If all saints have a past and all sinners a future as Oscar Wilde suggested, Joe Ganim’s comeback bid for mayor has certainly attracted an eclectic group of personalities. CT Post scribe Brian Lockhart examines some of the faces.
As pitchmen go, Joseph Ganim got a good one earlier this year when the retired FBI agent who helped topple the ex-mayor’s corrupt administration endorsed Ganim’s political comeback.
Grey-haired and seasoned, well-dressed and seemingly sincere, former GMan Ed Adams joined Ganim at the government center last week to lend some credibility to the campaign’s ethics proposals.
Then there was the guy in the blue short-sleeved shirt, shorts and sneakers standing to the side.
Full story here.
0
Is there anyone mentioned along with Ganim who has had trouble with the law or with their place of employment other than the retired FBI agent?
Joe Ganim never has to compete against the best pitchmen. Here’s why: the best salesmen aren’t in sales; the best salesmen are in jail–ask any CEO or warden.
Big Tent … P.T. Barnum pitched that one for the sucker born every day. OIB, true to its heritage.
Jennifer, the PT Barnum quote never happened. Though he was also the object of many negative innuendos, he was Bridgeport’s best and most productive politician. For any mayoral candidate to be compared to him is an honor.
Compliment? Spin it anyway you wish.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/There%27s_a_sucker_born_every_minute
Hector–The past always seems better because of a trick people play on themselves.
www .psychologytoday.com/blog/ulterior-motives/201212/why-does-the-past-seem-happy
People view Ganim’s time as mayor through rose-colored glasses. No crime, no taxes, maple-lined streets and everyone walking hand in hand. When we post newspaper articles or data to the contrary they get mad because it is an assault on their core beliefs. An attack on something they are positive they know and truly believe. It is akin to presenting evidence their religion is false. Ignore what you think you know and research the facts.
Exactly, BOE SPY. For all the good the man did, there was no sense of greater community here. Bridgeport is a diverse place, a great American “melting pot” of many cultures, languages, religious beliefs. Walking the Avenue in Black Rock I hear English, Spanish, Turkish, Polish, Portuguese, Hungarian. There are restaurants offering cuisines from around the world. Churches, mosques, synagogues and temples dot the city from the water to the most inland neighborhoods. All this diversity ought to be the city’s greatest strength. We are the people of the city of Bridgeport. We come from many lands but we call this place our home.
A few of the men running for the city’s highest elected office would have us believe everything’s cool, everything will be groovy and we will all live in a euphoric state of “brotherhood.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Those who would claim to be the best choice for mayor are endeavoring to exploit our differences in a cynical effort at ego gratification. The most important issues–crime, poverty, unemployment, education, the economy, the environment–are not “sexy” enough to garner votes. So the front-runners have resorted to the shallowest forms of campaign chicanery: “I’ve fixed up a school!” “I will build new sidewalks!” “I can leap tall buildings in a single bound!” Blah blah blah. The “Superman vs. Batman” spectacle of the Finch-Ganim battle of the bandits is grinding on and on; the regular folks who simply want to earn their daily bread are worn out and tired of the same old bullshit.
One would think Bill Finch, what with Joe Ganim nipping at his heels, would take the initiative by reforming the city’s method of tax assessment, by creating more jobs for Bridgeport residents, by holding industrial polluters accountable for their toxic contributions to the city’s environment. But nooooooooo, he won’t do that. His reaction to a mere suggestion would probably be “Those people should learn how to live with it.”
The pollution you speak of was way before Finch. Even before Ganim, who left the pollution problem for Finch and all those who came after. Those companies went away a long time ago.
The problem in BPT is not enough people are earning their daily bread. The city, state and Feds are giving it to them. The same people who were the victims of the drug battles in Trumbull Gardens were supporting the industry by smoking weed in the parking lot all night. Less the lady in the shower, she was an innocent victim. Live by the sword, die by the sword. You know? How many of the people in Trumbull Gardens came forward to help catch the shooters? The shooters knew about the hole in the fence. It couldn’t have been their first visit.
The people of BPT hold the mayor responsible for too many things. He is your mayor, not your father. He brought jobs. Get one if you can. If you can’t, BPT has three colleges in town. HCC and BU are right here and Fairfield University is spitting distance. BPT also has a tech school. If you do not have job skills, that is YOUR fault.
The city only gets taxes from property. The only way to increase the grand list, a list of all property in town, is to have more valuable buildings. Having more business, like Steel Point, is a great start but it is difficult to attract businesses in this economy. Ganim could not do it in a considerably better economy. We could also bulldoze the ghetto and build mansions but Democrats depend on those votes. The city needs to lessen its liabilities. Look at how many ‘haves’ cities in CT have to support each ‘have not.’ That is the ratio that is strangling BPT. I fear neither candidate will fix this but Finch has done more for the Grand list than Ganim.
I would not be able to guess how Finch would react to these questions. I am sure it would not be to say “Those people should learn how to live with it.” That is just foolish speculation on your part.
Right again, Hector. I don’t understand why minions attempt to question your knowledge.
Fact-checking minions can be so very annoying.
Joe Ganim did not raise taxes for 10 consecutive years.
Thanks Maria, so in 12 years he raised taxes two times, which is not the same as he never raised taxes. I do give Joe credit for keeping city spending down and not raising taxes.
PT did say ‘Every crowd has a silver lining.’
Lisa, who in hell are the minions and who deemed statements by Hector should not be questioned?
A big tent, eh? Must getting crowded under the canvas, what with all the baggage everyone is bringing with them.
If some people have baggage, Joe Ganim has luggage.
Harry Truman is still considered one of the more upright, honest, and RESPONSIBLE US presidents–“The Buck Stops Here.”
But President Truman acknowledged he owed his political career to his “friend,” Missouri/Kansas City political boss Tom Pendergast, who was ultimately sent to prison for income tax evasion/income tax fraud.
When Tom Pendergast died, President Harry Truman attended his funeral.
So which candidate is Trumanesque?
Finch has several campaign operatives with a “history” of their own. Debbie Simms is a perfect example.
A woman with a history of her own calling out others for their history. I love BPT politics.
Lifelong, are you saying Maria has a history with the law? Really?
Lifelong Bpt, why don’t you share what you know about my “history?” But before you do, make sure you are 100% accurate in what you post. And if you have any courage, post your rebuttal under your own name.
Lennie, I recommend you fully monitor this coward’s response.
Andy, if you want to look for someone with a “history,” I recommend you look around your own home. We can always complete a side-by-side comparison.
Maria–Andy is not running for public office. His legal history or the legal history of his friends/family is not relevant. It is the public’s right and obligation to know who they are voting for. If a candidate cannot be honest with the electorate before the election, what can we expect after the election?
BOE SPY, not a single person referenced in this CT Post article is running on Joe’s slate, however they are featured in this article.
You are not a member of the Bridgeport electorate, so no one cares what you think. You can “expect” nothing because as a non-Bridgeport resident, you are not part of the “we.”
Maria, there is a history with my son in a quite famous case. I will tell you this, he was the only one of 36 defendants who DID NOT give anyone up. He served his time and is now working construction and making $37.50 an hour. Now my record consists of putting people in jail for arson and arson murder. Now let’s get to your record. Do you have one, if so, what? Remember, I already know. I will tell you this, my son when he came home ran for TC and was the highest vote-getter. Maybe you can match that.
Well Andy, all I can tell you is I never served any “time.” So your son served his “time” and is now a productive member of society. That is exactly how it should be, therefore I am sure you agree Joe Ganim is entitled to the same opportunity.
The last time someone posted on a blog I was a convicted felon, they were served by a state marshal by my attorney from Stamford, who happens to be a retired judge. I had Megan DeSombre served at a BBOE meeting so I could see her served personally.
The notice gave her seven days to remove the post, issue a retraction, issue an apology, and send the retraction and apology to every media outlet she sent her original post to. She had met every single one of my demands within four days.
In the state of CT, falsely asserting someone was convicted of a crime/felony is also a violation of the law which entitles the accused to pursue civil litigation and pursue compensatory damages.
As I did in this case, I am more than happy to exercise all legal avenues available to me.
Maria, stick your veiled threats where the sun don’t shine. I choose not to publish things I found but please don’t think I care about you or your lawyer. BTW I will not be giving you my vote for the BOE. You served there once and then left, so why should I vote for you again?
Andy, I am stunned, shocked and dismayed by your decision not to vote for me.
Your vote is certainly your vote, however I am so hurt by your decision. 🙁
Maria, you are full of baloney.
Finch is Trumanesque, in the sense of the Jim Carrey film.
Jeff–all history is written by the victors. This is why Custer and the 7th Cavalry were considered heroes and the native Americans savages. You have to read history with that agenda in mind. I am sure Truman and his biographers considered him one of the more upright, honest, and RESPONSIBLE US presidents.
The Truman-esque candidate is clear. It’s Joe Ganim. Here’s why: Truman dropped the big one on Japan and Joe Ganim dropped the big one on Bridgeport. No, Ganim did nothing nuclear but he almost wiped Bridgeport off the map. Today’s OIB post is about Ganim’s ‘Big Tent.’ Critics call it a tent too small.
Just like bad apples in a barrel, one skunk in a big tent can reek havoc for all.
Unless all the tent’s occupants are full of gas.