As insurgents seek candidates to take on City Council incumbents this year, one-time 2011 mayoral candidate John Gomes says he will not be among the challengers. He says he’s considering another mayoral run in 2015.
“I don’t have any thoughts on running for city council,” Gomes wrote to OIB in response to a text about his potential interest in running for a legislative seat. “I believe that the change and direction this city needs will begin only when a person is elected to the Mayor’s Office whose intention is to represent the peoples interests and to restructure city government.”
Gomes had served in the administration of Mayor Bill Finch as a deputy chief administrative officer. A falling-out with the mayor over administration policies forced him from his public position. He entered the 2011 race for mayor early, but had trouble raising money and resonating in OIB polls. He dropped out of the race for mayor and threw his support to Mary-Jane Foster who lost to Finch in a September 2011 Democratic primary.
Gomes has not gone away. He has been present at a number of public forums regarding city finances, services and law-enforcement issues. Seeking and winning a City Council seat could have provided a platform for government reform as well as raising questions about city budget concerns in an effort to lift name recognition and potential for leveraging financial support for a mayoral run.
Finch will be well financed for a reelection bid in 2015. The power of incumbency has its advantages. Gomes, barring a rich uncle, has not yet shown he can raise the dollars necessary for a competitive Democratic primary run, something Foster has shown. She spent roughly $200,000 in the mayoral primary but was still outspent by Finch by roughly two to one. It’s difficult to raise money without a core constituency and a regional fundraising operation. Nothing has changed to suggest Gomes can raise the money necessary to be relevant in a mayoral race.
To Gomes’ credit he has remained fairly visible, but that will not translate into a fundraising operation without a regular public platform. Candidates stepping up for a mayoral run–barring something dramatic–cannot afford to wait until 2015 to wage a competitive race. That process must start in earnest in 2014.
Foster herself has not ruled out another run for mayor. When she launched her campaign in early 2011 she was largely unknown outside of her home neighborhood Black Rock, but still managed 43 percent of the vote on the machines in the mayoral primary even though outspent by roughly two to one. That showing provides her a foundation to wage another run depending on what develops for Finch in the next year.
If the city experiences several economic development successes and stabilized taxes leading into the next mayoral cycle, Finch will be difficult to take out. If Finch experiences more tax increases, economic malaise and additional fallout from the controversy involving the dubious $400,000 driveway for the politically connected Manny Moutinho that led to the grounding of Airport Manager John Ricci, it means game on–depending on the chief opponent.
The bellwether will be the city council elections this fall. If the electorate can’t get it together to vote out the old guard then how could Gomes, or Foster for that matter, think the results would be any different the next time around?
Honestly, isn’t it a little early to start vetting potential sacrificial candidates? John Gomes would make a great candidate for councilman. He has a dream and is entitled to go after it. I respect and admire John. Good Luck.
John would make a great mayor for Bridgeport. Unlike Mr. Walker, John can speak for all Bridgeporters and can speak to the concerns of all Bridgeporters. It is not all about the budget. It is about decent schools, decent police and fire protection … roads that are in good repair, clean parks and responsive govt.
*** A run for city council might give John a better outlook on how he would do if he in fact decided to run for Mayor! ***
*** Maybe our state legislators can pass another new state law that will not only let immigrants get a drivers license but also vote and be able to run for city Mayor too, no? *** WHY NOT ***
John, go for city council, learn the inner workings of this city better. If the vote were today Foster would be my choice.
It seems to me John Gomes may be able to win council election pretty handily. Why he would not consider a term as a Councilman as a springboard to positioning himself for another run as Mayor is really quite perplexing.
It should really not be seen as perplexing. He has had his eye on the bigger prize for a long time. One pays $132,000, the other–well a few shekels. Can he win. No. Does he know it? John is a smart man. He like everyone else is waiting to see if corruption will stick to Finch. Steelpointe, Downtown, Remington Woods, GE and South End U.B. area development will most likely eclipse a minor corruption issue provided Finch and Wood handle it with finesse. I myself am waiting with anticipation. Otherwise, I do not see any passion out there that can uproot “The Mayor,” ALL OTHER CONTENDERS OUT THERE WHO THINK THEY HAVE THE CREDENTIALS TO RUN, GO FOR IT. WHO WILL CONTRIBUTE TO A CAMPAIGN WHERE THE ODDS ARE SLIM? I WOULD NOT DISMISS ANY POTENTIAL CANDIDATE. Coviello? Rodgerson? Really? And we are dismissing Gomes? I would only dismiss another candidate when I am ready to run and have a platform that serves the entire city. If the best one can do is run by attacking Finch with no solution to the problems or optimism for the future you may as well forget it. Nobody is listening except the choir.
Rodgerson?
Keith Rodgerson. Ran against Finch in primary two cycles ago. Currently working in OPED.
What’s OPED? He was a spoiler during the first Finch campaign. His head is so far up Mario’s ass his eyes turned calamari black. Waste of time.
Sepia!
OPED = Office of Planning & Economic Development
Actually Steve, Keith Rodgerson ran against Finch in the general election on the ticket of a third party he started.
Lennie, very funny. The reddish brown ink of the cuttlefish.
Yes Steve, I love sepia, squid, cuttlefish. I appreciate the Jewish customs of keeping Kosher that prohibit eating shellfish of any kind. But I love it grilled, fried, sauced.
Lennie, I am not kosher. I love all the Jewish kosher delicacies of being born and raised in Brooklyn New York, Sheepshead bay. There isn’t an ethnic food that is foreign to me. I especially enjoy pasta made with squid ink and love squid prepared Japanese style on the grill.
Nice!
BlackRockGuy, thank you, I stand corrected. I thought Rodgerson was part of the primary prior to his independent candidacy. He is a nice guy. I supported his attempt to bring life downtown by the courthouse with barbeques, movies and music. Mostly attended by his friends but an effort appreciated and supported.
It is perplexing to me, Steve. I am not dismissing Gomes. I am merely asserting he can do both, and should, if he wants to improve his chances to be elected Mayor.
Only in the blogosphere would it improve his chances. I am not discounting your opinion. I am just adding my sixth sense, um I mean two cents.
*** Don’t sweat it “Sally Baby,” you say “potato” others say “potahto!” It’s obvious a two-year term as a city councilman in John’s district would probably be politically beneficial in many ways towards running a year later for Mayor. Just getting to know and also positively getting other council member’s support and help would be a plus towards another possible run for Mayor. Right now the key political move towards any change is to get as many active people interested, then backed politically for election runs for the city council and BOE. We’re talking a political team (independants, Republicans, Democrats, etc.) united with the interest of making political changes that are “not” beholding to the usual “machine politics” that have and continue to plague our fair city! And even if John were to lose in his run for city council it would give him a better view on his chances and work towards running for Mayor. ***
If I had a business and was trying to keep it alive and worked 14 hours a day at it, I sure wouldn’t kill my money-maker on a free job, would you?
When you take a look at the current City Council of 17 elected and 3 appointed members, it is interesting to see the assignment of duties: Sub-committees, liaisons, and Council ceremony. I took a look at the latest green sheets and found Lydia Martinez is on four committees while two longer-term Council members are assigned to serve on one. The two Council members with a single committee assignment WORK for the City. Do you think that has turned into a 14 hour a day job?
Council people will be running on their record this fall. Wonder what a look at committee minutes will show about attendance or participation? Of course it’s pretty easy to know what happens on Consent Calendar votes in the Council. But I did notice one Budget and Appropriations member had not signed the Capital Budget votes three times in the past five years! He was absent on those occasions. He was absent again last evening when the B&A heard news about a conduit municipal bond (for which Bridgeport will have no liability, no matter what happens) that will allow the current Jewish Home for the Elderly to rebuild on the site of the Jewish Community Center on Park Avenue. The new facility will cost about $90 Million and the bonds will be purchased initially by People’s Bank in a private placement. The fees to the City will initially provide about $2 Million in the coming year’s budget. And the program has talked about voluntary and independent dollars annually to the City since they will be a 501(c)(3) not for profit and be non taxable on the property. Because they are not an acute care health facility like the two general hospitals they will not add to our Hospital PILOT from the State of CT. 800 employees staff the program now with 60% of them residents of Bridgeport. How long since a project of this size decided to build in Bridgeport? Time will tell.
JML, if you are talking about the property at the corner of Park & Capitol, that is a small footprint. What is expected to go there?
The 14 hour a day job is the deli he owns. The free job is the circus commonly known as the City Council.
flub,
I am talking about 4200 Park Avenue on the East Side of Park Ave. I believe you are thinking about a Jewish Congregation locate on the northwest corner of Capitol and Park. Not the same land area. The $90 Million project has been through zoning in Bridgeport and is four stories in height, within limits and organized into unique living units relative to other CT senior facilities in existence. It will be good to see a project of this size that has been a “good neighbor” in our region for 60 years. Financial aspects are trending positive also. Time will tell.
Thanks for the clarification. The property I was referencing is the old Jewish Center for Community Services.
If John Gomes wants to make a difference and help turn Bridgeport around he should run for City Council in November and then think about running for Mayor or another higher-level position later. He needs an official position to be able to raise his profile and money for any bigger race.