Carolanne, you have been part of the machine since the Ganim days, in fact you got jobs under 2 different machine mayors. John Gomes also was a machine politician who also benefited from the machine. If you both were still with CitiStat would Mr. Gomes be running for mayor?
That being said he will be along with Mary-Jane Foster a welcome entry into the next mayoral election.
town committee // Feb 12, 2011 at 1:48 pm
To your posting
TC,
If you mean a long-time Democrat, who understands the meaning of public service … I go far further back than the Ganim days, let’s go back to the Hartford elections all through my childhood, teenage and young adult years with my biggest joy as a Democrat, working for the election of Ella Grasso. And the subsequent dozens of elections to follow. My identification as a Democrat, and any of my record of public service to follow, goes to the core of my being.
I call it being a Democrat. Obviously TC, you call it differently.
You are far more familiar with the machine components in Bridgeport … so no doubt you may one day hear the story of how Bill Finch wanted to pick somebody who wasn’t part of the machine because the CitiStat Department was going to generate a lot of unwelcomed pressure. All about legitimate performance standards etc. etc. So he appointed John Gomes. And when the job was getting done the way it was meant to get done, Bill Finch got cold feet … and stopped dead-center one day in July 2009, with his idea for City government reform …
Neither Finch nor Ganim ultimately had the stomach for honesty. My hope is there still is a Mayor who can be elected and who remembers why they were elected.
How about you TC?
And if John Gomes had remained at CitiStat, your current Mayor would have made headlines for Bridgeport with the reforms introduced into Bridgeport City government.
I know you realize that was a silly question to ask about CitiStat. Without any hyperbole CitiStat-Bridgeport, modeled on the CitiStat-Baltimore model, would have marked an historical turning point for the way the City of Bridgeport delivered city services, and what the essence of true city government means.
Carolanne: Nice speech but let’s be honest. When someone gets a noncompetitive city job via the appointment route one is part of the machine. You know it and I know it. Is it a bad thing to be part of the “machine?” I guess it depends on which side of the glass you are looking from. If Gomes or Foster win their people will be called the Gomes or Foster machine.
As far as the appointment to CitiStat Finch appointed a political friend not an outsider. Bill Finch did not have the guts to appoint an outsider. As the campaign gets rolling I will be interested to see what was done at CitiStat, anything that helps the city is a good thing.
Outstanding. Not bad. Two viable candidates both of whom purport to wish to rid the city of El Squid and his band of calamarians. Not a mention, though, of any plans to disband Timpanelli and his foolish employment agency for politicos in limbo.
Still a little worried about Foster. She was real cozy with the club while she and hubby were developing all of the Ganim-era projects. I’d like to hear from her where she stands on calamarian controls and ridding the common council of all of the connected shit heads.
As far as Parziale is concerned, why on earth would we be interested in bringing her back? She held a huge power of influence at a time when this city was diving into the depths of depravity. She wants another shot at it when there is a glimmer of hope? I don’t think so.
Gomes WILL be the first minority mayor in our history, and WHEN it happens it will make national news as he was born in Africa and came to America with nothing. The national news will pick up this story as he WILL be the first Cape Verdean mayor in US history. Finally, we will make the national news for something other than ballots and look who is coming to dinner.
Mr BPT // Feb 12, 2011 at 1:04 pm
To your posting …
Mr BPT,
Consider what the real “history in the making” can be as the Bridgeport Mayor’s campaign of 2011 goes forward.
And it is history where culture, color and/or gender is only incidental to the fact that an unhealthy and abusive system of Bridgeport City government comes to an end.
There will be candidates who have worked ceaselessly to deliver a message directly to Bridgeport voters, and NOT a filtered, canned party-boss message.
That’s history. That’s the news … the rest follows …
“If the idea of hard work on behalf of this great City excites you the same way it excites me, I encourage you become a candidate for elective office in 2011. Consider a City Council seat, a Board of Education seat, a City Sheriff position, a Town Clerk position or a City Clerk position.”
Gomes has made the call. The next step, is to simply wait and see the response from the public. Will people step up to the plate? Will some or all these people be planted by the opposition or will they be legitimate candidates who will go out in the campaign trail every day ’til September? In my opinion, I don’t see how anyone can win a mayoral primary without a full slate of hard-working and committed underticket. Days ago, I commented on the downside of having a full slate. If there is a full primary challenge, the challengers will have a difficult road ahead of them as the other side–with their MOM–will be working just as hard against them. This call for an all-out assault on the entire Democratic ticket may just backfire on Gomes. My advice to Mary-Jane Foster is to keep the political fight between her and Finch and avoid dragging the council down with him. After all, it’s the mayor and his administration calling the shots. As mayor, I will guide the City Council and the Bridgeport Democratic Party down the right path for the benefit of the City, its people, and businesses, is the message she should deliver every day.
Joel
You are very astute in your analysis of running a full slate.
Why energize their base? Let the underlings have the summer off.
The Caruso campaign made a big mistake by trying to run a full slate. They ran two nobodies against two well-known Black Rock figures. Same situation in other districts.
Foster needs to go mano a mano against Finch!
Joel–Stay on message because you are right.
Mr BPT
Your chauvinistic slip is showing. I guess Mary Moran wasn’t a minority?
Gomes has a great American story to tell. I will be checking campaign reports this week to see how much money he has raised. If you can’t make a cash call then you must fold.
“If the idea of hard work on behalf of this great City excites you the way it excites me … I encourage you to become a candidate for elective office in 2011.”
Thank you John Gomes for reminding the politically interested that a Mayoral candidate, if successful in winning office, does not exercise a mandate in a vacuum. For example, there are 20 Council representatives who will be standing for election. How has their behavior over the past two years served our City to improve programs including education, overall citizen quality of life, including public safety, and strengthened the financial status to pay for priorities???
And what about the other unpaid public service positions, appointed principally by a Mayor I have been asked since posting such information last fall? The situation looks even more desperate today.
I looked at the City internet site yesterday, specifically at the postings on each of 20 Boards and Commissions. There are 137 people authorized to be appointed (more or less) by the Mayor. As of yesterday there were only 27 names listed on those 20 committees! And only 7 people were officially serving within an appointed term. Where are the other names? Why aren’t they listed? If people are to be re-appointed, why is that not accomplished in a timely manner? How can you let appointments from Mayor Ganim’s administration not be evaluated and receive current appointment and listing? (Is this like the “social promotions” that have happened in school systems and are looked at with disdain?
If this is not incompetent behavior by a Mayoral office around public safety, land use, WPCA and other critical issues, I would ask for your personal assessment.
Perhaps you might not wish to run for elective office this year, but you might be interested in unconflicted public service on one of these Boards and Commissions in the future? Why not let a candidate know that you have interest, ability, time and perhaps valuable experience to offer? That would be an improvement over our current situation, wouldn’t it?
It looks like mayor Bill Finch has stepped up to help John Gomes. I wonder why Lennie hasn’t mentioned this article? Not only has Bill Finch stepped up to help Gomes, he will be helping Mojo and the West Side neighborhood where DiNardo wants to build a Half-Way House:
blog.ctnews.com/connecticutpostings/2011/02/11/mayor-finch-community-leaders-blast-halfway-house-plan
I know, Lennie! Always balanced and always fair.
Speedy, I’m planning that for Monday. OIB … Always biased, always fair.
Bill Finch is a liar and a hypocrite. He will go against DiNardo now and then if he wins the election, God Forbid, he’ll look the other way while Uncle Sal continues to destroy our city with asphalt plants, Remgrit and the like. If Finch were really serious, he’d publicly demand that Sal pay his millions in back taxes.
town committee // Feb 12, 2011 at 4:25 pm
To your posting
TC
The Mayor did not know anything about John other than the resume John sent to the attention of the previous administration when the top spot in Public Works was posted in the CT Post.
You struck out there TC.
I don’t think so. Finch did not hire Mr. Gomes from a resume sent into the Fabrizi Administration.
town committee // Feb 12, 2011 at 7:14 pm
To you posting …
That’s the truth TC. Whether you think so or don’t think so …
Dinner’s on me if you have it differently … and source it for me …
I like Foster and Gomes. But people raise good points today about Mary-Jane’s ties to the BRBC, Mario and the DTC. She also has ties to the Barnum Festival. Does that mean she’ll keep Charlie Carroll and the Mrs.? What if CC convinces her to keep Sherwood? We could be stuck with the same old flunkies. I think we need to hear from Ms. Foster as to what exactly her plans are. Gomes has made it very clear that he will clean house, will Mary-Jane do the same?
News from Social Services, the dynamic duo who lost the WIC program with the blessings of Andy Nunn. Iris has once again managed to save her $95,000 job while sacrificing her long-time friend Veronica. The next few months should prove interesting as everyone knows that Veronica really ran that dept. Perfect example of people who should be terminated by the next mayor by the swift push of a broom.
Sad that people just throw crap against the wall to see what sticks.
John Gomes raised money for Finch? John Gomes was a machine hire?
Couldn’t be further from the truth.
Gomes did work hard for Malloy and was one of the first to do so in Bpt but took no credit or got none, while Caruso was the last in and got major credit.
Mary-Jane is a nice person who does have major ties to the machine, but can she be a mayor of a major city? I have no idea as I have not heard a word from her and have seen no qualifications.
Let the debates begin and the best non machine candidate for the people win. Get them on a stage and fire the tough questions and the best answers will get my and my family’s votes.
Right at this moment, it’s Gomes 2011 unless someone can show me they can do better.
John, I think you meant to say “As a former mayoral appointee, I gained intimate knowledge of Bridgeport’s embrace of incompetence so long as the heads on the chopping block were not my own.” Or did you mean, “As a former mayoral appointee, I gained intimate knowledge of voyages to Baltimore on city time because I had no understanding of how to run a department that would require quantitative analysis, and I was killing time because who wants to run a department, anyway, when one is a political appointee.” Oh, but I’m fairly certain you didn’t actually write this at all. I’m not sure you were fired for legitimate reasons, but I am sure your CitiStat department was not cutting the mustard. So when I hear you talk about it like it was some great innovation you were fired for running so well, I just have to chuckle.
Wow–it appears someone in the mayor’s office is worried. What’s the matter? No job for you at the BRBC?
snarkus maximus // Feb 12, 2011 at 7:16 pm
To your posting
S&M,
I can assure you John doesn’t mean one thing and then write another thing, just as John doesn’t say one thing and then do another thing instead.
So chuckle away S&M, I love the sound of your laughter.
Perhaps that kind of hypocrisy has been your political appointment experience, but it was not the way Gomes operated.
CitiStat not only cut the mustard, it was because of the quantitative and qualitative analysis that we did in this Department that we were clearly able to demonstrate how poorly the citizens of Bridgeport were being served. And how poor the performance standards were in these Departments.
BPT 1: hilarious! I’m quaaakkking in my boots!
Momentum against Finch is clearly building and Finch and the Calamarians feel it. That’s why they are creating jobs for people like Curwen, Willie Murphy and Jack McCarthy. Each district leader is being bribed with jobs, in spite of a growing deficit expected to be $22m next fiscal year. The City is totally dysfunctional and mismanaged but getting things under control is on the back burner. The priority of the Finch administration is getting re-elected and he will do whatever he needs to do to accomplish that.
As for Gomes and Mary-Jane Foster, I like them both. They both bring something to the table and together will be a strong anti-Finch force. Sure they both supported Finch previously but so did a lot of others. That was until Finch lied, broke all his promises and proved himself to be a poor and inept leader. We all know better now. So let’s cut the rhetoric, join forces and rid this city of the Calamarians once and for all.
city hall smoker // Feb 13, 2011 at 8:30 am
To your posting
City Hall Smoker,
Just keep your eye on the bottom line … All those hirings are surely going to blow the budget, but where will SHERWOOD hide the truth for the next seven months? That’s what we need to watch and go after.
And you and I know, along with most every other OIB’er, that right now SHERWOOD and the Mayor are having wet dreams about the 40 million dollars of Regional Sewage Authority money as their bail-out money. Kinda stinks, doesn’t it?
CHS, I can’t agree with you more
Problem is getting that word out to the people who are being bought off by those Calamarians.
Not everyone in Bridgeport has a computer and/or reads this website.
Word has to get out to those voters who don’t have a computer and won’t watch the debates that will be coming in a few months.
There are people who don’t even know Finch is buying off people because the CT Post has no balls to write the truth.
I know a few people who are good friends with Gomes and they told me half the editorials he has tried to put in the Post get squashed and don’t make the paper which to me is BS.
I’m a UNION person and I know Gomes is a UNION believer as he has contacted and sat with my UNION and he is from the streets and believes in hard work and UNION people doing the jobs. I’ve also been told and would like to ask him if it’s true there are UNIONS who aren’t allowed to back him as they have people in place who are Calamarians. That would be so sad as Finch will destroy the UNIONS when given a chance if re-elected.
The only way the unions can be destroyed by Finch is if the unions allow themselves to be destroyed.
He’s gonna “clean house” (Vengeance???) and he’s a Union person. We’ll see if he gets elected. LAYOFFS EN MASSE!!!
You again? How come I’m not surprised someone who would be on the side of an unqualified political hire would also be a shill for the Finch administration. You are part of the problem.
Eyedoctor
Where are you coming up with this?
Gomes will not lay off union people like Finch does. He will cut the waste white collar workers (using that worker term lightly).
The political hires that are buy-offs and the Calamarian crew that is ruining this city.
You must be in that category to have jumped in with such scared rage.
Gomes or MJF or both will be the next mayor of Bpt, there is no doubt about that. Hope you have a fallback job to fall back on for your sake.
Are you saying definitively that John Gomes did not work for Bill Finch for mayor in the last election?
Are you saying that John Gomes did not promise to work the Cape Verde community for votes and money for Bill Finch?
Are you saying that John Gomes and other members of the CV community did not give money to Bill Finch’s campaign?
Are you saying that when John didn’t get a job from Finch fast enough that he did not solicit the help of Ralph Ford?
I would rather see John Gomes definitively deny this but since you have assumed the role of his spokesperson then I guess you are all there is. But if you are not 100% sure, you had better check with the candidate before answering for him.
Grin, that was then and this is now. Many of us supported Finch, campaigned for him, gave him money. That’s when we believed in him, before he showed himself to be nothing but a sham and a Calamarian. Remember when he told us he had no respect for Mario and that Sherwood would be the first to go? All lies. We all learned a hard lesson. So give Gomes a break. We all believed in Finch back then. This is a new day.
Grin Reaper // Feb 13, 2011 at 10:54 am
To your posting
Grin
Campaign elections 101
Give a simple answer where it is appropriate.
The answer is no to all your suppositions, but yes to a campaign contribution that not only John Gomes made in an act, originally of trust and belief in Bill Finch, just as I contributed to Bill, as have other potential candidates in this effort to now remove Finch from office.
Also, you do know that John worked very hard for Malloy, he contributed to Malloy’s campaign and he reached out to the Cape Verdean community to vote for Malloy. But the same thing never happened in 2007.
I’m humbled by your assessment that there is so little if any value to my words.
But yes I think you should know today that there will be times I serve as spokesperson.
And we will be doing all we can in this campaign to reach direct to the voters of Bridgeport.
Reaper
Please give the Ripper a call? Thanks.
Lennie, you should list the names of the City Unions in your Name Droppings section. The city unions always lay down & support the incumbent (incompetent) mayor & party nominees. It never fails to piss me off when I see Union endorsements printed, mailed, & paid for with my union dues. After this current pack of lies by Finch about the need for concessions, I hope all the City Unions demand the mayor open the books.
Not all the unions. My wife’s union was one of the ones screwed by Finch. Their members voted to give concessions to save jobs. Now they are fuming over the political hires. I would venture to say that NONE of them will be supporting Bill this time around. They might not be able to campaign in the open but BELIEVE ME, they will do their part behind the scenes to bring this administration DOWN.
Antitesto // Feb 13, 2011 at 11:51 am
To your posting …
AT
Good request … by now we know the books are so cooked, we’ll be in the kitchen a long time undoing the damage to City finances …
Are you ready to help?
Damn exciting time for Bpt political junkies. Like stated above there is no doubt MJF or Gomes will be the next mayor. Like stated above the momentum is there and won’t slow down. In the end MJF will have to go to Gomes and be his CAO. Gomes will have way too many votes on his side while Finch and MJF will split their voters. A great thing for BPT as Gomes will do the right things and MJF will bring in the business bacon. As stated above believe in BPT!!!
Show Me The Money!!!
Carolanne, pick a time & place. Let’s get this Party Started!!!
I’m in also Carolanne, name the time and place.
Antitesto // Feb 13, 2011 at 1:59 pm
To your posting
AT,
What shall we bring to the table for the first meeting? The budgets for three years, the role of the Office of Policy and Management according to the City Charter, the full pension obligation and a report on the audit scheduled for BOE?
Is there anything more critical?
You know I had a great meeting with Jimfox at Bloodroot. Let’s keep up the positive practice. Do you know where the restaurant is located?
Call me if you want …
I know the “study load” is getting heavier but you might also want to find any study of the City retiree healthcare plan funding requirements. Word is this obligation is larger than the pension obligation. Eye-opening for sure!!! Don’t forget to go to the Clerk’s office to get copies of the last three years of auditor letters where they gently and politely point towards areas that need attention (and the taxpayer never hears about this).
Those folks interested might read the City Charter and see how many things are called for that never seem to see the light of day! We may be able to create several new scripts for LAW AND ORDER: SVU where SVU stands for Serious Violations Uncovered!
BEACON2 // Feb 13, 2011 at 6:17 pm
To your posting …
B2,
Get those documents and join us …
CC–Was Jim Fox watching the Henhouse door? 🙂
Bloodroot serves some great Cashew Chili. Although I do hold my nuts when I go in there. They have a book on male castration. I sure hope Gomes will co-op a deal with Mary-Jane.
The Gomes or Foster or combination’s choice of chief of staff will be a hugely important choice this year.
Knowledge of the city personnel along with the tax-draining BOE personnel will be the most important thing in the cleaning of the corruption and slackers.
New hires that are qualified and not politically tied are what Bpt needs and downsizing the city hall staff and BOE suits and ties is necessary.
I agree with Mr BPT that this is exciting for this city and its people.
It was good seeing candidate for mayor John Gomes with his wife at Mount Aery Baptist Church at the 7:45 service this morning and STAYING for the entire service.
What, no Finch at church today? Right, he doesn’t have a prayer come September.
Ron,
Finch is like one of them Southern Baptists. He eats shoots and leaves!
Let’s hope your great congregation does not get bought out by the Moneychangers!
They did receive a $1000.00 donation from “People for Excellence in Government” Mr. & Mrs. PAC-Man & Woman’s favorite candy store cash register!
Someone spotted Rev. Stallworth, Finch and Mario. They were ALL praying! Let’s hope it’s for forgiveness and salvation.
I want my Mary-Jane Foster agenda to show. I am supporting her if she decides to run for sure. She is not a part of the Madison Avenue crowd at all, come on …
As for helping Finch, she did help him you are right and unfortunately he is a huge disappointment. John Gomes also worked on the Finch campaign. He worked hard on the campaign. I don’t know if he raised or donated money to Finch but what does that matter? They are both disappointed in Finch’s failure of leadership. Again, I like John Gomes. He is a good guy, he just doesn’t have enough behind him to win so they should team up and get the city moving in the right direction. I know they get along very well and respect each other. We will see.
RedWhiteandBlue // Feb 13, 2011 at 7:56 pm
To your posting
Rwb,
As you know I spent serious time on the campaign, and I never saw the guy in 2007.
Where did you see him?
Come on Carolanne. He did not get his city job because he owned a deli and worked for Nestles. I know you all want to distance yourselves from Finch, but please. BTW are you always going to speak for Gomes even if he is elected? We know how you feel about subjects but I am not considering voting for you. No insult intended.
town committee // Feb 14, 2011 at 10:22 am
to your posting
I’m not disagreeing about contribution, we all made contributions to Bill. I think I originally agreed with you that contributions came from everyone, many of whom were later betrayed by Finch.
town committee // Feb 14, 2011 at 8:31 am
to your posting
TC,
If John Gomes is elected, he is going to have hundreds of opportunities to speak to the concern, the issues and the joys of this City and her citizens.
If I am able to continue to articulate his message, I would be very pleased to do so. If I am not, I’m sure someone else will be just as committed to his message. Wouldn’t you think?
As you know TC, all the candidates have their spokespersons; it is just a little more difficult to know who they are if they choose anonymity.
The Oracle of Omaha Steaks!
RW&B has no hidden agenda so her/his slip is not showing. He/She is right about Mayor Moonbeam. Finch burned a lot of people at the steak.
His goose is going to be cooked on 09/13/2011 because his job effort has not been well done.
Leaders do the Right Thing and Managers do Things Right. Finch and his Wooden Soldiers can’t lead or manage.
I hope everyone has a nice St. Valentine’s Day because Warren has a Heart-On for all you OIB’ers!
Carolanne, I saw him there. That is how I met him. Never knew John Gomes before the Finch campaign. He was there. He helped on the campaign. I can get very, very specific if you need me to. Otherwise just ask John about it.
RedWhiteandBlue // Feb 13, 2011 at 9:20 pm
To your posting
Yes I would need you to do that … I’m saying something that I believe is true based on all the hours I spent ai HQ in 2007 …
Help me out here …
Wasn’t he working with Andre and Carmen on Bill’s campaign?
Up: You are 100% right and it was Andre who pushed his name forward for the CitiStat job. He also made campaign contributions to Finch’s campaign. Don’t worry Carolanne I am attempting to get that paperwork.
Look there is nothing wrong in contributing to Finch’s campaign back then. It was the only game in town. Who knew he would turn out so bad?
BEACON2,
The issues you cite are far from trivial.
Anyone who wants to lead this city better have the experience and brains to analyze, understand and develop workable solutions to the complex problems that’ve been camouflaged for years.
Transparency needs to replace subterfuge, and competence needs to replace cronyism, as hallmarks of the way Bridgeport is governed. Simply put, we need a new model of leadership if this city is going to move forward.
We need candidates with the experience, character and skills that are seldom found on a Madison Avenue menu of choices. With Gomes and Foster, we’re moving in the right direction.
Bruce Hubler // Feb 13, 2011 at 10:26 pm
To your posting …
Bruce,
And one more thing I believe we agree on, and that is the need for any legitimate candidate to know they cannot be indebted or indentured to the Mario Testa school of politics …
suppress the vote …
hand out jobs …
play games with taxpayer monies …
Carolanne: You are pretty free with the charges so I ask you like you ask others on this blog, where is the proof that Mario 1. Suppressed the vote 2. Played games with taxpayer money and 3. Was your job with the Ganim administration a Mario hand out.
The problems in Bridgeport lie directly with the voters in Bridgeport and the apathy they show (Obama election excepted). The people of Bridgeport just don’t vote and when they do vote it’s for whoever is on the Democratic line. I truly believe you could run Rootie Kazootie on the Democratic line and he would win.
Very well put Bruce!
“Follow the Money,” you have the wrong congregation.
Bloggers and Bpt citizens it starts in your living room, at your church, at your social club, at your veterans meetings; anywhere you congregate tell 10 people who each tell 10 people and that’s how the revolution starts. You owe it to your families, your friends and your Bpt brothers and sisters. FIGHT THE POWER. STAND UP TO THE MACHINE.