News release from Mayor’s Office:
Today, Mayor Ganim applauded the many legislative victories achieved by the Bridgeport state legislative delegation. Most significantly, the legislative delegation led efforts in Hartford to increase both Educational Cost Sharing funding to the Bridgeport Board of Education by $15 million and town aid through the Pequot-Mohegan Fund by $10 million. Other legislative victories this session include:
- Authorization for a net-zero carbon elementary school on the East End at the old Harding site;
- Re-authorization of Winthrop Elementary School to take advantage of higher early childhood reimbursement rate;
- An increase in funding for the Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority;
- Relief for Success Village for tax and WPCA interest payments; and,
- Funding for various non-profit organizations throughout the city.
“Once again, Bridgeport’s state legislative delegation has worked as a team to deliver for Bridgeport,” stated Mayor Ganim. “Of all of the state delegations that I have worked with over the years, our current delegation has proven to be the strongest and most effective at bringing back resources and advocating for our biggest priorities. We especially thank them for their efforts to advocate for the needs of our local municipalities, leading the efforts to make education dollars and town aid a top priority in the legislature.”
Mayor Ganim continued, “I also want to thank Governor Lamont, Speaker Ritter, Majority Leader Rojas, President Pro Temp Looney, and Majority Leader Duff for their leadership in crafting a state budget that prioritized the needs of our students and property taxpayers across Connecticut.”
“This funding reflects the Bridgeport Delegation’s strong commitment to prioritizing education and delivering meaningful assistance to municipalities facing fiscal challenges. Through the focused and sustained advocacy of the Bridgeport House Democratic Legislative delegation, in collaboration with colleagues in the House and the Senate, this investment will provide much needed relief to Bridgeport Public Schools.” stated Rep. Christopher Rosario, “The delegation extends its sincere appreciation to Speaker Matt Ritter and Senate President Martin Looney for their leadership in advancing this funding plan, as well as to Governor Ned Lamont for his continued support.”
Last evening I addressed the City Council on matters of governance in the City. I invite you to read the comments about ethics in the Charter approved in 2025, about Fair Rent not operational with an overlong search for qualified staff, and about Fair Housing Commission, dead for twenty years or more, as elected leadership has not nominated qualified citizens to replace those whose terms have expired. Time does tell.
City Council Comments-May 4, 2026
Last fall 2025, citizens, registered as voters, elected you to represent them. They also said YES to the proposals referred to you by the Charter Review Committee, of which I was a member. That group of thirteen citizens early understood and agreed that our city’s response to ethics violations was critical. And the consent of the governed showed up in the ballots. Any delay in maintaining the former status quo with no Ethics Director, recruited, selected, and employed as staff to collaborate with the volunteers on the Ethics Commission fails to respond to the hearings, discussions, and the time allowed as well as the work assigned to Charter Review.
We did our work. Delivered a better written document, shorter, and edited for ease in understanding especially in the areas of Civil Service and Ethics. Since the 2026 Budget and Appropriations review of the Mayor’s budget failed to assign a dollar amount for consideration as a placeholder for future consideration, what plan does the Mayor and Council have in mind? Ignoring the voting consent of the governed looks like stalling and creates a looming emergency at this moment.
Governance structure failures in Bridgeport include the elimination of Fair Housing Commission by a series of Mayors. That body died in place for failure to have regular nominated citizens and consequently left no logical place for over 700 residents of Success Village to turn for its own governance issues, to involve the city earlier then health circumstances demanded later. Financial justice is still sought.
Fair Rent Commission is a different story but your oversight over the restoration of this body three years ago as a public service does not show a full-time qualified representative, or records of what subjects that office management has faced and how rental questions are managed or reported. Is that what you set in motion? You budgeted a position and monthly it still is not operating.
But the Legislative Services office, established in recent years, and serving the City Council, is staffed, operating, and growing in its services.
Time will tell, certainly, but consider a “placeholder budget” as suggested by Council person Hodges, please. If the duties of the Charter Review Commission were complete in 2025, why does it continue to be listed on the website in 2026? The voters responded to the process. If additional work is necessary from Charter Review members, please inform us today with specific instructions. The Mayor and Council agreed in January 2024 to do the Charter review, but they took about 15 months to set us in motion. We completed our work within four months. What are we waiting for? Is time awasting?