OIB commenters John Marshall Lee (BEACON2) and Andy Fardy (town committee) aren’t bashful about sharing city budget items that get under their skin. Lee says some pols have a funny definition of “open, accountable and transparent” or OATs. Sometimes OATs must be force fed. Lee and Fardy have attended dozens of city budget meetings, scoured the city’s spending document, reviewed hundreds of pages of associated costs. Now they want you to know what they see as waste and inefficiency of your money. What’s the best place to do this? A library, of course. Thursday, 6:30 p.m. at the Black Rock branch, 2705 Fairfield Avenue, they’ll make a presentation.
Lee and Fardy are a tandem of contrast: Lee, methodical, analytical, probing (insurance guys are like that); Fardy, fiery, noisy, interrogating (retired arson investigators are like that). Lee is like the warm, chatty uncle. Fardy is a fire-breathing dragon. Lee is a natty version of Columbo. Fardy is Dirty Harry. Both seek budgetary justice. Interestingly, many of the folks they claim as unresponsive and unaccountable will receive the oath of office at City Hall while they make their presentation at the library. From the library:
Bridgeport – City Budgets and Balance Sheets: 101 (a view from the “cheap seats” as a taxpayer …)
Civic leaders often use words like ‘open, accountable, transparent’ (O.A.T.) to characterize their activities and processes. However, when you follow the money processes (according to the Charter, City ordinances, or best practices in ‘top-rated’ communities) that are frequently hidden from view, you may question whether O.A.T.s is an accurate description in Bridgeport.
This is a one-hour primer for curious taxpayers and voters who believe in fiscal “checks and balance,” timely and informed oversight and competent watchdogs over City fiscal processes and purchases. Presenters attended the 2011 City Budget and Appropriation hearings and believe that added public knowledge of and participation in the money process (aside from paying property taxes) can reduce waste and inefficiency, focus dollars on priorities, and develop a healthy community dialogue.
Time for Q & A.
John Marshall Lee and Andrew Fardy will be the presenters.
Lennie, you are too kind with your comments about Andy Fardy (town committee) when you said, “Fardy, fiery, noisy, interrogating (retired arson investigators are like that). Fardy is a fire-breathing dragon. Fardy is Dirty Harry.” Just don’t call him short.
Thanks, Ron. BTW Happy Holidays to you and yours.
It doesn’t matter what methods Lee and Fardy use–as long as the methods are upper hand and transparent!
Lennie,
Thank you for presenting our Library talk on Thursday evening. After several years of looking into Bridgeport’s financial status (and how we have arrived at where we are), Andy and I have organized our findings, observations, facts and an occasional opinion into a broadly outlined and easy to understand basic primer on Bridgeport Finances.
I am not sure exactly what lisawhite means by “upper hand and transparent,” perhaps she would care to comment on that? And would the opposite be “lower hand and opaque?” Methods are important, certainly. Integrity and honesty are also of critical importance in serving the public.
We can tell you that reading budget documents over the past 2-3 years, City Charter and ordinances, and Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and auxiliary letters (but not the auditor’s Management Letter) and attending numerous City meetings that involve financial issues are the basis of most of this seminar. And this is a first pass on the material in question. Connecting the dots is not so easy and assistance in seeing the bigger picture is resisted in many places in City government.
Andy and I figure when we have presented this outline, members of the audience will have many questions. We encourage questions and hope there will be additional people asking questions and seeking answers this year as we approach budget hearing season. It may also occur to some students of Bridgeport governance to make proposals for our Council persons to address regarding alternative and fairer ways to get to “good government,” efficient services and lower taxes ultimately for resident homeowners.
The public has a better right to know what is going on around money matters than is currently available. Questions to Council members deserve answers, inquiries on Pension matters or auditor comments should not require Freedom of Information letters that are not attended to in a timely manner by City legal process, and I expect the City should live up to its own documents more completely than it does currently. Time will tell.
To BEACON2: What I meant is for you and Andy Fardy to do the opposite of what the present powers that be are doing: bring things out in the open, making them clear (i.e. be transparent) in a manner that is entirely opposite of what the present administration is doing. Upper hand is probably the wrong phrase–what I mean to say is to present these facts in a way that is the opposite of the underhanded way the present administration does things …
Wonderful things are going to be brought forth at the Library. However, those being installed into their elective offices couldn’t care less and have no reason to respond. What is needed is term limits and accountability, and neither will happen in Bridgeport.
*** Will it be based on facts or opinions? Seems like water under the bridge, no? However if it generates interest by taxpayers in the city’s budget process then it’s more than worth it! ***
Mojo,
Thank you for your inquiry. The presentation is strong and deep on facts. You can form your own opinions or revise your current ones based on this attempt at looking at the way Bridgeport handles money.
You use the term “water under the bridge” that suggests either the movement of the tides twice daily, or a river system where the flow is from higher ground to lower ground. If the City needs tax money in coming years to fund its operation and capital expenditures, then budgets will indicate on whose shoulders the obligations rest!
That’s future water from a system that is practically unchecked currently … and that is my opinion. Come see the facts and determine whether the story is past or present or future … or possibly all of these currently evolving to less and less public input! Time will tell.