The brouhaha over the Miscellaneous Matters Committee agenda for tonight’s meeting is brewing menacing political tones with City Councilwoman Maria Pereira threatening to force a coup of City Council President Jeanette Herron and warning her district partner Keyla Medina: “Keyla will have zero chance of re-election if she does not join in an effort to remove you. I run the 138th district. Period.”
What follows is a string of emails the past week between council members with the City Clerk’s Office and other officials copied.
Pereira email:
I am fine with the three first items being placed on the agenda.
I am 1000% opposed to the Walk of Honor and Citizen Union items being placed on the agenda as both committees/commissions are violating the CT General Statute requiring minority party representation, Chapter 5 – City Council prohibiting City Council members serving on a board/committee/commission and are violating the Ethics Ordinance requiring back ground checks on EVERY commission member PRIOR to being appointed.
If Co-chair Nieves and I cannot agree on the agenda; the items are NOT to be placed on the agenda.
Council President Herron is well aware of the numerous violations regarding these two commissions. We spoke about it again on Monday.
Nieves email:
Please add the other two items to the agendas just because a co- chair has personal opinions that have been addressed previously by the City Attorney. The two should not be held back and stopping city business.
I have not heard any opinion on these items from the Council President. In addition, the Council President does not have a say on what committee agenda items are to be put on. The responsibility of this role fully lies the co- chairs per the city council rules.
…I suggest we move the meeting to Thursday due to the essence of time for the CDBG process. The Council President should have been briefed on the timeline as it is practice for the CDBG office to discuss to ensure timeliness of the process.
I apologizes for the confusion but it slipped my mind to circle back after speaking with Co-chair Periera as I was occupied when she called me about the cancellation.
Pereira response:
The Co-chairs clearly disagree on the final two items, therefore, they are NOT to be placed on the agenda.
If Co- chair Nieves agrees to the first three items on your list, then free to post those three items on the agenda as I have no issue with the first three items.
I am also opposed to have any meeting prior to the date on the calendar as I am out of town until I return next week.
In closing, I don’t care how many City Attorneys from the Executive Branch are placed on copy. I do not report to any member of the Executive Branch nor the Legislative Branch. I report to the people, and ONLY the people.
My “opinions” are rooted in the CT General Statute requiring minority representation which neither Commission/ Committee / Board has, Chapter 5 of the City Council which forbids any council member from serving on a Commission/ Committee/ Board, yet three council members were appointed to the Walk of Honor by the former Council President, the Ethics Ordinance which was of such significant importance during the illegal city charter process which REQUIRES every commissioner to complete an application , be subjected to a background check and be approved by the Ethics Commission, and the City Council Rules which requires every nominee to show up in person to Miscellaneous Matters to be personally interviewed BEFORE the City Council can conduct a roll call vote to appoint.
City Attorney Toms has NEVER addressed my “opinions” on either the establishment of the Citizens Union or the Walk of Honor. I would have to respect her as an attorney for her “opinions” to be of any relevance, and I do not.
I don’t know if you have been drinking again, but as “co-chairs” we MUST agree to ANY items placed on the Miscellaneous Matters Committee Agenda. I do not agree to the last two agenda items on the list provided related to the Citizen’s Union, nor the Walk of Honor because both commissions/boards/ committees are operating in violation of state law, the Ethics Ordinance, the City Council Rules with the Walk of Honor having three council members serving on it in absolute violation of City Charter – Chapter 5 – City Council , and in violation of the City Council Rules.
Each nominee for the Citizens Union needs to fill out an application, have a back ground check completed, go before the Ethics Commission and be interviewed by the Miscellaneous Matters Committee as required by the City Council Rules. This should be expedited. These are individuals making decisions about allocating FEDERAL CDBG funds and it is critical we know if they or an immediate family member will benefit from any funds they vote to allocate by serving as an employee of a non-profit or agency or benefit from housing, etc.
After going around City Attorney Toms, CAO Tom Gaudett, Deputy CAO David Reyes, Former Council President Nieves, Anjernice Miller, and the Hartford HUD office, and filing a complaint with the Federal HUD office, I received a formal letter that CAO Thomas Gaudett was in violation of the federal HUD statutes regarding his involvement in his fiancées application for the Pride Center where Marcus Brown filed a properly rejected application and was still awarded CDBG funds which included $15,000 for his own salary. City Attorney Toms immediately applied for a “waiver” for CAO Thomas Gaudette BEFORE I received my formal letter of the HUD determination, which granted the “waiver” by the HUD Hartford office. It appears the Trump administration is very interested in Blue states and democratic and urban cities as it relates to fraud with federal funds.
I also feel compelled to remind you that you are in the minority, not in the majority.
Herron email:
I understand that both of the chairs do not agree. We do not stop city business because of our personal views. This can be debated at the meeting. Council women Pereira, I understand your points and this is why we have debates. The walk of honor will not meet again until next year and we can put all in place to make it a Commission.
City business must continue since we did have a delay in December.
Nieves response:
Thank you Council President for chiming in.
Please add all items to the agenda.
Pereira counters:
Council President Herron,
You have ZERO authority over committee agendas. This is outrageous and incredibly disrespectful.
Both these illegal committees were discussed with you at length with Alfredo Castillo present for both meetings, and Michelle Lyons, Richard Ortiz and Keyla Medina present as well where you verbally committed at BOTH meetings to resolve these committees operating in violation of state law, the City Charter, the Ethics Ordinance and the City Council Rules.
The Walk of Honor and Citizen’s Union are to be removed from the Miscellaneous Matters Agenda as ONLY the co-chairs of the committee set the committee agenda.
If that is not done, I am going to immediately schedule a meeting with Aikeem. It takes 11 votes to appoint a Council President, and it takes 11 votes to remove a City Council President.
I warned Alfredo Castillo that you would not keep your verbal commitments. He promised if you did not keep those verbal commitments, he would join me in voting to remove you. Keyla will have zero chance of re-election if she does not join in an effort to remove you. I run the 138th district. Period.
All any politician really has is their word. Your word clearly means nothing. I believe in holding politicians accountable, and been instrumental in the ouster of numerous former elected officials, too many to list here.
A revised agenda is to be posted REMOVING the Walk of Honor and Citizen’ Union, or there will be absolute accountability.
Councilwoman Eneida Martinez chimes in:
FYI to all the City Council Members. This is the threats that council members get when one council member doesn’t get their way. You should all know what goes on in Bridgeport politics, we will not keep anyone out of any emails.
If I am not mistaking this is a quid pro quo “meaning a favor granted or advantage granted or expected in return for something” this is a great admission for the sale of your vote to our new council president. This email states it all.
TRANSPARENCY AT IT’S FINEST!!!! Where is the ethics commission????????????
Andy, I need this to be forwarded to the ethics commission immediately.
Frances, I need this to go on the record.
Decision decisions…. Tonight do we go to Bassick against Harding or Nieves against Pereira???
Lennie you have a recap of the battle?