Mary-Jane Foster, a 2011 mayoral candidate considering another run in 2015, asserts Mayor Bill Finch is using city funds to promote his reelection campaign. Commentary from Foster that also appears in the Sunday print edition of the CT Post.
In the last few months, my husband and I have each received birthday cards from Mayor Bill Finch. We both thought it odd as we don’t consider ourselves friends of the mayor’s but then we remembered: it’s a primary year and time for the mayor to start spending taxpayer dollars to advance his re-election campaign.
Sure enough, next came the advertising campaign created by two out-of-state companies which has cost taxpayers $250,000 that we know of and then this week, we opened our tax bill to find flyers proclaiming Bridgeport is getting better every day (filled with self-advancing proclamations) and a notice that Bridgeport’s police department is hiring. That flyer included a personal note from Mayor Finch urging that recipients sign up and be a part of transforming our city. Also noted this week was a sponsored ad on Facebook featuring the Mayor’s photo and telling folks to check out Bridgeportbettereveryday.com. We taxpayers no doubt paid for the ad and the website, too.
Four years ago, the mayor and others were cited by the State Election Enforcement Commission for illegal expenditures out of his political action committee. While that was egregious, at least he was illegally spending money people had donated. Now he is spending taxpayers dollars to finance his early re-election public relations campaign. Taxpayers deserve to be reimbursed for all of the costs of his public relations campaign. Let the mayor do the right thing and start spending from his enormous re-election campaign funds. Then instead of crying poverty, he can use those dollars to actually fund the public school system. Now that would really be a public relations win.
Is promoting Bridgeport a bad thing? Are there other issues that can rally the anti-Finch voters? I think if anyone were really upset with Steelepointe and Downtown development they would make it known. I think ALL residents like to hear positives about Bridgeport. I only agree it is a waste of taxpayers dollars to make seniors feel special receiving a card from the Mayor. My mother has also received a card. She is 87 and still has friends and receives many cards. However, most seniors are lonely and withdrawn. Receiving a card from the Mayor is a big deal, whether you voted for him or not. I like Mary-Jane Foster. I worked my ass off for her. When she lost the primary I supported Finch the way I did when Fabrizi decided not to run. I wish Mary-Jane Foster as well as any other candidate hoping to oust Mayor Finch, to acknowledge his positives and go after the jugular if you really have something that will resonate with the Bridgeport voters. I just cannot imagine anyone getting upset with Mayor Finch promoting and being a cheerleader for the City. Would the City be better off without the holiday cards, Bridgeport commercials, radio spots and positive notes in the tax bills? Personally, I think these are all great things. Personally, I want to hear announcements for bigger and better things for Steelepointe over the next few months. I do however think Mayor Finch has to remind people Steelepointe is happening. Yes, it creates a buzz for him. He would be a complete ass to not mention this at ever opportunity. What does need to happen is for all of his adversaries to develop a platform that highlights how the City will be better under new leadership. I’d be more concerned about Joe Ganim hiring the top Public Relations man in the country to reinvent himself as a reformed and apologetic leader who did have people in the City feeling good under his leadership. This could in fact be an exciting election year or a big yawn! Good luck to all willing to work hard to lead our city.
Steve,
Your cheerleading class for the Mayor must be closed because I see no advertisement to attend. I assume it is adult education? Something where you can talk to an instructor/professor and receive a courteous and reasoned response?
I drive by our harbor land off I-95 almost every day. Development is taking shape. What is your point? This is economic development happening in the City and cranes may have been observed on the City skyline, but what does this mean to the average taxpayer? Will that be covered by your cheerleading class? If not, where can we go for such an answer?
Is it too much to ask how much City leaders over the past 30 years have “invested” in using City legal powers and fiscal resources to get us where we are today (including what taxes might have been paid by homes and businesses that were uprooted)? That is our City “basis” in the project. If we look for a return on our investment (ROI), what would we discover? Is there a deafness in City Hall? Or is there an inability to speak, a failure to comment, a fear words and numbers will show a less happy picture to the voting public? Time will tell.
Thank you Mary-Jane for protecting our tax dollars or should I say my tax dollars. Pay no attention to the likes of Steve A. He is the only person who believes this is not about Finch’s reelection.
He has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars but continues to use the city taxpayers’ money instead of his campaign funds.
Birthday cards, Christmas cards, advertising campaign, presidential visit. Enough already.
Again, thank you Mary-Jane for shining the light on his abuses of power.
Bill is a big believer in using OPM. Other People’s Money!
Steve, we can all forgive any mayor for making lemonade from lemons and you for seeing through rose-colored glasses, but this campaign being conducted by the ministry of public enlightenment at taxpayer expense is promoting Finch. He must convince the Democratic town committee he is their man.
Well, needless to say I love that OIB makes me feel important. Bob Walsh, MJF need not listen to me. But she should. Tom White, you are right, the Democratic town committee may just endorse Joe Ganim. John Marshall Lee, I am a cheerleader for Bridgeport. If it seems I am Finch’s cheerleader, it just means I must agree with the direction the City is going and I haven’t heard a platform that would change my opinion. If these are the issues anyone imagines are going to win an election, I will stand alone and call you all idiots. The Hennessy Bill, the BOE and holiday cards are not important to me and most voters. I will watch from the sidelines and watch the mayoral election unfold. Personally, I am more interested in Clinton, Bush … Isis, Korea and Russia. I am focused on the fall of Putin, the direction of the Catholic church and the economy, cyber vandalism, STEELEPOINTE, DOWNTOWN, NORTH END and by the way on a lighter note, for those of us who were involved with searing the jail, Nob Hill Academy, it should be noted Mayor Finch kept his promise of developing a park. It is not only taking shape, but it is looking very attractive. Now, even I would have appreciated a tax-producing project, but this park looks good. Thanks also to Richie Paoletto and Mike Marella. I guess they will have the unveiling prior to the election because let’s face it, it is a smart move. Note to Andy Fardy, if you haven’t seen it check it out. See you at the 50s Diner. We can discuss.
Steve, thanks for the heads up. I just returned from taking a ride there. It’s not finished yet but it certainly dresses up the neighborhood. It is better than the pile of construction debris that was left there by the state when they demolished the Kennedy center building. I also hope this won’t be just a passive park. Thanks.
Bravo, Mary-Jane Foster.
Why should MJF listen to you, Steve? What do you know that she does not? It’s just a different perspective. You have yours and she has hers.
That is correct, if I were running for Mayor, I’d talk about more important issues than birthday cards and holiday cards. It seems petty. Yes Mustang, that is my perspective and she should not listen to me.
Apparently Finch is concerned with petty greeting cards, too.
Steve, you should know many residents in our neighborhood were opposed to the park. The Virginia Ave. entrance is about 100 feet from Beardsley Park. There is not a single parking space in the park including handicapped parking. There is already a severe parking shortage on Virginia Avenue and I already received three phone calls because the city added crosswalks that eliminated parking spaces.
The park cost taxpayers over $1 million. I actually attended one of the hearings and there was no groundswell of support for a park being built there.
Maria, just for the record. Without the need to blow smoke up my own ass, I was the absolute first to address the Jail and Nob Hill Academy documented in the Connecticut Post. That being said I also attended every meeting with Chris Caruso to Derail the Jail as well as attending Hartford to personally deliver a letter and petition to Governor Jodi Rell. That being said, I also felt there were better uses for the property that could have generated taxes. Let’s face it, this is Bridgeport Maria, whether nice homes or a small condo, neighbors would have fought it. After the park was announced I accepted and am happy the Park City has another park, yes around the corner from our gorgeous Beardsley Park. I currently still own property in Nob Hill and I am there three times a week. I am very pleased with the park and Finch will have a great day at the unveiling. I do not expect people to be driving there looking for parking. I expect it to be more of a neighborhood park serving Nob Hill, the Huntington and Eastwood condominiums. I think given the options of a housing complex, a condo, retail, nursing home, senior housing, etc., etc., a park is extremely attractive and I can assure you that 400 residents at Nob Hill alone are excited. Maria, you can’t please all of the people all of the time. You know that and I know that, so you don’t try. It’s my political creed. Of course as Mustang stated, this is my perspective. Perhaps someone running for Mayor can tell Finch he fucked up. If I were running against him I’d thank him for that contribution. I’d probably talk about the revaluation and not birthday cards.
Steve, I can assure you that 400 residents at Nob Hill are not excited. I have spent hours upon hours knocking on doors in Nob Hill, and they are not thrilled about this park. There were only four Nob Hill residents at the public forum I attended and they had issues with the basketball court, no bathroom, potential noise and gang/drug activity.
The picnic area was encouraged as an area for family gatherings and children’s birthday parties. When all of the Nob Hill residents friends and families attend these joyous gatherings, where will they be parking? The Huntington and Eastwood Condominium have ZERO visitor parking. I believe Nob Hill has ZERO visitor parking. It is going to be an absolute mess.
The first full season for the park will be this spring/summer. It will be interesting to see how the residents in my neighborhood react to this park.
Maria, only one parking space was lost by installing crosswalks. The park is better than what was there. The entrance to the park is a little more than 100 feet away and what do the kids do when they get to the park? Look around here, there is nothing for kids to do around here. No place to play basketball, no place to skate board, nothing. It goes along with no grocery store and no bank.
A crosswalk impacts both sides of the street, not just one, therefore at least two parking spaces were eliminated. The Huntington Condominium, Eastwood Condominium and Nob Hill Condominium residents all utilize Virginia Avenue for parking. Once the park opens the parking situation is going to be even worse with visitors parking on Virginia Avenue to access the park.
Everyone who attended the forum was completely opposed to the installation of a basketball court. We were told the basketball court would be eliminated. Are you now saying a basketball court is being installed? There was no discussion of installing a skate park either. The only thing that was agreed upon was the installation of a dog park, playground and a picnic area.
There was a significantly better use for this property that would have truly benefited the community, however I will hold that tidbit for the campaign trail.
Okay, so there were two parking spaces lost. When those condos were built there was no consideration given to families having more than one car. I am not advocating for a basketball court or a skate board area, I am saying kids need to have things to do. A dog park is another thing, who will clean up the mess? Please don’t tell me the dog walker. My front and side yards show that does not happen. The idea is this was a walk to park for the neighborhood and it was not intended as a commute to park.
Steve’s idea of an Economic Development Policy is “if you build it, they will come … eventually … maybe … hopefully … whatever.”
He learned this from Mary Moran.
Bob Walsh, why are you so angry? I did not understand your last post or your Mary Moran dig. You would think I was throwing a monkey wrench into your plan. I don’t think so. I am just sharing my perspective as Mustang Sally said and you should just agree to disagree.
Steve is like so many Bridgeport voters. Expect nothing from our incompetent leaders and if they deliver anything it’s a miracle.
Well Bob Walsh, If you keep your expectations low, you will never be disappointed. As far as playing devil’s advocate, it is my favorite pastime and I do it very well. You on the other hand are just annoying. 🙂
Too bad we don’t have a City Council with balls or at least not city employees who question these actions one Mary-Jane rather than playing “flow the leader (pun intended).”
Bob Walsh, I am not so sure why you are attacking me. I do not think anyone on this blog disagrees with anything I said, but I’ll tell you what. If you are speaking as Mary-Jane’s spokesperson she may as well throw in the towel now. Did you advise her to write that letter to the editor? I do not want Mary-Jane to become “Linda.” I need to hear a platform I agree with.
Whoever becomes Bridgeport’s next Mayor will benefit from the current campaign. Mayor Finch is correct to place himself in the ad as he is the current mayor. He is using the powers of incumbency to promote Bridgeport as any executive would–only his foes see personal gain.
He put a card in MJF’s mailbox and a B.I.G.B.E.D. ad appears on this page–that’s how the mayor shares the holiday love … and it’s all within his predetermined limits as Mayor of Bridgeport.
I agree with you on this point for sure, LE. Anyone who becomes the next Mayor will benefit from this campaign. Some could actually bring the current open projects to bear better fruit more expeditiously. Maybe a new Mayor could even consider not waiting until the “Recency Effect” would benefit his or her reelection bid.
LE,
I respectfully disagree that Mayor Finch and his well compensated advisers have any “predetermined limits” when it comes to money. If you disagree, and Steve it would be helpful for you to chime in about fiscal issues for a change, please let me know where anyone out in the public is able to see the “limits” to City spending.
Does the budget, advanced by the Mayor and approved by the City Council a “limit” overall? Not really. Do we see the actual payroll and benefit costs throughout a year for City-side employment? Not really, once again. What about the expenditure of funds from grants or later approved State or Federal funds? Any timely reporting? Any official oversight? What happens when City employees cause charges to accrue to the City before and without prior purchasing procedures? Controls? Authorization?
What is the purpose of economic development? Is it to provide additional housing for more people at less than market rates who require additional services from the City and State without paying property taxes? Is it to have additional green industry from private sources but provide them City land at $1 per year to the City treasury? Is it to spend $250,000 to attract new private businesses to the City where a little research will point to our high taxes and an interrupted revaluation cycle that will cost businesses dearly on personal property taxes? Or will such research reveal the City in a seven-year tax appeal case by the City’s “largest valuation taxpayer” (who disputes the City applied value) as an example of “business friendly?” In the latter case the City expert at best is able to show $100 Million of valuation less than what the Tax office says is due and we are still in court with taxpayers footing more than $100,000 of legal expense for local counsel. Is any of this demonstrating real leadership? Open, Accountable or Transparent? Not currently. When? Time will tell.
There’s a market for everything. There’s even a market for postage within the mayor’s office. If he exceeds it, the City Council will pounce on him. Otherwise, I think he’s setting a record for “postal transparency” and I encourage him to develop a little swagger in his step.
LE,
Markets are concerned with customer service. In a municipality one customer is an informed taxpayer. I think I am an informed taxpayer, yet I am ignored, informed by City fiscal professionals they choose not to answer my questions, and erratically allowed (usually not) to express a brief opinion at City Council meetings. City Department heads, for the most part, are too concerned with maintaining their employment to depart from paying attention to management rather than to the citizen who provides the funds to pay the bills.
LE, it may be the time of year when “visions of sugar plum fairies” are dancing around in your head. But I have to challenge the verb ‘pounce’ with anything to do with the City Council acting towards the Mayor. A possible exception would be a holiday fest where CC members have been known to pounce on anything appealing to their eye that was not moving. Otherwise their behavior is decidedly slow, unambitious, and self-dedicated generally.
So if the Mayor develops a little more swagger in his step as you encourage him to do, perhaps he will carry a swagger stick. It goes with the image you have of him. I would then encourage him to be careful, because such a stick may trip him up, or falling into other hands, might be used to get his attention to where he is failing the public in tactics and in strategy, though not in publicizing a larger-than-life image. Who was the image behind the screen when you got to the City? Time will tell.
YAAFJ.
This means Mary-Jane Foster is going to run for mayor.
I hope her announcement will have more substance than holiday cards. She has had four years to put together a platform and remain before the public. As JML states, time will tell. I always believed Mary-Jane Foster would be a fine mayor. I am not crazy about many of her supporters but that’s politics. Like most voters, I am open to all and willing to listen to any platform that will bring Bridgeport into the light. So far, unimpressed by any hopefuls.
Remember, someone interested in being mayor of Bridgeport need only convince the Democrat town committee. They, in effect, appoint the mayor. Endorsement is not based on philosophy, but rather by the city jobs that will continue or be created for DTC members and family. An investigative report (remember them) by the CT Post a few years ago suggested the connection.
Tom White, sad but true with no change in the future.