Each of the 20 members of the City Council can access a $9,000 annual stipend presumably to be used in accordance with their duties as members of the budget-making and legislative body. Citizen fiscal watchdog John Marshall Lee, although a proponent of charitable organizations, writes city councilors are misusing taxpayer money on behalf of needy groups. Lee commentary:
Thank you for printing my first article on April 7, 2014 City Council meeting. I disclosed the illegal and secret use of taxpayer funds by City Council. You called it waste in your headline. It is obviously more than that and needs to be accurately stated.
I believe in the work that is done by not-for-profit groups. The United States is famous for the varieties and numbers of such organizations that operate mostly with charitable support to help those in need. Bridgeport is no different. Fund raising for such organizations is a career for some professionals as well as a life work for volunteer fund raisers.On April 7 I spoke about more than $30,000 of taxpayer money that individual Council members requested to be sent to a variety of such organizations in Fiscal Year 2013. Last year was a year where the 20 Council members had to stand for election. The Democratic primary in many districts put extra pressure to look good. But the Stipend and debit card process said no Stipend funds can be used for political purpose or charitable purpose. The original intent of stipend funds is to allow a Council person to carry out their duties.
Listed below are each of the charities that received a City check courtesy of some Council members. How were these funds treated for tax purpose? Did any Council persons receive acknowledgement as if it were their personal gift? Were any incidental benefits received? To whom did the organizations write letters of thanks? Were any written to the taxpayers of Bridgeport? Did the City consider these amounts taxable to the Council persons and issue 1099 statements? Was there any political gain or benefit for any Council district?
Until these questions are answered there is a question as to how trustworthy Council persons are when it comes to their role as taxpayer watchdogs or protectors. And there are an equal number of questions to be asked of others starting with Council President Tom McCarthy who has used this method in at least one previous year to benefit a local charity. Then it may be worthwhile to see what the City administrators and finance office knew and why they allowed funds (neither discussed at budget time, nor Committee meetings and over which no vote is recorded) to be sent in the form of City of Bridgeport checks. Time will tell.
From: 2013 Final June 2013 (Audited) Financial Report –Legislative Department
Recipient Organizations for Funds Requested by City Council Members:
A Hand for a Paw $ 200
Alpha Home Inc 1,000
Barnum Museum (3) 3,600
Black Rock Little League 1,000
Bridgeport Caribe Youth League(2) 1,000
Bridgeport North End Little League (2) 2,000
Bridgeport P A L (3) 1,300
Bridgeport Public Education Fund 100
Bridgeport Regional Business Council 500
Bridgeport’s Black Pride (3) 2,000
Burroughs Community Center 1,000
Cardinal Shehan Center 100
Center for Women and Children 500
Central Connecticut Coast YMCA 500
Council of Churches 500
CT Hurricanes (2) 300
CT Zoological (2) 1,150
Discovery Museum 100
Downtown Cabaret 100
GBAPP Inc 500
Girl Scouts 100
Habitat for Humanity 1,000
Hall Neighborhood House 500
Healing Tree Economic Development (3) 1,500
Homes for the Brave 500
Juneteenth of Fairfield County 500
McGivney Community Center 400
North End Community (2) 1,000
Park City Pride (3) 1,300
Puerto Rican Parade 100
Recovery Network 500
RYASAP 500
School Volunteer Association (2) 150
St. John’s Episcopal Church 1,000
Village Initiative (5) 4,500
Hey! Bridgeport!
Rex from Kenmore
Lockport, NY
Sep 6, 2007
I guess bass pro saw the same story I did about how poor the City of Buffalo residents are and figured they would have no one to sell their stuff to. It would be nice if our politicians recognized that it isn’t a bait and tackle shop that will save us, it’s real jobs where you can provide for your family, not 8 dollar an hour retail jobs. Personally, I am thrilled that we can now put this behind us.
www .youtube.com/watch?v=Z9ME9hH7O9Y
No. R U nutz? They shouldn’t be spent on charities any more than they should be spent on booze, strippers or hookers. They should be spent to facilitate or reimburse council members in the conducting of council business. Even buying coffee cups for the council meetings is a no-go. Paying cab fare to get from a meeting at 999 to a meeting at city hall. That is OK. It is council business. City hall to home = no.
Lennie,
Have to disagree with your title once again. Per my research and response to Bob Walsh below they did not use Stipend money (Line Item 51402) but rather Other Services (Line Item 56180). The unadopted, tabled, and unvoted upon “new rules” prohibit Stipends from being used for Political or Charitable. So they went and used another account.
This should be the account they would use for financial expertise to cut through budgets and monitor finances, but they have not for many years. They did discuss professional help briefly again tonight at the B&A meeting mainly on Capital Budget but if you asked each one present who was not newly elected, they do not think it is necessary. The entire mess is so far above their pay grade, it is sad. Time will tell.
It is easy to appear charitable with other people’s monies.
This list is disgusting and every council person who donated money to these charities should be forced to repay the city with interest. Why was a $500 check written to Bridgeport Regional Business council? Why are we writing checks to baseball leagues that play on city fields and the city maintains those fields?
Many on this list pay no taxes in Bridgeport and we the taxpayer pick up that tab also.
These council people are arrogant crooks, pure and simple. John, you forgot to mention the council person who used her stipend to pay her Stop & Shop bill.
We have employees taking furloughs and doing without because they are told the city and the budget need their help. Then you have Alibaba and the 20 crooks spending our money with gusto. They ALL NEED TO BE REPLACED.
Hall Neighborhood house? How many millions do they get from the feds and the state? BRBC, really, what does Timpanelli need the money for? St. John Episcopal church? Come on, really? I wonder who made this donation. Juneteenth of Fairfield county. What do they do? And what are they? Connecticut Hurricanes, do they really need my money?
Now JML, I am not saying you are right or wrong but you stated in your post “the Stipend and debit card process said no Stipend funds can be used for political purpose or charitable purpose.” Where does that language come from? Below is the language that is in the ordinance. It is not there. Was your statement opinion or fact? If fact please let me know the source. But if it is not in the ordinance then I don’t see how it is supposed to be enforceable.
Code of Ordinances
2.06.040 Reimbursement of council member’s expenses
Each council member may receive annually reimbursement for expenses incurred in the discharge of duties as a council member subject to budget appropriation. The budget committee shall appropriate an equal stipend amount for each city council member. Said reimbursement is to be paid as follows: the appropriate financial authority shall set up an expense account for each council member. Twenty-five percent (25%) of the annually budgeted amount shall be paid commencing December 1, 1999, and quarterly thereafter; if the recipient has submitted a certified state of statement of the expenses incurred together with supporting documentation or other reasonable and satisfactory evidence of said expenses to the finance department. If the certified statement of expenses submitted is less than the amount received for that quarter, the next quarterly payment shall be reduced by the amount of expenses not certified. Amounts from each council member’s equalized annual budget allocation may be advanced as reasonable and appropriate. There shall be no carry over of unexpended certified expenses at the end of the term. Said expenses will be reimbursed to each council member by the city treasurer no later than thirty (30) days after the submission of said statement.
(Ord. dated 11/1/99: Ord. dated 7/2/97 (part): Ord. dated 10/4/93: prior code § 2-30)
Bob,
I am very glad that you asked that question. The Ordinance you quote is the current standing regulation as I have researched.
However the City Council leadership with the agreement of City financial authorities have created a new process in the past two years, one that uses debit cards with quarterly advances, and record keeping that does not require a business purpose to be stated to release the funds. Andy Fardy was upset to see a CC member using the debit card about 50 times in a year at Stop & Shop averaging $45 per visit. Personal? Political? Charitable? What is it?
The new process does not integrate travel, hotel and food expenses on the debit reports. It appears group purchases are being used rather than individual reimbursement. Of course we still get no reports although the Budget and Appropriations Committee is very proud of what a trendsetter Bridgeport is at these meetings. LOL! Who monitors the process or serves as watchdog?
We have found more than one person who has exceeded the $9,000 share in one year, starting right at the top. Efforts were made in the next quarter to recover the overage, but there is one Council person, a former B&A co-chair who left with a deficit over $1,000. Did he repay? No easy way to uncover that.
To use a debit card you must read and sign an agreement that has been concocted by someone. IT IS THAT SIGNED AGREEMENT THAT DISALLOWS CITY FUNDS FOR POLITICAL PURPOSE OR FOR CHARITABLE INTENT. But if it has never been voted upon, it is unenforceable and the whole process is illegal and a mess … brought to you by the last watchdogs we have structurally in City governance. They will decide what to cut and what to keep this year.
But the CC review of the standing ordinance was tabled, so the new process by itself is probably illegal. But passing it now would not take care of the secret issue represented by the more than 50 checks to the above organizations. Fortunately not all Council members are using the allocation. They can help taxpayers in the next year by cutting the overall allocation in their budget from $180,000 to $120,000 or $90,000. Times are tough everywhere.
Give me a call 203-259-9642 if you want to see the paperwork. It was purposeful that stipend line item was not used. It was purposeful to use Line Item 56180 Other Services that has had about $90,000 available for years that has generally gone unspent by the Council but has been spent elsewhere by the City. Maybe that can be cut to $10,000 this year? It was also purposeful most of these checks were written in June, 2013 but did not show up in the June, 2013 Draft Report released on August 9, 2013. We have not had a FINAL AUDITED JUNE FINANCIAL REPORT FOR OVER 20 YEARS UNTIL THIS REPORT. Budget Oversight Bridgeport kept asking as OIB readers will remember. Look what showed up! Surprised? Time will tell.
Bob, read the first few lines of the ordinance. “Each council member may receive annually reimbursement for expenses incurred in the discharge of duties as a council member subject to budget appropriation.”
Donating to charity or shopping at Stop & Shop does not fall in this category. Instead of quoting the ordinance, you should be showing your outrage. We are demanding givebacks of at least 10 day’s pay by our city workers, we are asking them and their families to sacrifice and then we have these jerks on the council giving away money to charities and baseball teams and marching bands for a bunch of has-beens. That’s what’s outrageous. What was the intent of your post? Just more useless bullshit.
So let me get this straight. Our taxes will once again be increased, programs will be cut, education budgets slashed, etc., but yet council members are donating OUR money to whatever organization they feel they want to? You got to be kidding me! That is the taxpayers’ money, not the council’s to do whatever they wish with. That money should NOT BE GETTING DONATED, it’s outrageous!
So a church can lose their nonprofit status for participating in elections.
www .nonprofitissues.com/public/features/point/703-Why-do-charities-lose-exemption.php
this might be one way to reduce a great number of nonprofits always discussed at tax increase budget time.
Jennifer,
Nice thinking … law-abiding, logical, practical, fair-minded. We will keep dreaming for this kind of approach to take hold in the processes and procedures of Bridgeport city government in our lifetime.
Also just noticed $1300 was given to the “Park City Pride” marching band, very interestingly AmyMarie Vizzo-Paniccia’s husband is a member of that band. What’s next, Rich Paoletto donating money to Luigi’s bakery?
John,
Based on responses, posters are under the impression these donations were made from city council members’ stipends (taxable).
Are you saying these payments are from the Legislative Services Department 56180 ‘Other Services’ budget line item?
Is this misappropriation of funds? Who authorized these payments?
Are payments from a city department (with no staff) to avoid using their stipends and paying taxes? Who is processing these payments (requisition, purchase order)?
Were the payments deducted from a ‘supportive contribution’ line item in the legislative services department or directly from ‘other services?’
I have said it here on more than one occasion previously, the charitable contributions were made from Line Item 56180 that is called OTHER SERVICES. The funds were not part of Stipends.
In 2012 Other Services was tapped for $790 leaving more than $90,000 appropriated at the beginning of the budget process to be spent elsewhere in the previous year because there was no FINAL MONTHLY Report.
If you are curious as to what your Council person has done, why not ask them and share your outrage?
Or, if authorization for spending taxpayer funds is your bone of contention, talk to Council President Tom McCarthy and see how he has managed to support Barnum Museum at $3000. How is this privilege construed under the Charter?
If they have the money, Tom Sherwood can show them how to spend it with no sense of guilt or balance.
Direct quote from City Council B&A Committee co-chair Mike Marella at last night’s budget meeting: “WE GOTTA IMPROVE THE CITY … NO MATTER WHAT IT COSTS.” They were discussing Capital Budget items. Does Marella sound like a practitioner of protecting the golden goose who in this case is the taxpayer? Time will tell.
Marella and his PAL and his membership in a marching band all received donations from the council. Mike will do what he is told to do. That gig at PAL is too important to lose. Don’t forget a family member working at Lighthouse.
The stipends are supposed to be used to cover expenses related to a member’s service on the City Council. They are not supposed to be, and should not be, taxpayer slush funds, to be used any way a member sees fit.
The Council has a choice. It can provide for rules and accountability or (better yet) abolish the stipends.
This is amazing. Can you please attach names to the donations? I would love to know who is giving OUR money away (or using it for groceries). Still waiting for my $600 Finch tax rebate …
Dear hope,
You know we can probably sell our homes and move, but we will probably not receive what we expected. So it is necessary to stand and fight the “stupidity.” My way has been to delve into the documents of the City and share what I learn with everyone.
There is a role for others in this work, too.
Please ask your Council person Sue Brannelly to secure the information for you about who requested what amounts and for which organizations. What will she tell you? Have I not pointed the way? You have the easy part, but lifting is required. While you are at it ask her how all of this came to be and who facilitated the process. Fair enough?
If anyone else is interested, why not ask your Council person? That’s not hard. What will they tell you? Share it on OIB. Let’s see if this gang can cook up a great story for the taxpayers BEFORE THEY DECIDE ON THE BUDGET FOR 2015. Time will tell.
John,
Per your post “To use a debit card you must read and sign an agreement that has been concocted by someone. IT IS THAT SIGNED AGREEMENT THAT DISALLOWS CITY FUNDS FOR POLITICAL PURPOSE OR FOR CHARITABLE INTENT. But if it has never been voted upon, it is unenforceable and the whole process is illegal and a mess … brought to you by the last watchdogs we have structurally in City governance. They will decide what to cut and what to keep this year.”
But that does not overrule an ordinance. The only way to tighten up on this practice is to amend the ordinance.
File a complaint with the Ethics Commission. Allege the council members are abusing their powers by giving money that was set aside for one purpose but used for another without submitting a budget transfer.
Allege they had proposed restricting use of stipends for these purposes and then went ahead and created a shortcut and used funds intended for Other Services.
If you are sure one council person used their stipend to pay for personal groceries, file an Ethics Complaint against that individual. Misappropriation of Funds.
John,
Request written copies of any and all requisitions, purchase orders, etc. related to any of these expenditures. If the city claims it doesn’t have any documentation, send a letter to the the city’s Certified Public Accounting firm alerting them to your allegations of mismanagement and misappropriation citing specific accounts. Request a written acknowledgement of receipt of your correspondence.
John, you still think you will purge Bridgeport of corruption by posting shit on OIB. It ain’t gonna happen that way, my friend.
And if Lennie is saying it will, he is simply trying to drive traffic to his website!
Bob, first off we have the paperwork you are talking about. Stop telling us what we should do, you don’t know shit. We know what agencies to contact and have contacted them in the past. This stuff is being posted to inform people in Bridgeport what is going on. Do you have a problem with that or do you have a problem with people being exposed whom you served with? How much of this crap did you know about when you were on the council? I know it was not going on when you were on the council. Bullshit!
Hey Bob, nobody is doing this to pump up Lennie’s blog. Speaking of pumping up Lennie’s blog, you do a pretty good job of doing that yourself. Bob, for once get some facts correct instead of blogging that nonsensical bullshit you posted above.
Something tells me Anastasi is preparing one of his patented “opinions” why this practice is acceptable as we speak … lol
Bob Walsh, please call me at my office number 203-259-9642. Leave a message as to when to reach you and at what number.
Want to share strategic and tactical comments with you and seek your practical assistance. For benefit of all people of Bridgeport, let’s try abiding by law, Charter, rules and regulations. Time will tell.