It’s a leap year, right? On Monday, the tacked-on last day in February, the City Council’s Contracts Committee followed by the full legislative body will take up the “Proposed Contract for Professional Services” with Joe Gaudett who is planning to resign as chief to accept another position within the police department allowing Mayor Joe Ganim to start the process to choose a chief of his own. Critics of the move argue city officials are leaping right over the city’s bidding process.
CT Post reporter Brian Lockhart has more on this:
The bidding process can be circumvented but, according to statutes, mainly for emergencies or when only one bidder can be identified “through reasonable efforts.”
[…]
“Chances are it’s probably going to be approved,” said Councilman Jack Banta, a Contracts Committee chairman. “I spoke to the chief. He was happy with it. I spoke to the administration. They’re happy with it. Let’s just get some closure here and move on.”But critics said the council needs to slow down and ask more questions.
“At least play by the rules,” said ex-Councilman Robert Walsh. “This is just a political runaround that is being proposed.”
Philip Smith, a rare Republican in Democrat-dominated Bridgeport, has overseen charter revisions for a handful of ex-mayors, including during Ganim’s first tenure from 1991 to 2003.
“This political deal is bad policy, legally suspect and fiscally irresponsible,” Smith wrote in a letter to Council President Thomas McCarthy, listing several reasons it should be rejected.
Full story here.
R Christopher Meyer, please take a refresher course in Law 101.
Councilman Jack Banta said, a Contracts Committee chairman. “I spoke to the chief. He was happy with it. I spoke to the administration. They’re happy with it. Let’s just get some closure here and move on.” Wait a minute, that’s not the standard for passing something, is it legal and does it comply with the City Charter. This sounds like a Mark Anastasi product.
I’ve known Jack for years, but I respectfully disagree with his observations on why this will be approved. Brother Banta, your allegiance and due diligence should be to your constituents and the residents of Bridgeport, not to some self-serving police chief and to this or any other administration. Bridgeport deserves better than that mindset, which is what it has been getting for decades from its elected officials.
The Mayor of East Bridgeport continues his relentless campaign to reward the Bridgeport Police Union. If not ONE SINGLE COUNCILPERSON on the puppet City Council can stand and say NO, it shows Ganim and Company have no idea what good governance is, and if they know the difference, they have decided to choose the road to bad governance.
Say “no” to what? Replacing a worthless and useless leader. He who was puppeteered by Finch for years. Who allowed crime to go through the roof and then lied to the public about it to cover Finch’s buttocks. The folks in blue have no faith in their current supposed leader and the public suffers. Put the blame where it lies, with Finch. He screwed the city over knowing he himself was getting rid of Gaudett had he won. And he claims to love Bridgeport. I love you so much, I’m going to put you on the hook for this loser’s next five years. Ha ha suckers, and good luck is what he said on his way out!
I am not going to discuss things with an alias, especially with an alias who sounds like a parrot of Chuck Paris.
Oh Phantom, I’m sorry Bill and Gaudett hurt your feelings.
Obviously, since you don’t give a rat’s ass about how much this will cost, you are not a Bridgeport taxpayer.
But if the boys in blue are happy, that’s all that matters.
Grow up, Phantom. Act like a man and not a pouting little boy.
… says the man who sat on the council and did jack squat except for pouting like the old washed-up fart he is. Now he spends his time trolling this site and still pouting over stuff he couldn’t get done because he was a complete jackass with no friends. If you’re so damned smart, why not run for the council again? That’s right, two problems. No balls and no chance!
Coming from the Phantom I will take all of that as a compliment because he is constantly proving he doesn’t know shit about what he is talking about.
I am sure there are those in the administration and the police union who would like to see the Police Chief fired at will. But neither the Charter nor state law allows that to happen.
You are a fucking jerk and have no balls. Phil Smith is one of the brightest people on this blog and knows the charter inside and out. You are typical of many of today’s cops. I am wearing blue, you need to kiss my ass.
Let me tell you something, you may or may not wear a badge but we won’t know because you suffer from NBA. You couldn’t make a pimple on a good cop’s ass. There are no sides Finch or Gaudett, you moron. Finch is gone and so will be Gaudett so what’s your lame post.
… Says the the other old useless fart. When you were on the FD, you couldn’t solve an arson if you yourself started the fire. Andy, you’re a never was so please go back to watching reruns of Murder, She Wrote. By the way, when does your Klan membership card expire?
When you membership in the Aryan Brotherhood expires. Well I would say a 57 solve rate and 100% conviction rate is pretty good. You were probably one of the little darlings setting these fires. BTW I did not know Murder, She Wrote was still on TV, thanks.
Are you a Gaudett or Finch mouthpiece?
Get rid of the alias and show who you are.
BOO HOO.
Wow. Only 57 percent and that excites you. Do you want a medal or a chest to pin it on?
What have you done of any substance except hide behind a fake name? Phantom, that’s too bad, you have no career and nobody cares what you do.
My opinion of Jack Banta diminishes more each day he is on the council.
First and foremost, what are the rules? The Contracts Committee should not even be considering a contract that is not signed off on by the Purchasing Agent for the city of Bridgeport. That the contract was properly put out to bid and the individual was the lowest bidder or in a graded RFP/RFQ he was selected as the most qualified. And the Purchasing Agent should appear before the council to attest to these facts.
The more I read and hear about this the more I recall Manny’s driveway. Supposedly, the City Attorney told the Airport Manager (although nothing in writing), due to the circumstances the Airport Manager could skip bidding and select whomever he wanted to do the work.
And lo and behold the taxpayers found out too late we got ripped off.
Is this part of the legacy you want to leave behind, Councilman Banta?
Now since the Mayor and Phantom see no need to competitively bid the contract we have no reason to believe the agreed-upon price is just.
All we know is this is close to what the Chief was making. And the Chief is happy and the Mayor is happy. And that seems to be all Councilman Banta cares about.
What about the taxpayers, Jack? How about us? You don’t care if we are happy?
What about the Civil Service Commission, Jack? Have you checked with them as to whether this is legal or not? Maybe you should because someday soon David Dunn may realize just as quickly as Joe got rid of Gaudett, Joe can get rid of David. Fiscal crisis, personal services contract, no-bid contract and voila we have a new Consultant for Civil Service. Is that how you envision things, Jack?
And the funny thing is I sat in on the Purchasing Ordinance rewrite that was undertaken as a result of all the improprieties that took place during Joe’s first time as mayor.
And now he is going back in and showing total disregard for the rules of the city, bullying his way through, spending excessive amounts of taxpayers’ money just so he could get what he wants.
Boy, it didn’t take long at all, did it Joe? Back in the saddle again, violating city purchasing ordinances, making his own rules up as he goes along.
Won’t take long now Joe, will it?
FEBRUARY 29th, MONDAY. Is that D-DAY??? Subcommittee and then to full City Council probably under executive session, caucus or whatever ruse to use to keep it a secret. ALL IN ONE EVENING. Is that what I understand?
I would really like to know how a FUTURE City Council meeting is cancelled due to a lack of quorum. The March 7th meeting has been cancelled due to a lack of quorum. Does Lydia Martinez pull out her crystal ball and know what attendance and quorum will be before the fact? Something stinks.
*** WASTE OF TAXPAYERS’ MONEY IN ORDER TO GET WHAT YOU WANT, WHEN YOU WANT IT, IS NOT BEING FINANCIALLY SMART, JOE! *** SOMETIMES PATIENCE CAN BE A VIRTUE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE THE MAYOR, NO? ***
While we are on the subject of one of the Public Safety departments, did OIB do an embargo on serious crime stories or have the shootings and other violence seem to decrease while we are on the more serious topic of “how to feed the hierarchy of an otherwise top-heavy Police Department” so the Mayor gets to select his preference for Chief?
I for one am very thankful cold weather, winter-style precipitation, a decreased demographic or something else will explain (on another day) the abatement in crime stories that threaten City residents. Yes, we need to come up to speed on leadership (decrease the numbers) and troops (increase the ranks from today). But did we NEED to play misdirection that has serious expense increases, with no particular gain for the City or taxpayers? Time will tell.