It’s typical to hit a political opponent rhetorically for a blizzard of taxes, but a blizzard of snow in 85-degree heat? Joe Ganim has reached back to the winter of 2013 when a historic snow storm paralyzed the city and trapped folks in their homes for days during the winter of Nemo. Political operatives of the mayor were breathing a sigh of relief that it was not an election year for the mayor who received an earful from residents for weeks.
The Ganim campaign has released a series of video reminders on taxes and the 2013 blizzard in a “He Failed Us” message against Finch. Coincidentally or not in 2013 all the endorsed Democratic candidates for City Council and school board were defeated. Is the city’s 2013 snow removal operation relevant to the September 16 Democratic primary?
The winter of 2013 became a metaphor for this year’s City Council candidate John Marshall Lee, running on Ganim’s line but not publicly supporting the former mayor, through a snow shovel he displayed at community events, winter, spring, summer and fall.
Where was Ganim at the debate last night? Shaking hands at the North Main St. Stop & Shop. I AM CERTAIN THAT SHOULD GO OVER WELL WITH THE CLERGY WHO GRACIOUSLY HOSTED THE EVENT. ALL QUESTIONS WERE FAIR AND UNBIASED. JUST ANOTHER GANIM “MISTAKE.”
As I recall, Finch actually sent his snowplowers home early “to get a good night’s sleep” as it became clear they’d be plowing most of the next day. The snowfall hit earlier than Finch had predicted, and the plowers missed the chance to be at work all night. Result? Total shutdown of roads the next morning. Bpt was not getting better that day.
Come Back Bridgeport,
As you may also recall, that was two seasons ago. Jorge Garcia and Mayor Bill Finch were praised throughout the entire city for their exceptional job this past Winter as well as the entire public works staff. There are more people involved when criticizing the Mayor. They all scored high points this past winter!
Does the Foster campaign ever share Foster talking points or criticize Ganim???
Check the letter-to-the-editor in the 9/4 edition of the Post. No criticism of Ganim?
They had a shift change in the middle of a blizzard! I know. I was there. Workers got stuck going home and coming in. Some could not get back to work for days. Wait ’til this winter, watch what happens. Half the snow equipment does not even run. They are short two mechanics and took away their O.T. when they made an OSHA complaint. They have been backed up for months. That’s why the lead mechanic quit. Could not deal with all the dumb shits up at City Hall calling the shots when they don’t know their ass from a hole in the ground. Not getting better anytime soon. The big shots will start breaking the balls of us bottom-feeders now. They find it hard to look behind their egos and realize the problem is with their lack of vision, leadership and knowledge. I suggest buying a snowblower this season!
I suggest voting for ABFG: anyone but Finch or Ganim.
I can actually say I was saved by the National Guard. 🙂 Didn’t get out of my house until the following Thursday.
For too long Bridgeport has been ruled by a small but corrupt class of political elitists and their allies who have benefited at the expense of everyone else. This is more in line with the realities of the Third World than the United States of America. The Democratic Town Committee has been led by a man whose power and influence is so great, the Secretary of the State’s office will not honor formal requests to monitor elections here in spite of Bridgeport’s statewide notoriety for dirty politics including individuals voting several times under the names of dead people and absentee ballot fraud.
Joseph P. Ganim is a convicted felon who served seven years of a nine-year sentence handed down after a federal court convicted him of corruption, racketeering, violating the public’s trust and engaging in crooked behavior. He ran City Hall as a giant “pay to play” land office, selling fat construction contracts for kickbacks and bribes paid in cash, custom-tailored clothing, expensive French wine and stays in four-star Manhattan hotels. He asked for forgiveness of his sins but has never expressed any remorse, never admitted he did anything wrong other than to say “Mistakes were made.” And this man thinks he should be the once and future mayor.
Bill Finch was recruited to oppose the reformist Chris Caruso in a primary. Finch didn’t even want the job; now he doesn’t want to leave. He also practices “pay to play,” albeit a different version. He accepts campaign “donations” in return for fat development contracts, multiple-decade tax abatements and jobs for political friends. Finch is, by many accounts, “not the sharpest tool in the shed.” He also has anger management issues that have been on public display more than once. He assaulted an alderman who defied him and voted against a 35-year tax abatement for a Stamford-based developer who made a $4000 “contribution” to his re-election campaign. He became snarky and defensive during a debate with two other Democratic mayoral contenders. Not one to accept criticism, Mr. Finch has blamed virtually everything he has not accomplished on Joe Ganim, who left office in 2003. (Mr. Finch is also under the mistaken impression Bridgeport’s voters are as stupid as his. Why else would he respond to questions about underfunding the Board of Education with “I’m working to start prekindergarten for all the city’s four-year-olds” and “I built a water park!”)
So far more than 99% of the news media’s coverage of the current election cycle has focused on these two men. Both of them have the imprimatur of Mario Testa and the DTC, one officially (Finch), the other unofficially. A vote for either is a vote for continued mediocrity and corruption in Bridgeport’s City Hall. Taxes will continue to be punitive and predatory, city services discriminatory, our children will continue to receive substandard educations and violent crime will continue unchecked.
There are five other candidates to choose from.