From Democratic mayoral candidate Mary-Jane Foster:
Bridgeport businesswoman and social action advocate Mary-Jane Foster, who is running for mayor, issued the following statement today:
“In yet another example of the gang that couldn’t shoot straight, Mayor Finch is demonstrating the incompetence of his administration. In an effort to try to restrict adult entertainment establishments, the mayor has potentially opened the door for its expansion.
Under the City’s current Master Plan, strip clubs may only operate in areas zoned as “heavy industrial” and these require a special permit. The mayor’s new proposal will designate specific areas with no special permit from the City required–just a site plan review. There are currently eight such businesses in Bridgeport and this new proposal will open the door for another 10. What is the mayor thinking?
Before any further expansion occurs, I urge Mayor Finch and the City Council to take the opportunity to review the situation thoroughly to ensure that any actions taken do not inadvertently encourage the expansion of adult entertainment.
Likewise, the strength of the Master Plan lies in the fact that the neighborhoods had a strong voice in creating a vision for their communities. Have any of the affected Neighborhood Revitalization Zone community boards been notified about how these changes could affect them? To bypass the residents on such an important quality-of-life issue is insulting and speaks to how little regard this administration has for the people of this city.”
Finch = “Village Idiot,” anyone who votes for this “Village Idiot” is a bigger idiot. Look up the definition of idiot if you dare.
Voters are idiots. Finch is playing the no layoffs for two years to the unions and no tax increase to the common idiot voters. Pathetic. Budget fluff. The idiots might buy it. If re-elected, watch out. Bend over, idiots.
It is wonderful that Mary-Jane Foster knows about Neighborhood Revitalization Zones and the work they have attempted to do over the past several years. Adult entertainment, whether it be energetic pole dancing or massages that offer more than practitioners are licensed (are they all licensed anyway?) to perform, is a real problem for residents and many businesses in different neighborhoods.
Why has Mayor Finch even raised the issue without tapping into neighborhood sentiment? As a BOB viewer it was clear more than one Council person did not have a clue as to what the City had set in motion last year for their neighborhood, or what the intention or promise was for the current year funding review. Tom Sherwood did not have that info at hand but promised it. But no one has shared it broadly, until last week, City blight office reached out three days before the Mayor’s planned meeting on Friday May 13 at 4:00 PM to ask the City Wide NRZ coalition to come together to hear what has been set out to be completed in the next few weeks with last year’s funds and what can be anticipated with the 2011-12 funds.
Do right hands and left hands in the administration understand what they are up to? And are people who should know better ready to upset some pretty clear notions set out in the Master Plan? For what purpose or purposes? I understand a passion for environmental issues whether they be green roofs, rain barrels or recycling of one type or another. I do not understand changing the way adult entertainment is currently regulated or limited in the City and why the change is good. Anybody? What is the answer: sex, money or power?
Finch will institute a pole tax and promise a give-back to neighborhoods. I wonder how much in outside counsel we are paying for this deal. As you are leaving town Bridgeport signs will exclaim, “Come Again!”
Up On Bridgeport, now that you mention it, what has happened to Mary-Jane Foster’s FOI request concerning the City’s cost for outside counsel? As I said before, I wish her good luck with her request, but …
Ron, the city has turned over the requested info. The Foster campaign is calculating the numbers.
Could anyone list the names of the owners of these adult establishments that prosper in Bpt? Besides many organized crime families I suspect we might find some questionable owners who are operating under our radar.
Chances are the names of the owners end in vowels.
This is a soft spot. Finch will look like an amoral fool.
Hey Lennie, let’s make this interesting. I say the amount for outside council is around $2 million. And the Fire Department will account for close to $1 million going to an attorney who is a sitting town committee member and former city attorney. Whose office is in Fairfield. What say you?
Is this the Finch administration’s idea of job creation for the city? What is going on?
*** Who says economic development isn’t alive & getting better in Bpt? If green is going to be the color of the future, just think of all the green revenue for the city & free VIP lap dances for those running local politics, no? Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, reality sets in. *** OIB ***
Hey Lennie, get your bungie dollar ready.
DonTito, I find it very interesting what you said if true about the City’s cost for outside counsel. You said, “the Fire Department will account for close to $1 million going to an attorney that is a sitting town committee member and former city attorney.” You mean to say we have a town committee member who has made close to $1 million dollars of taxpayers money in legal cases for the fire department?
Well, follow the money, I wonder how much of that money has gone to the DTC, and the mayor’s re-election from this person and his law firm and family, if it’s true.
The Feds once said Bpt was an excellent city to train their new agents. Let’s see what they do when the figures are published. With all the vacant city office space, why couldn’t this attorney open his office here? Not good enough for him, but he sure likes the Bpt money. Or maybe it’s easier for dept. heads and DTC members to go there and not be seen.
FYI–there’s a restaurant in Derby that on Thursday nights you will see city dept. heads and favored employees file in, this is where the deals are being made. I’ll bet others who make comments on this site know this as well.
Mario owns another restaurant in Derby? I thought his residence was in BPT.
Did anyone find out where he pays his motor vehicle & property taxes?
DonTito, maybe I’m missing something here, why would the Feds be concerned about the City’s cost for outside counsel?
Why go to a restaurant in Derby on Thursday nights where you will see city dept. heads and favored employees file in, as you said DonTito, when there are restaurants here on Madison Ave.?
Ron Mackey, this might be a great story for our rising star Keila Torres Ocasio. She is very easy on the eyes and she could do an in-depth report for our pal Lennie G! Maybe she could even find out where Mario pays his taxes.
It’s best to go where eyes don’t recognize you and ears can’t hear you. Ganim thought he was safe in Fairfield.