In a policy video addressing how he will cut waste and attract business, Republican mayoral candidate Enrique Torres says if elected he will forego the mayor’s $132,500 salary for the first year, investing it instead into “creating 50 individual $2500 small business improvement grants to businesses throughout Bridgeport.”
“In times of hardship, people must make sacrifices, and that’s what I’m prepared to do,” says Torres. “Over the last eight years, middle class households and businesses in Bridgeport have struggled with economic woes, and have to stretch every cent and make do with less. City Government must do the same. That is why I will donate my first year salary as Mayor of Bridgeport, and use the money to create small business improvement grants. I call on all other mayoral candidates to follow my lead and do the same.”
Torres owns the popular Harborview Market in Black Rock where he enjoys a base of support. When he ran for mayor against Bill Finch four years ago he performed well in Black Rock but was clobbered in all other precincts, a product in part of a 10-1 Dem registration advantage.
Usually, when a candidate/public official announces waiver of pay it is combined as a belt-tightening example to spread the pain to secure public employee wage concessions to hold the line on taxes. Torres is attempting to connect this campaign proposal with small business growth, albeit small grants, that can also be accomplished on a larger scale through the federally subsidized Block Grant Program. In the real world of governing waiving pay to set an example achieves a much higher return if the message is sent directly to thousands of public employees who see the chief executive giving up something.
Torres claims to be sacrificing, but his proposal simply shifts the chief executive’s pay elsewhere, rather than providing a direct savings to taxpayers that leverages savings on a much larger scale.
It probably doesn’t help his campaign that a well-known Republican leader from the Puerto Rican community is making calls for Mary-Jane.
It does help that the state and county GOP is lining up behind his campaign.
Awww, good ole Rosa!
I love Rosa. I am seeing Republicans I haven’t seen in 25 years supporting Foster as well.
I heard Joe Ganim is giving up his salary for four years giving all city residents a total of approx $3.27 cents over four years as an effort to give back toward the millions he cost the city in scandalous lawsuits.
I expect Foster to take the appropriate salary and save the theatrics for the other candidates.
Who is that?
Rosa Correa.
Gosh, a candidate who puts their money where their mouth is to help small business, which helps drive the local economy. One very small part of a solid plan. I know very few people who would give up their salary to support the local economy. So, is this just a shallow move, or an example of social and community support rarely seen in “Republicans?”
Desperate gimmick.
You so often make me laugh, Andy.
But Andy is correct. It is a joke!
No joke, Steve-O. Altruism is alive and well in Bridgeport.
Jen, when you look at it, it is nothing but publicity for a losing campaign. Who is he kidding? He still will be making money at the store and probably more if he wins.
First, not losing. Second, it is one small part of his support for local business. Putting the city check books open to every citizen is another of his promises. I can understand you think it is a gimmick, because we have seen false promises and false budget reports and badly managed city budgets for more years than anyone cares to remember in this city and state from candidates and elected officials. You may not like his style, his substance is solid and real.
Andy, you are right, desperate gimmick. He knows he can’t win running for mayor, that’s why he’s also running for the City Council in the 130th district. Torres is not a wealthy person so he needs his money to run his business and to take care of his family. Real leaders lead, a mayor should first start with department heads to take a 10% pay cut and cut back on City-owned vehicles being taken home and out of town unless it’s a life and death need to have that vehicle. Hopefully Rick will lose both positions.
He has promised that and more. I would argue he is so great he has two places on the ballot. But I admit, I am biased.
Why don’t you run? You seem to know it all.
Who, little ole me, PC2? Awww, shucks.
I think he meant the all-knowing RM.
it seems like you don’t want the city to get better. Years and years of poverty, blight, crime, murder children dropping out or being graduated without basic reading and math skills and you want to keep the same old political retreads running the show. It amazes me. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Why won’t you shake Rick’s hand and just listen to him? I promise you, Mr. Mackey, you will be surprised.
Hector, Rosa C. is NOT a Republican leader!!! Never was!!! It seems like all the Dems in all these posts don’t want Bridgeport to get better. Most of you want the status quo so you can get to keep jobs for you or family. Ganim–Foster–Finch–Fabrizi–Parziale–Stafstrom–Testa–SAME CHURCH DIFFERENT PEWS!!! 50 out of 58 years of Democrat CONTROL and what do you have? A filthy dirty city–high crime–even higher taxes–and 138 out of 139 in education–and on and on!!! If this is what you are so proud of, just continue. Torres is the chance to break the cycle!!! I don’t have a DOG in the FIGHT!!!
Pilsbury my friend, sorry. I never actually mentioned Rosa, Steve did. If it is Rosa Correa, she is and has been very much a Republican leader. Pay Attention.
What he said above. This city has nearly nothing to show for the years upon years of management by essentially the same group of people. You have a city attorney whose job it has been to provide cover for the various same group of mayors, against the will or wishes of the people in many established instances. The city is run like a house whose owners don’t know enough to make improvements and so the house becomes irreparable after awhile. A couple theme parks and a sporting goods store are not the improvements that are needed. The city is over 50% made up of families with children who need support to break poverty cycles through education and safer streets. The other half will not peacefully enjoy the half-baked attempts at economic renewal without a harmonious basic living structure for its citizens. Downtown shows no vision, owners of derelict properties waiting for a huge buyout or where the city bought them they are left dangerous liabilities. The entire downtown is full of graffiti, which was supposed to be a city-sanctioned artwork, but is decaying and overdone so it just looks like a dangerous place to enter, unless somebody thinks people drive down Main Street these days and comment on the artwork. With a $600 million budget, blight enforcement and etc., the town should not look this way. Somebody is not doing their job. If anyone wants to remind me the graffiti was an art project, I know, I am sure there were some proud people who got a chance to display their talents. The problem is it looks good on the wall with PT Barnum and then they went crazy and did every piece of plywood on abandoned buildings and now it looks just that way. Abandoned. That might be just one topic if it weren’t the entire entrance to town along Main Street from the north. This is all bad judgement.
This is a sad and accurate summary of Downtown.
The most booming business in town is the court and those who feed off and perpetuate the criminal justice system. Put a juvenile detention center down there to let the kids know what to expect from their future. If the streets were focused on, a little light shown, the revolving doors would move slower. Do you know when people get out of jail they are simply let out the door? After several years for stealing a radio or something they face immediate homelessness. This is another small topic that happens every day in Bridgeport. And the leaders truly talk about next to nothing.
From the Linda McMahon playbook. Look how well that one worked out for her. Nothing says “I am well enough to do that, I don’t need to be paid for this gig” to the predominantly working-class voters of an urban area better than a stunt like this one. This will repel more voters than it attracts. The electorate at large can’t relate to this maneuver at all. Probably will even resent it.
I don’t agree. Rick is a self-made man, a product of the Bridgeport projects, who came out on top. Aside from his schooling, he has NEVER lived anywhere else but Bridgeport. Certainly not in a waterfront MANSION or in bucolic Easton. (At least Finch lived on the East Side.) He speaks the working-class language and if you think for one minute his wife Michelle will not be working 16 hours a day, then you know nothing of the Torres family.
Amen, Flicka. Rick’s wife is a saint, running a successful business while he runs for mayor. It’s a shame not everyone has such a loving and dedicated spouse.
Worked pretty well for Bloomberg.
Hector, I just talked to a Republican friend of mine who said Rosa hasn’t been around Bridgeport Republicans since 1999. She is and has always been the TOKEN Republican for the Democrat party!!!
Another reason Bridgeport will have a tremendous time trying to improve is because about HALF the property is NOT taxed because it is NON-PROFIT!!! Bridgeport is the bedroom community for all the businesses in Fairfield county!!!
Rick Torres is a cerebral, thoughtful person.The Finch-Wood-McCarthy administration marginalized him on the city council. He needs to be realistic about what he can and cannot accomplish. It will be a new administration in place soon and I hope Rick Torres has a role in it.
Does anyone remember in 1991, the city council cut its stipend by 50% in an effort to show participation in austerity measures?
Individual stipends were reduced from $500 per year to $250, although few of us actually used it.
City council members now receive $9,000 per year loaded on a debit card. Has anyone looked at what they are spending it on lately?
The salaries of officers and other administration employees are set by ordinance. Has anyone suggested reviewing those salary ranges and amending the ordinance?
The Mayor’ press secretary, by ordinance, is supposed to be paid $50,000. Not enough? Make him a project manager or other title and the pay goes to $86,000. Brilliant! Will any of the candidates for a mayor commit to reviewing these salary ranges and amend the ordinance? That would be an austerity measure that would send a message.
Will anyone on the city council suggest a reduction in their stipend? Are you kidding?