A Recruitment Campaign: Step Up For Bridgeport

Memorial Day weekend is the traditional start to the election season (at OIB the traditional start is, of course, all year). Three members of the political action committee Better Bridgeport, Jeanine Oburchay, John Marshall Lee and Pete Spain, have composed a commentary urging citizen involvement in the electoral process, asserting “Our city is crying out for conscientious citizens who will participate in the election by voting–and encouraging their friends and neighbors to vote as well–and by running for office.”

Step up for Bridgeport

On this coming Memorial Day, as you celebrate and honor the men and women who, as Andy Rooney once said, not only gave their lives, but had them taken, in service to our great country, we hope that you’ll take a moment to remember those who served our country as well as those who served our community in other ways.

In these challenging times, when integrity in leadership seems in short supply, let us remember those who, to paraphrase John F. Kennedy, asked not what their country or community could do for them, but rather what they could do for their country and their community.

This year, Bridgeport is holding elections for City Council and Board of Education. Primaries will be held on Sept. 12; the general election on Nov. 7. Our city is crying out for conscientious citizens who will participate in the election by voting–and encouraging their friends and neighbors to vote as well–and by running for office.

We can honor those selfless citizens and leaders who came before us by stepping up in the ways that our city needs right now–as active participants in our political process and as candidates.

We believe that we can no longer afford to do business as usual in Bridgeport if we want real change and growth. And so, we are calling on you to get more involved this election year, especially those of you who are:
• Bridgeport residents with demonstrable integrity and respect for our diverse communities;
• Free of real or perceived conflicts of interest with the city government (e.g., city employees serving on the City Council and voting on their own department budgets, in violation of our city charter);
• Prepared to study and uphold our city charter, resolutions, and ordinances;
• Dedicated to being an uncompromising “check” in our city government’s system of checks and balances;
• Eager to serve your constituents–your neighbors;
• Willing to study current best practices and examples from leading cities that may be helpful to our city;
• Committed to bringing about community, educational, and economic change for the greater good.

We want to work with you to support fellow citizens who are ready to “do” for our city. We need bridge builders who will bring independence, and discerning, intelligent and reasoned decision-making to our governing bodies.

If you’ve been watching our city government in action lately, and wondering how we could improve it, maybe you or someone you know has the right stuff to run this year. Do you want to be more involved in the process? Are you ready to give up your seat on the sideline? Now’s the time. We encourage you to contact us. We would love to hear from you and to talk about how we may be able to work together for a better Bridgeport.