For Bill Finch, the commute is much much shorter. The former mayor has been named executive director of the Discovery Museum on Park Avenue. Finch has bounced around a few jobs since he lost a mayoral primary to Joe Ganim in 2015, including a stint in the administration of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo running the New York State Thruway Authority.
Finch is no scientist but he’s certainly a spatial thinker with loads of wonkish ideas and contacts that museum leadership finds appealing. Finch won a seat on the City Council in 1991, the year Joe Ganim was first elected mayor. Finch won a seat in the State Senate in 2000 and won reelection three times before winning the mayoralty in 2007. He won reelection in 2011.
The 2015 mayoral primary was a bruising battle in which Ganim inspired large blocs of black voters opposed to Finch to the polls. Finch has spent most of his time in the Albany area for work returning weekends to spend time with his two young boys. Finch and wife Sonya are in the process of a divorce. Finch is taking the Discovery job to be closer to his children.
CT Post has more on Finch’s Discovery hire.
Former Mayor Bill Finch has been hired to run the Discovery Museum and Planetarium.
Board member Claire Gold, who was on the search committee, and some unnamed sources confirmed that Finch was offered and accepted the position of executive director last week.
Gold said the former mayor and ex-state legislator is “well wired,” which will help with fundraising.
Full story here.
It’s Nice to have him back!
Governor Finch, why not?
Ground Control to Major Bill! Good Luck
Congratulations!
This is wonderful!
Duh, look!
I just discovered a museum.
I go to the museum quite often with my grandson.
It is definitely in need of a major infusion of MOM.
Money, Organization and Marketing.
It does not need more wonkish ideas.
What it can use is a strong spokesman and plenty of help from the technology industry to promote itself. Helicopters (non-operational) from Sikorsky to dot the perimeter. A hand-on cockpit flight simulator. The list goes on.
Get the kids interested in their displays. Don’t worry about getting the kids excited in green technology. That will come if they get excited about the museum.
And please don’t go begging for money from Bridgeport. We don’t have any.
Don’t know if Bill is capable.
Welcome home Bill, I know you will do a great job bringing our museum back to its time of grandness.
Lisa you are starting to sound like Steve A
Oops. Andy I think this is a good fit for him. The “law of average” may work in his favor, he’s due to do something creative and challenging. What do you think? (I know you’re going to make me laugh)
This is a nice gig for Bill. I’m sure his cintract will include a Peosodent allowance.
“As director of the Discovery Museum I’ll create millions of jobs, believe me!”
Just another example of how screwed up and deep the screw up goes in the Democratic Party, State, National and Local including some politicians who are cow towing to him on this blog.
Another incompetent blow hard heading one of our community institutions, stealing others work and having a little cozy platform to spout off from. if only these institutions, museums, youth centers, etc would have creative, competent, uncompromised people in charge of them maybe the dots could be connected in Bridgeport. Shame on Ms Gold for her unabashed catering to the “connected and wired” along with whoever else is on that board. The first project should be addressing the decaying Brooks House in back of the museum.
Bob, it’s called “Affirmative Action” for people like Finch.
Look for the billboards soon..’Discovery Museum,getting better every day”
We can go back and forth on whether or not Bill is a good fit at the Discovery Museum – personally, I wish him well and say welcome back to Bridgeport Bill.
However,(and this is addressed to you Lennie)it wasn’t necessary to bring up the status of Bill’s marriage. Lennie that was a cheap shot.
Salty, is it a cheap shot if Bill wanted the status of his marriage known?
Of course not, but you should have indicated that he wanted it known. IMHO
Well, Salty, I give you credit for defending the honor of Finch who declared as mayor library workers are “nonessential.” Do you consider yourself “nonessential?” I don’t. Now, Bill took many cheap shots as mayor. We could list a whole bunch here. Whether Bill wanted it known – and he did – it’s a legitimate point to raise that the former mayor’s in divorce court. It’s not a cheap shot. It’s an accurate, legitimate news item. It’s one of the reasons he’s taking the Discovery job.
Well Lennie, on this one we’re not going to agree and I am not going to rise to the bait you’ve put out about Bill’s past behavior.
The Discovery Museum is a great place to meet women for a newly single guy like Bill Finch.
John,
Bill Finch was ineffective as mayor. Since re-entering private life his “career” has been fodder for state news outlets. He’s been bounced around from job to job.