Mayor Bill Finch and former Mayor Joe Ganim are looking for an edge entering Tuesday night’s Democratic Town Committee endorsement session. For Ganim it includes a claim to party insiders that the “business climate was at its best while Joe Ganim held office.” Ganim issued this letter, accompanied by what he asserts is support from undersigned small business owners. Do party regulars care about this?
We are concerned members of Bridgeport’s business community, and we feel that it is incumbent upon us to reach out to you with regards to this important upcoming Mayoral election. The people of Bridgeport deserve a Mayor who won’t waver when it comes to improving quality of life throughout the city.
There is no mistaking that Bridgeport’s business climate was at its best while Joe Ganim held office. Property taxes were kept in line, public services were better, cosmetic improvements were seen throughout the city, and we witnessed stringent anti-blight initiatives.
Under the Ganim administration, the Mayor’s office was at its most responsive. Joe saw us as partners, and we welcome his return to office.
We firmly stand behind Joe because we’ve seen firsthand how he persistently had his hand on the pulse of the city, and we hope you’ll join us in backing Joe as he seeks to reclaim Bridgeport for the city’s working families and small businesses.
Please accept this letter as our commitment to bettering the quality of life for Bridgeport and its business community. We strongly urge you to support Joseph Ganim for Mayor of Bridgeport in your meeting on Tuesday, July 21st.
Rich Carrera, President, West End Business Assoc.
Eduardo Reyes, El Coquito
Antonio, Manuel, Del and Michael Nunes, Nunes Auto Body & Sales
Alfredo Esteves, Madison Auto Sales & Services
Nick Miakos III, Nick’s Carting
Juan Hernandez, New England Investment, LLC.
Former Sheriff John J. Cotter, Jr., Nutmeg Adjusters Joseph DeYulio, Atlantic Sportswear & Embroidery
Alonso Barrantes, Alonso Construction, LLC.
Ademir Souza, ANG Carting Company, LLC.
Furqon Sheikh, Citgo Gas Station
Hugo Lopez, H&L Construction, LLC.
Peter Clarke, Advanced Cleaning Concepts
Cristina DaGraca, Madison Portuguese Deli
Fatima Silva, Silva’s Realty & Property Center, LLC.
John Gomes, Red Rooster Deli
Johnathan Robles, Robles Events Group
Carlos A. Silva, Jani King
Alina and Basilio Gutierrez, Saso y Mambo
Jim Aurilio, Jim’s Auto
Joe Milazzo, Sorrento Importing Co.
Elizabeth Medina Ulloa, East Side Coffee Shop
Alex Rivera, J.A.X.S. Sales & Service, LLC.
C. Obiora Nkwo, Ameriland Real Estate, Inc.
Mike Morales, La Cagueña
Eva Colon, Botanica Del Sagrado Corazon
Edward M. Adams, Jr., Adams & Associates
Michel Martinez, Festive Food Caterers
Reynald Alabré, H&R Block
Val Esteves, Nunes Auto
Toni Sapienza and Steve Montello, Toni’s Tuscan Table
John Ricci, Quince Realty, LLC.
Jose Cabrera, Racing Cutz Barbershop
Ana Borges, Bridgeport Paving Co., LLC.
Karen Rodriguez, K & E Ceramic Store
Sonia Sanchez, East Main Latino
Jaime Rodriguez, Cooper’s Auto Parts
Consuelo Bernal, Caribe Travel
Hilario Altagracia, La Sabrosura Deli Grocery
Khalid Osman, UKK, LLC.
Albino Rodriguez, Pools by Al, Inc.
Hossain Sheik, Sunoco
Stephon Wynters, A-Preferred Co.
Small to mid-size businesses are the engine for economic growth.
Yes, the business climate will improve with a convicted felon. It makes sense, no? John Gomes’ Red Rooster deli, his customers support Finch. John and Carolanne want their jobs back so bad they can taste it.
I urge the Democratic Town Committee to put the city of Bridgeport before some of your own personal agenda. Support Mayor Finch for all the right reasons and let Ganim be forgotten as a forgiven convicted felon who deserves a second chance like all convicted felons even though most felons are not convicted on 17 charges and still neglect to apologize for 10 years. I ask the DTC to not put the city under a black cloud that will hurt the business climate in the city and stall development. Investors will shun the city and all the progress Fabrizi and Mayor Finch have made will end.
The residents of this city will absolutely rebel. Convicted felons have difficulty finding employment and I totally support second chances as I am sure the Mayor also supports, but honestly, the Mayor of the largest city in the state of Connecticut and the the wealthiest county in the United States, we should allow a convicted felon to rise to his glory while other convicted felons ca not get a job at McDonalds? I do not think any family member in the city of Bridgeport that has a convicted felon in the family would entrust the city’s highest office. Ganim had 10 years during the best economy under Clinton. Bridgeport has nothing to show for it but newscasts and articles for months on end depicting Bridgeport as one of the most corrupt cities in the United States.
I urge the DTC to acknowledge restored pride in the city. The reopening of Pleasure Beach, new restaurants and stores emerging downtown. Steelpointe development and improved transportation and a new train station. Let the past stay in the past and support Mayor Finch in his effort moving the city forward. Mayor Finch deserves to keep Steelpointe moving forward creating thousands of union and non-union jobs. Construction jobs and retail jobs by the thousands for young and older workers alike. Investors are looking at the city. Every young voter need only Google Joe Ganim to see what he has done for the city and the disgrace he has brought to the taxpayers. This is about our future. Not about the redemption of Joe Ganim. This is a bad message to our youth and the police were totally irresponsible sending that message.
I believe Mayor Finch is our best bet to bring Bridgeport back to the glory of days long gone. Remember the steelpointe fiasco under Ganim with Conroy and the hundreds of thousands of dollars that cost the taxpayers.
I urge the DTC to look to the future and not your own personal interests. Either way, I expect the city will come out to support Mayor Finch.
Steven Auerbach // Jul 17, 2015 at 10:05 pm
To your post
Steve,
You’re giving me a warm and wonderful feeling your particularly obsessive compulsion as read on this blog will find its logical end when you are able to count the City-owned cars that carry City-paid employees out of town, to their out-of-town residences, where they pay their taxes, vote for out-of-town elected officials and where they support their out-of-town public education officials.
Whatever your reality is Steve, it isn’t applied to your “close” relationship with the Finch/wood administration.
You are socially awkward. Ganim did more for the city of Bridgeport than Finch. Finch just rides his coattails. Steelpointe, all Ganim. Anybody who could get all this support from the business community shows incredible outreach. Steve, you race about downtown but Arcade mall looks like a piece of shit and where is the supermarket? Downtown North? Fruta and Juice another piece of shit that only is there because they has an abatement. Once the rents go up they are out. That’s not economic development. And what about Finch building more public housing right across from Harbor Yard? That is pure genius. Let’s use land that’s not used in downtown by the train station and bring crime to Harbor Yard. You can’t even make this shit up.
Ricci and Finch’s attorney’s office hired Manny Moutinho to build a long gravel driveway over Sikorsky airport land to Moutinho’s waterfront mansion in Stratford. A judge ruled Bridgeport taxpayers should not have footed the $400,000 bill for the driveway. If Ricci is a convicted felon then Finch is also doing some shady stuff. Don’t throw stones when your house is made out of glass.
Ricci is not a convicted felon
Not yet, basically you are saying it is okay to commit a crime as long as you don’t get caught. WOW.
Anyone who could raise more than $200,000 in two months while it takes Finch two and a half years knows something about business and raising funds.
Yeah, it’s called payback, what do you call it, BptPorter? This is not business. This is people with their hands out. Remember, Ganim was convicted before he took care of so many of these people.
This means everything Finch does, Ganim does better. He raises money more quickly, brought down crime more drastically. The only thing Ganim does not do better is he got caught committing a crime and Finch has not gotten caught yet. That is why Finch is so secretive and protective. That’s the way he runs his administration. He is hiding a lot.
BptPorter // Jul 18, 2015 at 1:14 pm
To your post
BptPorter,
You are more than right.
WOW. Coopers Auto Parts is on that list. Now I’m impressed, that’s a lifelong Bridgeport business. I’ve been going to him since I got out of high school in ’78. I bought the parts to hop up my 1970 Dodge Challenger from there. I remember he had a bitchin’ Red 440 Dodge Dart.
Oh the good ol’ days!
Honesty in our governance brings about a level playing field for business. Honest competition defines capitalism. Business activity is finally growing in Bridgeport. It has taken many years for the stench of corruption to fade. I’m very dismayed any legitimate business owner can be supportive of our past Mayor who literally sold this city down the river for his personal gain.
Milkman, if only I could be as succinct and as eloquent as you. Well said!
Milkman–I also find it rather bizarre these businessmen (whether they reside in or out of Bridgeport) would take a stance in support of Ganim, knowing full well of his pay-to-play racket while he was in office. I looked over that list and I do know some of them and I can’t imagine what they were thinking to add their good names to this list. Fact is however, they do not vote in Bridgeport.
Toni’s Tuscan Table? Really? All the people I sent there? She just moved to a downtown that has become vibrant under the Finch administration. I think I will let her know my disgust since I have been there twice in a week. She moves downtown during a massive revitalization. I wonder if she knew what her signature meant. I will let her know. What could she be thinking?
Well, it’s all about the food and her food is awesome. I do not want to upset her as she might add something to my food and I have sent too many people there for me to boycott. 🙂 Her food really is amazing. I forgive her indiscretion.
Steven Auerbach // Jul 18, 2015 at 2:19 am
To your post
Steve,
I cannot tell you how impressed I am with your forgiving spirit. I’ll bet Toni is so happy to know this.
Carolanne, maybe you should patronize a Bridgeport business. Did Joe Ganim tell you to get your ass on the blog and do something? This Auerbach guy is killing me!
I am sure Toni appreciates my forgiveness and she had no idea any of her patrons would see her name on such a petition. I said read the fine print! She also is extremely embarrassed since she knows the Mayor has been promoting her and including her on his Facebook page.
Carolanne, thank you for reminding me to mention that. I am actually leaving downtown now.
Carolanne, so Joe’s headquarters is the easy on easy off access from the connector to 95. Do you bring peanut butter sandwiches or leave some money in Bridgeport at a local eatery? Share!
Steven Auerbach // Jul 18, 2015 at 6:31 pm
To your post
Steve,
I find you quite amusing at this point with your assumptions, declarations and restructured reality.
Let’s see … you have not yet given me a count of all those peanut-butter-sandwich-toting out-of-towners, who come on off the highways and byways to Bridgeport each day; suck the money out of the City and call it a day. These out-of-towners probably think Bereket is an automotive part.
Bereket is my turf! My Turkish peeps. If you have been there, great! Pretty far from your headquarters, no? May I suggest a vegetarian restaurant on the corner of Main and Capital, store front on Capital. He makes his own juices like Fruta across from MJF headquarters. Btw Carolanne, there is nothing wrong with peanut butter sandwiches with a gallon of milk and I have no problem with people coming and going from my city. As long as they leave some money behind and patronize our local establishments. I am glad you go to Bereket, you may want to try the Star of Istanbul downtown.
Maybe that restaurant owner didn’t realize exactly what she was signing. Perhaps she should request her name be removed from that list, if she actually is embarrassed by it. Maybe some of the others also didn’t fully realize what the purpose of that list was for. I looked it over and I know a few of them. I just can’t picture them putting their good names on something of that sort.
Let’s see. Racing Cutz–listed as LLC as of Oct 1, 2012. Not Ganim years.
Toni’s Tuscan Table–just moved downtown from Black Rock where she opened four years ago. Not Ganim years. She opposes Finch so much she moved closer to him. So the part about Ganim being a better partner to them is BUNK.
Also, how many of these business owners live here in the city? I don’t have an issue with that. But there is a prominent member of Ganim’s team (Maria) who in the past dismissed the viewpoints of other BPT business owners (in particular Milkman) on the Bridgeport Mayoral race because he lives in Trumbull. Funny how the BPT-only part of his team has no problem recruiting non-Bpt resident business owners for his election campaign.
Lifelong Bpt // Jul 18, 2015 at 9:51 am
To your post
Well Lifelong,
You’ll be happy to know many of us out-of-towners have been welcomed for our knowledge, skills and experience.
Very simple. It’s known as a double standard.
And further, you’ll be happy to know Maria’s viewpoint is not shared.
Carolanne–thanks for your response. Working with others is a good thing. Increases the skill level and knowledge. The Ganim team/headquarters must be an interesting place to be. LOL.
Carolanne dissing Maria!!! Wow.
Only in Bridgeport.
What? Carolanne just crapped on Maria’s head!
Lifelong Bpt–your post was excellent.
Btw, when I left the Teppanyaki restaurant at 4 I went to Trumbull Gardens and as expected the Ganim Headquarters was closed and empty. There were a few guys hanging in the parking lot and I thought maybe they were waiting for a Ganimesque Bar-B-Que. Note to Steve Nelson and Reverend Lee. If you are going to make promises to the people you should be there and not for the photo opportunities at a tragic vigil!
Btw, the neighborhood is looking good with the entire Platt street being paved. The residents were all outside mowing the lawns and planting flowers. Loving Bridgeport!
Thank you, Joe Ganim … I mean BILL CLINTON.