From Anthony DePalma, The New York Times:
It is no secret that Mayor Bill Finch idolizes President John F. Kennedy. He has converted a room off his office into a shrine filled with campaign buttons, banners and busts of the former president.
He says that of all President Kennedy’s accomplishments, what fired his imagination most was the challenge to send a man to the moon. “He raised our aspirations and expectations,” Mayor Finch said during an interview in the Kennedy Room, “and that’s what I’m trying to do here in Bridgeport.”
One of the first things that Mayor Finch, a tall, white-haired 59-year-old, did after becoming mayor in 2007 was to sign an executive order promoting sustainability, committing his city to a range of clean-energy policies that will reduce carbon emissions by 2020. That is a pretty tall order considering the rundown condition of the city, Connecticut’s largest, and the presence on the city’s shore of the 400-megawatt Bridgeport Harbor Generating Station, one of the last coal-fired power plants in the region.
Full story here.
Well, the one thing we know is Bill Finch is no John F. Kennedy.
John F. Kennedy would have never tried to take his constituents’, the majority of whom are minorities, right to vote away. JFK would have never made the outrageous public statement “democracy doesn’t always work.”
JFK was the complete opposite of you, Bill Finch. He believed in inclusion, and that we were all in this together, equality, respect, etc. That is why he is beloved to this very day.
You, Bill Finch, will be forgotten shortly after you are sent packing in December. Soon you will be a distant nightmare who continues to fade into the abyss each passing day Joe Ganim moves this city forward. Ganim has committed to working on behalf of all Bridgeport’s residents, not just your wealthy contributors, out-of-town developers, and the politically connected.
And we will hold Joe Ganim accountable to those commitments.
Juxtaposition
Maria, the “we” you reference is a force for election day where your work in recent City votes has yielded results for those whom you support.
However, “holding someone accountable” for example a Mayor with 1460 days in between elections calls for something else, since OIB has reported we do not have a “recall” provision. And it is in returning some of the infrastructure in the City like the internal auditor dropped some seven years ago (and we have not had purchasing reports, triennial purchasing audits and competence that might have avoided certain risks); like a compliance manager to provide monitoring and oversight on the work of contractors on City projects where avoidance of contractual requirements was missed by a contractor at Black Rock School; like staffing for the City Council legislative functions–no one to do basic research and get questions answered. Incredible compared to other towns and cities.
And if a Charter Commission is convened by the next Mayor, what will the targets be to strengthen operational and financial oversight? A good Commission should not rush to judgment but rather take the time to listen to the public while they are conferring (not done by Finch’s group) so a strong document is produced that will be acceptable to the voters.
Joe Ganim’s situation presents an even more unusual situation in that the behavior that got him into trouble and causes folks to distrust him with a second chance at the position is so weak in Bridgeport currently. We have no formal mechanism by which the current Mayor talks to all the people about the next year, listens to their questions and answers them in real time. Nor do we have a session where the externally audited results are also covered in open meeting as an informational and educational exercise for the entire public. Why not? Public understanding of revenues and expenditures exceeding $700 Million per year sounds very reasonable. Pursuing such understanding where there have been deficits in those budgets in each of the past five years totaling $120 Million is more than fair. (See the Financial report on Page 21 of each of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports from 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.) There is more to be shared. What are your ideas? Time will tell.
The list of Finch’s environmental failures in Bridgeport is almost as bad as his failures with economic development: removal of 40 mature trees on Iranistan Avenue, elimination of community gardens in Marina Village and high density subsidized housing in a flood zone, elimination of the City’s only grass roots 501(c)(3) dedicated to the environment, failure to implement the bike trail between Beardsley Park and Downtown, elimination of all butterfly gardens at public schools, numerous abandoned school gardens and absolutely no progress in promoting bicycling as an alternative mode of transportation in Bridgeport.
I like that Finch idolizes John F. Kennedy and I am certain the voting youth appreciate his green initiatives. I can understand those working on other campaigns having a need to be critical of every step he makes, it just becomes laughable when you consider the candidates they are supporting. I remember watching the Kennedy funeral on TV at my grandmother’s house in Brighton Beach. I was six.
Steve Auerbach, what are the tax benefits to the taxpayers of Bridgeport with these green initiatives?
Maria Pereira, I totally agree with you. Nowhere is there anything that tells the taxpayers how much tax income is coming to offset their taxes.
The photo just reeks of humility. (No, not really.)
I just really took a good look at this photo. To be on the safe side, if I were Bill Finch I would start accumulating a good amount of moving boxes. It would be a shame to see him have to scramble to get all his stuff packed up before his exit. 🙂
In reading the NY Times article, it was enlightening to learn Bill Finch was so influential in bringing fuel cell technology to Bridgeport. Along with Al Gore creating the internet it is a seminal moment in our lives. It is also a study in narcissism.
*** How about some pictures of the green “Grinch Who Stole Christmas!” ***