In campaigns, you lay groundwork introducing the candidate to voters followed by specificity on issues such as taxes, public safety, education, job creation and development. In her first mail piece after the Democratic primary, Mary-Jane Foster introduces herself to general election voters focused on telling her story growing up in a broken family, putting herself through college, starting an acting career, volunteering as a certified domestic violence counselor, earning a law degree, serving as a visionary behind the creation of the Bridgeport Bluefish baseball team and most recently as a vice president at the University of Bridgeport undergoing major growth as the anchor to the city’s South End.
The general election is now on reset. Foster is running as a petitioning candidate trying to position herself as an alternative to front-runner Joe Ganim who defeated incumbent Bill Finch in the Democratic primary. Republican Rick Torres, and petitioning candidates Charlie Coviello, Chris Taylor, Tony Barr and David Daniels are also on the November ballot.
The mailer makes clear “Mary-Jane is not a career politician and was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth,” a contention raised by critics of Foster who lives in a waterfront home in Black Rock. The message of the mailer tries to connect the challenges of her childhood with self-made success as an adult.
The mailer also includes a declaration by Foster with her signature underneath:
As your mayor I will never lie to you, I will never make a promise I cannot keep and I will work around the clock to ensure that every resident and every neighborhood has a voice in our city’s renewal. It would be an honor to serve you. I ask for your vote November 3rd.
Thousands of unaffiliated voters unfamiliar with Foster received the mailer. Ganim brings a solid base of support into the primary as the Democratic nominee. Foster will need a solid majority of unaffiliated voters to win the general election.
My hope is whoever is elected, David Dunn who heads the Civil Service will be one of the first fired. Dunn is the first Director of Civil Service who had no experience or expertise in that field and his lack of knowledge was painfully obvious.
Under David Dunn for the first time in 47 years no blacks were hired for the police department. For the first time in 39 years no blacks were hired for the fire department. For the first time in 35 years no women were hired for the fire department as well.
In fact, more jobs in both police and fire departments went to suburbanites rather that Bridgeport residents than under any Civil Service Director in the last 50 years. David Dunn is bad for Bridgeport and needs to be replaced immediately, if not sooner.
Donald, David Dunn isn’t going anywhere if Ganim is elected. What’s the matter with you?
I thought the Foster mailer was great. I thought the Chris Taylor mailer was fantastic! With the free laptops and all I am wondering if Ganim is willing to honor these coupons to get Taylor’s vote. Totally brilliant.
Foster needs to start talking about her placement on the ballot at every opportunity! Is anyone listening?
Donald, just so you know, Dunn has been a friend of Ganim’s for years.
It’s not the old friends who are interesting in this election, but the new friends?
“Bridgeport has bloomed during Mayor Ganim’s watch. He cemented relationships with the business community, engaged neighborhood organizations in community redevelopment, and improved links with state and federal governments. All this set the stage for one of the most remarkable efforts by any American city to pull itself by the bootstraps and stand tall. It also enabled the city administration and the business community to access funding sources and to facilitate a $1 billion public and private development program.” From CT Business, May-June 1999 edition.
Six years ago, Mickey. He was released from prison in 2010.
So I guess Governor Lowell Weicker didn’t do anything to help Bridgeport during that time frame.
That’s what the people remember and long for again.
Mickey Herbert’s endorsement is extremely disturbing.
It wasn’t an endorsement, Steven. It was a quote. Herbert copied and pasted.
But if Mr. Herbert did endorse Joe Ganim, it wouldn’t look too well for his former partner MJF.
That was then, this is now.
Ganim destroyed the reputation of the city and not only was development pitiful under his 11-year leadership, it took years for Bridgeport to get any interest. Fabrizi had few successes with Nancy Hadley. Mayor Finch was wise to remove Donald Eversley and replace him with David Kooris, that has projects happening all over the city. Joe Ganim did make people feel good. We supported his future aspirations to run for Governor to put Bridgeport on the map. I voted for him. For all the good Ganim did, he put the city on the map and has awakened the media frenzy across the country. Why would the city elect a man who destroyed the city and retarded development for a decade? Only in Bridgeport because all outsiders are stunned.
I lost a lot of respect for Mary-Jane when she engaged in typical backroom politics when she joined the dark side with Bill Finch. This was after Bill Finch approached Rick Torres and offered him “anything he wanted” to drop out and run on his Republican ticket. Rick said no and the next step for Finch was to approach Mary-Jane. I can’t believe no deal was made, this is Bridgeport. I am sure if Mary-Jane wins so does Bill Finch and cohorts with jobs and who knows what else. If this is so and I have little doubt it is, this erases everything good Mary-Jane has done leading up to the deal. She proves not to be different than any one of them. And if you don’t believe this you are not from Bridgeport. We have had enough of inside politics, haven’t we?
WillisBpt, the dark side with Bill Finch? You sound extremely intelligent like most Ganim supporters. Maybe you should read the Connecticut Post and then educate us on your interpretation of the dark side.
MJF is on the record in the past regarding Finch’s backroom deals–they are often portrayed as dark rooms. She did leave that speculation open her own fine self.
No, Steven. Not a Ganim supporter. I am a lifelong Bridgeport resident who is upset after fighting Finch for years MJF joined him.
Finch joined her.
WillisBpt,
I differ with your interpretation of what happened when Finch endorsed MJF. Finch does not want Ganim to win. Pure and Simple. MJF didn’t promise Finch or his minions anything. Stop conjuring up scenarios that are not based on fact. MJF needs everyone to understand the seriousness of this election and get out and vote for her. No sitting on the sidelines. No conspiracy theories. Just get out and vote for MJF. Bridgeport needs her to win.
Nancy, I agree with you 100%. This is a serious election and we need to unify and good people had better get out and vote.
I have a business on North Main St. in Bpt and I talk to a lot of Bridgeport residents. Many do not know who Mary-Jane is, others who know her are not excited by her. She only received 1200 votes citywide during the primary, that was only enough to give Ganim his golden ticket. I am wondering if things don’t look good for her and she wants Ganim to lose enough to throw her 1200 votes to Torres who looks like Bridgeport’s best chance to win. If not she will prove to be the spoiler once again.
Keith LOL, I almost choked.
Mary-Jane is boring and compared with Ganim’s unbelievable gall it relegates her to invisibility. There is no way to fix this in three weeks. She has zero chance of winning this election unless all Democrats wake up with some gut desire to vote against criminal behavior. If Republicans, independents and Democrats decide to vote for Foster it will be a vote for the person behind the curtain who is not Ganim. If they decide for Torres, then Foster will just take Dem votes from Ganim. Nobody knows is my guess. The election may have to be rigged after all.
A vote for Torres is a vote for Ganim.
No amount of bad-mouthing Foster is going to change that fact. Any other perspective is cute and idealistic, but not based in reality. You can thank yourselves when Ganim gets elected. I know Ganim will.
That’s hardly true. Election is three weeks away. A lot can happen in that space of time. A vote for Torres is a vote for change.
Funny how no Foster supporter wants to admit she alone cost Finch his primary. A paltry 1000 or so votes for the $250k spent getting them, if that number is correct. Ganim won by 400 votes, who would have gotten MJF’s 1000 if not Finch? Now, you think Torres should let her have his sizable base, or he should suggest her to his base, with her less than Facebook-worthy number of friends in the primary? I’m sure she is a far better choice for normalcy of government and not perpetuating the image of Bridgeport as a den of thieves, but Torres does not need to apologize for running his own race and lately he is the one of the three proving to be effective at governing.
Friend. With limited support MJF proved just a few short weeks ago to be the spoiler. A vote for her has already been proven factually to be a vote for Ganim.
Mary-Jane Finch in the race almost guarantees a Ganim win.
You insulting shithead, at least user her correct name. Mary-Jane Foster.
Thank you again Andy for pointing out my mistake. And also thank you for your elegant use of language. I’m sure Mary-Jane is proud you represent her that way.
You are a sanctimonious asshole who is afraid to post under your own name.
I write the way I speak, as I am sure you do. I am done with you now, Andy. I don’t want to the cause of your next MI. Take a deep breath and relax. Nov 4th will be here before you know it.
You are done with me? I don’t think so. You write as you speak? Really??? Then when you speak, you speak in untruths and bullshit. Oops!!! There I go again. I have all new Heart Parts so don’t worry about me. Like you really give a damn.
Oh Andy–you make it so hard for me. Yes, I do care about your health and I do not want your blood pressure to rise because I am teasing you. However, I hope you ask MJF about those things I wrote about and you said I was wrong. I will accept you Mea Culpa graciously.
Mary-Jane Foster in the race guarantees the mouth-breathers will have someone else to vote for if they can’t decide on Daniels, Barr or Coviello (AKA Larry, Moe and Curly).
She will pull two and a half times more votes than Torres. Facts are facts. Torres is the spoiler. It’s so cute you are that passionate though!
Torres wanted the Finch support. He did not get it. He does not want to join a coalition, he wants to be Mayor. Oh and Councilman. And the great and powerful Oz. And Keyzer Soze. Kind of a disservice his friend John Marshall Lee, isn’t it?
A vote for Torres is a vote for Ganim.
You apparently do not have basic poll numbers from previous elections as facts when you state you claims 2-1/2 times numbers are not even available to “pull.”
Only one can be the best or as Spanish-speakng voters say: Solo uno puede ser el mejor.
Mary-Jane Foster’s past makes Bridgeport’s future seem bright, while Joe Ganim’s past makes Bridgeport’s future seem grim. Prepare to see Ganim defectors become Foster converts.
Whatever happened to I’ve got a Secrest and Brett Boaster?
Talk about people with Silver Feet in their mouths!
There has been some talk on OIB about Mary-Jane Foster’s husband, Jack McGregor, well here is a story Lennie ran back in December 2014, by David Garth. I feel this is a great story about a fine gentleman.
Garth: Jack McGregor The Most Attractive Candidate I Ever Handled
December 16th, 2014
David Garth
Legendary political guru David Garth passed away on Monday. As his New York Times obituary points out, he was an innovator, a godfather of campaign consultants, having furthered the elections of New York City mayors John Lindsay, Ed Koch, Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg. He was the media brain behind New York governors Hugh Carey and Mario Cuomo and United States Senators John Heinz and Arlen Specter. But “the most attractive candidate” he ever handled was Bridgeport resident Jack McGregor, co-founder of the Bridgeport Bluefish, who served as a Republican in the Pennsylvania State Senate.
onlyinbridgeport.com/wordpress/garth-jack-mcgregor-the-most-attractive-candidate-i-ever-handled/
Jack is a Semper Fi Guy!
One of the scary things about a white-glove, tea-and-crumpets Foster administration in City Hall is she would have Nancy Hadley as her economic development director (and might keep David Kooris on in some capacity).
Now remember; Nancy Hadley is the BRIDGEPORT Economic Development Director who is responsible (at the behest of her former boss, then-Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy, and then-Governor Jody Rell) for re-directing the location of the $500 million, 3000-job Royal Bank of Scotland North American HQ from a proposed DOWNTOWN BRIDGEPORT site to the present Stamford site.
No, a Foster administration–especially with Nancy Hadley and Stamford City Councilman David Kooris (let’s give ’em a big, 40-year tax-break; Bridgeporters can handle it!)–would be much worse than ineffectual; it would ensure we would never regain our socioeconomic footing.
And I’m sick of hearing about Mary-pJane’s hardscrabble life. Her father was a surgeon and professor of surgery and her mother owned a jewelry store (see her New York Times, society page wedding announcement–it’s on line and recorded on this blog). And she absolutely didn’t have a “Bridgeport” life. It is BS for her to try to relate to real Bridgeporters. Let her swap tough-life stories with a few single mothers in Marina Village or Trumbull Gardens–or who grew up in the old Father Panik Village.
No. Mary-Jane is a wealthy BS artist trying to BS her background and accomplishments and BS her way into City Hall. It annoys this Bridgeporter who remembers the tons of cash used to start her Bluefish Ball/Arena experiment–which Bridgeport is still subsidizing to the tune of a couple of mullion $ a year–and which was never a success. Mary-Jane had to be bailed out–BY THE FINCH ADMINISTRATION. All of this is public record. It would be good for the Connecticut Post to recount all of these things in a Sunday issue before November 3!
Mary-Jane; please go back to UB. You truly were very good there. You are not Bridgeport Mayor material.
Jeff, have you been promise that job? If not, then what job or position are you getting?
Ron, why would you assume that? I believe Jeff, as I, believes Joe is the best candidate for the job. I know you feel the same about MJF, yet I would never think you were supporting her for any other reason.
Lisa, if people are saying Mary-Jane Foster made some type of deal because Mayor Bill Finch has now endorsed MJF, I see no reason in not asking Jeff if he made a deal. I’ve never supported Bill Finch, I supported Chris Caruso against Finch and Mary-Jane Foster against Finch in the last election for mayor. As for this election I made a decision I would support MJF again last November, way before there were any candidates running for mayor except Bill Finch and that was enough for me to get Mayor Finch out of office.
I did the same as you, and I feel the same as you. In just a short time we’ll know who the next Mayor will be, while I hope it’s Joe, I can live with MJF or Rick Torres. This past administration was a nightmare, and I’m grateful for the outcome.
Ron, you are looking for a job, Carolanne Curry is looking for a job, John Gomes is looking for a job and Jeff Kohut is looking for a job. They will all deny it but it’s true. Carolanne and John want to go back to CitiStat, Lisa would love to go back to the registrar’s office and Kohut would like a mayoral aide’s job.
Andy, accepting the nomination for Registrar was another one of my dumb decisions. I hated the job, and although I was screwed by John Statfsrom, Ralph Ford and Mitch Robles, it was the best raw deal I ever got. I’d rather go to jail (God Forbid) than ever go back to that office.
Lisa, how did you get screwed by them?
Ron, while I was still on the Council I questioned why the contract for Bond Council never went out to bid. Obviously I made an instant enemy in John S. When I left the Council I accepted the nomination for Registrar. Shortly after that, Ralph Ford was challenged in a TC race. There was a questionable call between one of Ralph’s candidates and a candidate from the opposing slate. I felt it was prudent to call the Secretary of the State’s office for guidance. I was instructed that the vote in question was to be counted for the candidate on the challenging slate. As a result, Ralph lost a TC seat, and blamed me for not making the decision on my own. Instant enemy of Ford. Fast forward, when the nomination for ROV came up, Stafstrom and Ford got together to deny me the nomination. Mitch was made an offer he couldn’t refuse so he withdrew his support for me within 24 hours. I didn’t get the nomination, but only because Mitch went along with them. Although I dodged a bullet since I never wanted to go back, they didn’t know that. I didn’t go quietly into the night, I got citywide signatures and forced a primary. It was the most gratifying loss I’d ever had. They used every tactic and lies they could come up with against me. As a result of the myopic effort they put into defeating me, it caused their State Rep. choice, Elaine Pivorotto, to lose her bid to Jack Hennessy. Jack and I were on the same line and I helped him in. Ed Gomes says it best, “they gave up a State Representative seat for a clerical position.” It’s kind of a long story, but I love telling it. I don’t know if Andy remembers this, but when he liked me, I called him to tell him not to give me his vote because I didn’t want them pressuring him. They probably wouldn’t have gotten far threatening Andy, but I didn’t want to put him in that situation. Got it, Ron? And I’m still standing and will probably be long after they’re gone.
No job. No position. Just want an effective advocate for Bridgeport in City Hall.
At the expense of calling Mary-Jane Foster a BS artist? Joe was on the front page of the Sunday post. Jeff, there is nothing about Mary-Jane Foster that comes even close to the disgraceful past of Joe. We like Joe, we forgive Joe but to return him to office is just a ridiculous. The Governor can’t even bring himself to support him. The unions endorsed Ganim, four weeks earlier they supported Finch! Jeff, we appreciate your passion but remember, the things you say cannot be retrieved. The tide is turning in Foster’s favor. It is looking good!
Jeff, c’mon man, everybody who is involved with any election campaign makes that statement in order not to side-track their candidate.
LOL Keith, only way the bonding goes out to bid is when Ganim kicks Stafstrom’s dirty-dealing ass out of the city business. I truly doubt anything Stafstrom’s been involved in ever went out to bid in the last eight years.
Here is how it works, dumbass. All the contracts have to go out to bid. What you do if you want a certain firm, you gear your RFP to that firm and usually the favored firm is the only one that meets the requirements of the RFP.
Dumbass? That’s cute, Fardy. Do you have proof over the last eight years the bonding actually went out to bid?
Since you are so smart and I am a dumbass, I need answers.
Do the research like I did, the information is there.
Mr. Fardy is on a roll tonight. I would bet the Foster/Finch team is not happy about his choice of words.
This is America and I can speak my mind. You don’t like my language, tough. Start calling Mary-Jane Foster by her real name instead of calling her Mary-Jane Finch.