Show us the money, honey. Moolah is the mother’s milk of political campaigns. Nothing like a little milk and honey, right? Democratic mayoral candidate Mary-Jane Foster has launched her Facebook page with an appeal to click her contribution website. Mayor Bill Finch, Joe Ganim and Howard Gardner also have loaded donation sites. East End Democratic Town Committee member Charlie Coviello says he expects to load a donation page soon.
Foster, who resides in a waterfront home in Black Rock, is framing her campaign peeps as the Davids against Goliath.
I am up against two candidates who have access to big money and want to squash competition, while we are the little guys, the Davids against Goliath. We need to do this. Every dollar counts. Please share this link, and contribute for a better Bridgeport.
OIB embraces an egalitarian approach to promoting the donation pages of candidates. It also provides insight into what candidate sites receive the most clickthroughs. After all, it’s all about the clicks, right?
Finch donation site here.
Ganim donation site here.
Foster donation site here.
Gardner donation site here.
All of the positioning for money is leading to a potential September Democratic primary. Finch is the odds-on-favorite for the July endorsement by the Democratic Town Committee, but Ganim’s in the mix too. To qualify for the September ballot, challengers to the endorsed candidate must secure roughly 2000 certified signatures from party enrolled.
Like I said, a real yawn.
Steve, wake up before you read the blog. You expect me to believe a woman who refers to herself as a “guy” makes you yawn? 🙂
Save your hard-earned dollars MJF, the Davey reference could not be dumber when you have more money than either candidate in your bank account and live in a luxury home us voters could only wish to have, and the other candidates wish to have (Ganim once had) also.
BPT REBEL, that is interesting. When I read this last night I thought the exact same thing. How can one infer they are the candidate who is most challenged to raise campaign funds when you are by far the wealthiest of the candidates? After all, MJF could certainly take the Linda McMahon and Tom Foley route and fund her campaign utilizing her personal millions.
Maria–why should she use her own money? With this type reasoning then Joe should be utilizing his family’s fortune.
Campaigns are about using OPM. You know that! If it doesn’t make cents it doesn’t make sense.
Grin Ripper, a candidate can utilize as much of their personal finances to fund their campaign, however it would be illegal to utilize their family members’ money to do so.
So a person shouldn’t be able to run for office because they have money (the Bush family and JFK’s, John, Bobby and Teddy) and a person who has a police record? Doesn’t sound like America now, maybe the old Society Union.
Ron Mackey: I am just totally confused by this post from top to bottom.
I’m one of a few individuals who could honestly and justifiably use the term “little guy” and the David against Goliath analogy. Seven years ago I (being a city employee) was alone in expressing my opposition to the current administration while MJF was leading the Bill Finch Transition Team. I financed my own campaigns since 2008 without taking a dime from anyone. All those I supported with my time and money were nowhere to be found (busy supporting others) when I could have used some help. My most recent campaign was for State Representative in the 130th district where UB is located. During my campaign, I reached out to MJF and eventually managed to get a meeting at the UB cafeteria. I did not ask for money nor an endorsement from MJF or UB. I simply wanted an opportunity to meet and speak to UB students so they could hear who I am and what I stood for. I got the runaround to say the least. In order for me to get such an opportunity, the other candidates–who never made an effort to visit UB–had to be notified and they had to accept an invitation to some sort of candidate forum. I’m still waiting to hear from UB. In all fairness, I must extend my sincere thank you to OIB Andmar and JMF as two individuals who made an effort to assist me in getting my message across.
David and Goliath is a great read by Malcom Gladwell.
I am partial to the clay-animated Davey and Goliath.
I watched that also, every Sunday morning.
Oh Davey! How about Pokey and Gumby?
Joel Gonzales, I understand and feel your pain.
BPT REBEL, Maria Pereira, what does Mary-Jane Foster’s personal wealth have to do with it? She pays over $40,000 dollars a year in property taxes.
Joe Ganim is wealthy. He never sent his kids to Bridgeport schools and has been living in Easton. Your support of Ganim is like you just saw Jesus the day of the resurrection. “Why look for the living among the dead?”
Bill Finch, you need to embrace UB. Take your entourage to the school and take a tour. Create a media frenzy. Swallow your pride and start touting UB and its growth as a huge deal for future South End development. This issue can and will lose an election. Are you willing to treat the University as a leper, lose the election and watch another candidate enjoy the fruit of your labor? Pride is a terrible thing.
Mary-Jane Foster I wish you’d waited four more years.
Maria P and BPT REBEL, if wealthy candidates turn you off, then Charlie Coviello could use some support.
Bill Finch, you have $500,000, spend it wisely. Having all the dough and hating UB can make all that money meaningless.
Ganim already made the largest amount he will make .
MJF, good luck.
Bill Finch, I have faith you are going to do the right thing!
Steve Auerbach, that’s pretty good.
Well thank you, Ron Mackey!
Steve,
Bill Finch is “hiding in plain sight” from the public when it comes to money. He comes up with a budget he claims is balanced though I have reported enough errors and financial misstatements in City reports and releases that I cannot trust them to be telling the truth. And it is not like my comments to the City Council are not known to the Mayor at those sessions. Tom McCarthy presides and the Mayor is often lingering in the Democratic caucus room coaching shy Council members on how to vote. So he knows the evidence for mistrust is present in the monthly reports, in the Capital Budget presentation, in the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, and in miscellaneous documents used by City departments. For example the cumulative listing of necessary properties making up the Steel Point Infrastructure Improvement District (SPIID) is offered in a current packet by OPED yet it only shows values paid for properties between the years 1997 and 2000. Numerous properties were still not owned in the SPIID assemblage but no one has taken the time to total the values for the purpose of that report.
When I make an investment, I generally figure out my “base” including what was paid, and the associated expenses including fiscal, technical, legal, and court costs so I can at a later date accurately figure out how much I have “gained” or “possibly lost” over the long term. Would that be foolish for a City to do, or are we all going to stick around looking at road graders, cranes and new signage?
Steve, I admire people who are faith-filled, especially in the face of large odds, but in this election for Mayor 2015 perhaps your faith will not be enough. Bill is afraid to come out and face the challenge of doing the right thing, because he may have to admit running a City is a big job, and an admiration of JFK, a big Irish smile and the support of greenery in the face of issues hitting the City have been off-track a bit, but let’s see how the $500,000 will be used while we are toting up how Finch has abused the taxpayer with consultant expenses. Time will tell.
John Marshall Lee, as always I appreciate your insight. I have a simple question for you. Who are you supporting for Mayor?
MJF will be on WICC Tony & Mike show at 9:30 this morning, Friday, May 1.