Mayor Bill Finch is challenging statements made by Democratic mayoral candidate Mary-Jane Foster concerning the mayor’s commitment to minority contracting. The Mayor’s Office issued this statement Wednesday afternoon:
Correction from Mayor Finch’s Office Regarding Inaccuracies in a Statement Posted on OnlyinBridgeport.com
Today, a statement posted on OnlyinBridgeport.com contained inaccuracies regarding the City of Bridgeport’s enforcement of Minority Business Contracting with respect to the Parks Master Plan.
The City of Bridgeport has a process whereby it seeks Minority Businesses to reply to requests for proposal. In this instance, the City’s request for proposals encouraged Minority Businesses to respond and referred to the fact that they can receive Evaluation Credits (additional points) for doing so. In addition, the request for proposals also invited non-minority firms to joint venture with Minority Businesses in order to receive additional points. It appears that no Minority Businesses submitted their qualifications or proposals and there were no non-MBE firms that submitted proposals as joint ventures with Minority Businesses in connection with the Parks Master Plan proposal process. During the City Council meeting held May 16, a council member raised concern regarding the inclusion of minority vendors in the Parks Master Plan selection process. Unfortunately, a staff member familiar with the selection process was not present to answer the Council’s question and the matter was tabled for that reason.
One of Mayor Finch’s first initiatives implemented when he took office was the creation of the City of Bridgeport’s Small, Minority and Women-Owned Business Resource Office (SMBRO).
The SMBRO has helped small, minority and women-owned businesses in the City thrive. In just three short years, the SMBRO has helped small, minority and women-owned businesses secure more than one-third of all of the City’s prime contracts and nearly three-quarters of the sub-prime contracts.
“Bridgeport is rebuilding and I’m proud to say that much of the work that is being done in our city is coming from mostly Bridgeport-based small, minority and women-owned businesses,” said Mayor Finch. “Much of the success of these businesses is a result of Deborah Caviness’ tireless efforts to educate our small, minority and women-owned businesses and present them with growth and networking opportunities.”
Under the leadership of Ms. Caviness, SMBRO offers small, minority and women-owned businesses with the tools necessary to do business with the City of Bridgeport. Among these resources are workshops, certification programs, and networking events like the Business Expo and Multicultural Marketplace.
Marshan Coleman and Robert McCloud are two of the office’s greatest success stories.
Coleman, of Premiere Construction, Mac LLC, began working with the SMBRO in 2008. The Bridgeport native, who started working in masonry in 1993 as a laborer, has recently experienced extraordinary growth for his business. Coleman saw his business go from $500,000 in contracts his first year of working with the SMBRO to $3 million worth of work this past year, including his first million dollar contract.
“The Mayor and his staff are not just talk. They are serious about helping out small and minority-owned businesses. Without the SMBRO, small and minority businesses might not have the opportunity to compete with the bigger contractors,” said Coleman. “I tell my other contractor friends all the time that they should really take advantage of the services the Deborah and her staff has to offer.”
Among the numerous resources the SMBRO provides is an extensive database of local small, minority and women-owned businesses and sub-contractors. This database gives prime contractors access to hundreds of sub-contractors who are available to meet their hiring needs.
“You cannot put a price on the database and resources that Deborah and her office has developed,” said McCloud, President and CEO of the McCloud Group, a minority-owned firm that recently completed the on-time and on-budget 70,000 square foot Inter-District Discovery Magnet School. “We had 70% minority contractors working on the Discovery project. There’s absolutely no way we would have been able to do that without the help of her office.”
THE NERVE. Did someone hit a nerve?
Nobody has addressed my question which appears later in this post. I have asked Finch to identify just one (1) MBE that has been awarded a city contract or participated in a city contract.
MJF … this is a very good question for you to ask when you debate Finch.
First response seen on here by the Birdman of Bpt, which means all other releases by Foster and Gomes must have been spot on. Bye Bye Birdie.
2011–the Birdman belongs in Alcatraz.
It truly is a hell of a process that brings minority-owned businesses into the bidding process in the City of Bridgeport. I implore his honor (sorry) to demonstrate just one example whereby the diversity vendor program provided meaningful contracts to such certified businesses.
So wrong 2011. That means this one hits him right between the eyes and the only response he can drum up is more half truths.
As I read Ms. Foster’s comments, she acknowledged the success of the school building component. And his rebuttal is to brag on himself about the school building portion.
Ms. Foster must be right on the money about service contracts and Bridgeport businesses. This is obviously where the mayor falls short and where he is open to criticism.
And I would have to agree with the candidate. I cannot recall a single service contract that came before the city council that included an MBE component; especially a Bridgeport-based MBE.
It is nice to encourage this through the bidding process but unless and until the mayor starts rejecting bids and forcing contracts to go out to rebid, all this administration is doing is lip service.
Respond to the criticism, mayor, and do not speak in circles to avoid it.
As a matter of fact, when the city last put out to bid the Bond Counsel contract I was demanding the city force a firm to accept an MBE law firm to partner on the work.
Get a small Bridgeport-based COMPETENT law firm the opportunity to gain some real experience.
The mayor steadfastly refused to insist on this. No matter how big that bond counsel contract was, there was no way the winner was going to let loose a single cent and there was no way the mayor was going to demand it. They went as far as to structure the bid in a manner that for all intents and purposes cut out any minority firms based on their language in the RFP.
So quit hiding behind smoke and mirrors and at least man up and be honest about your intentions, Mr. Mayor.
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Starting a Law Firm | Taxes
When you are starting a law firm there are two things you can be pretty sure of. First, you aren’t going to be making a ton of money your first year. Second, especially if it’s just you, there are going to be basically two line items, income and expenses. Amortization, depreciation, and capital expenditures probably aren’t going to be entering the mix much.
So why make it more complicated than it needs to be? For me, up until this year (2011) I didn’t even use Quickbooks. I just had a spreadsheet. When money came in I noted it. When I paid a bill or incurred an expense I noted it. Then at the end of the year I added it all up and figured out what my tax liabilities were (if any). And there weren’t many.
I haven’t done my taxes for 2010 yet, but I must admit I’m a little bit nervous. I made a little bit of money ($45,000 or so–net), so I know I need to be paying some tax on that. But I don’t know exactly how much. That’s what’s making me nervous. I could end up owing some decent money, which is going to be painful to part with.
This year, in hopes of lessening that burden, I’m putting money away every month into a money market account. I’ll make a little bit of cash on it and then have it available when it’s time to pay Uncle Sam. Better that than to reach the end of the line and realize I don’t have enough to foot the bill.
What are your tax strategies? When do you think it’s time to hire on a CPA to help you out? For me, that’s probably coming up soon. But the thought of it’s a little scary.
Now If I can get that Bond Counsel contract Bob Walsh is taking about, that would be a home run.
Ellsworth Field project was whiter than Casper the Friendly Ghost 🙂
Stafstrom must have been crapping in his thong when you did that.
Well now we know where he got the list of MBE’s for his fundraiser mailing–thank you Deborah Caviness. I’m sure it was her idea to give them discount tickets. Pay to Play.
One thing is confirmed. The Finch administration reads OIB and they are starting to worry about the criticism. Keep it up folks! It’s getting to them.
Let’s take a closer look at the words that are in the Correction from Mayor Finch’s Office Regarding Inaccuracies.
“The City’s request for proposals ENCOURAGED Minority Businesses to respond and referred to the fact that they can receive Evaluation Credits (additional points) for doing so. In addition, the request for proposals also invited non-minority firms to joint venture with Minority Businesses in order to receive additional points. It APPEARS that NO Minority Businesses submitted their qualifications or proposals and there were NO non-MBE firms that submitted proposals as joint ventures with Minority Businesses in connection with the Parks Master Plan proposal process.”
Here we have a program set up to assist Minority Businesses and Mayor Finch can NOT find one company. Here in Bridgeport the population is over 60% black and Latino and this mayor can NOT find Minority Businesses (black, Latino and females) to help rebuild Bridgeport and to tap into those mutli-million dollar contracts? What does Mayor Finch say he is going to do to change these conditions? NOTHING. In fact he is mad that Ms. Foster spoke about the subject. This mayor can NOT take ANY criticism and he wants blacks to think he is doing everything he can as mayor to help the black community but just look at his record and look at his own words in this news release. You would think once Mayor Finch became aware of those deplorable numbers he would get mad and demand something be done, but NOT Mayor Finch.
Ron Mackey,
This is all bullshit. These white-owned businesses are being run by white-owned business MEN who put their businesses in their wives’ name. This is a continuation of the “Good Old Boys” network & we are expected to buy into it. This entire system needs to be investigated by the federal government, and let the guilty be exposed for the whores they are.
Finch, the “Village Idiot,” what did you expect? Seems like every city department is a mess. Tax Collector (paying towing fees for elected crooks), Police Dept. (Deputy Chief under investigation and on Admin. Leave) and the Fire Dept. (two firefighters killed in the line of duty at a room and contents fire). You can’t make this stuff up!
I think McLoud was one of the chairs for the Finch MBE fundraiser this past Monday night.
MBE??? They had the event at the HOLIDAY INN!!!
The silly bastard rebutted MJF with a grandiose announcement that the city has in place an MBE program. Looks like he was unaware absolutely no MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISE was ever given a chance to do work here.
Having the programs in place is one thing; actually encouraging minority-owned businesses to submit their qualifications and making the program work for the people of the city of Bridgeport is another.
The city in the past weeks has hired 8 firms to clean up garbage-strewn vacant lots. There are a number of questions that need to be answered:
1. Was this contract put out to bid?
2. Were any minority firms hired? If so how many?
3. Where did the money come from to pay these vendors?
4. What was the cost of this clean up?
5. Why weren’t city seasonals used to do this work?
I would be willing to bet no minority firms were hired because Finch would have used that in his rebuttal to MJF.
It never stops.
Were these blighted properties, or can anyone get their spring cleanup done by the City? If so, then perhaps the work was done by funds from HUD-CDBG that flowed through the City. Perhaps this was work that the Budget and Appropriations Committee was looking for when they were looking for lists of work (of capital nature as well as currently funded for “my District”). There is obviously a rush of projects coming out of City Hall these days, all to celebrate and point to during photo ops by those currently elected. Do you think the public is not getting wise to the work that is done pre-primary or pre-election?
I am not a prophet but stay tuned for more news coming soon about Bridgeport finances, a minority business owner telling a different story, and the City and legal expenses …
Another victory for the people who live in the area of Seaview Ave. My congrats on hanging tough and making the city do what it supposed to do which is to protect a person’s right to a safe and healthy life.
The city for whatever reason tried to cut a deal with Manny M that would have allowed him to continue dumping debris at his Seaview Ave site through Dec 1 2011. The residents were having none of that BS and shouted down the city attorney.
The day of trial a deal was finally made that stops the dumping now and calls for removal of all debris from the property.
Now we have Mayor Finch sounding like he gives a shit when it was his city attorney’s office that tried to broker a deal that screwed the residents and helped the contractor. Here is what Finch said:
“‘Today’s decision brings to an end a long, complicated legal process that began when our Zoning officials first issued a cease and desist order in November 2006 to get Mark IV Construction to stop what was viewed by all as an illegal use of their site off Seaview Avenue in the City’s East End,’ said Mayor Bill Finch.”
This guy kills me; he says viewed by all as an illegal use of their site!!! Yeah, all but your city attorney’s office.
What projects did the City get that had federal and state funding that REQUIRED Minority Businesses to be a part of the building and funding procedure in order to receive those federal and state money? Were laws violated? Who got those contracts?
*** TIT FOR TAT, NO? ***