Dan Malloy visited Steel Point Wednesday afternoon to make a point. State government must be a friend, not a burden, to help shepherd major redevelopment projects such as the one moving forward, albeit slowly, in the lower East Side.
Malloy, the Democratic-endorsed gubernatorial candidate, was joined by his lieutenant governor runningmate State Comptroller Nancy Wyman and Bridgeport State Rep. Andres Ayala, a Malloy supporter for a tour of the cleared 50-acre redevelopment site and remarks at the corner of Stratford Avenue and East Main Street. Robert Christoph is the principal developer of “Steelpointe Harbor,” a proposed mix of housing, retail, hotel, restaurants, offices, marina and waterfront park. bldsteelpointeharbor.net/main.htm
Shadowing Malloy–when Malloy got out of his car, during casual conversations before his official remarks, during his walking tour of Steel Point, during his remarks and as he was heading back to his car–was a “tracker” with a camera representing Ned Lamont. Modern high-profile campaigns have enlisted these “trackers” (at times the Yale student working for Lamont seemed more like a stalker) in the hope to grab a live gaffe or an inconsistent statement (or what the Lamont campaign could interpret as one). Sometimes a tracker for Malloy will attend one of Ned’s events, but what struck me was the velcro nature of this particular tracker. But that’s new campaign life.
Malloy went about his business pointing out courteously to greeters the Lamont tracker. Jesus, I wondered if Dan could take a leak without the kid wanting to follow.
Malloy talked about his 12-point development plan and highlighted the need for a second train station for Bridgeport. See his 12-point plan danmalloy.com/policy/jobs_and_economy. To listen to remarks from Malloy and Wyman, with a couple of questions from me, click here. The annoying noise in the background isn’t my breathing, it’s the wind.
{running time: 11:54}
I remember when Tyrone and Erin came tracking at Caruso’s announcement luncheon at the Lake Forest clubhouse in 2007. They received a standing ovation when Chris acknowledged them.
I think next year an awful lot of people are going to be making tracks to support Caruso.
Nice sound bite but nothing but an awful lot of wind!
For full disclosure I would be saying the same thing if it were Lamont speaking on this issue.
Nice picture of the next governor of CT and the next mayor of Bpt.
Get used to it.
I don’t think so.
Good comeback TC
Finch and Ramos are united for the first time and trying to privatize the whole city and board of ed.
There is no money, right?
Then how come non-union contractors are working all over the city and in schools?
Union city workers are being sold down the river and are blind and stupid not to see it.
The unions back Malloy and Ayala.
Get used to it and back it.
Bridgeport Capo is giving bad advice to his Bridgeport Family.
Ripper
Do you have better advice?
We would love to hear it, the city has never been in worse shape except possibly under Moran. My taxes are through the roof and my property value although in a great section of the city hasn’t been this low in 20 years. My kids’ education is worthless and I’m considering private schools but can’t afford them due to my taxes. The dropout rate and test scores have never been worse and yet Ramos stays and gets raises. Finch’s staff gets big raises and unions will be laid off to pay for them.
Give us your plan Ripper and we can follow it.
Bridgeport Capo
Clearly I don’t care who the Governor is as it won’t make much difference to our city’s malaise. Andres is a bright guy who would be better suited to pursuing his professional development in education.
Also, I strongly disagree with you that your property value hasn’t been this low in 20 years. If it were that low we wouldn’t have a mil rate of almost 40 when 20 years ago the mil rate was 65 or greater.
Here’s part of my plan. Cut! Cut!! Cut!!! Work expands and the more people you have doing a task the less gets done. However cut with a scalpel and not an ax. Get rid of police horses. Shrink the city by not rehabbing blighted properties that when rehabbed cost us more than we can take in property taxes, after educational considerations. Less people living in Bridgeport will bring about a reduction in municipal workforce and legacy costs.
Re-bid Steal Pointe. Become more realistic on sales price of city-owned commercial properties. Let the market dictate what the price should be not a bunch of city model builders who have been sniffing their model glue for over 25 years in city hall.
Go to every Commercial Realtor in the country and tell them to bring their deals to Bridgeport and we will give them a commission that will contain residuals based on future tax revenue.
Change some of the zoning laws that will allow for in-law additions to keep family dynamic together and help add to the tax rolls. Sell the Wheel and the Airport. They are for the most part under- or non-performing assets.
Use our beautiful parks system as an economic development engine to bring people to Bridgeport. Not punish them with a $125 seasonal pass. Market the city, its attractions and restaurants with a package that every time you go through a park gate you are given a Grow Bridgeport Package of coupons.
Leaders Do the Right Thing and Managers Do Things Right!
We’ve been following the wrong leaders for too long.
What’s your plan besides Malloy and Ayala? I showed you mine. Now show me yours!!!
Start a small-business incubator in the annex. Small businesses rent out a pod space for $100 a month to try to jumpstart their business.
Re-negotiate police contract that will allow specials to watch manhole covers at reduced rates and using surplus to pay cops to be cops on the street, not on their cellphones to be exhausted and in their own and the public’s harm’s way.
Privatize parks department for landscaping services.
Ripper
You put your money where your mouth is.
Good job, I can’t agree with all of it but you gave us a plan. As for me, I am just a labor lawyer and not a politician.
I support Malloy and hear great things about Ayala. My plan is to vote for the best candidates and in my eyes at this very moment that is my plan.
Consigliere
Didn’t you read yesterday’s posts???
BPT unions have no juice in local elections.
GR
Unions have no juice is true.
Bpt was built on union backs and it’s time to regain that juice that has been lost due to the privitization efforts of Finch and Ramos.
Bridgeport Capo
Thanks and I hope you are not suffering from any Labor Pains.
Ripper
pains, no.
I do have a never-ending amount of BOE and PF workers wanting to file suit against the city though!!!
Big Dan Malloy is now in favor of the state helping to develop Steel Point. Mayor Dan Malloy fought any effort to use state money to encourage business development in Bridgeport over Stamford.
Two-faced phony.
Are you saying he is a Ma and Pa Bell?
Come on Dan. Put a real dollar amount on what that support is. Dan throws fluff out like a fluffaholic.
If fluff were money Dan would be outspending Lamont 10 to one.
What’s 3-card Lamont’s dollar amount? Buying an election. Blech.
anna is a real card! Where’s your old boyfriend hanging out these days since the Liberty Rock rang its last room service?
Lamont Stalker? Lennie, you may have your preferences and that’s fine, but this post is just sad.
“OIB! Always Biased!! Always Fair!!!”
marlys, filming an event and/or speech is fair game, but Ned’s tracker should use more discretion. The same goes for Malloy’s tracker if he’s doing the same.
The Oracle of Omaha Steaks!
I think I’m going to try that new Brick Oven joint in Black Rock. I hear you can’t Ah-Beats-It!
Anyone for some Scamozza?
It’s excellent!!! I had the chicken with the ranch dressing over a white pie. Great place to sit out and overlook the ave. Good beer selection.
Also suggest a walk down to Timothy’s ice cream afterwards and check out some of the new flavors.
The Oracle of Omaha Steaks!
I’m just about to go Crossin’ the street over to Timothy’s after my Brick Oven Pie. Pat is a real Pies-On!
If Education is so important, why not comment on the education issues raised here? So lame and a waste of a posting space to comment about chicken, good beer and ice cream.
GR, First of all when Dan was mayor of Stamford his job was to build a thriving, economically sound municipality–which he did. Do you think Bill Finch should be asking the state to use money in Stamford instead of Bridgeport? It is illogical. As governor Dan would be responsible for growing the whole state and of course he would focus on development in the state’s biggest city. His job description would change. You call a man two-faced because he was so successful doing what he was elected to do. That seems like sour grapes. He has a track record of the kind of success we need in Hartford so he can bring his experience to places like Bridgeport. You are cutting off your nose to spite your face. Why don’t you look at his web site and information before you call something fluff. It kills me when smart people refuse to use logic. Give me facts not name calling.
The Bridgeport way to handle a stalker is to put a stalker on their stalker. A graduate from the Sommers Finishing School named “Moose” is proper etiquette.
Then they can walk their stalk and stalk their walk.
Malloy, Lamont, Foley all a bunch of phonies. None of them are going to do squat to improve conditions in Connecticut. Their plans are bullshit and geared to what they think people want to hear.
I want them to talk about the high cost of doing business in Connecticut. Labor costs, utility costs, benefit costs, transportation costs, housing costs. What company in their right mind would move to Connecticut. None, in fact they are moving out of the state.
I want to see a reduction in the state work force just look on the highways and see how many people it takes to replace 1 broken guardrail. Look in the state offices and see how many people work in those offices.
This year the state borrowed money to have a balanced budget, if Bridgeport did that we would have had a review board assigned to Bridgeport.
The sad thing is these 3 are the best & brightest we can offer up for the governor’s job. What a shame.
There are a number of different names for Three-card monte; i.e. gypsy twist, Red Card, etc. etc.
TC was Eeyore your favorite Winnie the Pooh character? The sky isn’t always falling. Accentuate the positive … It’s a beautiful rose-colored glasses day.
MCAT; That’s the problem, most of today’s politicians from both parties want us to wear Rose Colored glasses instead of them doing what is necessary.
I know the sky is not falling but it sure has a lot of cracks in it. Just look at Connecticut’s stats and you will have your answer. Highest gas tax in the country, one of the highest utility rates in the country, a steady loss of population and almost zero industrial growth. High property tax and the list goes on in fact there is not a damn thing in this state that is not taxed in one way or another. Which party to blame? BOTH.
That’s because we have no counties, regions, and force municipalities to run on property tax. We could consolidate and cut costs, increase revenue, but to some, ahem … not to mention names, regionalism is a dirty word. It is still nice outside and I am healthy, no one has taxed the sunshine. And don’t say “yet.”
Sunshine is taxed you need a sticker to go to your favorite beach or pool and they cost money. Gotcha.
Obama is taxing for sun tanning at the parlor. Cut costs? Municipalities don’t sell or manufacture anything, if they do it’s paid with tax dollars. How can you cut cost–I assume you mean cost to the consumer– if you aren’t selling or manufacturing something? How about cutting spending? Municipalities spend. Increase revenue? The revenue comes from taxes and fees. MCAT wants to raise taxes and fees? Aren’t you running for office? Do you know your opponent reads OIB?
Hi MCAT, I’m from a state (PA) with county government and regionalism and it still can cause headaches. My observation is if people don’t have a self-interest to solve a problem, they won’t. In a county or “regional” situation, they tend to box a problem in one area and try to keep it from getting out–much like the towns try to keep Bridgeport problems in the city. There may–emphasis on may–be more revenue sharing. The cities were happy to get rid of the counties in Connecticut in 1959ish so they could get the towns out of their revenues. Little did they know!
www .ctpost.com/news/article/Weicker-Where-we-are-there-is-no-easy-solution-527174.php
Lennie is a big Weicker Liker!!!
“… State government must be a friend, not a burden …”
The “point” here is:
We all know the Connecticut State Legislature and State Senate is and has been for quite a while controlled by a Democratic majority. Malloy’s above statement is quite clear and true but worded softly. This statement clearly says what OIB friends have been saying for years:
Democrats in control are not “friends” of Bridgeport and see Bridgeport as a “burden.” I wonder if that’s the “point” Rep. Andres Ayala got? It may explain the look on his face and the hands on the hips. Rep. Ayala should have taken Malloy to the other side of the “point” and showed him E. Main Street. The first building on the left is the symbol of the failure of Democrats. The Democrats in Connecticut (federal level) have control of all Congressional seats. The only seat held by another party–Republican–is the Governor’s seat. If or when Democrats win full control of all major political positions, Connecticut can expect to be called the armpit of New England.
Lennie wrote:
“… in the hope to grab a live gaffe or an inconsistent statement …”
Lennie, don’t you think of you as a “tracker” when you do your OIB thing? Was there any “tracker” from the Republican side? It sure looks to me like there is a gaffe the Republicans could use. Heck, they can use my prior post as a clue to the gaffe.
TC,
Regionalism is an illusion. It is a new catch-phrase the do-gooders in the ‘burbs have come up with to mean we are not going to help you but we will sure as hell make it seem like we care.
The study they undertook in Hartford provided no teeth. No sticks just a lot of carrots but when we could not get either Trumbull or Stratford to buy into a regional dog pound because they didn’t want their dogs hanging with Bridgeport strays, well the die was cast. But they will keep talking about regionalism to toss out a hint of help and to keep the cities down longer.
Divide and conquer. Pit the cities against each other and the suburbs against all of the cities. The numbers become overwhelming.
www .youtube.com/watch?v=Wo3Aj2eqmS8
The first thing the state should do is undo the sham Jodi Rell calls Education Cost Sharing. This is when the state of CT gives the wealthiest towns educational aid but tells them they can use it to reduce local property taxes.
Take the money back and reallocate it to the cities. If you want to put restrictions or other requirements such as audits and class sizes and construction mandates that force school building up instead of out, do it.
But let’s stop the BS of using ECS towards local property-tax relief in the wealthiest towns in America not just CT.
Grin I am no fan of regionalism. Here is an example of what to expect. Bpt is building a regional high school on property it owns on Quarry Rd which is located in Trumbull. Trumbull does not want it there as they don.t want to do the maintenance. They have come out in the paper and said they would prefer it in Bpt and let Bpt assume all the costs. So much for regionalism.
THE MAN IS DELUSIONAL. HE LIVES IN A LAND ALL BY HIMSELF WHERE HE CAN DO NO HARM.
From the CT Post:
Mayor Bill Finch, in a prepared statement, noted that as of last year the city no longer takes into account an individual’s criminal record during the hiring process. “There is always an opportunity for someone who has made a mistake in life to make amends, and put their talents to good use to help others and their community,” he said.
Acting Police Chief Joseph Gaudett, in a prepared statement, also defended Sims. “Her background and deep roots in the community are proving to be an asset to our department in helping to forge better relationships between the police department and the community we serve,” he said.
When asked why Sims was hired during a supposed hiring freeze in the city, Finch’s spokesperson, Elaine Ficarra, said the position was deemed important enough to fill.
The city no longer takes into account an individual’s criminal record??? That is BS. The city no longer requires an applicant to list prior felonies but nowhere does it say to ignore a criminal past. Just to weigh it in with the requirements of a new job.
Gaudett says I was told to do it.
And Ficarra says “the position was deemed important enough to fill.” What she forgot to say was at the same time we may be laying off 45 police officers.
Bill Finch, you are officially laid off. It has been determined that your services are no longer needed.
Grin; The one thing they did not say was this hiring was at the behest of Ralph Ford.
Bill Finch and Gaudett are both full of it, forge better relationships with the community they serve??? Hey Joe, I live in the city, just seeing a patrol car would be a great community service.
I swear when you move up in ranks or get hired to a high position in this city they take you to a little room where they suck out your brains and your balls.
Is this the same Sims who was fired by the Charles Smith Foundation for using the company credit card to take trips and get massages? Now she’s at the Police Dept? Well at least they can keep an eye on her.
The position was deemed important enough to fill because …?
What’s next? A job for Ernie Newton?