The community action group Citizens Working For A Better Bridgeport is seeking a few good “qualified, reform-minded” men and women to run for City Council setting forth a set of commitments “to support potential candidates regardless of party affiliation if they are truly serious about addressing Bridgeport’s serious governance, financial, education and service challenges. This includes identifying and eliminating conflicts of interest, charter violations and political cronyism in Bridgeport.”
Bridgeport’s all-Democratic City Council is up for reelection this year. The city is broken down into 10 districts with two council members in each. Democratic and Republican Party regulars next month will endorse candidates for council seats. The endorsed candidates can be challenged in a September primary or by petitioning candidates in the November general election. Democratic primaries are shaping up in several council districts.
CW4BB has listed the following criteria for candidates:
CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE COMMITMENTS
Ø I agree that my first commitment is to serve the interests of my constituents and the city and not any particular political party, individual or special interest group.
Ø I commit to act in an honest, professional and ethical manner in connection with all my public duties and responsibilities.
Ø I commit to read, understand and do my best to ensure that the City Charter and ordinances applicable to the City Council are upheld.
Ø I commit to make attending City Council and committee meetings for which I am assigned a top priority and to study the issues that I am asked to vote on.
Ø I commit, to the best of my ability, to hold the Mayor and his/her administration accountable for properly and ethically discharging their responsibilities consistent with the City Charter and applicable ordinances.
Ø I commit to do my best to help promote economic growth and job opportunities in order to ensure that the city’s tax base grows faster than the city’s budget so property tax burdens can be reduced over time.
Ø I commit not to accept any city job or contracts with the city which are funded by the City of Bridgeport’s Treasury (does not apply to the BOE) while serving on the City Council.
Ø I commit to recuse myself from any and all matters where I have or may appear to have a conflict of interest and to publicly disclose any and all city related matters where my family members or close friends are involved.
Ø I commit to promote transparency and accountability in city government, especially in regard to financial matters, and will promptly disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest that become known to me.
Ø I commit to support responsible education reform and funding that focuses on improving student performance and includes appropriate transparency, controls and accountability mechanisms for both the Board of Education and the Superintendent.
Ø I commit to support the need for the creation of a Charter Review Commission for the purpose of pursuing meaningful and comprehensive charter reform.
Ø I commit to support the need for a state appointed Financial Control Board for the city in order to help restructure its finances and avoid bankruptcy.
Ø I commit to holding periodic “town hall” meetings and related forums for the purpose of informing my constituents, providing them an opportunity to express their views, and responding to their questions on important issues facing our city.
Interested candidates should contact:
Phil Blagys: 203-218-1989
Dave Walker: 202-679-0257
Email: Citizens4betterbridgeport@gmail.com
I am one of many, many citywide volunteers ready to go door to door, work the phone banks and meet and greets for the right reform-minded candidates. The time for citywide change is now!
The Great Oz has spoken.
BRG–why; really, why? Please go find a massage parlor in Tucson and leave us alone in Bridgeport.
Really Ballsy … you are another one of the mindless people who hang around and worship everything Walker says. Sorry, I know how you hate free speech but I am not going away. So keep throwing your gutless insults.
It’s about time there seems to be a serious attempt to reform this corruptly run city. Hopefully, this Don Quixote-esque organization can work the magic needed instead of being a pie-in-the-sky naive attempt at true reform.
Is there a specific uniform that will be required? Do you think your requirements seem a tad unrealistic? It almost seems like a Boy/Girl Scout creed with messianic idealism. Could a slate like that get elected? It would be nice if it could. I believe individuals like Jeff Kohut and John Marshall Lee could definitely be two candidates who by their very nature would be a perfect fit. Good luck. Do not misinterpret my facetious tone. I believe your goals are admirable and would work in a utopia. Bridgeport is not a utopia and unfortunately the public education process would be overwhelming. I wish Citizens Working for a Better Bridgeport the best of luck. We are all in this together.
Steve, I could not agree more with your first two nominees! The voting records are a great source of who we need to educate about issues and candidates. There are so many qualified people in this city who will run if they know they have public support and help and they would not be the only elected non-machine official. Now there is citywide support and experienced people ready to help reform-minded candidates get elected. And I think these are just basic all-American public servant criteria, not some lofty utopian goals. I do hope you will be walking off some serious shoe leather with me from now until the November election.
Ah … I forgot Tom White!
You are 3 for 3!
“I believe your goals are admirable and would work in a utopia.” Steve, the most popular form of youth fiction today are ‘dystopian’ novels. Were you aware utopias have been abandoned to such an extent? So what do you do? Shall we complain some more about what the INS are doing wrong because it’s easy, fits their convictions, makes conflicts of interest less complicated, etc.? Or do you sense there are some people on the Council who are not happy with the flow of events and the City administration perspective to “I got your back” type of response. The City employees and those with other ties to the City administration know how they are supposed to vote in the Council. Others who are DTC endorsed know it is easier to “go along” to “get along.” And what that currently leaves us with are four or fewer CC members who might rise in the moment to fight for all of the people including taxpayers who are paying too much because the Council vote permits budgets that are too expensive and the waste is neither uncovered by evaluations or discovered by revelations (like “the driveway in Stratford”).
Working to elect several more voices to the Council in the fall to question more deeply, to expect answers before voting, and to learn the ropes with constituents in mind is a worthwhile endeavor. Time will tell.
I agree. It is definitely a worthwhile agenda. Did I not wish the group the best of luck? Did I not mention three candidates, yourself included, who I would trust to uphold these values?
Steve, thanks for indicating a firm purpose of amendment. Now for your penance, will you kindly read each of the criteria one more time. Perhaps you can jot down just which problem the statement is intended to bring to the mind of a potential candidate and why.
If you find any one criterion gratuitous or hard to follow, I will ask forgiveness of you and attempt to make amends. That would only be fitting as you are deserving of respect. Time will tell.
John Marshall Lee, I have done my penance. I have carefully read every line and scrutinized every detail. It is an absolute ideal. If the city were run like a corporation it would be perfect. Politics is a very dirty business. Some of the greatest one-liners are politically inspired. Like the 10 Commandments or 613 depending on your belief system, are difficult to follow. They are guidelines. Given the weakness of man these rules would be difficult. It would be the equivalent of taking a wedding vow of ’til death do you part before G-d or the oath of celibacy for a priest before G-d. My point … The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The rules are perfect. How many out there are legitimately that perfect?
This is just like Grover Glenn Norquist, the conservative libertarian and founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform. He is known as the promoter of the “Taxpayer Protection Pledge.”
Steve, these are lofty standards only in comparison to the low standards currently in place. They are unrealistic standards for most of those currently serving on the city council.
There is one thing for sure in Bridgeport. We must overshoot to ensure room for the inevitable compromises that will come down the pike. There is no utopian expectation here, just a realistic strategy to find candidates with an adequate amount of integrity. Good job.
Amen, double-0 gorgeous.
So Ms. Buchanan, who’s on your list for Black Rock? Rubber stamp Sue Brannelly and conflicted Steve Stafstrom?
Fluck–you gonna throw your hat in the ring again?
Fluck–Love your handle! Sue Brannelly publicly stated even if it costs her the election she in no way supports HB-5724 conflict of interest bill, knowing the full city charter language prohibiting employees serving on city council–and having her vote for two tax increases that included substantial raises to city employee and Council President McCarthy–she is a no vote for me. The revised budget she presented this year showed no substantial cuts to spending, just a huge increase in State revenue. Also, when we received state funds above the estimate, she voted to put the money into the general fund, and not lower the mil rate. She ran and was elected on I will keep taxes in check, my opponent raised your taxes. Sue clearly has not kept her campaign promises. She is also not open about her family members who are city employees.
I really like and respect Steve Stafstrom, he is thoughtful, researches issues, quick to respond and take care of constituent issues–but your point about the conflict stands, and as a registered Republican (I do not always vote straight party lines), I have an excellent out! I do not speak for all of CW4BB and have had some very exciting discussions with a few very well qualified people who want to run–city wide–who do not have any ties to the city administration. That excites me more than anything!
Isn’t it time CW4BB registers some kind of PAC with elections enforcement?
Interesting idea, Joel. Glad you mentioned it. 😉