With the state’s financial picture getting worse by the second, and the city looking at a tax increase, we just need to get away from it all. So, for all you jumpers, just in case you want to parachute to the blog party May 15 at Captain’s Cove I thought I’d show you some landing areas courtesy of Morgan Kaolian. Just remember to open your chute.
Maybe Republican State Sen. Rob Russo will fly in while GOP chair Marc Delmonico rows in. I understand Cougar Rodgerson (oh Coug, where have you been?) will be pulling a rickshaw to The Cove for Bill Finch and Democratic Town Chair Mario Testa. Now that would an interesting conversation with those two all cuddly in the seat. Maybe they’ll compare their approval ratings.
So, what would a public opinion poll reveal about Finch’s first five months in office? I don’t know, maybe I’m going soft, but I’m starting to feel sorry for him. It’s a tough job. “Leonard, get a hold of yourself!” Do you think Sonya will bring her sheriff to the blog party?
News release from Bill Finch
New Affordable Housing Units Provide Quality and Affordability in Bridgeport
Mayor Bill Finch (D-Bridgeport) attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony today at 1737 Stratford Avenue in Bridgeport. The project involved the substantial rehabilitation of a two-family Victorian style home in the City of Bridgeport’s East End by the Community Cooperative Development Foundation (CCDF), a 501(c)3 non-profit agency committed to the development of affordable housing. Two Section 8 families will occupy the completed units at this location.
“My administration is committed to making Bridgeport a City in which people can afford to live,” said Mayor Finch. “By working with federal and state agencies such as HUD and DECD, the City has delivered on a promise that had been delayed for a decade. With this important project we are continuing to add additional high quality, affordable housing to the available portfolio.”
Most significantly, the rehabilitation of this two-unit home represents the first project completion associated with Presidential Village and is an outstanding example of additional high quality development slated to occur under the auspices of this initiative with the support of the City of Bridgeport, the Bridgeport Housing Authority, the State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.
In the 1980’s, the developer executed an agreement with the City to develop low-income rental housing throughout the City and entered into a contract with the State of Connecticut for financial assistance to assist in the construction of 22 affordable, scattered-site rental housing units in Bridgeport which are collectively known as Presidential Village. Presidential Village was subsequently constructed and completed.
In 1999, the City acquired one of the properties from the developer to facilitate the expansion of the Garfield-Marin School which decreased the overall unit count from 22 to 19 units. 1737 Stratford Avenue represents four units replacing the three that were eliminated with the expansion school.
The redevelopment of 1737 Stratford Avenue represents just the beginning of the type of high-quality development CCDF brings to the City in terms of jobs, quality of construction and affordable rent for residents of this City. Local minority sub-contractors were employed by CCDF to complete the project.
Bush Is Missionless
Press release from Jim Himes for Congress:
JIM HIMES CALLS ATTENTION TO MISSION NOT ACCOMPLISHED AT HOME
On Fifth Anniversary of Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” speech, Democratic Candidate for Congress Highlights Growing Cost of Iraq War
Norwalk, CT — Today, businessman and non-profit executive Jim Himes held a “Mission Not Accomplished” press event at the Norwalk City Hall. May 1 marks the fifth anniversary of President Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” aircraft carrier landing and speech, in which the President claimed that the United States had achieved its objective in Iraq and that major combat operations had ended.
Five years later, with no mission accomplished and no end to our occupation of Iraq in sight, the cost of the war has prevented us from achieving important objectives at home. “Five years later, it is clear that George Bush and Chris Shays have no plan to get us out of Iraq,” said Himes. “This war has cost our district alone more than $3.1 billion, or $4,700 of per household. The runaway spending on Iraq has meant that critical missions here at home are not accomplished. Imagine what we could accomplish if we invested this money where it is most needed. We should be investing in improving our schools, moving us towards energy independence, and creating a health care system that works for everyone.”
“For five years now, Chris Shays has supported this war at enormous cost in lives and hundreds of billions of dollars,” said Maura Keaney, Himes’ campaign manager. “Now Chris Shays supports a candidate for President who has said it would be fine with him if we stayed in Iraq for 100 years. These are his choices, but they are not the priorities of families here in our district who are feeling the pain of our failing economy.”
Photos of event:
www.flickr.com/photos/himesforcongress/2457739278
www.flickr.com/photos/himesforcongress/2457739424Background:
The estimated cost of the war to fourth district taxpayers alone has been $3.1 Billion. The National Priorities Project estimates that with that amount, the fourth distrct could have been provided with:
· 1,024,089 People with Health Care for One Year OR
· 3,826,989 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year OR
· 370,678 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR
· 119 New Elementary Schools OR
· 14,845 Affordable Housing Units OR
· 1,190,047 Children with Health Care for One Year OR
· 430,262 Head Start Places for Children for One Year OR
. 42,790 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR
· 37,668 Port Container Inspectors for One year
[Source: National Priorities Project: www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home]
“My administration is committed to making Bridgeport a City in which people can afford to live,” said Mayor Finch .
Hey, Bird brain, does your so called administration think that laid off city employees will be able to afford living in Bridgeport or anywhere for what it matters to you all?
Does your so called administration think that by raising property taxes and forcing rental property owners to raise the rent, renters will feel that their rent is affordable?
Bill Finch you are a real prick and if I ever see you walking on Beardsley Park again, without a blanket covering you, I will have you arrested for public indecency.
Jimmy Himes seems to think that our country is ruled only by Bush and Chris Shays. We all know that’s not true. Hillary Clinton supported the war and many other Democrats supported him (Bush). I don’t hear their (Dems) exit strategy. I sure as hell didn’t hear the Democrats saying that the mission was not accomplished after Bush made the statement. Obama did not support the war. Is this an endorsement of Obama? If Hillary wins the Dem. nomination, should we assume that Jim Himes will not grab onto her skirt tail? Should we consider Jim Himes statement as an attack or criticism of all Democrats (Dem controlled Senate included) who supported the war? So many good question and no damn answers. I’m really getting frustrated.
Himes has got to come up with something better than “we shouldn’t be in this war, bring the troops home.” I’m no fan of the war, but we’re in it, and there’s no way I’m voting for someone who says let’s set a timeline to pull out and have the Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis talk it out. Sorry, doesn’t work like that. If Shays was going to be beaten over the Iraq issue, he would have lost to Farrell one of the two times, and Himes’ argument is no different from hers. Democrats in the national arena have to realize you can’t win by saying the war is bad and Bush sucks. If you could, Bush wouldn’t be president right now and a Republican would have no shot of winning the presidency in 2008.
Doesn’t seem possible that Bill Finch has been mayor for five months already. We haven’t heard a word on the Magic Johnson project, Steel Point, nor the thirty story high condos on the Remington property. When Fabs was in office we heard what was happening on a weekly basis even though nothing ever came to fruition. – But at least we had hope!!
Bill’s cry during the election was that “we are on the five yard line”. Whose five yard line was that, Bill? Maybe we should kick.
Come on Bill, show us some beef!!!
One of the biggest problems is that we do not have an Economice Development Director. Finch let Nancy Hadley go and has been dragging his feet since in naming a replacement.
Problems have developed in some of the down town redevelopment involving the city’s Fire Marshal. The Fire Marshal is playing I DARE YOU with the chief and development is paying the price. If we had someone in charge they could have fixed this problem and we would not be in danger of losing one of our biggest developers.
It’s hard to get things moving on the development front when no one is in charge and everyone is afraid of stepping forward for fear of being fired.
It seems that Finch’s hands off policy has spawned a mayors cabinet of little caesars. These people are saying if it’s not done my way (and I am the only one that knows) it will not be done.
I have said many times that Adam Wood and the rest of the mayor’s inner circle need to be replaced as they are killing an already half dead city.
What is happening with the arcade project? I personally know of two people who were trying to put businesses in there…and they both have the same story…No phone calls are being returned. Is that halted also?