Seniors love to vote. In this day and age relative to schmoozing voters with birthday wishes that would be 60 and up. Hey, Mayor Bill Finch is just a few years from turning 60 years young. Maybe he’ll send himself a card. CT Post reporter Brian Lockhart has more.
The late comedian George Carlin had his own way of coping with turning 60 years old. “That’s 16 Celsius,” Carlin quipped.
In Bridgeport, it’s now the age at which residents can count on a no-frills, city-printed and funded birthday card bearing the signature of Mayor Bill Finch.
The Democratic administration this fall began producing and mailing birthday greetings to roughly 17,000 residents turning 60 and older, at an estimated cost of around $8,000 a year.
Read more here.
0
I love my mother’s comment. I could be biased.
Tacky.
I think it was a nice gesture by the Finch Administration, but like my mother stated, $8,000 could be better spent. Maybe each councilmen should spend their stipend for cards in their district if they believe it is well spent. It is not necessary to spend taxpayers’ money for such an unnecessary expense. Jehovah Witnesses would not appreciate it and as my mother said, she appreciates cards from friends and loved ones, the card from the city I am sure would be appreciated and then become garbage and I am not so sure the Green Mayor needs to waste paper and create any more garbage than the largest city in the state already generates. I do believe it was a kind gesture and now end it before it becomes an issue.
Does it come with an absentee ballot inside?
This must have been approved by the last Council. Regrettable! I am confounded, is Bridgeport in financially bad shape or do we really have $8,000 to blow? Shame on the mayor and the Council that approved this.
It’s called campaign puffery at taxpayer expense.
*** I would have to agree with Mr. Torres, this type of spending behavior is just a small part of the reason the city’s always in the “red” when it comes to the budget. This money should come from a candidate’s personal or party’s political fund-raising account where monies from personal donations and other avenues of political interest have been collected; not from average taxpayers who could care less about getting a birthday card from the Mayor who continues to raise taxes and overall city service fees like park stickers, meter parking, permits, etc. … all under the empty promises of future savings from new economic developments, think green ideas and better education for the kids! I wonder, under which dept line item this money is located and comes from. *** WHAT A WASTEFUL B-DAY, NO? ***
My mother was flabbergasted to receive a card from Finch this year. He is also sending out personal invitations to senior center events. Those mailings are likely not included in the $8K. The list is the same, though. Is that another $8K per event?
At $100 a pop, $8k could have paid for 80 high school textbooks.
FYI, a City employee just emailed me: “Almost forgot I was told today that about half of the Bday cards were returned because of incorrect addresses.”