The first order of business for the incoming City Council class Monday night is adoption of rules and election of a president. There has been some sentiment to delay the council presidency vote until resolution of filling the two seats in the North End 133rd District, but that is now months away given the court challenge of the results and appeal process.
Incumbent Jeanette Herron, whose seat is involved in the litigation, and outgoing council president Tom McCarthy continue to represent the district, per City Charter language, until successors are chosen.
From Chapter 5, Section 1(c) City Charter
Council members shall serve for a term of two years from the first day of December next succeeding their election and until their successors are elected and have qualified.
Unclear who has the inside track on council presidency should a vote go forward Monday. East Side councilor Aidee Nieves may have the most commitments, but several others are positioning for the top legislative spot that makes committee assignments and is next in line should a vacancy occur in the mayor’s office. Eleven votes are required to win the seat.
See council agenda here.
Addendum for budget modification here.
No action should be taken to deprive 133rd, Bob Keeley and Anne Phillips from partaking in the Presidency of this city council.
Lennie, Bob Keeley and Anne Phillips have every right to be seated according to the charter, by city council majority vote, tomorrow night!
Section 1. – Selection.
(d) Whenever a vacancy occurs, (for any reason,) in the membership of the city council, such vacancy shall be filled for the unexpired portion of the term by a majority vote of the city council members from the same political party as the council member vacating such office. If there are no other members from the same political party as the member vacating such office, the vacancy shall be filled by majority vote of the whole number of council members. No person shall be elected to fill a vacancy on the city council unless he/she is a resident and registered voter of the city and is a member of the same political party as the person vacating such office. No person shall be elected to fill a vacancy in the office of any council member unless he/she is also a resident and registered voter in the same council district as the person vacating such office.
Pursuant to the court order there is no vacancy.
no such order!
“…continue to represent the district, per City Charter language, until successors are chosen.”
Suck it in cupcake! There’s no crying in the game of hand grenade. For Gods sake, can’t you folks be happy? You got some victories including getting rid of Steven Aurebach.
We’ll have a oarade when get off the blog.
*parade
Jim, everyone seems to forget that there are two Republican candidates involved in this race. Unfortunately some of the Dems, thankfully, have had enough of election interference by the leadership and did something about it. Because of their resistance to the status quo (Testo) a significant delay has caused hardship to two candidates of a major party and their right to challenge the winners of the third Democratic primary. Shouldn’t they be given the same right as the 18 duly elected Democratic council members? It shouldn’t be assumed that they won’t win, they shouldn’t be treated as if they are invisible and irrelevant. Where is Mike Garrett?
Lisa, your right!
Garrett should be screaming from the roof tops.
The Republican candidates could use this as an opportunity to re-establish the party’s presence in the city.
Unfortunately the Bridgeport RTC is hamstrung by the party’s national face and leader, the biggest asshole north of the Equator.
The Bridgeport RTC is hamstrung by their own ineptitude. They would do well to get their own house in order.
I was being polite…
The silence of Mike Garrett should not come as a surprise to anyone. Mike Garrett is only interested in what benefits Mike Garrett and his chosen few.
The Republican candidates in the 133rd district are candidates in name only, as were approximately 14 of the other 16 Republican City Council candidates. This is business as usual for Garrett. republicans are not being harmed by the current election issues in that district.
Prior to being chairman Garrett has been leading the local party from the sidelines for years in what appears to be an attempt to keep the local town committee small, tight, and mostly white. at a recent local forum Sauda Baracca openly stated “when I was a Republican candidate for the board of education I attended a Republican Town Committee meeting and was treated so badly I had to look around the room to make sure I wasn’t at a Klan meeting”.This is the type of behavior that is typical of Mike Garrett. He and former chairman Slater have a history of displaying disrespectful and hostile behavior toward African American and Latino members of my district.
Garrett recently referred to the current administration as a “corrupt empire”.He failed to mention that in December 2015 after being campaign manager for Torres for mayor he tried to spin the image of his horrible loss as an attempt to keep Torres in the race to deflect votes from Mary Jane Foster and insure a Ganim victory and then asked the Mayor for a $100,000 plus a year job. The Mayor refused his request and countered with the offer of a nonpaying seat on the Harbor Commission to satisfy Garrett’s desire to serve the city, Garrett declined the offer. It is very clear that Mike would have no problem accepting a paycheck from what he now calls the “corrupt empire”.
At the most recent meeting of the BRTC an ongoing repeated request was made of Mike Garrett to make available to members financial records for review. Garrett responded that no official records exist. he was then asked to make the unofficial records available, he again refused. It is quite clear that he is covering up something and he has the nerve to refer to others as corrupt.
Garrett and his inner circle are a cancer. They have destroyed the reputation and credibility of the local party. It is time for their removal. if you care about Bridgeport, register to vote as a republican. Independent’s and unaffiliated switch to republican. File a letter of intent to run for a seat on the Republican Town Committee in the early 2018 election. Political change starts at the bottom. return Bridgeport to a real two party system.
The Republican Party as it exists today has no place in Bridgeport. The RNC has reinstated financing for Roy Moore’s Senate campaign. Moore was removed from his position as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court in November 2003 by the Alabama Court of the Judiciary for refusing a federal court’s order to remove a marble monument of the Ten Commandments he had installed in the lobby of the Alabama Judicial Building. Moore was again elected Chief Justice in 2013, but was suspended in May 2016, for directing probate judges to continue to enforce the state’s ban on same-sex marriage despite the fact that this had been deemed unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court. (His defenders have claimed this is in keeping with his Christian faith.) The GOP needs his vote to pass a tax bill so Ronna Romney McDaniel is willing to overlook the fact that Moore is a chicken hawk with a history of cruising a shopping mall in Gadsen, Alabama, in search of fresh and tender teenage girls. Moore is also known to have ties to white nationalists and neo-Confederate groups. This is in step with the party’s xenophobia and intolerance of Muslims, African-Americans, Latinos and anyone else that is not shiny, happy, evangelical Christian and white (or orange, as is the case with Donald Trump).
Good info from this post-er. Something to think about. However,I would never join any Republican Party at any level and everywhere.
“Eleven votes are required to win the seat.”
Lennie, what happens if 10 don’t show up?
Phil, Lennie said,
Incumbent Jeanette Herron, whose seat is involved in the litigation, and outgoing council president Tom McCarthy continue to represent the district, per City Charter language.
He is correct based on the charter and Judge Bellis’s order rescheduling the general election. My understanding is that all parties agreed that that was the correct procedure.
One Pinocchio for Phil.
One Pinocchio for Lennie.
From Chapter 5, Section 1(c) City Charter
Council members shall serve for a term of two years from the first day of December next succeeding their election and until their successors are elected and have qualified.
That’s only in the case of inclement weather conditions.
Two more Pinocchio’s for Lennie!
“It’s like in the great stories… the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could [Bridgeport] go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines, it’ll shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something even if you were too small to understand why… Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going because they were holding on to something…”
Kid, does it come with Pop-corn?
It’s from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.”
Not sure if she is interested, but Christina Smith would be an outstanding choice for City Council President!
I nominate Joel Gonzalez. He hasn’t been elected to the City Council but Mario Testa and Armando Perez have a spiffy absentee ballot operation. Anything is possible…
Bob, Anne and the Republican candidates need to file an injunction to stop the election until such time that this election mess has been adjudicated. Its inherently unfair to those people that they don’t have the opportunity to run for CC president or to vote for said position.
Don’s right!
The first order of Business is to fill the vacant city council seats in the 133rd. Before you can vote for a president ( Roberts Rule of Order).
By an executive board that the membership has authorized to fill those vacancies. That authorization is implicit when the bylaws provide that the board has “full power and authority” to handle the affairs of the organization between membership meetings, provided that the membership has not reserved the ability to fill of one or more of such vacancies for itself
Jimfox, this applies to vacancies. If one of the city council members die or resign, a vacancy is created and then the rest of the process to fill the seat is dictated by the charter.
In this case, the “bylaws” is the charter.
Section 1. – Selection.
(d) Whenever a vacancy occurs, (for any reason,) in the membership of the city council, such vacancy shall be filled for the unexpired portion of the term by a majority vote of the city council members from the same political party as the council member vacating such office. If there are no other members from the same political party as the member vacating such office, the vacancy shall be filled by majority vote of the whole number of council members. No person shall be elected to fill a vacancy on the city council unless he/she is a resident and registered voter of the city and is a member of the same political party as the person vacating such office. No person shall be elected to fill a vacancy in the office of any council member unless he/she is also a resident and registered voter in the same council district as the person vacating such office.
Two Pinocchio’s for Joel.
He’s trying regrow his missing finger…
For anyone attending the City Council meeting Monday better get a good night of sleep and bring coffee with them because the vote for the council president will not be quick. Different groups want power, the old council member versus the new members, Hispanics, whites and blacks all feel that they should have one of their own as council president. Of course Mayor Ganim, Mario Testa and the ten DTC district leaders will all be involve. I don’t think any of the so call leading candidates will win, instead it will a compromise candidate.
IF the vote is held at all, Ron. That’s a mighty big if, given the current state of affairs.
Aidee Nieves belongs in the category of “worse possible City Council Presidents.” If she is elected, it will mean further protests against the leadership of the city Council.
Frank Gyure, you know absolutely nothing about Aidee Nieves.
You know her as much as you know A.J. Perez, Chuck Paris and many others who you Judge but, wouldn’t recognize them if they where standing in front of you. Aidee Nieves’ personality and demeanor is close to that Of Pete Spain. She reminds me of how John Fabrizi was when I, Liza Parzialle, Bob Walsh and the rest were serving on the Council. If anyone puts aside all their mistrust and ambitions (especially those who aren’t going to win or run for CP) take the time to approach Aidee Nieves and talk to her. I helped Aidee and Maria Valle a few years ago. Valle ended in a tie due to (AB’s) a recount took place and out of left field, One (1) AB appeared and Milta Feliciano won. Does this sound familiar? Maria Valle couldn’t afford a lawyer, she cried on my shoulders and was devastated and down for weeks. She told me she could not do this anymore (run for city council). I told her, “never say never”. Aidee Nieves earned her spot against the Machine in the 137 a few years ago just like many of the new council members coming in. These are real facts and I hope it serves as food for thought to the new members.
Joel Gonzalez. I’ve seen Aidee Nieves in action in public forums. . She is an embarrassment to public service.
I admit.. i might have gotten Aidee Nieves mixed up with another CC rep. It is what it is and time to move forward.
Joel Gonzalez..are you really going to defend A.J Perez and Chuck Paris. Those two have created an UN-professional Bridgeport Police Department.
Really Joel. You’re going to defend A.J. Perez. He was implicated in the absentee ballot fraud uncovered by Bob Keeley’s lawsuit.
And Aidee Nieces is an employee of Achievent First Charter $chool.
Achievement La$t
Has anybody seen David Walker? Why is he hiding? Walker’s Republican Party along with 45 is going to cause whoever becomes the next governor of Connecticut wiil have to raise taxes and cut services of the Republican’s tax cuts. The Republican’s tax cuts according to the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation projected the bill would add $1 trillion to deficits over a decade, even after accounting for economic growth. This tax cut also eliminate Affordable Care Act (ACA) or “Obamacare.” What America has now are the tax and spend Republican Party of David Walker and where is Walker’s voice on this, nothing, he has become MIA (missing in action). This deficits will keep growing to the point that Republicans will cut or get rid of Social Security and Medicare.
Washington Post:
http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BBG3lXD?ocid=se
The Senate tax bill that passed in the wee hours of Saturday morning could have massive implications for schools and universities, students and parents. Public education advocates warned that certain provisions could put pressure on state and local spending for public schools while giving parents incentives to send children to private schools.
Public education advocates hammered the bill for offering incentives to private school parents through tax-free school savings accounts while eliminating the deduction for state and local taxes that fund public schools.
“It’s crazy that we’re eliminating the ability of people to deduct their state and local taxes that go directly to local services, including schools . . . while at the same time providing a $10,000 incentive for folks to send their kids to private schools,” said Sasha Pudelski, assistant director for policy and advocacy at the American Association of School Administrators, which represents public school superintendents across the country.
Mackey, Dave Walker is most likely preparing for the first Gov. debate. I shure he has no time for your pitiful calling. He is not a Congressman or a US Senator. All we can do is wait for the federal and state elections. 51 to 49. It is what it is!
Joel, you are just as lost as Walker, this Republican tax cut changes the whole debate about any candidate running for governor.
Joel, when you talk to Dave Walker make sure that the both of you guys read this.
“What does Senate tax bill mean for state?”
http://m.ctpost.com/local/article/What-does-Senate-tax-bill-mean-for-state-12400733.php
I’m waiting for the independent office of fiscal analysis report on the impact the fed budget will have on us. Im listening to music, this is one brother that is happy with the Republican budget for sure. On this $ong alone he making millions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM7lw0Ovzq0
Ron,
Roy Moore is about to be elected to the U.S. Senate. The conservative church-going folk of Alabama would rather vote for chicken hawk than a Democrat.
He is the new face if the national GOP. Not David Walker, not Paul Ryan, not Mitch McConnell, not Donald Trump. Roy Moore, a former judge who was removed from the Alabama State Supreme Court not once but twice. Roy Moore, the former District Attorney of Etowah County, Alabama, who was barred from a shopping mall for trying to pick up teenage girls.
At the present time Donald Trump is in a world of shit. He denies there was any collusion between his campaign and the Russians. What he does not deny is obstructing justice and interfering with a federal criminal investigation. Trump will be impeached and removed from office. You cant bet your bottom dollar.
He is no longer the face of the GOP; Roy Moore the Alabama chicken hawk IS.
Hello Ron, you’re right about the implications of the Federal budget seriously affecting CT, as well as the recently hammered out CT budget. Without an expert in both Federal and State budgets as your next policy setting Governor, consider loading everything into a UHaul and exiting the state as quickly as you can. While I say this somewhat joking, it’s exactly why I left CT. I’ve read analysis from many sources of how the new budget would affect people. Overall it does reduce individual tax obligations. I was shocked. But what it also does is drastically raise the overall debt of the US government. The bill doesn’t eliminate ACA, it removes the mandate to pay a fine if one doesn’t participate. Which saves money for those who don’t participate, and no doubt raising greatly the premium for those who do. I’m a supporter of universal healthcare care. I completely disagree with this part of the bill. As for coming after social security and Medicare, not going to happen – why? Who always votes? The older citizens. Always and consistently. Elected officials won’t lose their solid dependable base by going after their benefits, which they paid into. What I think will happen is moving a lot of the safety net services away from 100% government funding and control, and more into the private and non profit sector. Locally, when Pence worked to defund Planned Parenthood, people wrote checks totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars to local planned Parenthood facilities, in Pence’s name (he got a thank you letter for each check). In my opinion, this shows that people who believe in organizations like this will and must start putting their money where their mouths are, by giving up a Starbucks twice a week, for example, and it takes the government regulations and crippling oversight out of these service providers. I’m on the board and work at a local food pantry. 100% volunteer work force, 100% reliance on donations to fund. We recently decided to participate in a Federal Commodity program. The benefits of the additional food was worth the regulations we now must follow. The unemployment rate in this county of 17,000 people is under 3%, yet our clients in need has increased 50% in the last 6 months. Partnering with private citizens and the government has worked well for us.
Schools! It takes strong leadership to look at a school budget and figure out how to best educate with the limited resources at hand. Federal regulations on local schools (Common Core) has placed onerous burdens on schools, especially in poor districts across America. Federal collection and redistribution of school funds – not working so well in Bridgeport and other cities is it? My mother remembers when local tax dollars stayed in the local schools, with a state pool to supplement the districts without the tax base to fund equal education and it worked well. A mix of local, county and regional tax distributed funds. An analysis was published, and darn it I cannot find the link, over 60% of the Bridgeport school budget goes to teachers salaries and benefits. Mostly benefits. I think this is where public sector unions have failed their membership. They have bargained away salary increases for future benefits that have crippled school budgets. At some point, taxpayer dollars will not be able to fulfill these benefits. Why not increase teachers salaries, and allow them to fund and manage their own retirement funds and insurance needs now, rather than banking on a future promise that will bankrupt a city, and reduce their promised benefits once they retire and have no union protections? There are many parts to the school equation, but a shift in policy from local and state control to Federal oversight seems to have not benefited school districts such as Bridgeport.
Jennifer, the American economy will not grow at the 4 to 5 percent that they are saying which means more debt and it will cause the government cut that debt by cutting Social Security and Medicare. The white middle class really get kick in the ass with this tax cuts and 45 and his class get big tax cuts. This tax cut is the start of doing away with the ACA or Obamacare.
The new JML. Geez.
The “Queen of Disparagement” is speaking…..and she contributes what informative tidbit? Time will tell.
What’s the problem, Maria? Did Jennifer use a dew multisyllable wirds you don’t understand?
Ron, here’s an article I found helpful regarding the proposed tax plans, http://www.businessinsider.com/senate-tax-plan-affects-family-take-home-pay-2017-11
individual taxpayers in the short term benefit, leading up to elections – and to your point, over optimistic growth assumptions will increase overall tax burdens in the future. People often vote based on their checkbooks, and the cuts to the middle class are real for a few years. Most people don’t think beyond this years tax returns. Sad.
Based on past practices, current social security recipients will be protected, with a gradual phased in change to age and or payments.
With the public out cry and pressure for health care reform, one can hope and believe that legislators will work to make the ACA work.
When I was in the mortgage industry and the FedRate changed affected my borrowers I found federal money policy worked similar to adjusting water temperature for a shower, too hot, wait, now it’s too cold, too hot again to ah, just right. This huge change doesn’t follow usual Federal policy of recent years, that’s for darn sure.
Where’s the love in Bridgeport?
Right here: https://hatch130.com/the-hatch-initiative/
Derek, you said it well, “Roy Moore is about to be elected to the U.S. Senate. The conservative church-going folk of Alabama would rather vote for chicken hawk than a Democrat. He is the new face if the national GOP. Not David Walker, not Paul Ryan, not Mitch McConnell, not Donald Trump.” It’s amazing how middle class and poor whites have been willing to vote against their own interest to vote and support 45 and the Republican Party in order to take “their country back.” They don’t want “Obamacare” but they want the Affordable Care Act (ACA) which is the same thing. Now with this one trillion dollar tax cut who will get 60% of that tax cut are the big corporations. Those corporations will not hire more workers with that windfall of extra money but instead they will give that money to their share holders and automate their businesses.
Yes, Roy Moore is the future of the Republican Party and Republicans like David Walker are to scared to stand up to challenge people like 45 and Roy Moore.
I have a low regard for the leadership of both parties. The conservative wing of the GOP has been exposed for its racism, homophobia, xenophobia and outright intolerance of anyone not shiny, white and evangelical. Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell don’t even deny it anymore. Well, at least they’re not lying about it…
The Democrats aren’t faring much better. The Senate just passed a tax bill that places the federal tax burden squately on the back of the working and middle classes. Richard Blumenthal and others are making the rounds of the Sunday talk shows with a copy of the GAO’s estimated costs in hand, bellowing the dangers of the tax bill if it is passed into law.
Trump’s supporters out there in Billy Land are cheering: “Boy, he done put them damn Democrats in their place, Homer!” Wait ’til they have to file their next tax return if the bill is reconciled with the House and signed into law by the occupant of the White House.
Homophobia drove off one of OIB’s regular post-ers.
Donald Trump is the gift that keeps on giving. The same people that voted for him, the poor uneducated white trash living in places like Dead Fall, Maine, Mortinta Lagarto, New Mexico, Shit Hole, Wyoming, Toad Suck, Alabama, and other centers of high trailer park culture will vote for a chicken hawk like Roy Moore because he’s against abortion. Never mind his history of cruising a shopping mall in Gadsen, Alabama, looking for fresh and tender young ‘uns. Never mind he was held in contempt by a federal court. “That don’t matter. Judge Mo’ is agin the killin’ o’ babies ‘n’ that all that matters…”
Well that was a really brilliant and fun read Dereck. How much more fun it would be if you would write the same analysis listing the negative attributes of Bridgeport citizens who just elected your last mayor, you know, the people who would rather elected a Democrat who was convicted of 16 counts of corruption rather than anyone else. And is he the new face of the Democrat party?
Jennifer,
Joe Ganim couldn’t have been re-elected without the benefit of absentee ballot fraud and purchasing votes at twenty bucks a throw. He conned and connived his way into a job that, as of late, has been neglected while he pursues political welfare money from the state.
I haven’t much negative to say about the people that voted for him. Ganim went before Reverend Stallworth’s congregation and, in a moment that would have made Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggert blush, made a pseudo confession: “I have sinned, I have done wrong…” He conned a large portion of the Bridgeport community, played on their ignorance and disenfranchisement. Fraudulent ABs and twenty bucks a vote went a long way toward gaming the electoral process.
Mary-Jane Foster was outmaneuvered. Rick Torres is an intelligent and honorable man with the best interests of the people of the city of Bridgeport at heart. He was saddled by a poorly managed campaign.
Derek, Bill Finch had more absentee ballots in the 2015 primary than Ganim who won the machine count.
Oh Kid, so the Democrat candidates, according to you, buy and cheat their way to office, and the voters are not accountable or reprobates for electing them. But when Republicans appear to do the same thing they are ignorant party loyal white trash citizens voting against their own best interests and responsible for electing the candidate. Got it.
Unlike sasquatch and the unicorn the Trump supporter is a living breathing thing. If it exists I can write about it and ridicule any- and everyone that voted Donald Trump into office. He is a national disgrace. Mike Pence is a national disgrace. The entire administration is operating like a bad soap opera, a combination of “Soap” and “Dark Shadows.”
By the way, here’s an earlier post you might find enlightening:
Joe McLaine // Dec 4, 2017 at 11:05 am
The silence of Mike Garrett should not come as a surprise to anyone. Mike Garrett is only interested in what benefits Mike Garrett and his chosen few.
The Republican candidates in the 133rd district are candidates in name only, as were approximately 14 of the other 16 Republican City Council candidates. This is business as usual for Garrett. republicans are not being harmed by the current election issues in that district.
Prior to being chairman Garrett has been leading the local party from the sidelines for years in what appears to be an attempt to keep the local town committee small, tight, and mostly white. at a recent local forum Sauda Baracca openly stated “when I was a Republican candidate for the board of education I attended a Republican Town Committee meeting and was treated so badly I had to look around the room to make sure I wasn’t at a Klan meeting”.This is the type of behavior that is typical of Mike Garrett. He and former chairman Slater have a history of displaying disrespectful and hostile behavior toward African American and Latino members of my district.
Garrett recently referred to the current administration as a “corrupt empire”.He failed to mention that in December 2015 after being campaign manager for Torres for mayor he tried to spin the image of his horrible loss as an attempt to keep Torres in the race to deflect votes from Mary Jane Foster and insure a Ganim victory and then asked the Mayor for a $100,000 plus a year job. The Mayor refused his request and countered with the offer of a nonpaying seat on the Harbor Commission to satisfy Garrett’s desire to serve the city, Garrett declined the offer. It is very clear that Mike would have no problem accepting a paycheck from what he now calls the “corrupt empire”.
At the most recent meeting of the BRTC an ongoing repeated request was made of Mike Garrett to make available to members financial records for review. Garrett responded that no official records exist. he was then asked to make the unofficial records available, he again refused. It is quite clear that he is covering up something and he has the nerve to refer to others as corrupt.
Garrett and his inner circle are a cancer. They have destroyed the reputation and credibility of the local party. It is time for their removal. if you care about Bridgeport, register to vote as a republican. Independent’s and unaffiliated switch to republican. File a letter of intent to run for a seat on the Republican Town Committee in the early 2018 election. Political change starts at the bottom. return Bridgeport to a real two party system.
In 2007, he was homeless.
Today, his rise from despair and poverty plus his foul-mouthed language has made him The President of Trailer Park Nation.
Paul,
Go lie down by your dish.
Arf, arf… Everywhere I go, people say the same thing:
The Bridgeport Kid is a NonStop Winner who relied on his rugged individuality to overcome adversity. He did it the modern day hard way.
Don’t drink and drive, Paul. You may hit a bump and spill your drink.