If you can’t beat him, join him, right? Firefighters endorsed Bill Finch in the Democratic primary, but now they’re throwing their general election support behind the candidate who defeated him, Joe Ganim.
In a news release issued by the Ganim campaign, President Robert Whitbread and Vice President David Dobbs of the IAFF Local Union 834 state, “The members of Bridgeport Firefighters IAFF Local 834 have voted to endorse the Democratic nominee, Joe Ganim, for the office of Mayor in the city of Bridgeport. We have had several substantive conversations with Mr. Ganim and are encouraged by what we have heard. His commitment to public safety is and will remain a cornerstone of his administration. We stand here today united with our brothers from the Bridgeport Police Union in support of Mr. Ganim. Together we will continue to protect the lives and property of the residents of this fine city. Please join us on November 3rd in our support of Joe Ganim for Mayor.”
“I am so honored and thrilled to have the endorsement by the Firefighters of Bridgeport and am proud to stand with them and all public safety first responders in Bridgeport to pledge to safeguard our City of Bridgeport in every way possible,” says Ganim. “I will work vigilantly as Mayor to strengthen city public safety services, to make our neighborhoods safer, and to work with firefighters and all first responders in a cooperative and productive manner.”
What’s next, the UMWA?
No World Wide Wrestling and Felons for quality public service. Police department will need to make a new motto.
Who cares whom the FD is endorsing? The majority live out of town.
What an honor to receive yet another sloppy second endorsement. Not one Ganim supporter on this blog can get excited since they were so unimpressed with these endorsements that were given to Mayor Bill Finch. I guess they all said they are worthless and the people do not live in Bridgeport. In fact soon Ganim can make a list of all of his endorsements and Foster will have to remind them how much good they did for Mayor Finch. Honestly, it would have served Ganim’s purpose better if they did not support him. Just ask Jeff Kohut. These sloppy second endorsements are laughable. OMG Finch could do a compare and contrast with each endorsement that are only six weeks apart and it will be a joke. Mario Testa, how do you like leftovers??? Apparently, Joe likes them!
I think it’s disgusting, a union representing public safety officers would endorse a convicted felon and documented liar. Apparently the union leadership doesn’t care for Mary-Jane Foster. (It goes without saying organized labor would not endorse a Republican unless there was something in it for them. Jimmy Hoffa and Richard Nixon come to mind.)
That’s no honor, that’s just a bunch of out-of-towners who are afraid the mayor will say all police and fire personnel must live in the city to get first preference for these jobs. If that happens all their children, cousins and friends can’t do what they’ve been doing for years, taking millions of dollars out of Bridgeport for the uplift of their suburban community. They have absolutely no political clout unlike we had Andy when we all lived in the city.
Now that is a satisfying and true answer. Thank you.
There’s a little more to the story. Out of the three front runners, the firefighter’s union endorsed The Crook over the Republican and the petitioning Democrat. What’s wrong with this picture?
The Bridgeport Kid, that is absolutely the truth. What in hell can they be thinking??? These endorsements that were so pro-Mayor Finch are now supporting the wrong candidate. When he loses it will be even more silly. How exciting they think they have the wind at their backs and Foster is receiving support with every person she encounters. Two weeks to go and a lot of work to do. Joe has already seen the bulk of his support in the primary. The 10 to 1 Democratic city is going to give the honest lady a chance. It is easier to explain why you supported an independent Democrat who is being supported by the current Mayor who has given this city a 50-year high in economic development than Ganim who just represents the smoothest talking that is aligned with those who are considered corrupt. Go figure. Tell that to your children.
That’s great news from the Firefighters of Bridgeport!
Now on our way with a Taxpayer’s Mandate!
No more Sock puppets!! No more Sock puppets!!
Jim, come on. Ganim is a sock puppet.
You’re on glue. The unemployment rate has soared under Finch, now at over 8%. (According to Donald Day the unemployment rate for black teenagers is at least 50%, if not higher.) Many jobs have been created for construction workers who do not live in Bridgeport. The police department’s ranks have been allowed to dwindle, seriously affecting public safety. Blame it all on The Crook? He’s been out of office for twelve fucking years. Blame it on the lame duck who lost the primary to a convicted felon. His support will amount to nothing. Mary-Jane Foster rubs more than a few people the wrong way.
How quickly your loyalties changed after Tax Bill lost the primary to The Crook and fucked up the paperwork for a filing deadline. Finch is out of the game, sidelined with a gunshot wound to the foot.
Wow Steve, for a minute there I thought you were going to use the “landslide” word referring to Ms. Foster. But I agree with you, this endorsement means nothing, especially since Dobbs was calling Ganim a crook, thief, felon etc etc, about a month ago. It’s a joke.
Yes, the whole 10 to 1 thing is pathetic. It assumes all Democrats are morons and cannot think for themselves. Democrats for Torres.
Help me out here Donald Day, Ron Mackey or Andy Fardy.
How many firehouses and companies did Ganim close his first time in office? How many of those did he reopen? Is this proof of his constant commitment to public safety???
Joe Ganim’s campaign is:
Anything you liked the first time I was mayor I promise to do it again.
Anything you didn’t like the first time I was mayor I swear I will never do it again.
Anything else I do, I will do it and save taxes!
Joe Ganim. What’s not to like!
Bob, this is a long story. Before companies were large, firehouses like 7-11, 3-4 and headquarters were built and smaller houses were closed and moved to these large firehouses. We said back then consolidation means closing and it happened. I can’t pin the number of houses Ganim closed but the following companies closed. Engine 8, Engine 5, Engine 14, Engine 11, Engine 3 or 4, I am not sure. I believe Truck 3 was closed also. There may be some I missed.
I wonder how many union members actually voted. Have they ever endorsed anyone other than the endorsed Democrat?
Yes Tom, we endorsed and worked for and got elected Nick Panuzio. We ran phone banks and soft sheets on election day.
I forgot about the 20 and out. Panuzio left soon after.
DD, serious question. Do you think a “residents clause” could be added to the current contract? And if so, what concession would the city need to give in negotiations?
QD, if residency was added to the contract it would have to be for people not on the job yet. No politician is going to go for that.
QD, the residency requirement doesn’t have to meet the union’s approval. It could be done by the city council just like Hartford did it. Hartford said you don’t have to stay a city resident, but you sure as hell have to start out as one. Hartford will hire outside the city only if it can’t meet its need from city residents. I have a copy of Hartford’s resolution if you’re interested.
Torres would certainly go for that, but nobody should want anarchy and rebellion from firefighters that could endanger the public, so would have to be phased in over time with due respect to guys on the job.
Another endorsement out of fear. Oh no, he screwed us last time. If we don’t say we like him, he’ll screw us again!
Joe learned how to smell weakness in prison.
He probably wanted to puke writing that “I’m so happy you guys came aboard” press release.
Joe doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to do right by “his bitches.”
Is Joe now becoming a comic strip as well? He sure is a superhero already.
Andy, that was my thought also. I’ve been on both sides of the bargaining table where I work, however I’m not familiar with the BFD contract. You may be able to put that clause in for new hires but even that may be a hard sell. Too many legal hurdles.
QD, I failed to mention Hartford instituted this residency requirement through a resolution by the Hartford City Council.
There are no legal hurdles with residency. The present union leadership will sell out future firefighters no problem, they have done it with past contracts.
Why wouldn’t the politicians go for it, Andy? It’s a win, win for the city. You are hiring city residents who need these jobs, these jobs can and will change the lives of city residents, you are keeping millions of tax dollars in the City and finally Bridgeport has the largest applicant pool of any city in the State so there is no reason to look beyond its borders.
Just like the city adopted the preference point system for Bridgeport residents by Ron Mackey and myself, they can do this if their desire is to do what’s best for its residents and taxpayers.
State statute prevents municipalities from requiring employees toreside in the city. Incentives can be provided to city residents in scoring the entrance exam.
The residency issue creates a voting bloc the politician has to deal with. Years ago all the politicians would come to the FD and PD looking for support. One year the police and fire department got together and worked for Nick Panuzio. We ran soft sheets and called all the relatives of PD and FD, we figure we got over 4,000 votes out. Panuzio gave us the 20-years pension and paid medical.
There was a time with our numbers the PD and FD could control a primary if we wanted to.
With the majority of the union members living out of town, they have no say.
Thanks, Andy.
DD, thank you for the info.
Donald, has anyone ever broached the idea of having an elective course for high school seniors of BPS to prepare them for a city servant job test?
QD,
On the surface that’s a good idea. The problem you run into is there are very few jobs that are entry-level that come up. Of the two major careers, PD and FD, you have to be 21 to be a cop. Well beyond high school years.
Not that I know of QD, but I know other urban cities have these program here in Connecticut and across America. I would suggest police, fire and other civil service jobs be an extracurricular activity to prepare our youth for jobs in public safety programs and other city jobs.
There is a cadre of youth who understand they aren’t college material or don’t have a desire to further their educational career, but want a job so they can buy a home, raise a family and better their lives. A job in public safety, public works, police and fire dispatch or the litany of other positions within city government that offer a career that pays a salary that will allow them the opportunity for a piece of the American dream. Bridgeport owes that to our youth without having to compete with suburban youth who receive a better education than they do. A 1400 SAT score isn’t going to make a better fire or police officer than a individual who scores less.
This is exactly what Torres talked about tonight. Trade school and alternative career training needs to come back into Bridgeport to help some of the kids who have managed to stay in school but may not go to college. His son Alex is a city high school teacher who says young people are let down when they take the SAT and see they cannot make the scores due to their educational experiences unfortunately. So what do they do? Get them trade skills, as well as FD, PD, something to work for and be proud of.
Donald, even if the students in the Bridgeport school system had the top test scores in the state, where are they going to work in Bridgeport? Oh that’s right, they can work at Harborview Market, Rick’s place.
Didn’t Bridgeport at one time have, for lack of a better term, a training cadet program that did things like small crowd control at events, traffic control, etc.? I remember they used to wear brown uniforms. That might be a good stepping-stone program for youth as part of an extracurricular activity that would not only prepare for Bridgeport jobs but across the state as well. It would give our youth a head start. That’s the kind of thing we should be spending our money on. I’m sure there are a couple cushy jobs in our city government (given as favors) that could be eliminated and that money be used for these types of programs.
That is being run currently by the police department, but can always be supported and expanded.
The cadets are still on the beat! They were out at the Jerk Fest in August. Bridgeport Military Academy is doing well also. By the way, applications are available for BMA and Fairchild Wheeler at
bridgeportedu.com
Tom White, what you said is partially right. Hartford will hire outside-of-city residents only when there are no city residents available for those positions. Hartford went one step further with political appointments. They must reside within city limits six months after being appointed. Bridgeport, what ya gonna do?