Yup, there’s something of a blizzard out there today, but I’m wondering how deep the financial drifts will be when Mayor Bill Finch submits his budget to the City Council early next month.
City budget planners Tom Sherwood, Andy Nunn and Michael Feeney are reviewing department head requests, examining expenses, revenues and tax collection rates. I don’t envy them in this economic climate.
I’m thinking the budget that Finch submits will be something of a leap of faith. It’s impossible, more so in these uncertain financial times, to nail down revenues versus expenditures when the Connecticut Legislature will not complete business until June and the status of stimulus money is in question. Where is it going? Who’s getting it? In what form?
And whom among the city’s eight-strong legislative delegation can Finch count on to shepherd through the city’s needs in Hartford? Three of them are new. In defense of them what can you really expect as they learn the ways of the legislature? The most senior member State Rep. Chris Caruso was Finch’s Democratic primary opponent in 2007 and could be again in 2011.
State Senator Ed Gomes also hasn’t had a strong relationship with Finch. State Rep. Andres Ayala seems to be building respect in Hartford, but how much can one person do? Always works better when the delegation is pulling in the same direction.
That’s why it’s key for the mayor to maintain a strong relationship with Governor Rell (he seems to be doing better there) and legislative leadership. The regional sewage treatment entity Finch is trying to build with Trumbull and Monroe to bolster the city’s fund balance, if created, will not likely benefit the city budget until 2010.
The good news is the council’s budget-making process will take two months. Looks like the mayor will spend lots of time in Hartford this budget cycle.
Steve Sasala
Steve Sasala was one of the good guys in Bridgeport city government when he served as planning director, chief of staff to Mayor Tom Bucci and then as budget director in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Sasala wasn’t a politician, although he wasn’t so stubbornly against pols that he couldn’t make a pragmatic decision to keep government moving forward. In the aftermath of Bucci declaring the city broke and needing a state bailout in 1988, it was Sasala he brought in as chief of staff to serve as the tough medicine in the city budget, reel in political supporters, implement cuts and consolidation of city departments and help Bucci stay focused on the single most important thing in government–the budget.
To some, as one government worker observed years ago, Sasala was a cross between a land mine and a gold mine. He was creative, ego driven, mentally tough and so consumed with streamlining government he wasn’t always sure what political toes he’d chop off. In the end, Sasala helped to restore sanity in the budget-making process until he was dismissed by Mary Moran, who had defeated Bucci in 1989, early in her two-year administration.
Sasala moved on to running county governments in New Jersey for about a decade until he was appointed head of the Waterbury Chamber of Commerce. He took heat for working out an arrangement with Waterbury city government to provide an economic development job for former Governor John Rowland.
But to Sasala’s way of thinking, Rowland was respected in Waterbury’s business community and could build bridges for future development in the former governor’s home city.
Sasala died over the weekend after a long bout with cancer. He was a friend to me and the city. See services www.rep-am.com/obituaries/400749.txt
I am sick and tired of hearing how many new Representatives and senators we have. Look Caruso as you correctly point out has a ton of seniority but he has managed to piss everyone in Hartford off.
We do have Hennessy who has been around for a couple of terms. It is time for him to produce something. If he is going to Hartford just to go to Hartford please resign.
Here is one that no one mentions, Don Clemons. He has been around for more than a few terms and yet he has produced nothing (oh yeah money to repair the fire house). He is too busy being a member of the black caucus to bring any funds to Bpt.
Grogins time for her to put up (not out) and live up to her campaign promise of getting more funds than Keeley.
Gomes he is in his 2nd or 3rd term and has yet to bring much back. You would think that with his line of BS he could get funds for Bridgeport.
Santiago is still trying to program his GPS so he can find the state office building and get there on time.
Ayala I expect a lot from him because he knows how to get things done when he is not fighting with family members.
So as you can see we are screwed.
Virtually all of the elected officials from Bridgeport are regarded as inept at best, clowns at the worst, sometimes both at once: inept clowns. With all respect due Mr. Caruso, he’s pissed off any and everyone that could do good for the city of Bridgeport. The freshmen representing Bridgeport are universally self-interested: me first, my career, my future. Anthony Musto is more interested in his expensive wardrobe, perfectly coiffed hair and studio tan than doing anything for the common good of the people of the city of Bridgeport. Auden Grogins is focused on a judicial appointment, becoming a superior court jurist just like daddy. All that stump speech talk about lower taxes and improved education was just so much bovine fecal matter. Mr. Musto and Ms. Grogins, feel free to contradict my observations with some quantifiable hard work on behalf of the people of the city of Bridgeport. WE elected you, not the corrupt political organization that endorsed your candidacies. (And it is a corrupt organization, solely concerned with its own interests which only collate with the interests of the people of the city of Bridgeport by mere coincidence.)
I, too, expect a lot from Mr. Ayala. He’s carved a niche for himself without much help from the DTC. I expect even more from Jim Himes. He funded his own campaign, a fact that will hold to a minimum the glad-handers knocking on his door looking for a “favor.”
I do believe that with Barack Obama in the White House, there will be more unity of purpose in American political science. Conservative ideology has been proven to be a failure, like Marxism/Leninism. People want to own stuff, y’know? People want to succeed. The haves are so paranoid about the erosion of their culture and way of life that they will do anything to prevent the have-nots from getting a seat at the dinner table. All of that talk about the GOP being “a big tent” was just a lot of bullshit. The Democratic Party, at the the national level at least, is not a unified ideology so much as it is a collection of common goals and needs. If conservative fiscal policy was allowed to continue, for example, the economy would be declining on a much steeper angle. As it is several months will pass before the economy is stimulated.
The fact that people want to own stuff is what got the housing mortgage industry in trouble in the first place. Dodd and Franks believed that everyone should own their own homes no matter what. Mortgages were given to people that had no real possibility of paying for their mortgages. The people loaning the money knew these people could not afford these mortgages but they loaned it anyway. They then bundled up these mortgages and everyone except the mortgagee made money.
Having said that I do believe that people should have a decent place to live, if it’s an apartment so be it.
I will tell you I am tired of paying for the bankers, the car companies and the people in foreclosure. What about the people that played by the rules? The ones that took a mortgage they could afford, did not buy new cars and paid their bills. It seems the Obama team is rewarding failure.
Is the Obama team rewarding failure? The Bush Lite administration ought to be lumbered with more than a little blame for the current fiscal crisis (and it is a crisis). It was the administration of George W. Bush (lite) that relaxed regulatory oversight of the mortgage industry. This relaxation, really an elimination, of oversight is what allowed predatory lenders to con the unsuspecting into mortgages that they’d only be able to afford ’til the APR reset. All these parasitic lenders cared about was a commission. The mortgages were then bundled together as ‘securities’ which were sold to purchasers as smart investments. The bank bailout started on Bush’s watch; Obama’s administration has to deal with the after-effects of an unregulated “stimulus.” (The banks are keeping the money, so no one is winning.)
Philistine of the week …?
Rush Limbaugh
Wondering, I am laughing my ass off on your first post. You hit it dead on. Grogins’ efforts of getting a property tax freeze and a homestead exemption would really piss Finch off. He can’t afford either now and that legislation would just rub it in his face, and make the $600 dollar tax refund even more of a joke. I suspect Grogins did not run that by him first. He knew there was no exemption when he ran on that $600 cut. Just more deception from his “trusted” advisers. Santiago can’t show up at his City-paid job, let alone find Hartford. Keeley wasn’t the best legislator in the House, but he was best for Bridgeport. Finch’s advisers were once again going for the knife, and ended up stabbing themselves in the chest. It was so stupid to go after him. They cut off their nose to spite their face, revenge, revenge, revenge! So what else is new? If Finch has any hope of regaining the people’s trust he needs to get rid of Stafstrom and Wood. Maybe he’ll wake up one day and remember he’s the Mayor, not deadwood or Sissystrom. Otherwise he and his staff will be collecting unemployment.
“One Term Bill” has about as much depth as a rain puddle; only got elected ’cause Johnny Fabs shot his political self in the foot. This is a transitional mayoralty.
Something good is happening in Bridgeport. Anyone note the number of individuals getting busted on narcotics charges lately? Cleaning up the town, making it safe (and more attractive) for potential investors. Think that’s “One Term” Bill Finch’s doing? Nah. Check the news accounts: mostly federal law enforcement. Think Obama and Himes had anything to do with it? Probably.
Bridgeport Kid; It did start with Bush, no doubt. When there was an attempt to tighten the regulations on Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac it was stopped by the efforts of Dodd and Frank.
I don’t think Obama knows where Bridgeport is and I know Himes has trouble finding areas of the city. It was just good old-fashioned police work that led to those busts. Look Obama is a hell of a speaker and he has turned Washington on its ear but he is not the second coming of Jesus. Time will tell if his programs work, time will tell.
No, Obama ain’t the Second Coming. There will always be conservative extremists, slavish followers of political ideology that is more or less out of line with reality. Rush Limbaugh signed a contract worth $400 million over several years and all he has ever done is preach to a choir of pseudo-conservatives, most of whom don’t realize or don’t want to recognize that Mr. Limbaugh is just another shock jock on the radio. The only difference between him and Howard Stern is regulation–Stern is on satellite, so he has none.
*** Bpt. P/D came along for the ride with Finch or Himes knowing nothing of the sort? Too many anglos dying in bedroom communities on puro poppy powder & causing a shitload of paperwork @ the State Coroner’s Office without any associated arrest to follow? In these economic times, special crime units need to show progress or get downsized or even disbanded altogether. This recession has no limits concerning the 5 W’s of its effects on everything in general as we know it! *** It’s going to get worse before it gets better, especially in Bpt. ***
Yesterday was an interesting day seeing parts of Bridgeport that many folks never see …
Was awakened by the attendant at Bridgeport Rescue Mission promptly at 6:30 AM. Pulled on my slacks and shirt(s), brushed my teeth, ran a comb through my hair, headed downstairs for a breakfast of French toast, bacon, coffee. Brushed teeth again. After commiserating with a few of my homeless brethren about Sunday being the longest day of the week for the itinerant I headed off to the Faith Gospel Assembly Church, 407 Lafayette Street on the corner of Gregory for “second breakfast” (as it is referred to by hobbits and homeless people). A real old-fashioned Southern breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, sausage, grits, a fish cake, coffee and orange juice. The deacons preparing breakfast were playing gospel music tapes on an ancient boom box, lo-fi but high in spirit. The music was infectious in its rhythms and its message of hope.
The church is in a funky old clapboard building in a urbanely funky old neighborhood near the UB campus. I wanted to stay for services but they were using the room for Bible study so we had to leave. Restlessness eventually got the better of me and I wandered off with a few others to the I-95 overpass on State Street. A couple of the guys had some weed so a blunt was rolled and we indulged. That was good, that was good, I needed that, like Hai Karate. There were a couple of women there passing out bread and pastries, so I took some. This sort of diet explains why so many homeless people look well fed: it’s all of those carbohydrates and sugar. (All of the nonprofit agencies feeding the homeless in Bridgeport pass out bread: The staff of life fends off demon hunger pangs.) One of my associates, Dave W., had a digital camera and took some pics of the multitude gathered under the bridge. We talked about ghost stories and urban legends; the photographs were storyboard work for a film he’s planning to make about the homeless in Bridgeport.
After a while the Salvation Army turned up with soup, lasagna and sausage and peppers. I passed on the faux Italian grub–it was cold and I had no hat or gloves. The overpass protected us from the winter precipitation but not from the biting winds of March so I made my way to the bus terminal. It was a ferocious walk, into the wind all the way down John Street. I crossed Water Street to the overhead walkway between the train station and the bus terminal. With an extra fifty pounds of worldly possessions on my back and shoulder it was a tortuous climb up the stairs but worth it; at least I was out of the wind. I found a bench in the terminal, sat down, removed my jacket and scarf, and absorbed the warmth. After the shivering stopped I pulled out a spiral-bound notebook and recorded the morning’s experience. When a man has nothing but words there is nothing else to do but write.
Has anyone seen a snow plow? The last time one passed by my house was 3 AM. We got the plow down the middle of the street treatment. Nothing since. I am waiting for the traditional pile of snow that will be in front of my driveway after they plow. I would like to get it done before night.
Lennie,
Steve Sasala’s candor, experience and professionalism helped Tom Bucci to overcome many of his own mistakes and to begin to get the City’s fiscal health in order. That candor didn’t sit well with Bucci’s successor Mary Moran (nor, in fairness, would it have with Joe “my way” Ganim) who wanted city officials to validate her half-baked political ideas. Sasala, who could have kept his job by spouting the Mayor’s line and adopting her budget gimmicks, refused to play ball and walked away instead.
Now there is an idea, a budget official who put honesty and professionalism ahead of self-preservation. It would never happen today.