Ganim’s Blight Czar Receives Pay Raise

Coble, Ganim
Tom Coble, left with Joe Ganim during 2015 mayoral campaign. CT Post photo.

Tom Coble, a seasoned political campaigner and key bridge for Mayor Joe Ganim’s urban coalition for governor, has received a pay bump in his municipal role cleaning up blighted properties. Coble has shadowed Ganim at numerous campaign events as the mayor seeks alliances to petition his way onto the Democratic primary ballot in August.

CT Post reporter Brian Lockhart has more:

A key, unpaid aide to Mayor Joe Ganim’s gubernatorial campaign has received a $13,000 taxpayer funded raise in his municipal job.

Thomas Coble has worked on minority outreach for Ganim in Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford–cities the mayor needs to win a competitive Democratic gubernatorial primary and general election.

Coble has also been a politically appointed, non-union project manager with the public facilities department, earning $80,000.

Ganim’s proposed 2018/19 budget shows that position–Coble is not named–being moved from public facilities to the planning and economic development office, and now earning $93,000.

Full story here.

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38 comments

  1. What did Coble do wrong in the equation? Why no mention of all the White clowns and White bootlickers that have been getting paid from day one and considerably more than Tom Coble. Your disdain and derision should be addressed to Mayor Ganim and not Tom because all he is doing is going to work every day and earning his salary or maybe to all the White clowns and bootlickers that are taking infinitely more from the city than Tom. Your bigotry is showing.

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    1. My bigotry? You must be sniffing glue. Mr. Coble is taking tax payer money to ork on Joe Ganim’s gubernatorial campaign. What’s wrong with this picture? Oh right, RIGHT. Tom Coble is black so in your eyes he’s excused.

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    2. Don, am I missing something here because I don’t see anything about Tom Coble not performing his duties as a paid City worker.

      Don, we have known Tom Coble for over 40 years and he has always been involve with in working for candidates back to Margaret Morton when she became the first black woman elected to Connecticut the state House and Senate. With Tom it was a sense of pride in serving the public in his effort to help elected candidates for no pay. What I find strange is when whites are given City positions and jobs that many people feel that are not needed I don’t hear terms like bootlickers and clown being used with them.

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  2. Bridgeport can’t fund our schools,but Joe has found money to give Mario a driver,Pizarro who was hired to “oversee the cleaning up of highway exits and entrances” for $75,000 a year btw.Apparently now is Mario’s personal driver.The corruption runs deep!

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  3. What are you saying? Coble is getting paid taxpayers money to work on Ganims campaign? Really?
    Why not mention while you are at it that Mario and DeFillippo will be getting their prize from the system Monday night of a non conforming liquor store from OPED and P & Z on Monday night
    After the people have spoken and Keeley was defeated so soundly with10 % Of voters coming out, a significant number of them Sacred Heart students, registered to vote in other states who rent from De Fillippo?
    Again, I’m “shocked” to hear this about Coble, but then again I’m just whining, moaning and groaning that Ganim did not give me a job as you payed claim old pal Lennie.

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    1. Speaking of the Zoning Board hearing: it is this Monday at 6:30 and it’s the first item on the agenda. Last month Lynn Haig phoned Attorney Joel Green and informed him that she was not going forward as she “did not have enough Commissioners” and at that hearing she presented her proposal which was basically identical to what has been attempted for the past 2 years plus. If Attorney Green was not there on another matter to object then the board may have passed it. Instead they were forced to “continue” the matter for another month. Willinger was of course there to assist Haig. OPED is COMPLETELY discounting all of the opposition to this amendment and is still seeking to change the 1500 foot rule to 750 feet for distances between licensed premises. Lynn Haig had said that after she heard all the opposition she would attempt to incorporate changes that “would make everyone happy”! Willinger asked the Board to add a provision that the distance be measured not from building to building but from door to door. He had stated the past that this would benefit his client- Defilippo. The opposition over 2 years has consisted of the entire school board, many places of worship, thousands of signatures from city residents, numerous business owners, professional real estate consultants, various Council members, many White Paper studies advocating against this type of proposal, etc. etc.. The only testimony given over the 2 years in favor of- was given by Willinger. His client- Defilippo never spoke on his own behalf before the board! So on Monday, lets see if the first item on the agenda is placed last on the agenda to either once again “continue” the matter, or disallow time to speak against as it will be to late into the night. Have a nice day!

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  4. There are positions in the City budget that identify a department and the employment or supervisory task with folks who came to City employment because the work is necessary, full-time, 24/7. But a listing of those positions is not readily available to the public or in the budget book. (If you want to see what it might look like, go to the NEW HAVEN Budget Book pages 2-50 through 2-96, a much more open and transparent format than Bridgeport. They have project leaders and managers also, but at least they seem to locate and stay within a department.)
    Why do CC members lift their heads out of their bridles and traces and seek better quality governance practices and insist upon them? What are they afraid of? And if the BOE has to cutback more positions after what they have done in recent years, why does the CC not cut their own stipends?? If only five members go on a junket and come back to share info, instead of 10-15 members aren’t we ahead of where we are now, fiscally and informationally?? When the last Charter change 25 years ago was enacted, power was purposely put in the hands of the Chief Executive and the line of them have used it to borrow long term for less than long term purpose, kick obligations into the future through State approved deferrals, to provide benefit packages and overtime retirement features while never sharing the costs with taxpayers, and steadily diminish the powers of the Council further. Are the governance materials, structures, and decisions of Stamford, New Haven and other local communities incidental to their relative financial success when compared to Bridgeport? Your thoughts? Time will tell.

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  5. Derek, you try to excoriate my by asking the question what am I sniffing as if a Black man who calls into question your characterization of another Black man as a clown can only mean they must be sniffing something to alter their common sense. Yes mutha your bigotry is showing when you’ve never questioned the hiring of a multitude white people hired by Ganim. Why is the college educated Black man a clown and not all the white people hired, yes your bigotry is showing.

    Derek it would serve you well not to come for me unless I send for you and that hasn’t happened. Andy, while I dont see Black shadows around every corner I do see hidden racism around every corner and it shows its ugly head quite often in posts on OIB. I’m not going to let you and Derek impugn the character of Tom Coble or any other black man when the only thing that he did was to accept a job that was offered and one that educationally, he was qualified to do. There are enough white people inside Bridgeport government (David Dunn) that got their jobs for no other reason than because they are white for you two to never have to mention another Black person.

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    1. Donald,

      I don’t know Tom Coble. Race is not the issue. He could be Mesopotamian for all it matters. I see an individual that magically received a raise from the Ganim administration. Why? Does Little Joe have his hooks into Mr. Coble? The former doesn’t do that sort of favor without a quid pro quo of some kind.

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    2. Don, I didn’t hear any of their outrage Fire Chief Rooney, Police Gaudett were allow to retire and to receive their City pension and then both were hired back by the City with a five year contract making $150,000.00 a year. It’s no big deal that David Dunn has been serving as the “Acting” Personnel Director without ever taking a test to show that he’s qualified and Dunn is the person who does the hiring for the City and he’s not even qualified. I read or hear any name calling against these white guys. Derek and Andy feel comfortable that they can say anything about blacks with no push back. Tom Coble is a good man who is black and that seems to be a problem to them but these guys have no problem with white men pimping the City.

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  6. I address this to Frick & Frack aka Day and his dummy Mackey what about this article that appeared on OIB on 12/24/11 concerning Coble. Mackey get a clue you keep bringing up Rooney and Gaudette. What else do you have? How about Martinez, how about that great do nothing Clemons, How about the 2 black chiefs of police both who quit and did not finish their contracts
    Read this better yet call your mouth piece Day and read it to him:
    Tom Coble, director of the city’s Neighborhood Revitalization/Anti-Blight Program, has been terminated by the city. He was escorted out of City Hall Annex a few weeks ago by police following a series of allegations including his involvement with the city’s Community Development Block Grant program and a threat made against a city employee.

    Coble has been active in city politics for decades. East End District Leader Ralph Ford is his political benefactor. Friction exists between Ford and the mayor’s office over this and several other political issues.

    The allegations against Coble were serious enough, city officials summoned police to escort Coble out of the building. The CDBG program, funded by the federal Housing and Urban Development, includes a maze of paperwork. Coble’s work responsibilities came in contact with the program administered by the city’s Central Grants & Community Development.

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  7. C’mon Andy, you know damn well this was done under that sorry Bill Finch because Tom wouldn’t kiss his ass and help him with his election. If Tom had broken the law or done something nefarious he would have been arrested by those police and not just walked out.

    You, King Mandanici and your ilk cost the City of Bridgeport $5.2 million dollars trying to defend a lawsuit that you couldn’t possibly win. You lost in Federal court, at the State Supreme Court and finally when the Supreme court refused to hear your frivolous argument. $5.2 million dollars is what you cost the City because King Mandanici was to stupid to quit when he should have instead of following your idiotic advise. There’s nothing any Black person has done that can equate to the lunacy that you cost the City of Bridgeport. You were a loser in 1977 and in the year of our Lord 2018, you’re still a loser.

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    1. Things change New Haven years later won a lawsuit similar to ours. Different court different day. You can thank the court that was seated because without them you would still be hanging at Newfield Park. You see Day you could not compete back then and neither could Mackie. With out judge Daly you would both be bag boys at a super market

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      1. Andy, I passed the same Lieutenant exam as Fire Chief Thode took and I placed 10th and I believe Rich placed 14th but you could check with the chief. So you’re saying that Chief Thode passed a dumb down test?

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  8. You Andy benefited from white male affirmative action or better yet white privilege when you were just given a position in the fire Marshall’s division without the benefit of an exam. You always complain about David Dunn and you were just like him, given a position that you weren’t qualified to have.

    As to hanging out at Newfield Park there was a white kid that hung there too and you know who that was don’t you. You don’t want to go there with me because people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

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    1. Don, Andy Fardy never pass the Pumper Engineer exam but you both pass that exam and were sworn in as Pumper Engineer, Don you not only pass the Captain something Andy Fardy never did but you placed 2nd on that exam. Andy did pass the Lieutenant exam just as I did but I placed way higher than Fardy did were I placed 1oth on that exam, promotions that had nothing to do with the court or Judge Daly or any other judge.

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    2. Now let me explain this to your dumb racist ass. I applied for the arson position , there were only 2 people that applied. I had to go to the State Fire Marshals training course that was for 26 weekend. Now if you dont pass this course you do not become a Fire Marshal. As far s the white kid you refer to I know you are referring to my son who we all know had drug problems but one thing is for sure he never hung around Newfield Park Never. Nice try asshole. You do know what I mean about you and Newfield park.

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  9. I wonder if the city council members are aware that they can reduce department budgets by amounts reflecting positions that have no job descriptions and serve at the pleasure of the mayor.
    In other words, if the position is not classifies and not part of a union agreement, they can simply reduce the funding to that department.
    Let’s see if they just go along with the DTC and Ganim’s commands. All in favor?

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  10. Andy, if the exams were dumbed down by the lawsuit then every exam after 1977 was a dumbed down exam including the three that ya boy Rooney passed, but at least Rooney and I passed an exam unlike you who was just given a position. You’re still a bitter old white Man who could never compete with the Black’s that came on the job and that still bothers you because you hate to think that Black’s are more intelligent than your dumb ass. I passed three promotions which is two more than you could ever pass. Thank God for white male affirmative action, which you owe for your career in the BFD.

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    1. Donald you are in a dream world you passed a second set of exams that were totally oral and thus easily manipulated. this was done because not enough minorities could pass the written exams.I spent 19 years on the job before I took an exam and you know why that is? I will tell you you and Mackey and many others told the judge you were afraid to apply for the jobs because whites would retaliate. You know what you were just a chicken shit. Did you read the part about the State Fire Marshals test?
      Here is the thing you and your kind could not carry our boots to a fire you never had the balls.
      Btw were you the rookie that asked Bobby Miller who filled up the hydrants after they were used.
      Day yu and your racist friend are a waste of time same old bull shit 40 years later

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      1. Don, of course Andy doesn’t want to talk about how he and 60 other white males had a unfair advantage in taking the Lieutenant exam because they were given a higher position of Provisional Lieutenant without passing a the Lieutenant exam and workers and getting Lieutenant pay without passing a the Lieutenant exam. Hey Andy, how long were you a Provisional Lieutenant? He’ll, that’s a better deal than what Daly did because it least a test was given but Fardy got his position just given to him.

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  11. Mackey you are without a doubt the dumbest son of a bitch I know,no wonder they had to change the test format for all the dumb fucks like you. Of course there were provisional appointments there were no regular officer left on the job other than the chief and his deputies. We were provisional so long because you and your brothers could not pass a test made up by a black professional
    You no Mackey you are not in court now so you can stop lying I had to take a promotional exam like every one else.
    You know you are so envious of me you cant think straight and write this bullshit over and over

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    1. Andy, I was never a Provisional anything, Deputy Chief Joe DeCarlo made me a Provisional Lieutenant on a Thursday afternoon and the next morning I asked George Bryant to go with me to see Chief DeCarlo to tell him that I didn’t want the appointment for two reasons, first I was the President of the Firebird Society and I was on Local 834 Fire Union Executive Board and didn’t want to look like a sellout. At that time they were making provisional by seniority in the department and I was next in line.

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      1. Yeah Ron my time was over I retired to take a 6 figure job with an insurance Company. How did you do when you retired and were no longer protected by Judge Daly/

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  12. *** Once again, 2nd chance given to a loyal past democratic city’s town committee member who has had a fairly good relationship with Mario & Ganim over the years. A political job that oversee’s a staff & the city’s blight problems among other tasks like district meetings with city residents concerning blight, abandoned houses & illegal dumping through-out different areas in the city. A political job where if your not liked, not doing the job, publicly indorse the wrong POL for city Mayor, or get caught in a “cut the fat” budget frenzy, etc.. you maybe out of a job real quick! So, as political history goes at Bpt. City Hall, past & present; there have been many hired political city workers who have lasted and have gotten raises from time to time. Mr. Coble is not the first, nor will he be the last in getting a raise! Sometimes looking at some city depts. from the out-side & not really knowing what they do or don’t do aswell as their workers is not a fair, accurate accessment in general on some of these depts. Its my past & present personal feelings throughout my lifetime in many situations; where I’ve felt or noticed that persons of color,(minorities) seemed to have to go above & beyond the call of duty in their job’s performance in order to be either just recognized, let alone be given credit for a good job, promoted or given a raise! And it seems that when any position of positive action or change is forth-coming, it is usually challenged or met with disapproval from whites that feel they’ve been over-looked just to fill a “racial-quota”. *** When people are not used to (past & present) being over-looked for jobs or raises,or being stopped & frisked by the police, questioned etc.. for a busted back signal or a rolling stop @ a stop sign, not allowed to use a rest-room unless your actually buying something, a black sitting in the passenger seat with 3 whites is I.D’d to prove who he is which was stopped for not using a proper signal but no one else was asked for their personal I.D’s! There are many negative situations that arise & happen to people of color which very seldom happen to whites unless their in a known drug or red-lite district or area. Or police are looking for suspects due to a recent crime in an area or traffic safety stops, etc.. So if these types of events very seldom happen (past or present) to white america, how could they relate to these types of experiences through out their life time, or their friends & family’s life-time? *** What say you? ***

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  13. Mojo at least get the facts right you state “And it seems that when any position of positive action or change is forth-coming, it is usually challenged or met with disapproval from whites that feel they’ve been over-looked just to fill a “racial-quota”. *** That is pure bullshit look at the suits filed against the city and who filed them.
    Whats wrong with restricting bathroom usage to customers and not the homeless who BTW did not exit the store but sat at a table and still bought nothing.
    Rules are rules and certain groups feel the rules are for everyone but them. How many illegal traffic stops have been made in Bridgeport because the driver is a minority. Do you know? or are you just generalizing.

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