Gardner: I’m Your Man, No Strings Attached

Brain-rich, cash-poor Howard Gardner, a member of the Board of Education, will make a formal announcement for mayor Monday evening, promising “A man you can trust.” A successful entrepreneur, Gardner has raised little money, according to his recent campaign finance report filing. What’s the point of his run? More from Gardner in a news release:

Howard Gardner, an elected member of the Bridgeport Board of Education and a Democrat, will kick-off his campaign for Mayor of Bridgeport at a rally at 7.p.m. Monday (July 20) at M. White Lounge, 2288 Fairfield Ave, Bridgeport, CT. The event is free and open to the public.

Gardner, a Bridgeport resident for 52 years, has 27 years of corporate leadership experience in information technology, engineering and construction consulting and is the recipient of numerous community service awards in the City. He attended Bridgeport schools and graduated from Fairfield Prep before getting several college degrees.

While Gardner does not have a funding war chest to rival other announced candidates, he boldly has asked the Democratic Town Committee for its endorsement and has been interviewed for consideration by members of the DTC when it votes Tuesday, July 21.

Gardner’s campaign slogan is }A man you can trust–No strings attached.” He aims to win the Democratic primary election Sept. 16th by differentiating himself from other announced candidates who have run for Mayor before. He is telling his supporters that he has no past connections and is not beholding to powerful political or business leaders within the Democratic Party who have influenced the choice for City Hall in recent years.

“I seek nothing more for myself if I win this election other than to improve the opportunities and quality of life for every citizen of this City from our pre-schoolers to our seniors. I promise a level playing field for all those who will develop our empty lots with affordable houses or fill our build-ready industrial lands with factories, facilities to promote healthy people like medical office parks around our hospitals, indoor soccer fields and tracks to promote healthy bodies, and more. I will see to it that our local minority and small business developers and contractors are able to fairly compete so they can hire local workers for more of Bridgeport’s jobs.”

Gardner says that those running for Mayor now have no incentive to bring the kind of real change that Bridgeport needs. “For the average resident of Bridgeport, the system is broken. If we elect others who are running for Mayor, what will change for our poorest and the many and very diverse minority citizens?” Gardner campaign volunteer Angel Reyes, a small business owner in Bridgeport, says,”It is time for Bridgeport to have a “Minority Mayor!”