Mayor Bill Finch has been named president of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, the advocacy group that charges fees to member cities and towns to lobby legislative interests in Hartford.
News release from the mayor:
Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch today was elected as the president of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM), the statewide association of towns and cities for the coming year. Mayor Finch will succeed Torrington Mayor Ryan Bingham, who served as president in 2012-13.
As president, Mayor Finch will hold the top position in the CCM board of directors, which oversees legislative efforts and all other programs and services it provides to its member towns.
Mayor Finch is the first mayor of Bridgeport to be named CCM president since Hugh Curran in 1970.
“I’m honored to have been selected as president. It is so important that towns and cities speak with a unified voice and advocate for smart legislation that benefits our residents,” said Mayor Bill Finch. “There is a lot of public service experience on the Board of Directors. I look forward to continuing to work with them in my new role.”
Mayor Finch had previously been CCM First Vice President. Prior to his election as Mayor in 2007, he served seven years as a State Senator from the 22nd Assembly District. As a state legislator, he served as Assistant President Pro Tempore, Senate Chairman of the Environment Committee, and Senate Vice Chairman of the Transportation Committee. Prior to becoming a state senator, Finch served as a Bridgeport City Council Member for nine and a half years.
Mayor Finch serves on the Advisory and Nominating Committees of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and is Co-Chairman of the organization’s Climate Protection Task Force.
In addition to Mayor Finch:
Matthew B. Galligan, Town Manager of South Windsor, was elected CCM First Vice President.
Mark D. Boughton, Mayor of Danbury, was elected Second Vice President.
Susan S. Bransfield, First Selectwoman of Portland, was elected CCM Treasurer.
Robert M. Congdon, First Selectman of Preston, was elected CCM Secretary.
Was Lydia Martinez involved in ANY way with this? 😉
Hopefully, Bridgeport will benefit.
Steve, optimism is good … but by now do you honestly believe that?
Yes, I do. Having this on his resume will serve no purpose unless there is something to show for it. I am sure there are many who want “The Mayor” to fail and look like a real schmuck. I am proud of this accomplishment. It speaks for itself. I am hopeful we will all benefit. He is our Mayor, last time I looked. Notice, this guy doesn’t jump on the “I hate Finch” bandwagon. Give credit where credit is due. There are at least 10 bloggers I’d be impressed if they gave credit where it is due. It would make them more credible.
Steve, he has failed and he is a schmuck. I give credit where credit is due but he isn’t due any credit for anything. A lot of people have been forced to move for financial reasons under his administration … he doesn’t deserve the sole blame but he certainly made things harder for those people.
BRG, defending Finch is not my battle. If his supporters and city personally care to grow a pair and come forward, great. I am not going to continue this anti-Finch badinage. I am disappointed many did not come forward to say a kind word for his achievement. Mankind can be pretty pathetic at times. This blog has shown the absolute lows people can fall to. We all have different barometers we use to judge people. It seems Mayor Finch becomes the winner. Everyone else seems ridiculous. It is like listening to Fox news and their anti-Obama rhetoric 24/7. Obama can do no good and neither can Bill Finch.
Steve, the anti-Obama rhetoric is shifting to anti-Clinton. There’s no point in bashing a president in his second term; it’s time to start focusing on a likely successor.
Booty, you are on the money. Republicans are spending all of their energy attacking Hillary Clinton’s character with Benghazi rhetoric. SAD. Even more embarrassing are the Republicans voters accepting a do-nothing Republican electorate. One thing is for sure. We have become a nation divided on so many fronts. I am thrilled Fox television just hired Sarah Palin. Just knowing she is out there gives me hope the Republican party will become obsolete.
Steve, I still say you are wrong about Finch, but as to how low some people can get on this blog, you are absolutely correct. One of the few things I can give Finch credit for is speaking out on gun control. Unfortunately he has done little to combat the gun violence other than the buybacks which helps but is not enough by itself.
BTW Steve, even though you said some nice things about Finch, you are still a mensch!
And this group lobbied hard to stop HB-5724–I must wonder what legislation they support and consider to be smart and benefits the citizens …
This group obviously has poor judgment in connection with both issues and people.
Even though I am not a Finch fan and I believe we need a new Mayor in 2015 who is not part of the machine, this is a personal accomplishment for Finch and has the potential to be a good thing for Bridgeport during the balance of his tenure. Congratulations, Mayor Finch.
I was going to let this go but I just can’t. Dave, your two comments (one right after the other!) are quite contradictory. On the one hand you are bashing CCM for “poor judgement in connection with both issues and people.” And on the other you are praising this as “having the potential to be a good thing for Bridgeport during the balance of his [Finch’s] tenure,” And then you even wish him congratulations. I am not a fan of you or your group but one thing I have been consistent on is my disgust with the way Finch and his cronies have destroyed this city and forced people out. So which one is the real Dave Walker?