City Council Comments October 19, 2026
Representatives of the people and neighbors have you consulted the agenda for the evening? I note that the Council of twenty is asked to approve the reporting from the Miscellaneous Matters Committee. Tonight, that business consists of three matters:
• Approving a write-off of taxes due for reasons of death or bankruptcy in the total amount of $45,539 which I have no challenge to. It is a duty of oversight and enforcement of the rules on almost fifty accounts.
• Approving settlements of court actions for three cases totaling $85,000, likely based on balancing the risks and expense of defending suits in court. With no details of any case, this seems reasonable, though what is the total in an average year of such authorizations, and is there a separate way to effect behavior?
• The final resolutions have to do with approval of appointments or re-appointments to Boards and Commissions. Five of them seem routine, but the referral of one appointment is unusual as it requires a response from another Council committee.
What is ironic to me is that the current membership of the Miscellaneous Matters committee includes three of the five Council members who have failed to file with the Town Clerk’s register as to their full official residence address. I have reported this on more than one occasion to the attention of every Council person. Five of you continue to avoid or ignore the annual process. More importantly it is your Ordinance 2.02.080, passed years ago to eliminate the bad examples of folks residing and voting in area towns, but sitting on Bridgeport commissions, to assure only residents who are registered for city voting, effective for the 150 or more members of Boards and Commission who are appointed or re-appointed. Who oversees this Ordinance in Bridgeport? What does enforcement mean? How will new Board or Commission members know about the responsibility? Are we organized for ethical and practical results? Time will tell.
After the Public Speaking session I distributed a copy of the talk above to the several Councilpersons who were not in attendance at public speaking when it started but who were delinquent in filing the registry form due because of Ordinance 2.02.080. I will continue this oversight on other municipal bodies like the Police Commission with four persons and the Board of Education with five persons neglecting this annual responsibility. Likely some 100 or more who do not know about the obligation and are not informed of it by the Mayor’s Office. Is it fair to all officialdom? When teachers are not educating or informing about duties, do we blame the students? Share your thoughts with Mayor Ganim. I am trying for such a conversation. Time will tell.
City Council Comments October 19, 2026
Representatives of the people and neighbors have you consulted the agenda for the evening? I note that the Council of twenty is asked to approve the reporting from the Miscellaneous Matters Committee. Tonight, that business consists of three matters:
• Approving a write-off of taxes due for reasons of death or bankruptcy in the total amount of $45,539 which I have no challenge to. It is a duty of oversight and enforcement of the rules on almost fifty accounts.
• Approving settlements of court actions for three cases totaling $85,000, likely based on balancing the risks and expense of defending suits in court. With no details of any case, this seems reasonable, though what is the total in an average year of such authorizations, and is there a separate way to effect behavior?
• The final resolutions have to do with approval of appointments or re-appointments to Boards and Commissions. Five of them seem routine, but the referral of one appointment is unusual as it requires a response from another Council committee.
What is ironic to me is that the current membership of the Miscellaneous Matters committee includes three of the five Council members who have failed to file with the Town Clerk’s register as to their full official residence address. I have reported this on more than one occasion to the attention of every Council person. Five of you continue to avoid or ignore the annual process. More importantly it is your Ordinance 2.02.080, passed years ago to eliminate the bad examples of folks residing and voting in area towns, but sitting on Bridgeport commissions, to assure only residents who are registered for city voting, effective for the 150 or more members of Boards and Commission who are appointed or re-appointed. Who oversees this Ordinance in Bridgeport? What does enforcement mean? How will new Board or Commission members know about the responsibility? Are we organized for ethical and practical results? Time will tell.
After the Public Speaking session I distributed a copy of the talk above to the several Councilpersons who were not in attendance at public speaking when it started but who were delinquent in filing the registry form due because of Ordinance 2.02.080. I will continue this oversight on other municipal bodies like the Police Commission with four persons and the Board of Education with five persons neglecting this annual responsibility. Likely some 100 or more who do not know about the obligation and are not informed of it by the Mayor’s Office. Is it fair to all officialdom? When teachers are not educating or informing about duties, do we blame the students? Share your thoughts with Mayor Ganim. I am trying for such a conversation. Time will tell.