The community action group Citizens Working 4 a Better Bridgeport has launched a web petition opposing Mayor Bill Finch’s proposed $520 million budget currently under review by the City Council. The petition urges the city’s legislative body to hold the line on taxes.
The petition states:
“We are strongly opposed to Mayor Finch’s proposed city budget. We are also opposed to any budget that would increase total property tax burdens. We urge the City Council to cut spending by the amount necessary to ‘hold the line’ on property taxes.”
The petition comes one day after the council’s Budget and Appropriations Committee received an earful at a public hearing on the proposed spending plan that calls for a 2.5 mil increase representing a roughly $400 tax hike for the average homeowner. See the petition page here.
Come on Black Rock, you voted for the city council people and now you want to change them? IT’S ONLY A 6% TAX INCREASE.
We need to get beyond this Black Rock vs. the rest of the city thing. Taxes rise and everybody, everybody loses. Bridgeport is made up largely of middle-class, hard-working people. They get hurt, the poor get hurt and so do the rich. Enough. There were people from all over the city at the Council hearing–everyone is going to get hurt. Time to put up or shut up. Sign and circulate the petitions, show up at City Hall, tell your City Council members you are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore and let’s get this done. Would we really lie down and let the Finch administration roll over us??? Not the Bridgeport I know.
*** Petitions to the City Council for a call for action against higher taxes, etc. really fall on deaf ears when 50% of the City Council members don’t have a budget clue, 25% should recuse themselves because they’re city employees (conflict of interest) and the remaining 25% don’t have enough backing (thus votes) to make a major difference concerning the proposed Mayor’s budget! So being a local elections year, reviewing and making some suggestions concerning the budget, then returning it back to the Mayor with a “no contest” vote by the B&A Committee is an option that really puts the good, bad and the ugly budget blame right back in the Mayor’s lap! After the elapsed time, the entire City Council can vote “no” on the budget and mil rate hike. Using a political trump card during this budget season on an elections year with a proposed Mayor’s budget that leaves you as a city representative “damned if you do and damned if you don’t,” seems like not a bad idea, no? *** WHAT SAY YOU OIB READERS? ***
You have expressed this idea several times, Mojo. It certainly is a course of action with which you can be familiar as a former Council person.
Perhaps you ought to appear at the next HEARING and recommend it to them. Share with them how this escapes the heavy lifting some feel inclined to show the public. Share with them how this provides cover for the half who do not come to these hearing with any regularity waiting until the end when they get the word on how to vote, obviously.
So how does “leadership” of attorney McCarthy make this suggestion less likely? Giving you a chance to demonstrate how truly clever and realistic your idea may be. Time will tell.
A funny thing happened when I went to tonight’s B & A meeting, which was supposed to cover Financial Dept. There were no council people there. There was no sign saying the meeting was cancelled. Great way to treat the public. Probable reason for no meeting was no quorum.
Could it be the council was at a training session? Sue Brannelly was at charm school, Silva and DePara were learning to say NO. Howard Austin was learning the route to city hall and my all-time favorite Lydia Martinez was learning how to get absentee ballots without getting caught.
Old Sue is going to spit the bit on this Budget. This November I’m voting anybody but Sue!
ACF … thanks for the reminder of those absentee ballots. It was reported some time ago about the ballot investigation against Lydia and thus far I have not seen an update on that issue. Does anyone know what happened/outcome of the investigation?
Rumor has it Lydia Martinez is now the proud owner of a city job or one with the BOE. I am trying to track that down.