We generally pay tribute to people when they die. How about doing it while they are still among the living? If Bridgeport had a Monument Park for politicians, former Governor Lowell Weicker, now 83 years old, deserves one measuring his full 6’6″ stature. He was the closest thing the city’s ever experienced to a benevolent dictator.
And dictate he did, on behalf of the state’s largest city. Tom Dudchik, who runs the popular CT Capitol Report, recalls the day he suggested Weicker relocate the Troop G State Police Barracks from swanky Westport to Downtown Bridgeport.
As Joe Ganim considers a comeback for the office he occupied from November of 1991 to April of 2003 when a federal corruption conviction forced him from office, he no doubt will remind voters of the city he inherited and helped to transform. The reality is Ganim received an extraordinary amount of help from Weicker.
In the early 1990s Dudchik was Weicker’s deputy chief of staff. The city was suffering from explosive violent crime: crack heads, drug gangs, gunfire shredded neighborhoods, good people were held captive in their own homes.
“I came with up the idea because State Police officials were going to build a new barracks in Westport,” says Dudchik. “If you’re serious about Bridgeport why is the state police barracks in Westport? How about Downtown Bridgeport? The minute he heard that Weicker got on the phone with the commissioner of Public Safety Nick Cioffi. Weicker said we’re putting the police barracks in Bridgeport.”
The building that had occupied Sears was available on Lafayette Boulevard near I-95.
“They all figured that was a perfect place to do it,” says Dudchik. “And that was it. That’s a true power of a governor. You can tell commissioners what to do and make them do it. If you’re governor you can move heaven and earth. Weicker believed that a state is only good as its cities. He understood what Bridgeport meant.”
That meant at a time the city was battling historic crime, 100 troopers assigned to the barracks would work in Bridgeport, travel through the city, buy coffee and eat lunch in the city, and build stronger relationships with local law enforcement.
Not long before that, Weicker was at war with Republican Mayor Mary Moran for placing the city into federal bankruptcy court in June 1991. As a municipal child of the state, Weicker said the filing compromised the state’s credit worthiness. Then Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal challenged the petition. A federal judge sided with the state. Moran appealed the decision, arguing the city needed a fresh start from years of financial neglect.
Meanwhile, 32-year-old Joseph Ganim defeated Moran in November 1991. The next day Weicker and Ganim met in the governor’s office. Basically he told Ganim withdraw the bankruptcy petition. You do your part, I’ll do mine. Weicker was true to his word.
Weicker had cashews that clanked. Within the next two years, in addition to the State Police barracks, here’s what happened to benefit Bridgeport at Weicker’s direction:
· $500,000 to clean up the disgraceful “Mount Trashmore,” a 35-foot-high, two-block pile of illegal demolition debris that had scarred the East End.
· Relocated Housatonic Community Technical College from the East Side to the site of the vacated Hi-Ho Mall Downtown.
· Authorized the state purchase of Beardsley Park and its zoological gardens from the city for $10 million, providing a much-needed infusion of cash.
· The state also assumed financial responsibility for several other city functions such as operations of the city train station.
· Developed an incentive package that retained major employers such as Chase Manhattan Bank of Connecticut and Southern Connecticut Gas Company.
· A gaming compact Weicker signed with two tribal nations provided $10 million more annually to the city for years.
· Weicker established an office in Downtown Bridgeport where he summoned state commissioners for regular meetings.
Weicker provided the city financial breathing room and additional law enforcement security at a critical stage. Maybe someday a permanent marker will remind people how it happened.
OMG, Bridgeport was transformed. Can I hear an amen! And everything that happened since was not noteworthy. Fabrizi has done nothing, Finch has done nothing and Ganim. Ganim 2015 because we can’t get enough!!! Let’s remember Malloy has not done anything for Bridgeport! I love these trips down memory lane. Even Mary Moran is going to “work her ass off for Joe.” The buzz is getting louder and louder. Joe is gonna take the City like a tsunami, again, Joe Ganim 2015 because he is Joe and he transformed the City. ASK any voter under the age of 21 and they will say Joe who? We will respond Joe Ganim ‘cuz we just can’t get enough!!!
Steven Auerbach, LOL, even the truth can’t set you free from kissing Bill Finch’s ass.
Ron, I will kiss Mayor Finch’s ass and truth be told, you are kissing Ganim’s ass, aren’t you? Finch is the Mayor. You are trying so hard to resuscitate Ganim’s political life by blowing smoke up his ass and then inhaling. Ron Mackey, it isn’t a pretty visual for you, is it? But you are kissing Ganim’s ass, aren’t you? Ron Mackey is kissing Ganim’s ass. How do you like it? Well keep kissing Ganim’s ass and blowing smoke up there and maybe, just maybe you can bring Ganim back from obscurity and maybe Ron, just maybe, Joe Ganim will return the favor.
🙂 Lolololololol nothing personal Ron Mackey, just a tit for tat.
Steve, it so sad people will always forget the good people have done in this city and focus on the mistakes people make. Whether you like it not, Joe Ganim and myself worked hard for this city and for the people who live here. I was grateful Gov. Weicker gave me half a million dollars to clean up Mt. Trashmore. So if Joe decides to run the people of this great city should decide and remember people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
Lennie,
I guess you didn’t suspend recycling due to the snow storm.
Actually Troll, there should be a statue of you right next to Weicker. We just have to figure out the bridge.
Bob Walsh, Feb 2 is Groundhog Day! It’s all about the re-runs and getting better in each new re-run!
In 1991 we had a young 32-year-old newly elected Democratic mayor, Joe Ganim, who had the sense to sit down with a Republican governor and set a plan that would truly help Bridgeport. Now let’s move forward, and we have a newly elected Democratic governor, Dan Malloy, and what plan did Malloy and Mayor Bill Finch come up with for Bridgeport, their plan was to take over the Bridgeport Board of Education and to take the voters of Bridgeport’s voting rights away from them. Why was there a need to do this? Mayor Finch always had a 6 to 3 voting margin in his favor to pass any and all votes that came before the BOE but that wasn’t good enough for Gov. Malloy and Mayor Finch, they needed to take the voters’ rights away. Now tell me, what mayor truly looked out for all of the residents of Bridgeport? Of course, Steve Auerbach will tell us it’s Finch who has done nothing.
Ron Mackey, if you think Finch has done nothing for the City I will not argue with you. If you believe Ganim 2015, because we just can’t get enough, did amazing things, I say you just are not too bright so you keep kissing Ganim’s ass like Ernie does and maybe he will give you a pat on the head and when you have your hand out, he will shake it.
Steve, just because I’m not on the FINCH Plantation and you are, it’s at least Ganim didn’t try and take OUR VOTING RIGHTS AWAY!
See Ernie, you are trying to paint Finch as a racist and you working on his plantation. I appreciate the banter back and forth between you and Mackey. It is 2015. If your only hope is the race card then good luck. I did thank you and Ganim for serving and you did not respond to that. You should save your self-praising for your constituents. It is not flattering to blow smoke up your own ass. We are both sad. How sad is that?
Ernie, of course not; Joe was too busy trying to give Steelepointe to developers who were willing to contribute $500,000 to his Gubernatorial campaign. Ernie, you are foolish.
And credit to Ganim for not raising taxes by keeping city spending in line–yes, kept city spending in line. What a concept!
Yes Jennifer, credit to Ganim … oy.
Lennie, tell us about how Weicker refused casinos in Bridgeport and how he created the state income tax.
This trip down memory lane has one slight inaccuracy. The bankruptcy filing went forward when the city council voted to approve it with the minimum majority. The reason I stopped opposing it and voted in favor of it was because Governor Lowell Weicker refused to help Bridgeport, telling Mary Moran to ‘go back to Bridgeport and raise taxes.’
The bankruptcy filing moved forward because Weicker refused to authorized measures to avoid it. Weicker was offended that a pushy broad would get ‘in his face’ and demand he help. Partisan politics was a factor. Keep in mind Lowell Weicker became governor as a third-party candidate, but his administration was run by Democrats, including Treasurer Francisco Borges who also disliked Mary Moran and used his role to portray the bankruptcy filing as irresponsible. Ultimately, the solution was Joe Ganim because he was not Mary Moran. We can only wonder what would have happened in this time period if Tom Bucci had been re-elected or if Len Paoletto was not beaten by Mary Moran in the Republican primary by 30 votes.
Should Lowell Weicker receive credit for attempting to help Bridgeport? Of course, but he did it on his terms.
Whatever happened to Paul Pinto? He and Joe ran this city for awhile, sort of like Paul Sorvino and DeNiro in Goodfellas. As far as Weicker, he was a bully, it was his way or the highway. And Mary Moran is a sweetheart, she truly loved our city.
Let’s keep one very important and missing element in mind. Lowell Weicker had nearly 99 percent of Mary MORAN’S administration supporting him. Mary Moran supported John Rowland. What did she expect? Unlike Finch, supporting Ned Lamont and getting full support from Dan Malloy. The city could have been so different today if the bankruptcy bid moved forward. It didn’t and taxes had to go up and up and up and up!
Steven Auerbach, so what has Mayor Finch done?
Ron, I can’t think of one thing Finch has done. Not one! Ganim 2015. Ganim will be remembered for many things including an East End grocery store. I did love his commercials marketing Bridgeport. Unlike Finch who is so embarrassed he doesn’t want to be seen in a commercial. 🙁
See Ernie “Big Daddy” Newton, your first delusion was Lowell Weicker gave you money for Mount Trashmore. He gave the money to the City of Bridgeport. You do understand the difference? There were a couple who were activists who fought tirelessly against Trashmore. I think both passed away very young–cancer. Ernie, thank you for serving the City. Joe Ganim, thank you for serving the City. I voted for Joe twice. I do not thank either one of you for the years of darkness Bridgeport experienced due to corruption, scandal and racial divide not to mention the incessant bad press. Ernie, you got the endorsement from your peeps at the DTC but the voters saw things differently. Let Ganim run. You and Ron Mackey can knock on doors telling neighbors Ganim is the second coming and Finch is a racist. Let’s see how that works out for you. Well Ron Mackey can knock on doors in case you are not available. Ernie, don’t we all live in glass houses? We throw stones anyway. It is politics. Did you deliver your community for Mary-Jane FOSTER? Did Mayor Finch thank you?
Ernie, I know you and Ganim did some good for the City. Thank you. Did Finch do any good for the City?
Steve, you are so sad but I’m glad 1792 people VOTED for me, because I’ll continue to speak for the least of thee.
The least educated of thee.
Weicker did the minimum he had to do for Bridgeport in order to suppress a burgeoning national pall cast on his governorship by Moran’s gutsy, necessary bankruptcy filing.
Ganim benefited from all the embarrassment and chaos at the state and local level. It also gave him an excuse to sell our Trumbull parkland to his buddy Bob Scinto who wasted no time in utilizing our infrastructure to expand his holdings and Trumbull’s tax base. Did anyone at the state or local level prevail upon Scinto to locate that lucrative tax base in Bridgeport? Of course not.
What did Ganim actually do for the city? How much did he expand our tax base/tax revenue? How many local jobs did he create/retain? He built an arena and ball park that are still causing the city to hemorrhage money. He turned away the Ford/GM motor companies when they wanted to build a shipping port on Steel Point that would have represented hundreds of good jobs and lucrative tax base for the city. That land still sits idle. He turned away Lionel Trains when they wanted to restart operations in Bridgeport at the Harbor Yard site–which would have meant hundreds of good manufacturing jobs/tax base. Did he steer them to any other sites when they were told their old site was spoken for? No. They were told to move on. Ditto to the Ford and GM people.
When the people didn’t want their neighborhood disrupted by a supermarket on virtual park land on Madison Avenue, did he steer the developers to Ernie Newton’s neighborhood, where they’re still begging for a full-service supermarket 20 years later?
My God, Bridgeporters! Can’t we see things for what they are and get at least a little angry at our local leadership and the state leadership that has made sure we stay distressed and weak and susceptible to enforced limited development options?
Why wasn’t Bridgewater steered here after they were rejected by Stamford? No one in the Finch or Malloy Administrations even suggested it.
If we don’t recognize the past, we are doomed to repeat it. If we don’t acknowledge our pecking order in the state, we will only move farther down the food chain.
Where is our anger and outrage?
Have we become that numbed/mesmerized by our years of decay and municipal privation? (We’re almost like political Stockholm-syndrome victims.)
Let’s quit apologizing for abuse from within and without and show some signs of anger and a willingness to rebel and take control of our fate.
Bridgeport is a tough place with tough people, but we only seem to turn our anger and toughness on each other–not the corrupt federal/state/local political system that cooperates to keep us down (and manageable).
It’s time for a political rebellion here. It shouldn’t be impossible for us to find a suitable leader in this regard. Let’s start looking instead of attacking each other and engaging in revisionist history (and the observation of the present while wearing rose-colored glasses and political blinders).
Jeff Kohut, it’s great Lennie is sharing this history of Bridgeport of things that happened over 20 years ago. It’s good you and Tom White have also added more details.
As far as Ganim keeping taxes down; sure he did–because of the Financial Review Board and the delay in our property assessment reval. Not to mention the schools and parks decayed under his administration and he sold Bridgeport’s park land/open space–including what was left of Beardsley Park/Beardsley Zoo. And not to mention he benefited from the state/federal “largess” that resulted from the Moran bankruptcy filing.
And let’s not forget what happened to Bridgeport’s municipal spending/hiring under Ganim after the departure of the financial review board. He was forced to resign before he could be given credit for the resultant tax increases in that aftermath.
Let’s get real here!
Forget about nostalgia in this city. We have to go back to P.T. Barnum for that. (We’re still running on the fumes from his vision and initiative 100+ years after the fact (e.g., Bridgeport Hospital, what’s left of our park land, etc.).
Jeff Kohut, your postings are very thoughtful, laconic and spot on. Your evaluation of the Ganim administration is historically correct and politically correct. Ron Mackey and Ernie Newton cannot respond because you have stated the facts and they are so pro-Ganim they fail to acknowledge the damage done to the City. Maybe you will consider another Mayoral bid. It is sad that outstanding, honest individuals like yourself are overlooked because you are not connected to the malignant politicians who continue to bring our city down.
Steve Auerbach, your Johnnie-come-lately comment and the fact you can’t read past what you like I’m sure you had to read what I said about Jeff’s post but keep on spinning for Finch.
Ron Mackey // Feb 2, 2015 at 6:59 pm
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Jeff Kohut, it’s great Lennie is sharing this history of Bridgeport of things that happened over 20 years ago. It’s good you and Tom White have also added more details.
Yes, Ron Mackey, I read that the first time. So you agree with what Jeff said about Ganim. That was my point.
Lowell Weicker gave a very inspirational speech at my high school graduation ceremony at Notre Dame in 1970. He referenced Moby Dick. It is something that has stuck with me to this day. On his own terms or not, he did do a lot for Bridgeport.
In regard to Ganim, he did hire some good people like Mike Freimuth who he let do their jobs. Tylisczak is a Freimuth guy who did a lot for Habitat. Freimuth also got about 25 properties to Habitat. Different than today. What has Habitat gotten under Finch?
Ganim liked expensive wine, Finch likes micro-subversing people in a perverse way.
Under Ganim’s mayoralty, Bridgeport’s downtown lay fallow with the city taking over properties, which they still own, by eminent domain. Nothing of significance has been done since. Freimuth did nothing and hamstrung Lavernoich (his assistant) who was the brains of the development. Habitat was and is still nothing more than a bandaid on a broken leg.
It never was about Bridgeport. It was all about “what can you earn for me.” And the result is a broken-down, once-great industrial city run by inept and greedy governments.
Bob, we should thank Joe Ganim for 10 years of that! Ganim 2015–Because we can’t get enough!!!