Three weeks into a new four-year term, Mayor Bill Finch is forming a Charter Revision Commission designed to modernize an antiquated City Charter and examine education reform. What does this all mean? Voters must ultimately approve the recommendations made by the commission created by a vote of the City Council. The mayor does not specify what education changes he wants in his statement below, but perhaps one area the charter panel could examine is an appointed Bridgeport Board of Education in case the State Supreme Court reverses the state takeover of city schools.
What have voters approved the past 25 years as a result of charter revision? A few examples: granting the City Council budget authority and setting the tax rate (eliminating the Board of Apportionment and Taxation); mayoral appointment of the police and fire chiefs to five-year terms, with an option to appoint them to one final five-year term (police and fire chiefs cannot serve for more than 10 years and in fact the City Council Monday night approved new five-year contracts for Police Chief Joe Gaudett and Fire Chief Brian Rooney); creating an Office of Policy and Management with a director who builds the budget presented to the mayor and City Council and an Office of Finance with a director who oversees the city treasurer, tax assessor and tax collector and “preparing monthly financial reports on the fiscal condition of the City in relation to the budget.”
In addition, voters approved a four-year term for mayor in 1998. Finch is the first mayor to win two four-year terms as a result of that charter change. Finch wants the charter panel to conduct its business in time for questions to appear on the ballot next November, a reasonable amount of time assuming the City Council authorizes the formation and panel members are in place within the next six weeks. From the mayor:
Mayor Bill Finch today announced that he is requesting the City Council initiate the process of overhauling the City Charter. The last time there was a major update of the City Charter was in 1993.
To begin this process, the Mayor is recommending the creation of a Charter Revision Commission to the City Council.
“It has become clear that we need to modernize, simplify and make our Charter more constitutional in style in order to face the challenges of a 21st century municipality. One of the primary recommendations I will forward to this commission will be creating more public accountability for education reform in order to ensure that our students receive the best education possible,” said Mayor Finch.
“Finding ways to make our City government more effective and accountable is something that the City Council has been grappling with for some time. I’m happy that the Mayor has taken the lead on the issue of Charter reform, and I’m sure the Council will support his action, and the creation of a Charter Revision Commission,” said City Council President Thomas McCarthy.
It is anticipated that at its meeting on January 3, the City Council will initiate the charter revision process by a resolution adopted by a two-thirds vote of its entire membership of the Council. On January 17, (or not more than 30 days after initiating the charter revision process) the City Council will, by resolution, appoint the commission consisting of between five and 15 electors. The first order of substantive business for the commission will be to conduct the first of two mandatory public hearings. (Note: the second public hearing occurs after the draft report to the City Council has been completed, but not submitted.)
“We expect to pursue an aggressive timeline in order to place the Charter revision on the November 2012 ballot in order to maximize voter participation during the Presidential election cycle,” said Mayor Finch. “This all-volunteer commission will have its work cut out for it in order to meet this deadline,” he added.
The City and the Council have retained the services of Attorney Steven Mednick to provide advice in drafting a new City Charter. In the past decade, Mednick has advised charter commissions and drafted new city charters for Hartford, Waterbury, New Britain, East Windsor and Hamden, and has represented other towns on the charter revision process, including Cromwell, Darien and Portland.
City residents who are qualified electors that are interested in serving on the Charter Revision Commission should contact the Mayor’s Office at 203.576.7201.
Charter Revision Commission–necessary!
To make City government more accountable and effective (and assist Council grappling)! Great!
Public accountability for education–good idea–maybe the audit can be completed for the Charter Revision folks to understand the systemic opportunities for dysfunction–just possible.
But how do you enforce a Charter or ordinances when an administration chooses to ignore?
And how do you keep people with a conflict of interest (or appearance thereof) from voting on financial affairs?
And how do you provide for the voice of the people to be spoken and listened to by those in office on a regular basis, as regular as breathing???
Time will tell.
This should be a real beauty. You know the mayor will make sure all the members are dues-paying ass-kissing Democrats who listen to Finch. The council will do what it’s told. Beacon you are 100% right. The Finch administration ignores the present charter so why should we think it won’t ignore the new charter? Do you think they will put in the new charter no city employee can sit on the council? Not a chance!!!
It’s all about School Contracts, that’s what the City of Bridgeport lives on, School Contracts.
250 Million here, 300 Million there, that’s the industry that pays the most to the DTC and Mario Testa/Bill Finch and the Machine.
Fixing up Schools, replacing Schools, that’s the ticket!
NBC moves to Stamford with 500 jobs, so who cares, right Mario/Finch?
NBC, GE, Modern Plastics, Derecktor jobs, who cares?
And CT Post feeds off the Machine, and the FBI sits on their Ass …
Control the BOE and you control millions.
That’s been the Industry of Bridgeport for the past 30 years.
Keep the taxes high, you keep Manufacturing out of Bridgeport, right Mario/Finch?
See who’s writing checks to the Finch Camp & DTC, the same venders, contractors who work on the Schools.
If you have control of the BOE Members, you control the School bids, right Mario/Finch?
DTC needs State BOE to get out of the way before the next School projects.
Question: How will a Charter change help Bridgeport BOE?
Answer: It can’t! Finch’s new appointed BOE members will control all School contracts and budgets.
Removing Elected BOE members over appointed puts Bridgeport BOE back on the road to corruption.
Will the Supreme Court allow this to happen?
Will the Supreme Court question the Mayor’s motive for a charter change at this time? (Appointed Vs. Elected Board BOE members)
So if the Supreme Court overrules the taking of the BOE by the State BOE, Finch will have in place a new Charter.
So if the Supreme Court orders a new election and to reinstate all past members for the BOE, the Charter change will Null and Void the Supreme Court’s order.
Is that what Finch thinks? God help us!
So now the residents of Bridgeport are to expect the City Council to vote for a Charter Revision Commission in less than a month. This is the same City Council that doesn’t understand the City’s budget process, the same City Council that said nothing when Mayor Finch took the voting rights of Bridgeport voters away when he took over the BOE and brought the State in to run our public school system. This is the same City Council that rubber stamps everything the mayor gives them. God help us!
I would like to see the Mayor be appointed by the City Council, this way the power of the Council would have a recall vote if he/she can’t do the job.
Mayor Finch’s charter revision is a worthwhile topic for these pages. However, I like to pry open the juicy stuff and I just learned Robert Scinto was released in November after serving a short sentence for violating Federal statutes. Here’s why I’m writing: No wonder I’ve been getting such great acceptance and low resistance in Shelton: the guy wasn’t even there! I’ve been shuffling tenants, bossing gardeners, changing menus in restaurants I can’t even s-p-e-l-l and accepting checks like a grateful landlord (Bernie Madoff’s got nothing on me). I even hired a wrecking crew to rework several properties to my liking. If you aren’t laughing by now you won’t believe how I did it. If you want to outperform the most successful developer in Shelton, all you have to do is get one of these: SheltonCTUSA@gmail.com
Finch will try to kiss Civil Service goodbye!
He already has a jumpstart with Dave Dunn at the helm of CS! … like the wolf leading the sheep …
*** A good city charter revision is “needed” to help bring Bpt’s city government out of the dinosaur age and into the 21st century, no doubt. However it has to be changes that will help the city in general, not just the Mayor’s office! Charter revisions are not to be rushed and take time to study state and city laws, ordinances, etc. that are to be revised in order to be effective. Unfortunately some members on the city council will have no ideas one way or another and will accept a song & dance from the admin. after all is said and done. Let’s see what happens, they have four years to talk and figure it out if done right! Rush jobs concerning charter revisions only come back to bite taxpayers in the wallet, no? *** Place your bets! ***
Not four years, Mojo. Finch wants this on the November 2012 ballot, supposedly to take advantage of the presidential election surge. If a Charter Revision Commission is charged with presenting changes to the Council who then will either approve or deny proposed changes, does the average citizen have any opportunity to place changes on the ballot?
It’s unwise to privatize.
Just because it rhymes doesn’t mean you’re correct.
(nod)
Glad to see charter changes coming, since the city is no longer in agreement in at least a couple areas.
Bridgeport Now TV tonight–Rally Against Bridgeport Gerrymandering … Leaders from both Democracy for America (DFA) and MoveOn.org are special guests, on GOP redistricting efforts in our 4th Congressional District. Then at 8:30 our renowned historian takes a look at local Bridgeport history including Gustave Whitehead.
Just what BPT needs. Rooney the pig, an uneducated high school grad fire chief responsible for the deaths of two firefighters reappointed for 5 more years. BPT, the laughing stock of the CT fire service.
There is enough blame to go around as it relates to the death of these two firefighters. It starts at the top and goes down to the company level. Let’s not forget this is a dangerous occupation.
If I remember the last chief that was hired, Jerry?, was a college graduate, how did that work out?
I believe a college education is important but I also believe practical experience in the firefighting field is also important.
I hired all 27 fire investigators for a major insurance company. Some had college but most did not and all but one worked out and he was fired in a very short period of time. I interviewed many men & women with degrees in fire investigation but none had any in-field experience and I could not hire them.
Referring to Rooney as a Pig is wrong no matter how you feel about him. BTW you have never explained your firefighting experience. Just a simple question.
Here is why Chief Rooney should not have been rehired. Brian Rooney was the best person to be hired as Bridgeport’s fire chief 5 years ago after a nationwide search, PLEASE.
Troubling report on deadly fire
Published 06:25 p.m., Friday, August 26, 2011
The third report, issued last week, on the circumstances that contributed to the deaths last year of two Bridgeport firefighters was yet another indictment of the operation of the Bridgeport Fire Department.
Some hard questions face Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch and Fire Chief Brian Rooney and the upper echelon of the department’s administration.
But in the most recent report, this one from the State Police Office of the State Fire Marshal, are some particularly damning findings related to procedures in the Public Safety Communications Center, a facility that has been long criticized — both before and after the fatal fire of July 24, 2010 — by rank-and-file firefighters as a safety liability.
It’s become abundantly clear through the three reports — one by the Connecticut office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, one from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) — that a variety of factors converged in the third floor of a three-story house on Bridgeport’s West Side on the day that Lt. Steven Velasquez and firefighter Michel Baik died.
But the State Police report notes some grave shortcomings at the communication center, including botching the handling of more than one “mayday” call from Velasquez. Also, state certification for two of the three dispatchers on duty that day had expired.
Firefighters have been critical of the center ever since it was turned over to civilian operation from uniformed staff two years ago.
A disturbing assertion in the report was that Doree Price, the director of the communications center, refused to allow the dispatchers or their supervisors to talk to investigators.
That totally unacceptable action by a city employee in a case of this significance is a matter for the mayor to deal with swiftly and firmly.
Ron, BFD Fire Chief search was done from a SH_T PILE and the worst piece of sh_t rose to the top, ROONEY.
Sorry to burst your bubble “know it all,” but Rooney is a pig and will always be a pig, and that’s putting it mildly. Sadly, he’s not the only PIG in the BFD. Everyone knows he was responsible for those two firefighter deaths and the deaths of the family that lived on Fairfield Avenue, when he closed 7-11’s and didn’t tell anyone ’til after the fact and the family died.
tc, stick to your town committee nonsense and we would all be better off. My experience far exceeds your mental or physical abilities as a firefighter or fire officer. Have a Merry Xmas.
Don Tito, you are full of shit, plain and simple. You won’t actually say what your firefighting experience is because it’s nonexistent or at best very limited. Not everyone knows Rooney is solely responsible for the death of those two firefighters; like I said earlier, the blame goes from the top to the company level.
The case of moving 7-11’s to another location still put them within acceptable traveling distance per NFPA.
As far as experience, please, you could not carry my helmet to a fire. Talk is cheap! Money talks and bullshit walks so let’s hear about your experience as a fire fighter. Have none? Not surprised.
town committee, come on now, I know you and Rooney have history but you cannot cover his shortcomings. You said, “the case of moving 7-11’s to another location still put them within acceptable traveling distance per NFPA,” come on now Andy, you know that was a bad decision. You know he was not the candidate selected in nationwide search and you know this job is over his head and he should have NEVER been rehired. Bridgeport can do much better than Rooney and you know it.
tc, anger is a sign of weakness and you are exhibiting quite a bit.
That’s the problem, “acceptance,” because Rooney is one of you, thinks like you and believes like you. So he’s an idiot, he’s one of us, though, acceptable.
Experience and capabilities, tc I don’t need to bang on my chest and claim to be all of that or all of this. Those who know me already know.
The reason the BFD is the sh-t hole it is, is because of people like you and leadership like the PIG-MAN himself. Merry Xmas anyway.
Ron, I did not say it was a good decision, I said it fell within acceptable guidelines per NFPA. The history I have with Chief Rooney is he worked for me more than 25 years ago. That’s a long time. I really have not been following the history of Rooney’s time as chief. The last time there was a national search and selection was when they hired Jerry (can’t remember his last name). How did that work out?
Anger??? Well that may be true when someone represents themselves as something they are not. What does “Rooney is one of you” mean? That would not be a racist comment would it? Again you won’t answer the question which tells me you don’t have any practical experience at all. No one is asking you to thump your chest, just tell us your experiences and I mean more than a plain old shit stirrer.
*** As fire chief Rooney must “share” in the blame as well as the BFD, however to state he is solely responsible for the two deaths is a bit much, no? Also, not everyone needs a college diploma to manage in a hazardous-duty setting; it takes “teamwork” from top to bottom for “all” to be successful. *** GO TEAM! ***
Wonder how the BEA will deal with this:
“I do believe for us to reform education, we need to begin exploring the mayor’s role,” Finch said two weeks ago. “There are 18,000 municipal units of government, thereabouts, in the United States and only 25 have mayoral control. Yet mayors are held responsible and liable for budget overruns and for failing test scores and schools.”
Get the popcorn!
www .ctpost.com/local/article/Finch-seeks-charter-revision-education-reform-2413107.php
40-minute countdown to naming the new interim supe!
educationnext.org/politicaleducator/
Paul Vallas.
www .nola.com/education/index.ssf/2011/04/paul_vallas_leaves_new_orleans.html
As Scooby Do says, “Ruh roh”:
“Vallas sometimes did not help matters when he reacted to criticism with shrill defensiveness, rattling off his achievements as an answer.
With no locally elected school board to answer to, the two Pauls — Vallas and Pastorek — made executive decisions that sometimes drew surprise and anger. An idea man who talks a mile-a-minute, Vallas sometimes forgot, or neglected to follow through on, his statements.
“He has on a regular basis promised the same thing to two different people,” said parent advocate Karran Harper Royal. “He’s caused a lot of dissension within the community.”
The unevenness of student educational gains is perhaps Vallas’ most troubling legacy — and one he is leaving for his successor to fully remedy.”
Lennie, do you know if the commission has been chosen yet?