Mayor Joe Ganim on Sunday joined the News 8 CT Capitol Report panel, hosted by Tom Dudchik, to discuss the MGM casino proposal and the 2018 gubernatorial race. He declares, among all candidates in the statewide field, he’s the most fit.
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Ganim: Among The Field, I Have Best Track Record To Be Governor
Are you kidding, Joe? I can’t believe the stones on this cocky little son of a bitch. He must be following the Donald Trump playbook. Tell a lie as many times as possible, until a few people believe it.
And Joe Ganim IS a liar. He lied at his criminal trial fifteen years ago, he lied during his appeal, lied when he applied to have his license to practice law reinstated (a panel of three Superior Court judges agreed). He lied to a South End church congregation in order to garner votes in 2015. ( That lie, along with a healthy number of votes bought for twenty dollars each helped him win re-election.)
Now he has the shamelessness to declare himself the strongest candidate for governor? Get outta town, Joe. No one living living in the city if Bridgeport can honestly say they are better iff since you were elected. 48% of high school students, the vast majority of them male, drop out before senior year. Guns are used to settle the pettiest of disputes in too many neighborhoods. The municipal payroll is bloated by patronage. Abandoned factories blight the cityscape. Joe Ganim snd DTC chairman Mario Testa’s priority is a casino and changing zoning ordinances to allow one of Testa’s bartenders to open a liquor store on Brooklawn Avenue. (As this has been going on for two years there must be more to the story. Anyone else would have thrown in the towel.) Not Anazon, not the continued development of Steel Pointe, just a casino and a goddamned liquor store.
Joe Ganim can’t be trusted ith the time of day.
Mayor Ganim talking good and saying nothing. Joe never answered the main question, what about the signed contract the State has with the two Tribes and are they going to break their deal with the State. Ganim had no answer for problems that the State has besides saying that he has the experience.
MGM will settle this in court on the basis the agreement with the tribes created a monopoly.
The tribal casinos are located on sovereign land, outside the jurisdiction of state abd federal courts. MGM is just putting on a show.
Kid, almost –
These Constitutional provisions, and subsequent interpretations by the Supreme Court are today often summarized in three principles of U.S. Indian law:[7][8][9]
Territorial Sovereignty. Tribal authority on Indian land is organic and is not granted by the states in which Indian lands are located.
Plenary Power Doctrine. Congress, and not the Executive Branch, has ultimate authority with regard to matters affecting the Indian tribes. Federal courts give greater deference to Congress on Indian matters than on other subjects.
Trust Relationship. The federal government has a “duty to protect” the tribes, implying (courts have found) the necessary legislative and executive authorities to effect that duty.[10]
East Windsor is not tribal land
Hilarious. No other word for it–just hilarious. Joe Ganim makes P.T. Barnum look like an amateur. Hilarious. Convicted on more counts of public corruption than anyone else running really “trumps” the field. Hilarious.
Speaking about P.T. Barnum, We just saw the trailer for the all -star cast Of the movie. P.T. Barnum coming out Christmas 2017 This should keep Bridgeport on the front page. Looks like a blockbuster. ..
Bridgeport Kid, I don’t if anyone would want to admit following the Donald Trump- asshole- playbook. But, apparently it works and his followers just think he is a breath of fresh air. His approval rating hit 40 percent.
Steve, the movie about P.T. Barnum will not go into his political life especially when he was a Connecticut State Representative where he made some very unusual and controversial statements.
Hi Steven and all regular OIB commentators and readers. I haven’t been absent from OIB. Quiet? Yes, due to the boring, redundant, and re-played comments. Obviously, busy as always. Congratulations to the winners of the 130th City Council primary. Lennie, is Smith the first black councilperson to be elected in Black Rock? Well, not yet, that remains to be seen. At least this side of the district did see more candidates cross over to garner some support. Heck, we got one Street (Hancock Avenue) paved. Ironically, it’s the street where the lone 130th DTC member lives.
What’s the beef with Joe Ganim? Republicans still raising the corruption card on Joseph P. Ganim but, remain mute on the Waterbury RTC endorsement of the other Joseph:
http://www.rep-am.com/news/news-local/2017/07/19/santopietro-running-for-alderman/
Hey Baffled! What’s this?: “Convicted on more counts of public corruption than anyone else running really “trumps” the field. Hilarious.” Santopietro, was convicted on 18 counts vs Ganim’s 16. Santopietro is a BIG Trump supporter, friend of Joe Ganim, and your theory just got trumped.
Joel..does the name “Stanley Arrington” ring a bell.(Thank you to PS about teaching me about that part of the history of the 130th.) BTW,i lived on Hancock Avenue when I was pretty much a child. I’m glad to see some improvements on Hancock Avenue. That part of the 130th CC District is very troubled,has public safety needs and,more often than not,is ignored.
Okay, wow, you win. Though Santopietro is not running for Governor nor is he claiming superior creds to all the other candidates. Still, both are crooks, both unrepentent and both friends of Trump. They deserve each other.
Joel,
No one has a “beef” with Joe Ganim. Convicted of public corruption, disbarred attorney, never admitted to wrong doing, never expressed remorse for the crimes he committed, crimes which further soiled the city’s tarnished reputation… Noooooo, we don’t have a problem with him. Adding insult to injury Mr. Ganim has the unmitigated gall to go on a TV show to declare himself the best candidate for governor.
Good enough! Who would expect a candidate for office to point to an rival candidate as a better candidate? Joe Ganim is intelligent, knowledgeable, and experienced at handling the job of an elected official. The mayor of Shelton has a track record of balanced budget, low taxes, job creation, etc. He was investigated by the feds and cleared. Yet, there is a line of Republicans forming and ready to claim that they are the most “fit” for the job. BTW, define “fit”. Is Joe Ganim referring to being physically fit? If so, I agree 100% with Joe Ganim. Instead of constantly reminding us of 15 year old offenses committed by a candidate for office, why not pick the one you feel is the most fit and qualified and tell all who would listen about him or her. Don’t wait for the media to do it anytime soon.
If the ‘mark’ on Joe has you thinking NO. Go here:
http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Shelton-s-Mayor-Lauretti-enters-governor-s-11053080.php
no comment from Joel Gonzalez about Stanley Arrington??!!
Was he a Police Chief or Police Union President?
Baffled- please Lord do not let state wide voters make the same mistake Bridgeport voters made. If I didn’t know his history, I would think he’s a viable candidate from this clip. He’s a smooth talker for sure. Pretty fast on his feet.
Too many warts on him, Jennifer. Convicted felon, disbarred attorney, documented liar, failed to make good on his campaign promises… The unauthorized police substation at Trumbull Gardens, the solemn appearance before a Sunday congregation at East Side Baptist Tabernacle Church, etc., all cynical ploys to garner votes in a disenfranchised community. What played in a housing project in Bridgeport is not going to work with suburban voters in Trumbull, Milford, Farmington, Simsbury, and other middle class bedroom communities of college educated professionals. Sure, Joe Ganim is a smooth talker, fast on his feet. But he has the sincerity of a used car salesman. Too many people mistook his pseudo passion for something else.
Joe Ganim’s political career is on the skids. His gubenatorial campaign is a joke. His legal action to acquire public campaign funds may end up in a federal district ourt and he will be denied. And that will be the end. The Hartford Courant, the Waterbury Republican, the New Britain Herald, the New Haven Register and other newspapers that have covered political corruption for decades will not overlook his criminal conviction. It will be noted in every Ganim story published by those papers.
The people of the city of Bridgeport have learned a lesson that the rest of America is learning regarding Donald Trump: beware false prophets bearing snake oil.
Kid, not many voters are as engaged or aware of politicians, sad but true. I made an observation based on if I knew nothing about him. I didn’t and wouldn’t vote for him based on what I know about him. Most voters don’t take the time to research candidates- vote the party line. I thought he did as good as job as the majority of the CT lousy candidates. Get out and inform your voters – and good luck doing that!
Jennifer,
Joe Ganim will garner too much negative publicity from the state news media. Every time his name is mentioned in the Hartford Courant he will be referred to as the politician cinvicted of corruption. As if anyone needs to be reminded. This repetition will work against him.
Kid, best of luck getting voters reading the Hartford papers, the local papers – or any other media that actually persuades or informs. More than anything I wish you were correct, the majority of voters just don’t pay that much attention and vote for their parties endorsed candidate.
LOL..Joe comes off like a major bullshitter.Interviews like this are great,just in case voters all over the state didn’t realize how full of shit he is,this will….He’s been lying so long,he doesn’t realize people are believing anything he says.That panel took him to the mat on every lie he told there..Comical really..
*”aren’t believing”
All the bullshit aside, how did Joe get the Obama coffee cup?
“Borrowed” it from the last mayor?
Ganim raised the mill rate 29% in his first year in office and increased spending in the face of a significant reduction in the grand list. All this after promising to “hold the line on taxes”. Bridgeport is in very poor financial condition and has a totally uncompetitive mill rate. The City needs to restructure and, unlike the Mayor of Hartford, Ganim puts his head in the sand and continues to kick the can down the road. Neither the Democratic party nor the voters of Connecticut would want a convicted felon for public corruption who leads a city that is headed for bankruptcy absent a major restructuring to be their Governor. Connecticut has a tax, spending and unfunded retirement obligations problem that needs to be solved. So does Bridgeport but Ganim continues to ignore them. Good luck Joe. There is nothing I would like more than being your opponent in the 2018 General Election.
Black Rock pays more than its fair share of taxes. Previous administrations have pimped off the neighborhood to support all off the patronage jobs, the incompetents that owe their municipal paychecks to Mario Testa.
I suppose if desirable experience for a candidate includes committing felony crimes while in office, then Ganim has a leg-up on other candidates.
But then, Ganim has never admitted guilt for the felony crimes he was convicted of.
Tom White, I’m in agreement with you on your comment, “Ganim has never admitted guilt for the felony crimes he was convicted of.” I’ve personally said that to Joe that he needed to say that he is sorry for crimes he was convicted of and to ask for forgiveness when he was campaigning on my street. He could have gone back to Rev. Stallworth church the Sunday after the election to make the comment above and then thank those voters who gave him a second chance.
Ron,
The Honorable Barbara Bellis of the Connecticut Superior Court declined to reinstate Joseph P. Ganim’s license to practice kaw after finding he had not expressed remorse for his crimes (Judge Bellis noted that Mr. Ganim lied on the witness stand during his tril in federal court). Ganim hoodwinked the congegation of Reverend Stallworth’s church. That wasn’t a confession of his sins, it was a cynical ploy to garner votes. (Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests he bought votes on election day for $20.00 each.) He has never expressed remorse for his crimes, never asked the people of the city of Bridgeport to forgive his sins.
What played before the congregants of East End Baptist Tabernacle Church is not going to work with the suburban voters of the great state of Connecticut.
I’m in total agreement with you.
Saints be praised, Ron Mackey agreed with The Bridgeport Kid! Wonders never cease.
Neither the Democratic party nor the voters of Connecticut would want a convicted felon for public corruption who leads a city that is headed for bankruptcy absent a major restructuring to be their Governor.
There you again Dave Walker with that bankruptcy crap. Bridgeport isn’t nor has it ever been headed to bankruptcy and like 45 if you say BS enough you start to believe it with hope that others will feel the same way too. Give it a break Trump, I mean Dave.
The fact is that Bridgeport lost thousands and thousands of jobs when manufacturing companies left to go to other places. Avco,Bassick Co, Bridgeport Brass, Bryant Electric, Bullard Co,Casco, GE and Remington Arms are but a few of the 31 companies that left and took thousands of jobs with them. Who’s left to pick-up the income that they city lost when those companies left, the homeowners and that’s you Dave. Black Rock is finally asked to pay its fair share of property taxes that other parts of the city are paying. The great thing about America is that you have choices Dave and if you find the fact that your taxes are exorbitant you have the choice to move back to where you came from. Pay your taxes Dave and make Bridgeport and America great again or are you mad that you can’t be like your president and pay NO taxes.
Don, David Walker who is a Republican did a great piece for “60 Minutes” but I’ve must have missed his outrage of his Republican Party and Party’s President’s 45 and his outrage of corporate welfare, farm subsidies, the bloated military budget. The thing about Walker’s 60 Minutes interview that NOBODY especially the Republican Party are listening to him. Maybe he is Chicken Little, “the sky is falling.” I do agree the taxes on the rich like 45 must be raised.
The taxes that Dave Walker and other companions in his income category should be paying to a greater degree are INCOME TAXES. This is the basis of the American Taxation Model. That a person,entity(whatever) should pay more taxes according to their ability to pay. This central philosophical statement goes back to the US Civil War when we saw The Federal Government first tried to collect taxes based on income to pay for the Union Cause in The Civil War.
Good point, leaving out a few details regarding the new under Lincoln taxes and subsequent overturning of the taxes by the Supreme Court and fast forward decades to reinstatement of those taxes. And to your point, our taxes are still used to pay for wars.
Donald Day,you just made the best argument FOR bankruptcy of Bridgeport. Bridgeport is already,figuratively speaking, broke,broken and bankrupt. A mill rate of 52(?) is a plan for disaster.
Black Rock is “FINALLY ASKED TO PAY IT’S FAIR SHARE OF PROPERTY TAXES’ is an uninformed statement. When the people of Black Rock are paying are a larger part of their total income towards property taxes than the rest of suburban Connecticut shows the gross inequality in taxation in the Two States of Connecticut.
Frank, you can’t compare yourself to suburban Connecticut, you should be comparing yourself to urban Connecticut as it seems as if you forgot that Black Rock is a party of urban Bridgeport. Why do you think your taxes went up exponentially could it have been you weren’t pasting your fair share or that Joe just heaped an unfair amount on the poor people of the Rock?
Bankruptcy isn’t going to happen this time anymore that it wad under Mayor Moran, Bridgeport has millions of dollars worth of assets (buildings, equipment, trucks and cars) that it would need to dissolve before any bankruptcy would be entertained.
Donald Day..I am definitely comparing Black Rock to CT suburbs. I always find it amusing when Black Rock is called “affluent.” If you put Black Rock into most sections of the “Gold Coast”(Fairfield County) Black Rock becomes “basic middle class” except for the couple of dozen houses that line the waterfront at St. Mary’s. Even then,compare,housing values to anything by the water from Fairfield down to Greenwich. Even waterfront properties have depressed values compared to the “Gold Coast.” Why did my taxes go up? The Grand List of Bridgeport dropped ONE BILLION DOLLARS and Black Rock’s property values dropped less than the rest of the city. Is that something we should celebrate? It’s just one more example of the regressive nature of the use of property tax in Connecticut. This would require a lot of time but I would bet that the percentage of property tax to total income is greater in Bridgeport(other urban areas) compared to the suburbs. The philosophical foundation of taxation in the US has been that the rate/percentage of taxation depends upon one’s ability to pay. In other words,lower income entities should pay a lower percentage of income towards taxes than higher income entities because higher income entities have a greater ability(and possibly a greater social obligation)to contribute/pay higher taxes. Is there a point where any and all taxes become so regressive that it may have an overall negative effect on the economy. Absolutely, and the most recent example might be Federal(and overall) tax rates in the 1960’s when the Federal Government combined “guns and butter” taxes. At the other extreme are the trickle down tax theories propogated by The Great Communicator,Ronald Reagan, which were a perverse theory of all taxation theories prior. As to Bridgeport declaring bankruptcy,it won’t happen as long as Joe Ganim pursues his gubernatorial bid. However,if that gubernatorial bid collapses and the City of Bridgeport fiscal/financial situation continues to deteriorate,my honest opinion is that discussion of bankruptcy in Bridgeport would begin to show on the radar just as bankruptcy discussions have officially/legally begun in Hartford. I think that the financial assets of Bridgeport might be overstated if you look at ALL financial/fiscal/infrastructure issues in Bridgeport.AS IT IS ,Bridgeport has begun bonding for operating expenses(the previous unfunded police etc pensions) and is underfunding the BPT school system compared to New Haven/Hartford. The situation in Hartford is turning out to be a good precursor for how the State(Governor and State Legislature)would deal with any municipal bankruptcies.In the Democratic Budget,there was band-aid financial aid to Hartford for about 40 million dollars. The Republican Budget took away any financial aid to Hartford and the Republican budget passed the General Assembly with the swing votes of suburban Democrats.
Ones ability to pay was not in the original articles of the founding of America, quite the opposite. America’s founders rejected the income tax entirely, but when they spoke of taxes they recognized the need for uniformity and equal protection to all citizens. “[A]ll duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States,” reads the U.S. Constitution. And 80 years later, in the same spirit, the Fourteenth Amendment promised “equal protection of the laws” to all citizens.
In other words, the principle behind the progressive income tax—the more you earn, the larger the percentage of tax you must pay—would have been appalling to the founders. They recognized that, in James Madison’s words, “the spirit of party and faction” would prevail if Congress could tax one group of citizens and confer the benefits on another group.
In Federalist No. 10, Madison asked, “[W]hat are the different classes of legislators but advocates and parties to the causes which they determine?” He went on to say, “The apportionment of taxes on the various descriptions of property is an act which seems to require the most exact impartiality; yet there is, perhaps, no legislative act in which greater opportunity and temptation are given to a predominant party to trample on the rules of justice.”
Jennifer Buchanan, the one thing that you left out is how America got rich. America got rich from FREE labor by slaves from African for 245 years. Slavery in this country didn’t officially end until Dec. 6, 1865, the day the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified.
Ron, yes, slavery built this country, there’s no doubt about that fact.
Don,
Are you saying that Walker does not pay his property, income or any other taxes?
“Black Rock is finally asked to pay its fair share of property taxes that other parts of the city are paying.” And are you saying that the latest revaluation was a conscious attempt to get property in Census Tracks 701 and maybe 702 to return to some “fairness” standard in your opinion? Facts, man. Where are they? (By the way is this your opinion alone, or one you are spreading as a non-resident, non-taxpaying non Bridgeporter? Be careful as you think about the question?)
As property values decreased over most of the City, residential and industrial/commercial, it may have shown up as no tax increase to some property owners. BUT AT THE SAME TIME THEY HAD TO RECOGNIZE THAT THEY HAD LOST DOLLAR VALUE IN MARKET TERMS. REAL DOLLARS LOST!!! Did that make anyone happy. And what do you say to those who lost value and suddenly were under water with mortgages larger than their reduced home values?? Answers,man? Is your agenda so focused on throwing garbage at Walker that you ignore and twist facts just like the folks in City Hall? Use your best stuff, not junk when you’re pitching, OK? Time will tell.
Frank Gyure, so I take it that you are for bankruptcy for Bridgeport? So tell us what level of City service that you want eliminated and cut back? What health care and pension do you want to eliminated or cut back and for what City employees?
Ron Mackey..yes.. I absolutely support that Bridgeport,Hartford,New Haven, Waterbury declare bankruptcy and force the ENTIRE State of Connecticut to face the truth about government financing/revenues in Connecticut. A of this exact moment,the leaders in Connecticut continue a band-aid solution to governing/financial management in Connecticut. I would describe bankruptcy is akin to going to the “emergency room” and getting the best and most available “care.” The present process is like a terminal patient going to their PCP(Primary Care Physician) and dragging out care over a long period of time. the urban areas of Connecticut are in fatal condition. The urban areas of Connecticut need emergency care.
Ron Mackey..everything that you mentioned is up to decision-making in a municipal bankruptcy. However,we have Joe Ganim running to be Governor of Connecticut so Ganim wants to paint a rosy picture of what is happening in Bridgeport. He refuses to admit that he is a mayor of a city in distress.
Frank, if you and other taxpayers want bankruptcy then you need to decide what City service is important to you and what level of pay those employees should get. Let’s destroy all contracts and pay City employees whatever. What do you when a financial problem arises, who do you do away with? What business would want to relocate to Bridgeport with a low level of police and fire protection, why not just a volunteer fire department and maybe have the National Guard police our streets?
Ron Mackey..aren’t we already deciding what services that we want to continue? Did not the present City Council support Joe Jerkim’s decision to put more dollars into the Bridgeport Police Union versus the Bridgeport Educational system. You talk about so-called future decisions but decisions are being made right now..just as we speak.
Frank, what benefits would the citizens of Bridgeport receive if bankruptcy was declared?
The benefits or lack of benefits would be decided by the State of Connecticut. That is the goal. To get the entire state involved in municipalities and take full responsibility for municipalities that the State of Connecticut had established.
Municipalities. City, town, or borough governments get their authority to rule only as it is granted by the state. Today about 80% of the American population lives in municipalities, and municipal governments affect the lives of many citizens. Municipalities may have elected mayors, or they may be managed by appointed city managers.
The election next year for governor will favor change in the direction of governance in Connecticut and Dave Walker is the leading Republican candidate.
There are no leaders in either Republican or Democratic/Connecticut Gubernatorial nominations. right now,it’s a free for all. Anything else is false news(OMG..where did I hear that term..”false news?)
If you go back and look at Connecticut Statewide Elections.the people of Connecticut prefer the “no waves” “maintain the status quo.” The only person who was elected that shook up the way Connecticut does business was Lowell Weicker. The people of Connecticut went back to the “no-change” state leaders after Weicker.
Change is good, positive change is almost certain. After two terms of Dannell Malloy, one of the most ineffectual governors in the history of Connecticut, people want and need change. The intransigence of the Legislature has worn us all out.
Joseph P. Ganim thinks he is the most qualified man for governor. That would be funny if there was a wisp of irony to his statements. Joe Ganim, the once and future mayor convicted of sixteen (!) counts of racketeering, the mayor who served seven years in Club Fed, the man who conned the east side of Bridgeport into believing he was a changed man, the sitting mayor that was booed out of Bluefish Stadium.. He marched with Richard Blumenthal during the Black Rock Day parade so people wouldn’t boo and hiss.
Frank Gyure, how about an answer to this question.
Jennifer Buchanan // Sep 25, 2017 at 7:13 pm
Frank, what benefits would the citizens of Bridgeport receive if bankruptcy was declared?
Frank, what benefits would the citizens of Bridgeport receive if bankruptcy was declared?
Frank Gyure // Sep 25, 2017 at 11:10 pm
The benefits or lack of benefits would be decided by the State of Connecticut. That is the goal. To get the entire state involved in municipalities and take full responsibility for municipalities that the State of Connecticut had established.
Frank Gyure // Sep 26, 2017 at 12:49 am
Municipalities. City, town, or borough governments get their authority to rule only as it is granted by the state. Today about 80% of the American population lives in municipalities, and municipal governments affect the lives of many citizens. Municipalities may have elected mayors, or they may be managed by appointed city managers.
Ok Frank, so with state control of Bridgeport you’d be OK with state control of the schools, no more local elected BOE for example? You have often said, CT is suburban VS urban state, wealthy suburban VS poor Urban, and the suburban majority vote always votes against the best interest of the city. Believing this, how will bankruptcy with state control and decisions improve your life, or the life of any Bridgeport resident?
Jennifer, you asked Frank a very simple question and can not give you an answer.
Frank Gyure, would you please answer Jennifer’s question, “how will bankruptcy with state control and decisions improve your life, or the life of any Bridgeport resident?”
Joe Ganim, the disgraced once and present mayor who was forced from office after being convicted of 16 counts if racketeering for soliciting bribes for city contracts, the disgraced former attorney who lost his license to practice law (a revocation upheld by a panel of three Superior Court judges) is testing whether a revision to the public financing program in 2013 that bars felons applies to candidates with convictions prior to passage. If the State Elections Enforcement Program denies Ganim he could sue in Superior Court. If that craps out he can file in federal district court. If that craps out he has the federal Court of Appeals in Boston. Then there is the court of last resort, the nine wise souls of SCOTUS.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Moses wants to be a City Councilman, again.
“Federal authorities… [investigated] Ernie Newton for, among other things, allegedly holding a no-show job at a Bridgeport sewer plant, taking job-training money from a nonprofit run by his sister to pay off a personal loan and taking a $5,000 bribe to influence the awarding of a state grant to a Bridgeport job training agency.” [The Connecticut Mirror]
The time is now to run these reptiles, these amoral snakes and lizards out of City Hall and the Council chamber. Get out the vote. Young Democrats rock!
I hope Joe Ganim gets the Democratic nod for governor, then the Republicans will surely win. I am a registered Democratic and am ashamed of what has been calling themselves Democrat so they can get an office for power, rather than civic good. Perhaps if the power is given back to the people by state wide binding referendums things will change for the better.
One thing I learned from last year’s presidential campaign is that both major parties are corrupted by special interests and infighting. The convention nominating system is easily manipulated. By all rights Bernie Sanders, by farthe strongest candidate of the field, should have been the Democratic nominee. The Clinton campaign used underhanded tactics to swing the floor vote. Donald Trump, a pompous rich white man with no political skills nor experience, made the other GOP candidates look like conservative idealogues insensitive to the needs of ordinary Americans (not that he is any better). The GOP’s leadership on Capitol Hill is incpable of dealing with the man that bullied his way to the White House.
Neither party has much credibility at the state ir local level, especially here in Bridgeport. The Democratic Party has been ruled by a small group of old men more interested in their privilege than making the city liveable. The local GOP is ineffectual, unable to field viable cabdidates for local or state office.
Joe Ganim – Hero or Chump??
Where was Joe when the 2017-18 budget was prepared and sold to CC on matters “educational”? What did he wish for the 22,000 youth and their families? Was it a priority? Something worth talking to the new Superintendent about in person?
So what has happened since the 2018 budget was adopted and why is it not in Ganim2 priority view? Well the City had a larger surplus in the 2017 year than expected but Ganim2 said nothing, did he? Perhaps I missed it? Did the CT Post miss it too?
And funds were restored to the City in an amount over $2 Million from the sale of Port Authority property within the first two months of the year so though our City Fund Balance is so low that it is hardly worth noting, good news should rein.
But today OPM Director Nkwo is raising the possibility for school closing if the State fails to act. Where is the Mayor’s voice in all of this? Shouldn’t a significant candidate for Governor of either party be speaking up for the young, the poor, and their families. Isn’t education the way to achieve dreams and let the next generation prosper? Joe, is there really a freeze on placements and compensation? That is not what the rumors are saying? If you have reserves and funds you never show the public, isn’t this the time to put them to good effect? If the youth are not in the classroom, where will they be? Respectfully, Mr. Ganim, this is the type of emergency where you get out front with your experts (?), take charge (early and with serious purpose), and get the photos shot. Perhaps you might wish a conference with Mario first to see which way the City will go, but will the food operation have to close if the schools are closed, or is that Federal money of a different color? How can you play “Hide and Seek” on this one, Joe? What does a Mayor do that sets him up for sitting in the big chair in Hartford? Perhaps Nestor Nkwo is being groomed for higher office? Time will tell.
Joe during Ganim 1 you leased Fairchild Wheeler Golf course for $1,000,000 to a guy from the Fairfield area. This person had no assets, you knew it because I told you where his money would come from. I also told you he would have to use the golf course as collateral for his loan.
Joe you leased the course to him for 3 years but after 2 years you took the course back and the city never received one penny for 2 years. Is that you management style? Just so people know the other key players in this fiasco were Dennis Murphy, John Marsilio and Mike Marella.. So much for Ganims management style
No garbage pick up today. I was told it was because of an equipment failure. Does that mean we only have 1 garbage truck? This is a first way to go Ricci
Charter Change.We need to go back to Two Year Mayoral terms. Four years of Ganim/Jerkim will be hugely damaging.