About a week ago, they faced off in another contentious primary in which once again City Council President Aidee Nieves thumped City Clerk Lydia Martinez at the polls, this time for political control of the East Side 137th District in a Democratic Town Committee battle.
Monday night, two years stalled by Covid, they sat side-by-side, plexiglass separating them during the public speaking portion of the City Council meeting chaired by Nieves. Martinez, as city clerk, tracks attendance, roll calls and public documents relating to the legislative body.
Nieves chairs public speaking at the gavel, then resumes her council seat during regular session when the mayor assumes control, per City Charter.
Perhaps it was a little discomforting for Nieves and Martinez but what the heck they’ve been engaged in so many political battles maybe it’s like another day at the races.
Prepared for CC Meeting in Public at City Hall (March 7, 2022) and presented:
This past weekend the Stratfield Apartments was the scene of an attempted desperate leap by a resident from her third-floor apartment window to the street below. Two persons helped her abandon her threatened jump. One is a tenant who had been called by the desperate resident to say a last goodbye and also a maintenance worker for the apartments who received a similar message.
The eight/nine story building has 192 units according to its website and houses a population of seniors or disabled who meet low-income requirements of HUD. HUD Section Eight subsidies flow through the corporation managing the property and attain to the building itself. Bridgeport operates housing with Section Eight vouchers of several types and manages them through Park City Communities whose Executive Director is Jillian Baldwin.
Where would a resident of Stratfield Apartments look to record despair at not having someone listen to their pleas? A reference to Bridgeport Boards or Commissions like Fair Housing or Fair Rent created years ago? No. They actually have died in plain sight with expired terms that go without Mayor action. Did you know that? What are HUD rules for any resident associations to be elected, empowered, and supported in their primary mission of using their voice democratically and their eyes and ears to perform timely and regular oversight?
Elected officials of Federal, State and local levels including the Greater Bridgeport NAACP have been listening to Stratfield residents report and protest elevator safety issues including entrapment; of security and safety issues for tenants threatened or actually roughed up by non-tenant outsiders witnessed by landlord administrative employees too busy to intervene and reported to Police; and management determined to avoid doing remedial work to limit water leaking into units year after year, ruining clothing, bedding, carpeting, and way of life. Is it so much easier to scrape wallboard, spackle, and paint over without examining what is at fault with the structure and perform basic structural remedial work? Why? Too expensive?
Council Members Cruz and Mack should be acknowledged as genuinely committed to correcting the number of issues brought to their attention, and now yours as well. Where do your constituent renters turn with their issues today? Will they be told to sign the paperwork and read it later? Will they be threatened with eviction if they raise issues publicly? HUD uses our tax dollars to create support for fellow citizens who meet requirements and are good tenants. What if a landlord is failing in his responsibility as HUD calls for and is still keeping the subsidies? Where are the oversight reports for residents of Bridgeport to see that quality results are routinely delivered and not subject to broad current criticism by physicians, mental health professionals, and others who care for residents who are poor and disabled? Time will tell.
JOHN MARSHALL LEE