Raising more than $100,000 the past week, Mary-Jane Foster’s campaign for mayor has launched a steady mail plan that contrasts her pledge not to raise taxes next year if elected mayor while hammering Democratic nominee Joe Ganim for not paying his taxes and lying about it under oath.
Foster, a Democrat running as a petitioning candidate as the antidote to voters concerned about Ganim’s return to City Hall, has benefited from a series of big-ticket fundraisers and a stream of on-line contributions. In surprisingly quick time she has paced the mighty fundraising prowess of the Ganim campaign the past two weeks. Her latest two-sided tax mailer started hitting mailboxes Friday.
In losing to Ganim in the Democrat primary Mayor Bill Finch had attacked Ganim often–and in inflammatory ways not based in fact such as a mailer connecting Ganim to the KKK–regarding details revealed at Ganim’s 2003 corruption trial. Foster’s general election campaign led by Campaign Manager Tom Swan has implemented a different strategy that’s based largely on what Ganim said under oath when he had the opportunity to face his accusers at his federal trial, including numerous sourced items such as Ganim’s sentencing judge who ruled the former mayor had lied under oath.
It’s a relevant tactic because Ganim deftly won the support of many Democratic primary voters, African American electors in particular, who had questioned the veracity of Finch as mayor. Some voters bailed on Finch because they believed his word was no good based on promises made.
Meanwhile Ganim is going about his business continuing his strategy based solidly on retail campaigning, rebuilding his brand with a personal voter touch. He, too, is also raising campaign cash as he continue his historic comeback effort. Foster is also chasing history, trying to become mayor as a petitioning candidate after losing in a primary.
“Losing in a primary.” That was a gentle way of putting it. I’m growing accustomed to the delicate way OIB handles MJF. She got 9% of the vote. I might have used the phrase “getting crushed in the primary.” Further, I think the reasoning upon which you describe this as a relevant tactic is flawed as well. Why, if they shied away from Finch, would they embrace his chosen heir, his surrogate with a nearly identical platform? They’re not now and they won’t on November 3rd. This is desperation.
John, your dad would have fully embraced Finch’s support. Your dad would have fully embraced Foster’s support. In fact, he asked for their support. And they asked for his support. But when it goes in a different direction, team Torres spins just like every other political campaign. I’ve been accused plenty of writing about your dad delicately. I have written time and again that Foster got into the primary campaign late, she took her 2011 support for granted and as a result performed poorly in the primary. But now the general election is a different ballgame. She raised more money in a week than your campaign will spend in an entire cycle. John, I write from the perspective of a political strategist. Foster’s messaging is different than Finch’s messaging. Ganim is still the favorite, but your campaign is still the favorite to finish third. Your campaign has spent way more time contrasting Foster than Ganim. Why is that? It appears your campaign is more concerned with winning Black Rock School than winning citywide. I like your dad. He’s a good man, although he can be often an undisciplined campaigner. He received 30 percent of the vote four years ago head to head against Finch when Finch was at his weakest. What’s changed to make him a winner this time?
Before I begin, let me say that I really appreciate your responding to me and nothing I say is meant to be a personal attack against you, but just lively debate. I think you and OIB are really awesome. That being said, let’s take it point by point.
We would have accepted Finch’s “endorsement.” Not the absorption into his campaign structure. Not the watering down of our platform, specifically as it pertains to transparency, to accommodate the actual power brokers behind the Finch campaign. We would have accepted Finch’s endorsement, not sold out the very core of our platform, which whether you decide to publish it or not is exactly what MJF did.
Next. Money is important. That’s for sure. But with less money (less is a gentle word in this case) we have amassed over 10K YouTube views and I think about 70K Facebook views on our platform videos, won every debate (granted that is subjective, but even Auerbach agrees to a certain degree), and are currently winning your OIB poll. I think you’re fooling yourself if you believe we are as weak as you think we are.
Concerned with trying to win Black Rock School? Are you serious? I don’t think Enrique has walked Black Rock in about three months. We are confident in our support in Black Rock and hope our friends and neighbors come out and support, but you’re just flat wrong there. We are focused in spreading our message far afield of Black Rock.
To your point about Foster’s messaging being different than Finch’s. Let us say it WAS very different from Finch’s. Bordering on “quite” different. Not so much now. People aren’t blind. They see the massive handling that is going on here. And it is a bit sad.
As for four years ago, I can’t speak to that, as my pops isn’t around to let me know what was going on. I hope this doesn’t look like a cop out, but I cannot speak intelligently about that. As far as my recollection goes though, that was a hurried campaign where he was sort of coerced into running despite his own desire not to run. Duty calls sometimes. It was the wrong time to take on the machine. Finch may have been “at his weakest” but what is it, 40,000 Democrats? That’s a big number. But let’s assume I’m right about that, I believe your question was “what’s changed to make him a winner this time?” Um. Everything? Running an actual full-fledged, decently funded campaign? Having been a popular City Councilman with a proven record of advocating and actually passing good government reforms? Is this really a question? A three-way … wait, a seven-way race? Running against a former mayor who spent seven years in prison on municipal corruption charges and a political outsider who received 9% of the votes in the Democratic Primary? Everything has changed, Lennie. Come on.
I cannot underestimate the difficulty of waging an uphill battle against two separate power brokers with significantly larger war chests than you with the added difficulty of having to battle specious articles from the CT Post bereft of anything but speculation and near constant rosy articles about a person with almost zero record to run on.
Yet somehow the message continues to be broadcast. Not by you and certainly not by the CT Post. Torres is for the people. For Transparency, for Social Justice. Foster and Ganim are for the status quo. For the continuation of business as usual.
Again Lennie, I’m a huge fan. I hope you liked my music.
An amendment: I shouldn’t have said you haven’t published things about Enrique. You have. In fact you just published his piece to the people of the inner city. Thank you for that.
John,
Excellent response but keep in mind, OIB polls have no statistical validity. People who vote may not even live in Bridgeport. Among other things, Rick needs to win in the Hispanic community in order to win.
To your point, Torres offered to Foster to conduct a true scientific poll and he would step out of the race if Foster were the higher-rated candidate. She refused.
Rick Torres’ plan for the Hispanic community is his name. No policy, just my name is Rick Torres.
Dave, thank you for the compliment. To your point about the poll, of course I know. But it feels better to win an OIB poll than to lose one. As to your point about Hispanics, of course we are trying our best there.
John Torres, thank you, I will not take advantage of your lack of knowledge but I when I post something I know how to back it up. You are just giving us your father’s campaign talking points. Instead, try talking for yourself. John, tell me what is the plan to get thousands of black and Hispanic voters to vote for your father?
Love your music!
Ron Mackey–you come across as willfully ignorant, combative, contentious and all-around just nasty. My suggestion to you would be to arm yourself with logic, empirical evidence and a softer touch, and try again.
Ms. Foster looks better in a skirt. That’s the difference.
Furthermore Mary-Jane, you’re darn right, next year’s budget better not include any property tax increases. The 2016 budget better include tax REDUCTIONS for property owners. We need to go through with the 2016 revaluation. It needs to happen. We top the state in foreclosures. We had 375 lis pendens filings in the first quarter of 2015. New Haven, at second highest in the state comes in at 153, far less than half. People are losing their homes because they can’t afford the taxes. If you’re not aware, many if not most home loans consider your property taxes and include them in your mortgage payment in the form of escrow. So yes, 375, let’s say 400 per quarter times two years. MJF is comfortable with 1600 more foreclosures in BPT over the next two years as she delays the reval for residents paying property taxes on houses appraised at anywhere from 2 – 7 times their market value. Furthermore, that’ll make it 2018 before our next reval, tieing Joe Ganim’s 10-years-without-a-reval feat. Not drawing much of a contrast there.
And what is Rick Torres’ plan, pray to Jesus?
Yes, Ron. It is to pray to Jesus. Just as the vast majority of Bridgeport’s Christians, Rick will pray to Jesus. Not for special powers, or whispers of next day’s lottery numbers, but for strength, Ron. Because that, Ron, is what it will take to go through with what will surely be a difficult process. A process neither Mary-Jane nor Joe Ganim have the stones to go through with.
Now, I get you’re mocking my father, but I’m just gonna power through with a serious answer, since you, apparently, are a goofball who makes dopey, puerile jokes despite the gravity of the situation. The failure of past administrations to appropriately tax our people is bordering on Biblical. Primarily black and Latino homeowners on the East Side, East End, Hollow, etc. are losing their homes at an alarming rate. If ever Bridgeport were having a “come to Jesus moment,” it’s now.
IT IS POSSIBLE to revalue homes in BPT that are overassessed by an unconscionable multiple while keeping the mil rate flat. Here’s how. CUT WASTE and PROPERLY TAX OUR WATERFRONT CORPORATIONS. Why MJF has decided there’s no way to cut the waste and the only answer is delay the twice-delayed reval for a third time, MIGHT have something to do with the “kiss heard ’round BPT.” The Mary-Jane Foster running today is a far cry from the rebellious reformer we came to know in years past. This is not to say Joe’s plan or lack thereof is any better. The two are very similar. It’s just while Joe Ganim was Mayor of Bridgeport, Mary-Jane was hosting cocktail parties in Easton and while Joe Ganim was sitting in prison, Mary-Jane was trying to deceive people into thinking she’d lived in Bridgeport the entire time Joe Ganim was Mayor.
John Torres, you wrote, “black and Latino homeowners on the East Side, East End, Hollow, etc. are losing their homes at an alarming rate,” well where is the overwhelming support from those voters for Rick Torres? You are saying what your team believe are the problems in Bridgeport but what are the voters saying their concerns are? Where are all those black pastors who are supporting Rick? We never read or see who they are, you would think they would be proud to come out and let everyone know they are supporting Rick Torres. What current city council member does Rick has a good working relationship with who is willing to help Rick in getting something passed in the council, if he can’t get something passed by the city council as a sitting councilman then how will he get something passed as mayor with no support?
John, it seems you are giving the people a choice. Mary-Jane Foster or Joe Ganim. You seem to be spending a bit too much time disparaging MJF. Are you on the payroll to get Ganim elected so the Republican party can use Ganim as the poster child of Corrupticut?
You know you are an arrogant asshole just like your father. Tell me what waterfront corporations you are going to tax to make up the difference from taxpayers paying less. You are not old enough to know MJF from those days, post your own stuff, not someone else’s. Typical Torres bullshit. When did MJF move here? She does live here you know so what is the bullshit about Easton and cocktail parties? Were you there? No, of course not. BTW tell me what waste you are going to cut. You really have no clue about the subjects you are writing about.
Mary-Jane Foster, excellent piece. 100,000 and the turning tide, love the piece! Imagine having Foster votes from the primary, Finch votes from the primary, Republicans, Democrats and independents.
Oh yeah, the woman!
Black Rockers are going with Foster, Toms and Katy.
The article in the paper asking Foster to step aside was just short of hilarious.
I imagine you in a padded room, skipping about in a straight jacket giggle-yelling your posts aloud to everyone and no one at all.
John Torres, I can see the apple did not fall far from the tree. You too are nuts and ill-informed. How many of the foreclosures you speak of are because lending institutions loaned money to people who could not afford to pay it back? I sold a house I owned and the buyer got a mortgage of 108 percent.
Toms will tell you her clients in those neighborhoods had no mortgage.
BULLSHIT.
Andy, she actually stated that at the candidate forum, she is both a real estate attorney and Realtor. If you want to say Toms is saying bullshit, then I don’t know what to tell you. She does not strike me as the kind of person who would lie or make things up for a vote. As a matter of fact she has my vote, along with JML.
If they had no mortgages are you saying the city taxes caused the foreclosures? Bullshit right from the Torres camp.
Andy, how many of the executives of those lending institutions who were involved with those illegal loans were arrested and are serving time in jail? None, because the Republican Congress said these businesses were too big to fail.
I think you will find Clinton started the groundwork for the too big to fail situation we are now in.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramm%E2%80%93Leach%E2%80%93Bliley_Act
Jennifer, you are correct, Bill Clinton in an effort to rebuild himself after the sex scandal started to agree with Republican bills because he was weakened and he really couldn’t push back. My point was the Republican congress has refused to pass any bill to put anyone who committed these white collar crimes, why, because of their donations to the Republican Party.
The lending officers of the banks in question are not rotting in prison because the Obama administration and Eric Holder chose to pursue corporations and not individuals. Under Loretta Lynch the policy has been modified. Now the Department of Justice will pursue prison sentences for white-collar criminals.
I don’t imagine you at all. Why is that?
Probably because he is not your type.
I live in an 80-year-old brick row house with a yard the size of a postage stamp on the lower East Side and pay almost $5,000 a year in taxes. Is it fair to me to wait another two years for a reevaluation?
No, let’s give you a tax increase now the way Ganim will. That way he could blame it on Finch. He is no fool, his supporters are!
The city will see a tax increase and a cut in services, because of your boy Finch. We have a 12 million dollar deficit because of his lack of control and knowledge on how to run the City. He’s an ass and so are you. Hopefully our next Mayor will meet the needs of the City and the residents with a strong and intelligent administration, something Finch’s lacked!!!
Show your civic pride and Vote for Mary-Jane Foster. Why?
Answer: www .Only1canbethebest.com
Quentin, Let me ask you a serious question. Let’s assume the city’s obligations amount to $300 Million per year (figure is made up by me). Let’s assume the next reevaluation reduces your assessment by 40% along with the majority of homeowners. The present mil rate and the new revaluation will not allow the city to pay its bills. What does that mean? It means the Mil Rate needs to be increased so the city can collect the money it needs. I would not rush to get the reevaluation done.
In referring to “corruption of the past,” is Ms. Foster referring to Mayor Finch and John Stafstrom?
Claude,
Please post ANY criminal complaint or even an ethics complaint against Mr. Stafstrom. He may not be my favorite Bond Counsel but if you are going to accuse him of corruption, please give some specifics.
Andrew, if the city can’t pay its bills then it needs to do what you and I and everyone else does. Cut the spending.
The residents on my side of town are hurting and while a couple extra bucks in our pockets would be nice and maybe allow us to reinvest in our homes, fairness across the city would also help. My neighbors and I have paid more than our share over the years.
Okay, let’s cut public safety, now how many police officers and how many fire houses do you want to get rid of to cut taxes? We really don’t need that much snow removal do we and we can go without our garbage being picked up once a week, maybe we can do that every other week. You make the decision on what you want to cut.
Does that mean you feel you and your neighbors should not have to pay any taxes?
Foster will follow the Finch/Stafstrom plan. Fewer public safety employees, more commercials, Mayor’s Office raises and rain barrels.
Three police officers knocked on my door advocating for and supporting Joe Ganim. Two of them live out of town at this time though they have long ties with the City apart from their employment. I identified myself as a candidate and at least one of them knew my name (and perhaps more).
I asked if they were supporting the entire ticket and the answer came back they are supporting those who support Joe.
Their biggest concern was the size of the Police Force. I commented that I would have expected the Police Commissioners to have monitored the decrease of the force over recent years as a matter of pure stewardship. Lower staffing means more overtime, all other things being equal. More overtime puts additional stress on public safety officers and enough stress can lead to controversial decisions in the field.
The Ganim supporters seemed to defend the Police Commissioners in their silence on the matter, but I suggest most City Boards and Commissions have had members who have been too silent on matters in their broad portfolio. The decrease in staffing did not happen overnight. Why didn’t Police Commission Chair Dan Roach point out the developing trend? Was he aware of it? Was he concerned? Were no other members attending to it and how fewer officers might make response times and protocols less acceptable to the public?
Perhaps the political responsibilities of being a DTC Chair in the 130th, a campaign chair for a Ganim comeback, as well as his business and family responsibilities helped him lose sight of what just plain folks might consider was staring him right in the face? Why no comment to the press from the Board as an entirety? Time will tell.
John, there is enough blame to go around. You can start with the chief and the deputy chief, but they may have been ordered to keep it under wraps. You can blame the union who said nothing about the shortage, Why is that? That is because the shortage meant more OT for officers. The thing the politicians forgot is they negotiated a new pension contract that means cops can retire with their average salary for their best three years. Cops are paid about $62,000 per year. You are going to see cops retiring at $75-100K per year.
The police board is made up of political people who do what the politicians tell them to do, they are window-dressing and useless.