Newton Faces House On Sunday

The project a few of us undertook with seriousness last year was “Budget Oversight Bridgeport–2011” that we called: “B.O.B.–2011” or B.O.B. as a simpler and friendlier name for the community to understand. One or more of us attended every meeting scheduled to listen to Budget departments present their annual request. We intended to observe the functioning of our fiscal watchdogs.

We could listen only. There is a rule prohibiting public comment at Budget and Appropriation meetings all year long. That is a rule of the Common Council and/or their committee system. (It is a rule that does not serve the City particularly well if voters listening to current process have more training, greater understanding, or more specific information than Committee members appointed by their President, who is a City employee and obvious member of the City administrative cabinet.) In such ways, the City currently provides that which the B&A eats and drinks as City watchdogs! They are on a restricted diet, that robs them of full protective instincts for the City $. Their schedule limits a full exercise of their responsibility and authority per the Charter and their own budget. They have lost the necessary spirit and ability of watchdogs, to bark when they see danger. And a good watchdog barks, loud and clear, except when the master appears! Do you see our current picture?

With more than one year of attending B & A meetings and watching them go from many scheduled but not held sessions and failure to receive ‘monthly reports’ because Finance failed to produce ‘monthly’ reports 12 months of the fiscal year, I can state without reservation these 7 appointed Council persons are not in any way an adequate check and balance to a sitting Mayor and his financial advisers regarding financial oversight.

They are not watchdogs. They are lapdogs. It is good when a B&A member ask questions. I encourage that. But think about those questions asked. Last Monday evening, one B&A member called to consider authorizing $60 Million of bond refunding and $110 Million of tax anticipation notes (TANs), asked “What are TANs?” Consider what is not put in writing to this group and what fails to reach them for study before a session? Consider what is routinely not written up as pros and cons of a recommendation with recent history noted and helpful necessary background, that could go into the minutes for public info? Consider when questions are asked, and a City director does not have the info at hand (last year’s interest rates on similar instruments compared to what is estimated this year), the B&A vote still goes forward with a promise the info will flow later. But that info will not get into any public record available later nor allow a change of vote, if necessary. If any such info is important enough to ask, it is important enough to have in hand as part of the public record before voting, I suggest. That would be a watchdog position, but not that of a lapdog.

Look at the City Council members of the past 20 years. How many of them have been capable of understanding the budgets they voted upon allowing the City unrestricted fund balance to decline to where it sags today, of no practical use to the City? What mechanisms or structural improvements have they urged upon B&A to deal with year-’round study of the ongoing financial condition of the City,which is what a real financial oversight structure would be busy about, month in and month out?

Perhaps the existence of such a Finance Board function, that allows no City employee to be a member per CT statute, would have called attention to the financial dysfunction in the City of BOE reporting and watchdogging there. The BOE budget has been part of the City’s presented budget paperwork. A Finance Board, not conflicted by holding a City job, might just have been independent enough to cut through the difficulties and frustrations at the BOE for years, to question the City flat-funding of education for four years, to reach out to the BRBC and State regarding moving the multi-year audit to public conclusion, and assure rating agencies there is a quality process with qualified, experienced and independent taxpayer voters, open to listening to the public, and focused on delivering adequate finances for administration priorities, but dedicated to curbing inefficiency and waste in City finances where they discover it.

Perhaps the Charter Review Commission should be considering a Board of Finance in Bridgeport rather than a differently constituted Board of Education? The Acting Education Superintendent, Paul Vallas, promises to be ACCOUNTABLE, to use information and data to prove positive change. That would be a different experience in Bridgeport, wouldn’t it? What if there were a group with appropriate talent who opened up the financial data in similar fashion as a Financial Board with the power to ‘drill down’ the way Vallas has to come up with a budget for the current year against resistance in all areas and what if they were truly accountable in similar fashion to the Vallas promise? How would that compare to our experience of Mayor Finch’s claimed ACCOUNTABILITY on education or on finances???

More authority and power as the Mayor is seeking will do nothing for Bridgeport in getting this Mayor or any future Mayor to be ACCOUNTABLE. The powers granted may give more authority, or formal responsibility, but that is not the same as ACCOUNTABLE! Perhaps if people understood how seriously impaired is the current taxpayer voter in this City with receiving regular, accurate, adequate and meaningful financial data on all fronts (budgets, balance sheets, financial agreements and assumptions regarding obligations as part of the public record), the sitting Charter Review group might produce something of lasting value for the whole City. Time will tell.

Two more sessions on “Bridgeport Finance 101-102” with new slides produced to respond to audience suggestions. Tuesday, February 21, 2012 6:00 PM at Black Rock Library and Saturday February 25, 2012 at Burroughs Saden – Main Library downtown at 2:00 PM. Come, listen, ask questions. We practice OPEN, ACCOUNTABLE and TRANSPARENT.