He won the job at 32 years young in 1991, the youngest to occupy the mayor’s office. Fast forward 33 years he’s still there, albeit a 12-year dormancy resuming office in 2015. Joe Ganim turned 65 on Monday and judging his multiple recent road races, work outs with police and fire personnel and numerous community events, he’s not surrendering to a number.
A year ago, when he turned 64, he was navigating a dicey political future in the throes of an election storm with video of the city’s absentee ballot drop boxes throwing into question the outcome of his primary win over ex supporter turned foe John Gomes.
Court action required Ganim to defeat Gomes three more times until it was finally settled early this year, Gomes running out of campaign money and turnout oxygen. Ganim won the fourth vote by 20 points.
After cementing another four-year term, Ganim has been relentlessly present in the community, making the ubiquitous Senator Richard Blumenthal look like a shut in. It’s like he’s extraordinarily appreciative to survive the last election cycle, in search of a legacy, something that escaped him in his dubious 2018 run for governor after voters returned him to office in 2015.
Ganim still has more than three years remaining in this term. When it ends he’ll be just shy of Socialist Jasper McLevy’s 24-year duration of mayoral service, albeit McLevy consecutive and Ganim split. Another Ganim, Probate Judge Paul Ganim, has 25 years of consecutive service with no end in sight.
Will Joe run again? Too soon to know. Depends on his standing with the electorate and opposition and his passion for a legacy of progress.
Meanwhile, Joe’s still on the go.
Maybe he should have a Medi-Karaoke Birthday Party fundraiser!
Lennie,
He takes a good picture most days. But “relentless presence” does not create a “legacy” by itself!
Where are the “casual conversations” with audiences expecting a real meeting for Q & A so that they can learn something they should know as citizen-tax[ayers, but do not?
Where are the building of relationships with folks who are willing to take upon themselves a public service commitment to a Board or Commission ( and help the Mayor, responsible for those appointments) to create authentic ‘governance bodies’ with a full current quota of members, unaffiliated, Republicans, and Democrats who see the quality of their neighbors, and who can learn from municipal training as to expectations?
How much was contributed to the campaign activity you mention? Where were the dollars spent to “maintain” low voter turnout in the face of housing, education, jobs, and issues of infrastructure?
What did all of the public funding cost per vote? And what did that amount of money but for the citizens of the community? Time will tell.
JML would it have killed you to take a break from your normal bullshit and just wish the man a happy birthday.
“Happy birthday Joe Ganim and many more”
Joe McLaine,
What legacy do you care to leave behind when you pass? You must know something worthy of telling folks about Bridgeport civics. What do you share about common good or purpose?
Give it some thought, if you will. That is where legacy originates.
I write, on a site that today is avoided by too many folks who care about Bridgeport, in point of fact. I try to be factual, and share my point of view with just plain folks, who read Only In Bridgeport. I do not please the incumbent. Perhaps that is why he fails to see or hear me, even when I term him a “scofflaw” for not signing the residential register in the Town Clerk office, as I have mentioned in the recent three previous Public Speaking sessions.
At a time when democracy has been threatened on a national level by the takeover of one of our parties by agents of the Federalist Party, white supremacists, and big money from right wing political philosophers who call themselves Libertarians. A similar autocratic strain in Bridgeport is carried by Democratic party members including Mario, Ganim2, and others.
Perhaps if Joe registered a current address I could send him a Birthday card? Time will tell.