This process should be fun to watch.
PUBLIC HEARING, SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON REDISTRICTING
The Special Committee on Redistricting will hold a Public Hearing on Thursday, April 7, 2011, beginning at 6:00 p.m., in the City Council Chambers, 45 Lyon Terrace, Bridgeport, Connecticut to hear public comments concerning redistricting to establish new city council district lines in Bridgeport, Connecticut based on Demographic Census Data 2011.
The co-chairs for this committee are veteran political operatives Lydia Martinez and James Holloway. Lydia has emerged as the queen of absentee ballots in the city and James packs a history of political knowledge in the East End. This is where council members joust each other to redraw lines here, but not over there. “Don’t stick me with that guy! I don’t want to be in his district.” Keep your friends close and enemies closer? Not when it comes to redrawing lines. “Keep him the hell away from me! He’ll throw a primary against me.” Lines will be examined to draw the most favorable constituency. Is some of this gerrymandering? Of course! Inevitably, it leads to meowing. Not everyone will be happy.
Can we draw Crown Street out of the city??? Cut a swath through the park up to where Trumbull wants to take the land. Tell Herbst if you want the park land you need to take Mr. Greenjeans too.
How about redrawing the 130th district to not include any territory east of Brewster Street?
If anyone in the East Side/East End thought Steal Point had a snowball’s chance in hell they would be excluding it from their district now or at least slicing it down the middle and leaving 1/2 for the 137th and half for the139th.
And with the respective co-chairs they have the power to do so.
I’m guessing neither one believes there will be any residents there 10 years from now and they won’t do a thing about it.
To quote that old Bridgeport committeeman John Donne, “No man is an island.”
The city is a relatively small place. People, and politicians, have to live with each other as best they can.
While we observers, and even many pols, would enjoy seeing certain districts carved up and listening to the victims howl, the reality is they all have to accommodate each other. Once they screw one, they are liable to screw several, and maybe themselves.
Such work must be done carefully. Fortunately, Bridgeport pols are not known for careful work. It makes them so enjoyable to watch.
I’m sure the passive/aggressive mayor would love to see a certain district occupied by a certain administrative critic scooped into so many tofu portions. The mayor would be understandably satisfied.
The trouble is, by the time the 132nd Aldermanic District is split up into the 130th, 131st, and 133rd districts, the mayor is liable to upset the people who live in those three districts and who do support him. And you still got to put the 132nd District SOMEWHERE unless you can figure how to move it to Fairfield.
No, it is probably better to leave the 132nd more or less alone. You keep your supporters in that district happy and don’t irritate three other districts. Alas, it is the mayor’s burden to put up with Bob Walsh as alderman. Hey, nobody said being mayor meant fishing in the Pequonnock River 365 days of the year.
These district lines haven’t changed all that much since the 1960s. They may be a little daffy in places, but everyone knows them. Bet they leave them alone as best they can.
I remember when Chris Caruso was carved into the 136th District. The howl from Mother Goose went clear across the city. Whose dastardly work was this?
As the City Council can’t to seem to find it’s collective asshole with a roadmap and a flashlight they ought to leave this alone. Interesting that this is being considered now.
Census just came in, Kid. This is the time when they are supposed to do it.
However, I see your point. In the past the city has tried to ignore it until someone made a complaint.
Finch’s son is at it again! Check out his new music video on YouTube. Search for “my celebrity” by LWPFTV. You’ll find him exploiting women and actually saying … you don’t like my pops, I don’t like the cops.” What an ass.
Phantom,
Thanks for the heads up on the video. WOW, his dad must be so proud. After November “Dollar Bill” can get a job with his son as “Roadie Bill,” Posse & Security provided & proven.
Hope every cop who lives in Bpt. hears about this and helps vote Finch out of here. Between his wife and kid he has his hands full running his home, never mind my city!!!!!!!!!
“Her bootie’s so fat, I wanna hit that …” Momma and poppa must be so proud!!! I’m the first to say you can’t control what your kids do once they’re past a certain age. This kid has no respect, he’s a punk. That’s what happens when daddy bails you out all the time. You never learn any responsibility or respect like when the mayor’s son publicly thumbs his nose at the cops and daddy dearest thinks it’s funny.
Bird-brain’s little ones should bring it in for show and tell to their school.
Look, my big bro is a cop hater and just like my daddy he respects no women.
Good one.
Gomes and/or Foster should use that in a commercial. No respect in the household for cops or women or TAXPAYERS.
Just another punk kid from the ‘burbs desperately trying to be cool.
Has the 2010 census information been issued by block group so we can see the population shift from 2000 to 2010 in the various districts in Bridgeport? If there is a redistricting public hearing on April 7th, is that data available?
Here it is folks, the YouTube video “the Phantom” alluded to. I give the video a nine. I like it and I think Pete Finch comes out cool, watch out Slim Shady:
www .youtube.com/watch?v=jcgvMoZ_Oyg
Really.
Really, tc! I liked it so much I’m going to see and hear it again.
I managed to intercept parts of the script of The Gerrymandering Spring Show. I’m very close to several district lines. Some of the suggested changes near my district lines would put me in Bob Walsh’s district.
Hmmm … will I stay in the 134th or move to the 133rd? All I know is I’ll be in the same house at the same address, no matter what!!!
I’m going to burn black candles and wave around a dead chicken, cast a spell to block this …
Current events remind me of 1968. People are protesting all over the world. What are they protesting? The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, surely. More than that, though, people everywhere are demanding a change in the status quo. The City Attorney’s foot-dragging on responding to Mary-Jane Foster’s FOI request, the sudden interest in redrawing council district lines, etc., are signs the old guard is not going to give up its privilege without a fight.
Bill Finch (and by extension, the DTC) is vulnerable on many electoral fronts. He is being challenged for the Democratic Party nomination by two strong candidates. Chris Caruso, the DTC’s eternal nemesis, is probably going to sit this one out, but that doesn’t mean he should be counted out. He still commands a lot of respect in the North End. Many of those residents will vote based on his endorsement. Governor Malloy is no fan of Bill Finch, Mario Testa and the entire political apparatus in Bridgeport. He could and most likely will have a decisive impact on the outcome of the race.
Change is coming, I can feel it in the air …
Message to Lydia Martinez and Jim Holloway: Could you see your way clear to take upper East Main Street and Huntington Turnpike up to and including Nutmeg Rd out of the 138th and put us in the 136th? I am really going to hate being represented on the council by someone from Shelton.
Friends in the State Dept. are telling me they are interested in M.V. fraud. Something to do with Homeland Security. Stay tuned boys & girls, this ride might get very interesting.
Pardon my ignorance, but can anyone just go to DMV and change a home address? Don’t you need proof of some sort? Especially with DMV–given all the problems with drivers license fraud the past few years. Would MM put himself at risk for a stupid council position? Damn.
I believe you need an unopened envelope from a utility, or something of similar nature.
To register to vote you don’t need anything. Not in Bridgeport, anyway.
Eh-heh-heh-heh, heh-heh-heh-heh-heh!
Lennie, time to remind your bloggers about gerrymandering, a practice by political bosses to control voting. What is needed is an objective view of the various districts as to population, ethnic, racial, and religious diversity to ensure no group dominates another for power advantage.
I’m well aware of the phenomenon of gerrymandering. It was used in Northern Ireland to maintain the Protestants’ dominance of the political process.