In this election cycle for Board of Education and City Council, a number of work-in-progress coalitions are sizing up incumbent and party-endorsed challenges with July conventions on the horizon. In 2015 Joe Ganim ran on an education platform of more money and less intrusion from the chief executive. Ganim stands by his less intrusive stance than predecessor Bill Finch. But critics argue, show me the money.
CT Post reporter Linda Conner Lambeck has more:
“Give Our Children a Chance” reads one of his glossy Democratic Primary mailers from 2015. On the flipside are pictures of the three Democratic candidates for Board of Education who ran with him: Dennis Bradley, Ben Walker and Maria Pereira.
All won the primary and then the general election. For Ganim, it was a second chance as mayor, after having served seven years in prison for corruption in office.
For Pereira, is was a return to the board after a two-year hiatus. But she is now a staunch opponent of the mayor, saying he has done nothing to help the worst-funded school district in the state.
“He has broken every single campaign promise,” Pereira said. “He promised me he was going to fund our schools. He promised me he would never interfere with the governance of the board.”
Full story here.
Joe Ganim is a lying shithead
What record?
Exactly, Jim. Mayor Ganim has done absolutely nothing for our 21,199 public school children or the public schools.
He has broken EVERY single promise he made around public education. EVERY SINGLE ONE!
Maria Pereira said, “He has broken every single campaign promise,” Pereira said. “He promised me he was going to fund our schools. He promised me he would never interfere with the governance of the board.” Maria, welcome to Bridgeport politic, something that should have been well aware of during your first turn on the Bridgeport Board Of Education.
Maria said, “He promised me, he promised me,” really? You got played by Joe Ganim, you help to create the problems that you are talking about now. Of course he lied to you just like he has lied to the Bridgeport voters.
“Less intrusive”, he appointed three school board members in violation of the City Charter, he, Danny Cockroach, and Mario Tests made Dennis Bradley Chair, Av Harris issued press releases on BBOE letterhead regarding the “boycott” in violation of board policy, etc.
Mayor Ganim has the nerve to question whether the BOE made $15,000,000 in devastating cuts last year and whether we are spending our money wisely while he has a number of completely unqualified and incompetent appointees on the City payroll.
Linda Lambeck shared with me that Mayor Ganim stated he should have authority over the BOE Budget and line items. God help our deserving children if that were to ever happen.
A significant fundraiser for Mayor Finch told me that Mayor Finch felt he lost for two reasons. First, he believed the delay in sending out 700 absentee ballots contributed to his loss. Second, he blamed me for his loss. He knew winning the 138th District was CRITICAL to defeating Ganim. He spent a fortune in the Thomas Hooker Precinct and Ruben Felipe kept assuring everyone that Finch had the 138th locked up.
Finch lost Hooker by 150 votes and JFK BY 48 votes. I did not run JFK, Tom Coble did and he spent a fortune for a 48 vote plurality. Ganim spent ZERO in Thomas Hooker.
Mayor Ganim better be prepared to spend plenty of money in the 138th in 2019, because I am going to do EVERYTHING in my power to make sure he is decimated in 2019.
Ganim’s campaigning starts….. Here, today, he doesn’t tell the truth, tomorrow he lies and the days, weeks and months to come he’ll repeat not telling the truth and lying.
Ganim has lost his way.
While campaigning Joe signed to potential voters “Stop Raising Taxes” and “Give our Children a Chance” but since then has shown his true colors and they have not been cheered by taxpayers or proponents of good education for City youth. Lots of hypocrisy when you have asked for “a second chance” and the young are annually denied a fair chance to seize their days on a first chance basis.
Ganim2 “pleads ignorance as to how the district spends its money”!!!That’s funny. The schools post better fiscal records, with more detail including, personnel active, grants, etc. and their Finance and Facilities meetings usually provide more informative discussion (and materials that can be shared with the public) than similar City Council committee meetings. Perhaps one or more Mayoral aides can attend and bring back word to Ganim2? Or look at the Bridgeport schools site?
Ganim cut 100 positions on the City side last year according to the article. But he also cut the very helpful chart that accompanied Mayoral letters with Department positions noted for the past 10 years or so. Cut in June, replace, reorganize, modify, change and your statement could be true for one month, but then false. BOE cuts have been much more serious than those suffered by the City.
Where did the City find the funds to do an early retirement plan last year? Does the BOE have a similar source of slush? How many people took the sums offered like $15,000 and turned around to take another part-time position with the City?
Joe, regarding Lighthouse, as you phrase it, “one of the best after-school programs in the country” how could they possibly not have factored in a rent expense with $4.5 Million of revenue? And why is the family fee income for participation in programs channeled into a “revolving fund” that is not identified in Annual budget or CAFR documents?? Is that where the Print Shop funds been sent for years? Is this what an Office of Public Integrity is supposed to address but cannot even get its OPEN, ACCOUNTABLE, TRANSPARENT and HONEST objectives accepted in an Ordinance through the City Council for almost 18 months?
Where is a publicly posted number showing total school expenses for the past several years and the City’s revenue contribution in contrast to other sources, State, Federal or private?? Maybe a City PR person might take a stab at making this public? And by the way, how often does the Mayor make it a point to visit the Superintendent or members of the BOE and wonder, if not ask, in the words of Ed Koch, “How Am I Doing?” Time will tell.
Joe Ganim has done a half assed job of it as the first felon elected mayor.