Despite near unanimous support from the city’s legislative delegation including for the first time its two state senators, the government reform bill An act prohibiting municipal employees from serving on certain municipal legislative bodies still faces roadblocks, according to State Rep. Jack Hennessy who’s encouraging backers of the legislation to show support at a forum Monday (today) 5:30 p.m. in the first floor meeting hall of Bridgeport Public Library Downtown.
Hennessy statement:
Now, with both Bridgeport senators in support of the bill, you’d think we’d be out of the woods. But road blocks persist. Reforming government is never an easy thing to do. Although leadership and the Planning and Development Committee members were invited, it appears none of them will be attending. All the Bridgeport delegation, minus one will be present. I invite all residents of Bridgeport that want to see our city take a step forward toward better government to come let your legislators know and make your voices heard. This bill is not going away until it passes–we will keep beating them up until the voices of Bridgeport are finally heard.
Signup sheets will be available at the hearing with speakers allowed three minutes of testimony.
The Bridgeport City Charter approved by voters prohibits city employees from serving on the City Council to avoid conflicts of interest such as approving their own wages and benefits. Some city officials have violated the will of voters citing a loophole in state law.
State law bars public employees from serving on municipal boards of finance. The Bridgeport City Council, however, serves as a board of finance. The bill proposed seeks to extend state law to prohibit municipal employees from serving on any government body that has budget authority.
The bill before the General Assembly’s Planning and Development Committee faces stiff opposition from segments of organized labor that supports bargaining unit employees approving their own wages and benefits with a specious assertion that a remedy for conflicts can be resolved at the polls, or through vote recusal. The opposition conveniently ignores the City Charter forbids city employees from service on the City Council because voters went to the polls to approve a ballot question.
The campaigns of many Democrats in the General Assembly are financed by organized labor.
Some Democrats with sturdy labor credentials such as State Senator Ed Gomes support the bill, acknowledging the inherent conflicts that prevents checks and balances in city government. Gomes and State Senator Marilyn Moore support the bill. Their predecessors Andres Ayala and Anthony Musto did not.
Bridgeport delegation State House members Steve Stafstrom, Ezequiel Santiago, Charlie Stallworth and Andre Baker all support the bill. The one holdout is freshman State Rep. Chris Rosario.
We know Rosario is against the bill because he is one of Bill Finch’s ass kissers. He is useless. It is not pretty watching a grown man sell his soul.
Who are the suburban Reps against it?
To Rosario’s credit, at least he stated his position and is one who never served on the Council. Ezequiel Santiago is now on board after silently apposing it. This is the same person who while sitting on the Council and working for the City received a $20,000 raise while I was targeted for layoff in retaliation for my political attacks aimed at his stepfather and district leader. Now if this weren’t enough, both women who served as his campaign treasurers got jobs with the City.
He had no choice.
If he doesn’t go along, what ya gonna do about it? I’m the only one who made an effort to get rid of him and had it happened you guys would have been in a much stronger position. Ever stop to think he is going along because he knows it’s not going to pass? Did you read what Hennessy stated here? You folks have failed to consider other calculations like this bill will affect 23 other towns and cities. Where are the concerned citizens of the other towns and cities?
Three minutes? You so much want the people to be heard. As City Councilmen/Employee I allowed speakers five minutes. During the six years I served there were plenty of times in which I and some other member tried to give speakers more time. Leaving a written statement just isn’t the same–seen a few left behind on the desk and tossed in the trash.
I’m not done–taking a break.
This bill like many others is flawed. Folks are legislating based on their emotions, political pressure, desire to gain brownie points, and dislike of some of the people serving on the Council.
Joel, just curious. You state you were working for the city and a city councilperson at the same time. Did you ever feel at any time that was a conflict? Are you for or against the current proposal to ban that? Not being combative, just wondering what your opinion is.
Hi Godiva, I missed you here. Seems like it takes Speedy to draw you into the open. Goodrich question! I did inquire about it and the City Attorney explained it the same way we’ve all heard. I was told of a position as Grafitti Removal tech by Patrick Coyne in the hallway of city hall one day on my way out. I asked if city funds were involved or if I had participated in the formation of the position. He said it was federal funds and the program had been in the making before I came on board. I had to give him an answer in days and I accepted the job, no insurance, and I would be under grants. There was one time I said something to Coyne he didn’t like and he reminded me he could fire me. I felt intimidated and I told him I wasn’t afraid to lose the job. I had the keys to the truck and took them out of my pocket. I said, “here, wanna fire me? It’s not the greatest, clean, good-paying job.”
I’m kind of split on this. There is a need to do something about this. As Lennie Grimaldi put it to me many times, I’m a different animal, having being raised in a very tough environment and the tough manner my dad nurtured in me when I lived with him. The last thing anyone should try is threaten, intimidate or physically assault me. Especially when I consider myself an equal to other members who got elected just like me and given the same power.
I left the Council in 2001, I had a tough time deciding as I knew it was going to be nearly impossible to return if I changed my mind. I had shown my true colors in those six years and I didn’t fit the mold of the status quo. I lead along instead of going along. I believed my replacement would continue the progress made in the district in those short six years. I was wrong. I realized that around two years after leaving and transferred by Coyne to the Zoo on the nightshift. Coyne went to prison and I remained locked in the Zoo. I never stopped monitoring the political and financial situation in Bridgeport. It’s what kept me busy and entertained. Kept me away from negative influences and environment.
By 2006 when Fabrizi showed his true colors, I had about nine years working for the city at the Zoo mostly. When it was evident Bill Finch was going to be the mayor, I had a decision to make and quietly helped Caruso in the primary. I served five out of my six years with Finch. I knew what was coming and what was during Fabrizi. Financially we were in a huge hole and Fabrizi and machine were covering it all up. I knew Finch better than I knew all the other council members. He wasn’t prepared, had huge ambitions to be mayor and did not know or care to work with others. He was very short-fused and vindictive. I felt a bit intimidated knowing what I knew would happen to my little job if and when I stepped out and wrote the facts and sincere opinions on this webzine, using my real name and not having anyone connected to defend me. I’ll be honest and state if I had a very good and high-paying position with the City I would have most likely not joined this webzine. The higher the salary paid to sitting members of the City council working for the city, the less likely they will lead independently and have the best interests of our residents when it comes to making decisions. I’m just the janitor!
Joel Gonzales, I will comment on only this post of yours. You have really nailed Bill Finch, that is the side of Finch most people don’t see until it’s too late and we are seven years too late.
Ron–you and Joel are Write On! Just look how he has treated his Mother Goose, Dottie Guman.
If the bill passes, expect it to be challenged in court–not by me. Recently when I was a candidate for State Rep. I stated I would introduce a similar bill with a nuclear option that would block any attempt to pass a bill that would allow current or some council members to stay until they step down or lose and I posted some of the details here. You can look for it here if you want. I would have also introduced a compromise bill in anticipation of opposition in the legislature.
Not a single State Senator or State Rep could or would come up with my idea. In fact, even if I put it here or at the hearings, it wouldn’t be put forward. When an OIB poster yields the webzine back requesting to hear my compromise idea, I’ll post it–at least the basic language behind it.
What would Speedy do if and when there is a “Roadblock” ahead? One thing I would not do is a u-turn to turn away. You guys need to build a ramp to jump over the roadblock. You have untrained and unprepared drivers. You must use only one driver who is the best, smartest and fearless. I would volunteer to be that driver. But the current drivers won’t have it. I’ll tell you what would have happened if SPEEDY were the driver. We would all build the ramp as the roadblockers watch. They will be expecting us to launch off the ramp and make adjustments and corrections at the roadblock. I would instruct everyone bold enough to go on a rough ride to strap up on any seat of the bus. If a hot-looking chick comes on board, she can sit on Speedy’s lap if she’d like. When everyone yells READY, I’ll start the engine of the bus. Unexpected and unnoticed by anyone, I have aligned the bus to miss the ramp and pass by it at 100MPH directly to the center of the roadblock. The moral of the post is it’s best to keep all your wheels on the ground. You guys have been choosing the ramp.
Sorry Joel, but you lost me on the ramp post.
I’m playing with words, some sarcasm (Hennessy is a truck driver), they are worried about roadblocks to the bill. They shouldn’t worry and proceed full speed ahead straight to the roadblock. If I take the ramp (just an analogy), the bus would land on its nose and likely short of this “roadblock.” Don’t worry, only a few get hurt here. Guess who got really messed up in this clash or crash? The hot-looking chick who sat on Speedy’s lap instead of taking a seat and strapping down. She flew right out the windshield. Hennessy makes it sound like the bill will crash and burn when it hits the roadblock. They should have prepared much better. Notice the only public meeting scheduled is this one only. What about the other cities and towns affected by the bill? What are the leaders and residents of those other places, chopped liver? Maybe Hennessy will rent buses and drive them to this hearing. My bus ride was more fun, don’t you think?
Two questions: What advantage is it to unions to work against this bill? How are legislators from other cities and towns planning to vote-yea or nay? Anyone have an answer?
That is easy, Godiva2011. Tom McCarthy negotiates all the union contracts for Bridgeport. If McCarthy doesn’t want it, the unions will back Finch and McCarthy. Quid pro quo.
Maria, I’m a member of NAGE. Are you saying I’ve participated in quid pro quo?
David Dunn negotiates most city contracts, not McCarthy.
Andy, Dunn’s in charge of Civil Service, not labor relations. He used to do that. Unless you meant Andy Nunn, chief administrative officer. He has input on labor contracts in conjunction with mayor and Labor Relations Office.
Lennie, I know all that. Labor relations takes care of grievances and the like. Neither McCarthy nor his boss Larry Osborne negotiate major union contracts. That is still done by Dunn who is supposed to be a temporary employee of civil service.
Lennie, I am sorry. You are right and I am wrong. I can’t believe we let Osborn and McCarthy negotiate contracts. That answers a lot of questions.
I too am puzzled by the unions being concerned. Lennie was the one who tied them to this and should explain. As for the other towns’ leaders’ positions it’s anybody’s guess. We will know the aftermath of the crash soon. It’d be nice if the folks leading this cause took the time to answer questions on this blog. They use it to tell us very little or just what they want us to know.
That would be the $64,000 question, Godiva.
I think the best answer thus far is found by reviewing the positions union members took regarding the anti-conflict bill at the hearing last month. At the very least, one can ascertain the facts on which they are positioning their objections. The truth, however, may or may not be a different matter entirely.
AKA: “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”
Paging Lennie Grimaldi. At 3:00 pm tomorrow, Stubby will become 21 years old. As you may remember, Stubby was born on the steps of the Connecticut state Capitol on March 8, 1994 by Guillotine method. The birth was filmed and I have a CD copy of the original tape recording. OIB is a special place to me. A webzine where one can read and see things first. I’d like to share the video with OIB visitors only. We are unique in many ways and I feel it would be the best place for interested people to view a video few have seen. This would only be shown on OIB for one day March 9 to the 10th. WHAT SAY YOU?
Joel–speaking just for myself, I’ll take a pass on that video. Blood and gore doesn’t appeal to me, and self-induced is a bit too bizarre for my liking. But now that Stubby is 21, be sure to buy him a drink.
You mean a chocolate drink?
Organized labor is on record as opposed to the bill. Representatives testified in person and in writing, including city of Bridgeport employees. They claim their members should not be prevented from serving in office. In reality, having city employees/union members in a position to influence matters such as union contracts and budgets is what they wish to continue and why they oppose the bill.
Joel, this blog can be many things, including informative. Please minimize your senseless ranting. Lennie, you should consider blocking such rants.
Don’t read it, Tom. It’s that simple. I appreciate the information you just provided. What good did it do for NAGE members? Does anyone know which unions each city-employed council member belongs to? Instead of spending your time reading poster rants and ranting about it, go find this information for us, Tom White.
I’m not done with you Tom White, and there ain’t a damned thing Lennie Grimaldi can do to save you. I’ve been away from the blog for about four months and I know Lennie missed me. You know very well what I’ve posted is not a rant. I got under your skin and ruffled quite a few of your white feathers. You are one of the key players pushing this bill and your senseless ranting shows it. You obviously are not interested in hearing anyone unless they are 100% behind your effort regardless of obvious fault in approach and theory of positive impact the bill will have. Let’s just say the bill passes. I as a city employee decide to run for city city council regardless of the bill. You’d say I can’t or I would have to resign first. The Secretary of the state and/or elections enforcement may say yes you can run but may have to resign if you win. I go ahead and beat the crap out of my Republican opponent Tom Whitey Feathers. On the day of my swearing in, everyone learns I didn’t resign and I’m keeping my seat. What would the look on your face be like when the City attorney informs the public I transferred from CITY TO BOE MAINTENANCE? What if I resigned my position and found out my wife was given the position I vacated? What good did the bill do? Hey, we all gotta eat, right?
Tom White, still reading my “rants?” No, I’m not done. Let’s talk about conflict of interest or hypocrisy. On board supporting your effort are two State Senators from Bridgeport–Moore and Gomes. Soon after Ed Gomes took office after getting elected the first time, he hired a legislative aide name Marilyn Moore. What Ed Gomes and Moore have been keeping from the public is the fact they are cousins. Is this okay? No conflict or interest or the appearance thereof? At first, we had two State Senators from the same street. Now we have two State Senators from the same family indebted to unions. Can’t make this shit up. Now I know since I started posting yesterday, folks have been calling and messaging other folks: Hello (add a name). Go to the OIB blog and read what Joel is posting, blah, blah, blah. I can do that too. Paging Tom McCarthy and Bill Finch. Can you guys do me a favor and call the committee members handling this conflict of interest bill and have them read my “rants?”
Joel, how do you know they are cousins?
Lennie, l would have to reveal my source. I can’t do that here. Call me and I’ll tell you. Can’t you ask them both?
It’s past 3:30am when Joel “Speedy” Gonzalez pulls up on a bus in front of Tom White’s house. Beeep, beeeeep, beeeeeeep, beep, beeep. HEY, TOM WHITE, GET UP, beeeeeeeeep. Tom White in feather pajamas opens his front door and steps out to the porch: WHAT THE HELL IS THIS ABOUT, I’M CALLING THE POLICE. Joel: It’s me, Joel Gonzalez. Listen carefully, if I being a city employee ran for city council and on my campaign literature clearly state I work for the City of Bridgeport among my other qualifications, skills, and platform and go on to be elected, why shouldn’t I be allowed to take procession of my elected spot? For you and those with similar position of denying me my duly-elected spot, is to be like Bill Finch when he tried to take away the people’s right to elect leaders of their choice. Who died and made you or any of your supporters the boss? Tom White: You’d better get out of here fast as you can or you will be the one dying. Vroom, vroom. Beeep, beeeeeeeeep …
Calm down Joel and go get some sleep because I think there is a threat in your last post.
Call the feds and report me, Andy.
What am I going to report, an empty space?
Joel–please switch to decaf.
We don’t call him Speedy for nothing, right?
Godiva, I have been drinking hot chocolate. Don’t you tell me chocolate is bad for me.
Joel–did you really post this at 4:01 a.m.? Tiredness is overtaking your judgement. You lost me on this completely, except for the last sentence. I advise you to consider the impact and possible ramifications of your words before you post them.
Godiva2011, if you had an illegal after-hour club (going on two years) in front of your house operating every weekend; patrons pulling up with loud music, talking loudly, violent fights breaking out, about ten shots fired one time so close you see the flash. Would you be able to sleep? Out of all the people shot in just one short block here, two were small children walking outside. In both of the shootings of the kids, no one has been arrested. I have two daughters and a wife who sleep while I stand guard every weekend. At 6:00 p.m. you wrote, “… Blood and gore doesn’t appeal to me, and self-induced is a bit too bizarre for my liking.” If my wife or any of my girls were to be struck by a stray bullet, you think the blood and gore will be to my liking? Call your Councilmen you say? Fuck both of them and the Town Committee who put them there. They don’t give a fuck about us here. Then call the Police say you. Fuck them too. Twice, a Bridgeport Police Officer told the party responsible who or where the call came from. I’ve called them plenty of times. The last time, I called about the club patrons fighting (Yesterday morning not included), I was informed the operator of the club knew I’ve been calling the police. The next day, I approached him (bigger man than me) and made it very clear if something happens to my family, I’m going to hold him responsible. I will hold all parties directly and indirectly responsible accountable. I only worry about the “impact and possible ramifications” this club may have on my family.
Godiva2011, read carefully. “Tom White: You’d better get out of here as fast as you can or you will be the one dying.” In the ‘fictional’ post above, Tom White is the one threatening me. Had I threatened Tom White, knowing him better than you, he would have definitely called the police and the police would have told me who called them.
Ostensibly, at the hearing last month. The objection to the Public Act was not a union issue but one of creation of a hardship for the small towns who could not then have enough people to fill elected positions. I don’t buy it because I witnessed the furor of the union people first-hand. The body language, the oratory. But if we gave them the benefit of the doubt, let’s just say we make this a bill for municipalities of 50,000 or more population, which is what I answered during my testimony.
Sorry Mr. Halstead, but it should be all or none. Decision should not be based on population.
Don’t agree, sorry.
Mr. Halstead–don’t you think it’s rather unreasonable for a law to apply to only certain cities while others are exempted?
Yes, to a discerning mind that would be the case. I would describe it as establishing criteria for creation of a good policy. For cities of 50,000 or more.
Am I missing something here? Is this bill allowing BOE employees to sit on the Council but city workers cannot? That appears to be a very fine line, doesn’t it?
The teachers unions have been playing both sides when it suits them. Sometimes they are city employees and sometimes they are state employees. What I don’t understand is almost $253 Million of our tax dollars go to education, are they trying to say none of this money comes from the city?
I agree–all or none. Check this out, Godiva. The legislators of the towns possibly exempted will be allowed to voted yea or nay. Yes, BOE employees will be allowed to serve.
Perhaps the thinking is the City fiscal picture and the BOE budgets are different and handled by two separate bodies. So a teacher could be on the City Council because almost all of the fiscal issues facing the educator are City issues including finances and not BOE issues. (Check the minutes of the Budget & Appropriations Committee for recent years and you will see they have no say or input into the BOE budget, even though for the purpose of display, the two budgets are linked together in the City monthly financial report, wasting time, paper and CC patience with worthless info they are fed.
The BOE operating budget is on the BOE site and updated bi-monthly with a two-week lag, alongside a lot of other info like numbers of employees and grant parameters not provided to taxpayers for the City side. BOE has its own Finance committee that reviews and monitors BOE finances that is staffed by their own Financial Officer who is most concerned with preparing and demonstrating a balanced budget … financial presentation.
So teachers or other educational employees (as union members) can sit on the City Council, but not on the BOE from which budget they are paid. And City employees, most of them union members can run for and serve on the BOE that does not deal with their compensation, or that of their department heads. Is this subject really that difficult to understand? Wnen we get to a day without this obvious conflict of interest standing in the way, there may be other appearances of conflicts also to be dealt with. Time will tell.
One of the e-mails I received:
Here is our chance to be heard in Hartford. BRIDGEPORT NEEDS YOU
OUR FABULOUS SENATORS GOMES AND MOORE NEED YOU
OUR STATE REPS: BAKER, HENNESSY, SANTIAGO, STAFSTROM AND STALLWORTH NEED YOU!!!
As you may be aware, the lion’s share of our delegation is in support of the bill HB 5886 that would close the loophole which allows city of Bridgeport employees to be elected to City Council
This practice is a conflict on so many levels. To put it briefly, conflicted Council members are never really truly constituent minded, as they are beholden to the Mayor for their livelihoods. How can someone who is under threat of losing his or her job represent what constituents want when it may conflict with what the Mayor wants?
Well, they can’t.
The voters of Bridgeport ratified our City charter and voted this practice out of existence. The City Administration sought to find a loophole in the state law so they could continue to get City employees elected, and thus exert control over the council.
This is a direct affront to the will of the voter, and slap in the face. When will we ever be able to heal our City’s financial problems when new businesses avoid us like the plague because there are so many conflicts?
PLEASE COME AND LISTEN!! You can speak if you like!
FLYER ATTACHED!
Monday, March 9th, 2015
5:30 p.m.
Bridgeport Public Library
First Floor Meeting Hall
925 Broad Street, Bridgeport
Gabrielle Anna Parisi, MSC HRD, PHR
Custom HR Solutions, LLC
151 Astoria Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06604
203-345-7691
GabrielleP@custom-hrsolutions.com
GAP, yes that’s your name now for there are many GAPS here. You were an employee of both Gomes and Moore working to elect them. You believe they are “Fabulous.” Ask them if it’s in fact true they are cousins and get back to me here or e-mail and tell me their fabulous answer. You are aware Gomes hired Moore as his legislative aide. Ask Gomes how the hiring process was conducted. Tell us where the job opening postings could be found, how many people applied and interviewed for the position. This wasn’t the only time Ed Gomes hired cousin Moore. When he was running for the Senate years back, he hired her to run his campaign. You were hired recently to work with the Moore campaign, no? You got paid what? $500 a week doing more work than Moore did as Ed Gomes’ campaign manager at $5,000 a week. Add other relatives she hired and see what total you come up with. A simple way of describing conflict of interest is: taking care of your own.
How long ago was it the voters voted to ratify the charter? Heck, how old was Ed Gomes at the time? Let’s do some more math here. You state: “The City Administration sought to find a loophole in the state law so they could continue to get City employees elected, and thus exert control over the the council.”
There are 20 City Council members of which only six work for the city. Six members alone regardless of where they work is not nearly enough to elect or pick a Council President, a necessary feat to have some level of control. So, you are saying the remaining 14 are not responsible for the conflict of interest or the appearance thereof. Obviously that’s not the case. So the way I take all this is if in the future I being a city employee decided to run and win a seat on the council have no right to take the seat and two State Senators who are and have been more conflicted than I have been or will ever be must make sure the law states I as a city employee am banned from serving on the city council. That’s a big GAP (slap) to my face. All the Senators and Representatives you named above are conflicted or have been conflicted many times. About 17 of the members of the council are conflicted. They protect jobs and have found jobs for family members and town committee members of their individual districts. No language in the bill to stop and prevent them from continuing.
Challenge and beat them out of office is the answer, but rest assured if that happens, conflict of interest will eventually rear its ugly head again. I’m just the janitor.
And your point is? Moore and Gomes are not related, Joel.
Joel, Gomes and Moore are not related. Please take your meds. Furthermore, you’re all over the place on the city employee conflict issue. You have stated you will not run for council again because as a city employee you believe it is a conflict to serve on the council.
Lennie, they are cousins. I’m not just saying it because they are both Cape Verdeans. What makes you or GAP so sure you guys are calling me a liar now? Let Ed Gomes and Moore put the answer to my allegation in writing. I don’t believe city employees on the council are conflicted, I make it very clear regardless of where they work, they are all conflicted (currently at least 17 of them). So Lennie you want to try to score brownie points by pointing out what I said before? I did as I said I’d do. I didn’t run for City Council. Now are you saying I can’t change my mind on my position in the future? But it’s okay for Ezequiel Santiago to do so? I dare say if Lennie Grimaldi didn’t post the above comment instead of doing his research or investigation independently, this blog would not be getting political ads placed by at least the two Senators in the future. You’re conflicted too.
Joel, you can change your mind all you want, but don’t come on OIB and spread lies. All sorts of campaigns, Democrats and Republicans, advocacy and institutional, have advertised on OIB and some on both sides of this issue supporting and opposing the government reform bill.
Can you limit the number of posts for one person per topic? This very important topic has been diluted by mostly nonsensical ranting.
Sell your computer or device and that’ll take care of your problem.