How long is City Councilman Bob Curwen’s nose? He’d give Pinocchio a good run for his money. When asked a few days ago if he was in the mix for a city job or if he had any discussions with Finch administration officials about a job, Curwen’s response: “It’s news to me. Wish someone would tell me about it.”
Well Jiminy Cricket, I guess Curwen suffered from a case of temporary amnesia. Interesting that Mayor Bill Finch would give Curwen, a big Finch back-stabber, a job but Bill wants to lock up as many pols as possible in an election year. Curwen has served as the long-time co-chair of the council’s Budget and Appropriations Committee. In his recent professional life he also worked as a building security official for Peter DiNardo Enterprises, a development company headed by Sal DiNardo. Curwen, according to a release issued by Finch, will resign his position with DiNardo to work for the city in construction management, as well as resign his City Council position. Who’ll replace him on the council? The mayor’s office announced several personnel changes in a release today. Former WICC News Director Tim Quinn has accepted a communications position in the Police Department. Now there’s a spokesman with great pipes!
From the mayor:
City Hall Personnel Changes, Additions Announced. The City of Bridgeport has announced the following personnel changes and additions at City Hall and the Police Department, effective today. These include:
Alanna Kabel
* Alanna Kabel, Deputy CAO in charge of Central Grants and Community Development will be joining the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority as administrator of the Single Family Special Purpose Programs as of Feb. 14. Until her replacement is named, Kelly McDermott, senior manager, of Central Grants and Community Development, will continue to oversee CDBG and HUD funding, including the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. Also in the interim, Alexandra McGoldrick will assume greater administrative and supervisory responsibilities for the Central Grants side of the department.
Bob Curwen
* Longtime City Councilman Robert Curwen will be resigning his council seat to fill a temporary position of project manager in the Construction Management department while project manager Arthur Harris is on medical leave. In addition to resigning his council post, Curwen also will resign from his employment with DiNardo Enterprises. In this temporary position, Curwen will help ensure that several citywide construction projects continue to move forward during Harris’ absence.
* Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett Jr. announced that he has hired former WICC radio newsman Tim Quinn as the Public Safety Information Officer. In this position, Quinn will be responsible for working with local and regional media as a spokesman for the department.
* Wilfred E. Murphy Sr. has been hired as the director of the Mayor’s Conservation Corps. Murphy most recently worked for Hall Neighborhood House as its Director of Security and Safety/Purchasing. He also is a member of several community organizations including MOVE Yacht Club, the local branch of the NAACP, the Greater Bridgeport Transit District and the Bridgeport Historic District.
Lisa Miro
* Lisa Miro, former Conservation Corps director, will move to a position working with small business retention and recruitment under a grant secured by Community Capital Group.
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36 comments
Pathetic. Another taxpayer screwing. You can tell it’s an election year with these moves.
Well Lennie you have found out what we in the 138th have known for a long time. Never believe a word Bob Curwen tells you. Several people who know this guy asked him face to face about him getting a city job and he gave these people the same bullshit answer. Bob Curwen would not know the truth if it bit him in the ass.
I for one am happy to see this do-nothing leave the council. Now maybe just maybe the 138th will get someone who will help the people up here when they need help.
I see the city has continued its pattern of hiring unqualified people for city jobs.
He was security director for DiNardo and was in charge of the security at RemGrit formerly Remington Arms, we see how well that has worked out. How many major fires did they have?
Glad he left the district and I feel bad for the city.
Message to the City Unions, you were blackmailed into givebacks by this administration and yet again they issue a long list of NEW hires. You people in the unions need to join together and tell these blackmailing liars enough is enough. More political people hired to made-up bullshit jobs.
Tell me why the PD needs a media director. Who the hell is he going to talk to, cable news and WICC and the CT Post? Since when did the upper management of the PD become mute and unable to talk for themselves? What a joke. It seems the PD is the new place to put new political hires or to create new chief jobs so favored people don’t die on a promotion list. Damn it this shit has got to stop. We need to dump this administration come November.
Exactly what qualifies Curwen to supervise construction management? You can bet this is more than temporary or he would not have resigned his council seat. Willie Murphy? Another favor for Ralph Ford. Lisa Miro? Gets another increase. And they wonder why employee morale is at an all-time low.
Where is the rag-tag CT Post? Maybe waiting for another comment from Fabrizi? Maybe waiting for editor/joker to do another fluff editorial on a maybe candidate he is pals with?
Unions are giving furlough days, yet this?
Crime is up, no worries we have a new police spokesperson to spin it.
Heard the BOE is trying to find a way to keep its 6 to 3 lemming vote. Parents should be outraged, but how could they know? No real newspaper in this city. Pereira, Simmons, Baraka try to do what’s right for the kids and they get shot down 6 to 3. Maybe Keila can blog it on her new Facebook page as reported about here. Who’s gonna read that?
Finch and his boys and girls club is done, Timpenelli has a cushy job waiting and Finch has to make sure the BRBC has players in place within the city payroll.
Gomes and/or Foster take note, when you take the big seat, not if. Clean this HOUSE.
From the city’s website:
Committee on Budget and Appropriations
Councilmembers: Curwen, DePara, Brannelly, Vizzo-Paniccia, Silva, Martinez and Austin
In December after years of budget deficits, lack of budgetary control, defiance by OPM by not sending the council budget transfers, council President Tom McCarthy showed true leadership by reappointing the same group of council members to the B & A Committee.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over again and expecting different results.
This should have been announced on Groundhog Day.
If Angel dePara sees his shadow, six more months of deficit forecasts.
Wait a minute. Since when do we require city council members to resign in order to take City jobs? And Curwen is doing this for … a “temporary” position? What’s wrong with this picture?
Phil,
You reacted the same way I did! Why give up your Council position? It certainly has not been a requirement in Bridgeport. Reference is frequently made to CT statutes granting permission for being an employee plus a member of a legislative body. And our ethical stance apparently causes no concern when someone votes on Budget matters that provide salary changes, benefit inurements, etc. that affect them??? Isn’t this the inbred and accepted basic “conflict of interest” that seems not to be well understood? So we rely on laws or rules and legal explanations from those benefiting from the same legislative decisions. And some got very tired of the word “corruption” spoken by Chris Caruso, but the condition is still present, and Chris is not!
Interesting that I recently heard someone talking about the legislative bodies in New Haven and Hartford. Different-sized legislative groups maybe, but add up both memberships and you see only one employee-elected representative in those two bodies. Conclusion: here is another way in which Bridgeport is different. Do people outside our municipality look favorably on our “conflicted interests?” Is “our way” a beneficial way to be different?
Not sure what “financial competence” was exhibited by Curwen but he did have experience of a kind. From where will sorely needed financial understanding, experience and competence spring to assist the budget mess we are in?
Beacon, experience is one thing but if it’s the wrong kind it’s not worth squat. I don’t know if you are aware of this but during the last group of budget hearings not one department’s budget requests were cut. The budget was submitted with an $8 million deficit and it was returned to the mayor with an $8 million deficit. Curwen was quoted as saying it was sent to me with an $8 million deficit and that’s how I am sending it back F – – M
Thank you TC. The failure to publicly review an incomplete budget last year and then to unanimously endorse it as presented … a genuine rubber stamp … is something you have presented to readers on more than one occasion. It is not congratulatory, certainly.
You were making a point of the fact that experience does not equal expertise, and I agree. I think it is worth indicating that within the past month Budget Co-Chair Curwen did not know what the City Unrestricted Fund Balance (rainy day fund) was at the moment. As Joel Gonzalez shared in this column on January 27, 2011, this very important financial indicator registered at $52-55 million when Fabrizi first sat in the Mayor’s seat. Bill Finch shared that fact in public meetings during his first year. There is no explanation these days for the way that fund has been used, reduced, raided, and not restored as called for, from Mayor Bill. Why does Bob Curwen have to tell other Council members to visit Tom Sherwood to discover the number when the Charter calls for monthly financial reports to Council and such a bottom-line number should be a part of that report???
Beacon: What I don’t understand about Curwen and the budget committee is didn’t they realize all the departments inflated their budget requests in anticipation that their budget request would be trimmed? I know when I submitted a budget for my fire unit (civilian) I always added 10% to the bottom line knowing that a portion of that budget request would be trimmed.
The Police Department did this with their OT budget request. They submitted a request for $6 million in OT spending and it was never touched until it was giveback time. The PD then gave back $2 million from the OT account without a whimper. It was prearranged BS. In the meantime the nuts and bolts employees took another BS hit with givebacks.
One other point, how much has been spent in new hires and on raises for political appointees? BTW the mayor and his staff did NOT forgo their raises.
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Curwen was hired by Sal DiNardo because of his council seat. Sal was buying “insurance.” This know-nothing is the low end of the food chain. That should be a tested position, people’s lives are at risk. Not only is Curwen’s nose long, it’s BROWN.
Lennie,
Can you get us some more background on the BOE opening?
First of all, I read where John Marshall Lee was the victim of a TKO. What’s up with that? Rules change, but if he was an unaffiliated voter and switched to a D, I thought that was effective immediately. And if he were an R, it was effective in 6 months. I am guessing the city attorney’s office had a role in coming up with this decision.
Secondly, what is this rule that the replacement has got to be of the same party? More BS. So an unaffiliated voter, who is a member of NO political party, cannot be considered as a replacement??? In no other city or town would such a rule be allowed. There are rules regarding minority party representation but that only restricts the total number of members who can belong to a single party.
So in the case of the two members who were elected as members of the Working Family Party, only voters who were enrolled in the WFP at the time of the vacancy could fill an unexpired term? I am sure if that were to happen Mark A would do an abrupt about-face on that decision.
And who is this Betsey Elize Meyer? Any relationship to the Bridgeport Meyer family? The only person I could find on Intelius by that name shows a residence of Southington CT. Carpetbagger?
The Marellas “supported” Lamont but were really for Malloy? Typical Calamarians afraid to go against Mario. That kind of spinelessness we do not need. Nothing against Rich’s Uncle Mike, but his time has come and gone. The problem with that district is most of them (TC excepted) are controlled by the DTC machine. They will put up another candidate equally controlled by the DTC.
Thanks for the question Hector but I am not considering a run for the council. I am also thinking about packing in the TC seat after the mayoral election.
The Common Council should give back their salaries & return to the stipend system. The original purpose was to take care of the
expenses of their districts. Now it’s used as a vacation account.
Pathetic. Another taxpayer screwing. You can tell it’s an election year with these moves.
Well Lennie you have found out what we in the 138th have known for a long time. Never believe a word Bob Curwen tells you. Several people who know this guy asked him face to face about him getting a city job and he gave these people the same bullshit answer. Bob Curwen would not know the truth if it bit him in the ass.
I for one am happy to see this do-nothing leave the council. Now maybe just maybe the 138th will get someone who will help the people up here when they need help.
I see the city has continued its pattern of hiring unqualified people for city jobs.
He was security director for DiNardo and was in charge of the security at RemGrit formerly Remington Arms, we see how well that has worked out. How many major fires did they have?
Glad he left the district and I feel bad for the city.
Message to the City Unions, you were blackmailed into givebacks by this administration and yet again they issue a long list of NEW hires. You people in the unions need to join together and tell these blackmailing liars enough is enough. More political people hired to made-up bullshit jobs.
Tell me why the PD needs a media director. Who the hell is he going to talk to, cable news and WICC and the CT Post? Since when did the upper management of the PD become mute and unable to talk for themselves? What a joke. It seems the PD is the new place to put new political hires or to create new chief jobs so favored people don’t die on a promotion list. Damn it this shit has got to stop. We need to dump this administration come November.
Amen to that, TC.
Exactly what qualifies Curwen to supervise construction management? You can bet this is more than temporary or he would not have resigned his council seat. Willie Murphy? Another favor for Ralph Ford. Lisa Miro? Gets another increase. And they wonder why employee morale is at an all-time low.
They think if they buy everyone off, no one will run against them. It’s nothing but a DTC employment agency.
A liar hires another liar.
Anna– That was great! LOL.
Jimfox // Feb 8, 2011 at 8:06 am
Hey Jimfox,
I’m still waiting to know what’s a good lunch hour for you at Bloodroot.
1pm this Friday Bloodroot.
thanks, Jim
The new saying for the 138th: Free at Last, Free at Last. 14 years of nothing and now we are free.
What’s that, about another $225K in salaries?
You can’t make this stuff up
Where is the rag-tag CT Post? Maybe waiting for another comment from Fabrizi? Maybe waiting for editor/joker to do another fluff editorial on a maybe candidate he is pals with?
Unions are giving furlough days, yet this?
Crime is up, no worries we have a new police spokesperson to spin it.
Heard the BOE is trying to find a way to keep its 6 to 3 lemming vote. Parents should be outraged, but how could they know? No real newspaper in this city. Pereira, Simmons, Baraka try to do what’s right for the kids and they get shot down 6 to 3. Maybe Keila can blog it on her new Facebook page as reported about here. Who’s gonna read that?
Finch and his boys and girls club is done, Timpenelli has a cushy job waiting and Finch has to make sure the BRBC has players in place within the city payroll.
Gomes and/or Foster take note, when you take the big seat, not if. Clean this HOUSE.
Bubba // Feb 8, 2011 at 5:02 am
to your posting
Yeah Bubba,
We’re going to hand out brooms and shovels to start the cleaning.
This is not city government … this is city giveaway.
Please explain what you mean by Timpanelli has a cushy job waiting.
From the city’s website:
Committee on Budget and Appropriations
Councilmembers: Curwen, DePara, Brannelly, Vizzo-Paniccia, Silva, Martinez and Austin
In December after years of budget deficits, lack of budgetary control, defiance by OPM by not sending the council budget transfers, council President Tom McCarthy showed true leadership by reappointing the same group of council members to the B & A Committee.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over again and expecting different results.
This should have been announced on Groundhog Day.
If Angel dePara sees his shadow, six more months of deficit forecasts.
Wait a minute. Since when do we require city council members to resign in order to take City jobs? And Curwen is doing this for … a “temporary” position? What’s wrong with this picture?
So who are they opening the Council seat up for?
Phil,
You reacted the same way I did! Why give up your Council position? It certainly has not been a requirement in Bridgeport. Reference is frequently made to CT statutes granting permission for being an employee plus a member of a legislative body. And our ethical stance apparently causes no concern when someone votes on Budget matters that provide salary changes, benefit inurements, etc. that affect them??? Isn’t this the inbred and accepted basic “conflict of interest” that seems not to be well understood? So we rely on laws or rules and legal explanations from those benefiting from the same legislative decisions. And some got very tired of the word “corruption” spoken by Chris Caruso, but the condition is still present, and Chris is not!
Interesting that I recently heard someone talking about the legislative bodies in New Haven and Hartford. Different-sized legislative groups maybe, but add up both memberships and you see only one employee-elected representative in those two bodies. Conclusion: here is another way in which Bridgeport is different. Do people outside our municipality look favorably on our “conflicted interests?” Is “our way” a beneficial way to be different?
Not sure what “financial competence” was exhibited by Curwen but he did have experience of a kind. From where will sorely needed financial understanding, experience and competence spring to assist the budget mess we are in?
Beacon, experience is one thing but if it’s the wrong kind it’s not worth squat. I don’t know if you are aware of this but during the last group of budget hearings not one department’s budget requests were cut. The budget was submitted with an $8 million deficit and it was returned to the mayor with an $8 million deficit. Curwen was quoted as saying it was sent to me with an $8 million deficit and that’s how I am sending it back F – – M
Thank you TC. The failure to publicly review an incomplete budget last year and then to unanimously endorse it as presented … a genuine rubber stamp … is something you have presented to readers on more than one occasion. It is not congratulatory, certainly.
You were making a point of the fact that experience does not equal expertise, and I agree. I think it is worth indicating that within the past month Budget Co-Chair Curwen did not know what the City Unrestricted Fund Balance (rainy day fund) was at the moment. As Joel Gonzalez shared in this column on January 27, 2011, this very important financial indicator registered at $52-55 million when Fabrizi first sat in the Mayor’s seat. Bill Finch shared that fact in public meetings during his first year. There is no explanation these days for the way that fund has been used, reduced, raided, and not restored as called for, from Mayor Bill. Why does Bob Curwen have to tell other Council members to visit Tom Sherwood to discover the number when the Charter calls for monthly financial reports to Council and such a bottom-line number should be a part of that report???
Beacon: What I don’t understand about Curwen and the budget committee is didn’t they realize all the departments inflated their budget requests in anticipation that their budget request would be trimmed? I know when I submitted a budget for my fire unit (civilian) I always added 10% to the bottom line knowing that a portion of that budget request would be trimmed.
The Police Department did this with their OT budget request. They submitted a request for $6 million in OT spending and it was never touched until it was giveback time. The PD then gave back $2 million from the OT account without a whimper. It was prearranged BS. In the meantime the nuts and bolts employees took another BS hit with givebacks.
One other point, how much has been spent in new hires and on raises for political appointees? BTW the mayor and his staff did NOT forgo their raises.
Curwen was hired by Sal DiNardo because of his council seat. Sal was buying “insurance.” This know-nothing is the low end of the food chain. That should be a tested position, people’s lives are at risk. Not only is Curwen’s nose long, it’s BROWN.
Lennie,
Can you get us some more background on the BOE opening?
First of all, I read where John Marshall Lee was the victim of a TKO. What’s up with that? Rules change, but if he was an unaffiliated voter and switched to a D, I thought that was effective immediately. And if he were an R, it was effective in 6 months. I am guessing the city attorney’s office had a role in coming up with this decision.
Secondly, what is this rule that the replacement has got to be of the same party? More BS. So an unaffiliated voter, who is a member of NO political party, cannot be considered as a replacement??? In no other city or town would such a rule be allowed. There are rules regarding minority party representation but that only restricts the total number of members who can belong to a single party.
So in the case of the two members who were elected as members of the Working Family Party, only voters who were enrolled in the WFP at the time of the vacancy could fill an unexpired term? I am sure if that were to happen Mark A would do an abrupt about-face on that decision.
And who is this Betsey Elize Meyer? Any relationship to the Bridgeport Meyer family? The only person I could find on Intelius by that name shows a residence of Southington CT. Carpetbagger?
Quinn is a Pipe Job and Miro must have Finch over a Rain Barrel.
lol
In regard to the common council seat opening I have a question.
Has anyone seen Mike Marella?
The Marellas “supported” Lamont but were really for Malloy? Typical Calamarians afraid to go against Mario. That kind of spinelessness we do not need. Nothing against Rich’s Uncle Mike, but his time has come and gone. The problem with that district is most of them (TC excepted) are controlled by the DTC machine. They will put up another candidate equally controlled by the DTC.
They are circling the wagons because they are running scared.
Their trick-or-treat tactics won’t work this time!
Can you spell $600.00? NSF! Non-Sufficient-Finch!!!
TC, are you considering a run?
Thanks for the question Hector but I am not considering a run for the council. I am also thinking about packing in the TC seat after the mayoral election.
If you have a “change of heart” and decide to run let me know if I can be of any assistance.
That little guy standing on the tip of Pinocchio’s nose looks like Town Committee. Can I get a confirmation?
Joel, that is a good one.
Resign from the City Council to work for the city??? Now there’s a novel idea!!!
*** To be continued, no? ***
The Common Council should give back their salaries & return to the stipend system. The original purpose was to take care of the
expenses of their districts. Now it’s used as a vacation account.