I love it. Mayor Bill Finch threw a grenade into a gathering of municipal leaders in Hartford on Wednesday assembled to discuss the impact of this economic tsunami on their respective governments.
The mayor had the audacity–and courage–to come out in favor of school vouchers. When chief executives from around the state come together to lobby for additional taxes to fund crippled budgets, they don’t exactly want to hear about a voucher that would allocate public funds to a private school system.
But maybe that would make the public school system stronger. This is Finch at his best–a pain in the ass, fox in the hen house, turd in the punch bowl–grabbing wimpy pols by the nuts to say what they won’t: the current state of public education doesn’t work.
Vouchers provide choice, reduce public class size, while diversifying private school education, Finch stressed. The core of Finch embraces views of an old-time liberal’s liberal, although the reality of governing from a chief executive’s seat has him conflicted about providing more education dollars while homeowners are being taxed into the poor house.
“We’re not fair to black and Puerto Rican kids,” Finch told the gathering, his way of saying the playing field is not even.
There are days the mayor puts his feet on the floor in the morning and says screw it, this is how I feel and I’m letting everyone know about it. Wednesday was one of those days. I’m looking forward to a lot more.
Lots of fantastic, successful kids have come out of city schools with a lot more to come. I have great admiration for city teachers. It’s a different world inside a classroom at Harding High than Joel Barlow serving students in Easton and Redding. Part of that is a state legislature controlled by the suburbs. A link to the BOE web site under the OIB Education heading highlights those successes.
By the way, Finch’s recommended budget is now loaded on the city’s web site. Click the City of Bridgeport link under the Government heading at left, grab a cup of joe and check it out.
Carry On, news release from The Vibes
CROSBY, STILLS & NASH TO CAP OFF SPECTACULAR MUSICAL LINE-UP AT 14TH ANNUAL GATHERING OF THE VIBES FESTIVAL 2009 July 23-26, 2009
Four-day event to showcase musical legends, support charitable causes and Celebrate 40th Anniversary of Woodstock
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) will be among several extraordinary musical artists to perform at the 14th Annual Gathering of the Vibes, July 23-26, 2009, at Seaside Park, Bridgeport, Connecticut. In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, CSN will be joined by fellow Woodstock participants Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, Levon Helm, former drummer and vocalist for The Band, and activist Wavy Gravy, who will serve as master of ceremonies.
CSN, whose first gig together was in 1969 at Woodstock, will highlight a very special Sunday Family Day at the Vibes. The final day of this year’s four-day event also features performances from the world-famous Harlem Gospel Choir, progressive reggae artists John Brown’s Body, neoclassic rockers Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, and legendary blues guitarist Buddy Guy. To encourage families to make an event of the day, kids 15 and under will be admitted FREE with their parents on Sunday, July 26.
“This is a great opportunity for families to get out and some spend quality time with each other in an absolutely beautiful environment,” said Ken Hays, executive director of Gathering of the Vibes. “Last year, we had over 1,200 attendees under the age of 13 join us for an incredible weekend on the shores of Long Island Sound. This is a chance for parents to share some of the music that makes up the soundtrack of their lives with the next generation.”
The Vibes 2009 Main Stage line-up includes: Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir & RatDog, five-time Grammy award winner Buddy Guy, funk legend George Clinton, Boston’s indie-rockers State Radio and Guster, longtime Vibes favorite moe., legendary drummer Levon Helm, the Harlem Gospel Choir and many, many more!
* Additional artists to be confirmed.
Gathering of the Vibes 2009 marks the fifth time Seaside Park has hosted the annual music, arts and camping festival; the event is in the second year of its current five-year agreement with the City of Bridgeport. The all-ages, family-friendly festival drew 20,000 revelers per day to the 370-acre venue last year. The event caters to both weekend campers and single-day guests, all of whom have access to the park’s shaded groves, manicured fields and more than a mile of Long Island Sound beachfront.
Tickets
A limited number of advance weekend camping passes are on sale for $185 and VIP passes for $420. Single-day tickets for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are also available in advance for $60 per day. Kids 12 and under are free all weekend; and on Sunday, “Family Day,” kids under 15 are admitted free, only with a parent. For tickets or information, go to: www.GatheringoftheVibes.com, or call Gathering of the Vibes Festival 2009 Headquarters at 203.908.3030.
I went to the budget hearing last night. I found that without the actual budget in hand it was hard to follow. It will be interesting to see what the council budget committee comes up with that is different than the mayor’s budget proposal.
One request could be the budget committee show up on time.
Dose of Reality for Finch. Does this mean he has the Clap? Another Finch-Flop, like his Feeder-Barge idea.
Bored of Ed. has a venereal disease with wart-like administrators. Follow the lead of Diocesan schools and have a site-based management model. This will cut the fat and have administrators chewing the cud after milking the system for years.
Wart-like administrators? To my eye they resemble a bunch of addicts that haven’t figured out that ‘denial’ ain’t just a river in Egypt …
Based entirely on today’s post, I am renewing my membership to the Mayor Finch Fan Club (OIB chapter).
He’s lobbying Hartford–where he has experience–and Washington–where he has friends–on behalf of The Park City. This is a blog about Bridgeport, right?
Mayor Finch’s office felt the current recession before any of us and knows first hand about disappointment and downsizing. Now, I sense a little swagger in his step as his policies gain traction.
Let’s Go Bridgeport
*** Could it be a P.T. Barnum blast from the past, “Public Relations 101”? *** When you don’t have a positive uplifting Bpt. future elections “main act,” create a diversion! *** One never knows what pre-budget tactics hide in the shadows? *** Evil laugh follows, ha, ha, ha, ha … ***
The Oracle of Omaha Steaks!
I can’t wait to bring my RV to Seaside for some good Vibes. I’m going to break out my grill and have some steak and ‘shrooms.
I sure hope Ken Hays will be utilizing local pump-out companies for RV’s. He should call Bridgeport-based Royal Flush for porta-lets. Royal flush is owned by Bill Malone. I don’t want to end up like the Cripple Creek Ferry with Levon Helm. I know the Nocturnals are playing but I can’t afford to pollute Seaside with any Nocturnal emissions emanating from my Meals on Wheels. If you see my RV a rockin’, don’t come a knockin’!
Hays who has a good poker face should know that a Royal Flush beats a Full House.
And how is it that you know so much about poker, eh? Though an old “Tom” turkey like you would only know games like old maid, go fish, and hearts.
Perhaps hizzoner has been emboldened by the successful Obama/Biden campaign. It’s all fine and good braying “The system sucks!” from the stump and the soapbox, a la Chris Caruso. (His problem was that he had nothing to say after catching voters’ attention, proposed no solutions, practical or otherwise, after addressing the “corrupt political machine.” Okay, Mr. Caruso, you made your point. The DTC voted your fat ass off the island and you still harbor a grudge. That’s not enough to convince me to vote for you. What else do you have?) Identifying the problems and elucidating on solutions that are made of common-sense thinking while omitting partisan rhetoric is the way to go. Hizzoner said things that many legislators think about but wouldn’t say out loud at an event with heavy media coverage. Too many of them would face a “not in my backyard” backlash from the voters back home. Mayor Finch is showing some guts.
Will Chip Monk be joining Wavy Gravy also? The purple acid is a bummer, man!
Du-du-dude! I thought it was the brown acid that wasn’t too good. If Wavy Gravy serves breakfast in bed to the assembled multitudes I can almost guarantee that they will eat granola. (Attendees of the original Woodstock back in ’69 were served granola by Wavy and his cohorts; back then they had no idea that it would become a regular visitor to the American breakfast table.)
I was always too much of an East Coast, hard-edged type to hold much truck with the “peace, love and groovy chicks” vibe of that period. Psychedelia? What’s that?! Make mine Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Velvet Underground, Miles Davis, Gregory Corso, Allen Ginsberg, Henry the Horse, and a healthy dose of methylamphetamine hydrochloride, por favor …
OIB Rumor Mill:
Warren All U Can Eat Buffet is offering his recreational vehicle–what an appropriate name–for anyone wishing to use it as a blog spot for the upcoming “Vibes” festival. He expects many visitors and promises a mini-festival within the confines of his van.
But The Bridgeport Kid can top that. He thinks the whole world has gone crazy but that’s OK, he’s driving the bus! If you don’t believe me check out this picture:
razormate.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/gatheringofthevibes.jpg < --
Town Committee, I missed yesterday’s postings so good luck with your election bid. I thought you were “Wondering” so my mistake. I don’t understand why Rich can’t run for re-election. Warren Blunt is a supervisor in the same dept and he still has his council seat. What’s the difference? But whatever. And what makes Mike Marella think he can move back to town and get his old seat back? Now that is someone with a personal agenda.
Good luck TC, and keep fighting the good fight. BTW, what is your position on some of these overpaid political appointees? Do you have the chutzpah to go against Mario and eliminate these positions from the budget?
Note to the smoker, tc and Wondering are one in the same. Wondering stormed off in a snit after being the April fool and has reincarnated under the other name. Cool trick would be if he snitted under Wondering and trashed himself for snitting under tc.
Thanks S.O.B. I bought Lennie’s April 1st story myself. I guess it was just wishful thinking since I believe Joe Ganim should be let out. The only ones being punished now are his wife and kids.
Hey Smoker, sorry about that, but I agree. Joe’s served enough. The good news is, he’s winding down his time.
I think Finch’s ideas on school vouchers are sincere as his property-tax exemption idea of his last election. If it is not just a PR stunt he is stupider than I thought. Taking money out of the public school system is not the way to fix the current problems, it only worsens the situation. If you look at other major cities, especially those in the south that give aid for private schools, the public schools continue to deteriorate to conditions worse than jails. If you took what little state money there is for education and pulled it away from the public schools the amount of space you saved would not create more money for the remainder of the public school children but less. You would lower your amount of ECS money due to some decline in population and lower the available ECS money overall. Also, private school vouchers may help lower middle class students but not the very poor. Unless the very poor were given a free ride, private schools are still out of their reach. Further, statistically it is proven that impoverished students do poorer in school. The majority of private schools have certain academic standards where the poor would also be disadvantaged. Is it that Finch doesn’t want to send his kids to public schools, and needs vouchers himself? Finch isn’t concerned about African American, Hispanic (not all Hispanics are Puerto Ricans you moron) or any truly poverty stricken children if he thinks school vouchers are the way to go. Vouchers pull money from public education, send the message that the state really doesn’t care about those who couldn’t afford private school at any cost, and reduces that already limited pot of money to public schools. This really pisses me off, any respect I had left for Finch is gone. This also reeks of the attitude of those out-of-town upper-middle-class staffers and advisors who can only think of themselves.
Vouchers create more segregation and less diversity. I wish people would do some research on the subject before shooting off their mouths. But Finch was never good at thinking before he speaks.
city hall: I think Paoletto is in line for a department head job as there is going to be some type of consolidation between his department and one other.
I am against all of these high-priced salaries that have been handed out. I believe the mayor’s immediate staff is stuffed with too many high-priced salaries. You have Nunn, McClean, Rubin, Wood, and one other whose name escapes me for a total of 5 people. You have the new jobs created by Finch called special projects coordinators. These jobs are a total waste of money and are truly political payback.
CitiStat may be good in concept but it is a paper tiger with no real authority. They tried to make changes in public facilities and were told to go pound sand.
There were enough salaries here to save some nuts and bolts jobs that are important to city services. So in a nutshell I am AGAINST these political hack jobs.
SOB nice try but you have it wrong.
City Hall; I am also against politicians getting sweetheart deals from the city. The $4,000,000 the city made on the sale of houses they took control of is an example. How did an ex-mayor get to buy a house in the North end for $50K? I would like to know how many other politically connected people took advantage of these sales and bought these houses. This deal was kept secret. Where is the city attorneys office on these deals or are they involved?
This $4,000,000 was kept very low key and was brought out by Bob Curwen at a council hearing. You can believe that this has been going on for awhile under various LLC’s.
BTW I am against the city allowing houses in the north end being used to warehouse SHU students. The city is sitting on a powder keg here. All it will take is one fire, 1 student death and we will be paying out millions in law suits.
I have asked many people why nothing is being done about this and all I get is blank looks and shoulder shrugs. More than 3 unrelated people in one dwelling constitutes a rooming house.
Rooming houses require sprinklers and a myriad of other code requirements. This is not to mention that the area is zoned for 1 FAMILY DWELLINGS.
Finch just wants to set his little kids up for private school after he gets booted from office.