Poor Democratic State Senator Anthony Musto’s losing political friends fast. First, State Rep. Auden Grogins refused to participate in a joint constituent office hours with him at the Burroughs Community Center Monday night (they were conducted in separate rooms), now State Rep. Jack Hennessy says he’s nonplussed Musto is sucking up to him after Musto was instrumental in killing his proposed government reform bill in the last legislative session barring city employees from serving on the City Council.
Musto, who represents all of Trumbull and portions of Bridgeport and Monroe, is taking heat for leading the charge against the government reform bill co-sponsored by Hennessy and Grogins. The Bridgeport City Charter, approved by voters, prohibits city employees from sitting on the city’s budget and legislative body to avoid conflicts of interests such as council members approving their wages and benefits. State law forbids municipal employees from serving on boards of finance, but the city’s legislative body also serves as the city’s budget authority. City Attorney Mark Anastasi rationalizes it’s okay for city employees to sit on the council as a result of this loophole. The bill proposed by Hennessy simply seeks to extend the bill to all budget-making bodies.
Votes in the State House were poised for passage, but Musto, as one of 36 state senators, opposed the bill fearing he would alienate political supporters on the City Council. As a result the bill was never voted out of the House. The political climate changed dramatically in Bridgeport on September 10 when all candidates endorsed by the Democratic Town Committee were defeated in a primary.
Musto, facing a difficult reelection climate next year, has been trying to attach himself to Bridgeport State House members in good standing including Grogins and Hennessy at constituent office hours. Musto sent out a flier that included Grogins appearing with him, but Grogins says she never committed to a joint appearance. She moved forward with the offices hours, but not with Musto who was grilled Monday night by Bridgeport resident David Walker, former U.S. Comptroller General, about his position on the reform bill.
As for Hennessy, he says he’s not made a decision whether he will appear jointly with Musto at office hours to hear constituent concerns in the North End. Hennessy did make one thing clear to OIB about his relationship with Musto.
Anyone who helped to kill his government reform bill “is no friend of mine.”
Musto sucking up to you? Seemed Mr. Hennessy you were sucking up to him and extremely grateful he showed up to your meeting last week. The one meeting Marilyn Moore walked out of when Senator Musto was about to speak. That’s real respect! You are unbelievable. This blog really should give up knocking Musto. He has an awful lot of supporters on this blog who are already mobilizing. I guess Moore has Caruso, Newton, Senator Gomes, Coviello, Walsh, Mackey, etc, etc, etc. If that doesn’t sound like a winning team I don’t know what does. Anyone? I may still have a Musto sign in my garage. I was hoping Mary-Jane Foster were going to run. That would have been interesting since they both are big on Bridgeport development. Moore is not interested in development. Honestly, can we get real? All I want to hear about is support for Bridgeport. If a Republican can come forward supporting Bridgeport, I’m listening!
Steven Auerbach, keep drinking the kool-aid, I hope you are getting paid for your support because you are out there alone on this one.
Ron, my whole life I have been alone on many issues. I am not a follower and my friendships and net is very wide. People know I could never be paid off. I only care about the City and I can assure you, in this case I am not standing alone. But Ron Mackey, I will say I respect your support for Marilyn Moore. She is very lucky she has you in her corner. I can relate to your responses as they remind me of me supporting Mary-Jane Foster during the primary. So I say to you sir, good luck. I am not working any campaign. So you just might get lucky. I hope not.
Btw … at the Hibachi Buffet the other day I was conversing with some friends talking about the Pettway young man killed last week. Grogins is toast in the African American community. Pettway is a big name in Bridgeport and the black community most likely will not support any candidate connected to her. That being said, it is a plus she distances herself from Musto. Let’s get a picture of Moore with Grogins. That should be beneficial … to Musto. Let’s see if Mary-Jane Foster comes out in support of Moore; I will be very disappointed. I guess politics is politics. May the best man win and hope Anthony grows some balls and gets busy changing his OIB downward spiral. Only in Bridgeport.
Is it just me or is Sen. Musto continuously getting beat up on this blog?
No, it is not just you. Musto does take some serious hits on this blog. But he acts like such a pompous jerk it kills me. Plus, he has made quite a few jackass decisions of late and pissed a large faction of his constituents, a faction that is growing by the day.
I wish you could have seen him at the Burroughs. He calmly and eloquently told his constituents he was going to do his own bidding whether they like it or not, and to feel free to vote him out. It was beyond disrespectful.
I heard he was kicking little old ladies and threatening to eat little children. Funny, the Post didn’t report this. A Democratic machine conspiracy no doubt. Dump the bastard. Nah, True Blood fan here. The people on this blog are beginning to sound like the tea party … Ted Cruz real-ass!
BINGO!!! Steven Auerbach, that’s you, Ted Cruz, you act just like him.
Ron Mackey. You have totally lost me.
You were not there, Steve. He chose to stand by his own choices rather than acting on behalf of those who elected him. Nobody was yelling and screaming, it was all very civilized, and he still chose to protect his ego than to serve his electorate. He is not a good Senator. You would do well to attend the office hours in your district if you think he needs a helping hand. I don’t see how anyone who voted against good government in Bridgeport deserves a helping hand in any way from the taxpayers of this City.
I thought Anthony Musto was eloquent and informative at the North End library when he did Hennessy a favor by showing up and supporting his effort. I will listen to all candidates supporting Bridgeport development.
*** The proof is in the pudding on Sen. Musto, so I’ll have jello please! *** DUMP MUSTO ***
Levine, if Rick Torres wins the city council race, what would be his chances of beating gusto or Moore?
Hey Musto! Put an egg in your shoe and beat it!
Take a long walk off a short pier.
Make like a tree and leave.
Imitate an amoeba and split.
There are a number of other potential candidates in THIS district. It’s anyone’s guess who might decide to jump in.
Hector, you don’t have a history of challenging the party. Did the results of September 10 change your thinking?
Lennie, great question, that’s the reason why when Hector said on OIB long before any other BOE candidates he want to run for the BOE and I kept questioning him why he didn’t run no matter what. Hector seems to be loyal and scared to challenge the party and got nothing back in return.
Lennie, I won my first election as a petitioning candidate in a four-man race and have run many times; Town Clerk, etc. without the DTC support. With the right support you can move mountains, by yourself you can only make a statement. Many times what is needed is the statement.
Ron, loyalty is a virtue we are lacking today and I take it as a compliment, as for scared … “man, I ain’t scared of nuttin’ …”
Steve, come on man, the way you talk about Musto you sound like Senator Cruz, talking about nothing.
Ron, I can happily take criticisms and joke around. Ted Cruz? Really? I am a huge Obama fan and you are calling me Ted Cruz? You are getting too high on Marilyn. Give it a rest. Kool-Aid, really? When people vote and find out Moore does not support economic development and the millions Musto supported I think the answer will be clear. It will be an expensive piece of marketing literature tied in with a TV spot the entire Bridgeport delegation can cash in on. Yes, pure fluff. But good fluff. Let’s wait for Marilyn’s platform. So far all we know is she doesn’t support the Mayor and she doesn’t support development. She will have a hard time raising funds to compete with Musto but at least on the blog I supported your desire to be her cheerleader along with Walsh, Caruso and Sen. Gomes. A group not exactly in fashion these days. Ron, I think Marilyn Moore is a very eloquent speaker. On substance I am not buying it. Would you or Marilyn care to make her platform clear? Running on an anti-Finch anti-machine platform does not fly. Finch supported Ned Lamont. Finch is not looking great with the Board of Ed. But Finch is bringing money to Bridgeport and honestly you’d have to be a moron to think that wasn’t good. Let’s see what Musto will do in the coming months. Steelepointe is going to be his ticket.
Musto had better hope Marilyn Moore does not run. There is no Obama to carry him this time and not only did she manage the BOE slate that embarrassed the endorsed candidates in the primary, she also lives in Brooklawn. The machine total turnout for Central (her school) in the primary was better than 2/1 in favor of the petitioning candidates for Council, Swain and Halstead. That margin was impossible to beat even with the absentee ballot effort that was attempted by Olson and Brantley. People are highly annoyed with the current regime. Highly annoyed, justifiably so, and it showed where it counts. At the voting machines.
Oh Mustang, you know I think you are awesome. Here I think you are totally deluded. Not sure what Marlyn did for the BOE election. I know I voted for the candidates, not the person running the campaign. Halstead and Swain won because they deserved to win. There was nothing in that election that gave Marilyn an elevated status to anyone but a few on this blog. All I need is Mary-Jane Foster to support MM and I’ll throw up. Just being honest.
Steve, you might want to get that barf bag poised!
Lennie, way ahead of you. Disappointed and disgusted. But I’ll wait to hear her reason for supporting Moore other than political payback. Being anti-Musto is not a platform. I guess MJF has decided to be a local activist and not be a Linda McMahon clone.
GOOD for her. I guess anti-development is okay for her. I’ll wait for her endorsement before I get the barf bag. Did she already give her endorsement? I must have missed it. Thank G-d!
Marilyn Moore is not yet an official candidate so we’ll see what develops. MJF will let us know when she’s ready.
Steve: I respect your opinion, and choose not to call you deluded. That point being made, the climate is right for Marilyn, for whatever reason, and if she chooses to run against Musto, she has a good chance. Timing is everything. Seizing the moment in this case is not just leverage, it’s smart.
Mustang, the timing would have been right the day after the BOE election. That being said, the only change the public would make is Democrat to Republican. This blog would be the equivalent of getting news from Fox TV. You can attempt to elevate Marilyn Moore incessantly but in the real world, she has no platform, no recognition and is aligned with all disgruntled political outcasts. Anthony Musto has time to redeem himself in your eyes and Steelepointe is going to put him over the finish line.
*** Really, voters can do much better with anyone other than “me, myself and I” Musto! The writing is on the wall and was crossed off by Musto. Now from where I come from that’s “disrespect” in questioning a call for change by his district active voters, no? *** DUMP MUSTO! ***