Dan Tepfer, who recently retired after 45 years at the Connecticut Post, most of it covering state court, has a new gig with the Connecticut Examiner. Here’s his first piece on the Success Village mess that has federal investigators all over it, including a probe of former director Ty Bird, and the court-appointed receiver in charge Barry Knott wondering where $1.3 million dollars went.
After a six-month delay, the heat and hot water are back on for the more than 2,000 residents of the Success Village co-op but serious questions remain regarding the operation of the huge housing complex that straddles the Bridgeport/Stratford line.
This week law enforcement sources and sources involved with the complex confirmed that both federal and state investigators are looking into the previous operation of the co-op, the largest privately-owned housing complex in the state, after $1.3 million in insurance money slated for the repair of units damaged by fire went missing.
“We don’t know where the money went to and frankly it’s disgraceful,” said Stratford lawyer Barry Knott on Friday. Knott was appointed in September by Superior Court Judge Dale Radcliffe to take over the operation of the co-op.
Full story here
Righteous Indignation.
Believers can also channel their anger into constructive action by becoming involved with Christian organizations that combat the influence of evil in society. The key is that, if our outrage results in bringing others into a loving and restorative relationship with God, it’s righteous indignation.
Tied up in “Knotts”! That’s very good Lenny! But the real question is; why is it taking so long to identify malfeasance by Birdie, and the others of his BOD feather, and for them to be charged with at least malignant negligence in their BOD duties? If they didn’t outright steal, they at least showed malign indifference to the well-being of their Success Village charges that took the form of misuse of organization money — on a grand scale — and the neglect of the most basic needs of residents while spending money on a sophisticated security system that even the most troubled housing projects of the BHA don’t have (a whole other issue to cover…).
But really, let’s be real here; it’s very likely that Birdie stole millions — likely enough that he should have been charged with grand larceny. His fingerprints are all over the accounts of missing millions. If he isn’t charged soon, he’s liable to “fly the coup” and avoid all responsibility for turning Success Village into a quasi-municipal disaster that will require a grand-scale state and federal bailout.
Birdie should probably be formally charged, soon, so that the full extent of BOD malfeasance can be determined, responsibility determined for every missing or mis-spent dollar of the Success Village Co-op funds, and all indicated repairs and upgrades of the Success Village physical plant be undertaken, even as all of the Success Village shareholders are made whole and the future of their property rights secured.
The people of Success Village shouldn’t have their futures in doubt while accountability and justice for Birdie (et al?) languishes…. What’s taking so long? Political interference on behalf of the very connected Birdie?!
Should have quoted the truly even wittier “Tyed up in Knotts” rather than “tied.” Sorry Lennie — didn’t want to diminish the true journalist wit of this subject title. It was truly beautiful — maybe even a journalistic gift, given the “perfect” names of the main subjects!…
Lennie must have written that Head Line after having some mushrooms while wearing his tye died Dead t-shirt. Strange trip!
But lets not forget — https://ctexaminer.com/2024/11/27/criminal-investigation-may-be-at-the-root-of-sealed-findings-into-geter-pataky/
Can any reader of the more than ten articles on OIB in recent months or elsewhere fail to acknowledge the UNFAIRNESS and CONFLICTS OF INTEREST that eliminated the necessary SELF-GOVERNANCE of Success Village?
**Had I been a unit owner/resident of the VILLAGE, where could I go to complain about UNfair self=governance? Not the Bridgeport FAIR HOUSING COMMISSION!!! No Mayor had appointed candidates to that group for 20 years. It died in plain sight, you can say.
**Where did Director Bird find authority to terminate a regular meeting schedule, provide little or no formal notice to resident/owners?
** Did By Laws specifically authorize activities to the Director for independent action without votes by other members? What powers did he rely upon to fail paying taxes, utility bills, and incur legal expenses on behalf of the Corporation?
Happy to know that Dan Tepfer, a Bridgeport journalist, tracking illegalities for years, continues on the job. But the FBI, the State Legislature and others can be helpful in outlining the incidents that were outside of the legal limits and need corrective action currently. Time will tell.
John; I know quite a few Success Village residents through various aspects of my life. In background, those residents range from very elderly, first-generation Americans that have been there for many years, to permanent -resident and newly naturalized immigrants that have only a weak command of the English language, and little clue of the nuances of the aspects of the range of “self-governance” circumstances of our society. All of these residents are or were hard-working people that put in long hours to make ends meet and would have little time or energy left for engaging in BOD or other relevant meetings; most would have little ability (because of inadequate language skills/formal education of understanding most of the proceedings of such meetings, in any event…
Indeed, it is those people that were deliberately taken advantage of and are now left in a confusing quandary regarding the long-term security of their housing and their largest financial investment.
And yes; they WERE failed and ARE being failed by municipal and state leadership (Mayor Ganim and Governor Lamont, et al., over time) in their failure to pay attention to the maintenance of governmental oversight of housing issue at the local and state level, even as housing has been, perhaps the most pressing issue of our state.
It is no great mental stretch to realize that outreach is necessary by the local and state governments to assure that self-governance of housing cooperatives operates — and operates effectively. Active local and state oversight of housing is recognized by virtue of extant laws and regulations providing for the operation of BOD’s of housings cooperatives at the state level and by the existence of housing commissions at the local level. Local and state leadership, at several levels have dropped the ball in this regard and are failing t pick it up even as disasters such as Success Village unfold…
Jeff,
Thank you for identifying your longer term relationships with a number of Success Village residents who come from a number of backgrounds and cultures where ‘self-governance’ may not be well understood. Or perhaps they are Bridgeporters, born and bred, who attended public schools and were informed through history or civics courses about civil rights originating in the Bill of Rights but who may have forgotten about the role each citizen is obligated or duty-bound to play.
The subject is revisited by Richard Haas in 2023 in his latest book, excerpted here:
From: The Bill of Obligations -Ten Habits of Good Citizens
by Richard Haass, Penguin, (2023)
OBLIGATIONS:
1. Be Informed: Barack Obama, “Democracy doesn’t work if we don’t have an informed citizenry.” Reading. Reflection. Conversations.
2. Get Involved- Democracy depends on ‘rule by the people’ rather than ‘of the people.’ Vote for all ballot candidates, be INFORMED. Pursue oversight. Governance is not a ‘spectator sport.’
3. Stay Open to Compromise-See that necessary work results in action. Principle of mutual concession. Seek balance.
4. Remain Civil- Manners. Respect. Courtesy. Politeness. Community over chaos. Control passion. View presentations you disagree with.
5. Reject Violence-Restricted use of armed force against others by individuals FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES upholds the ‘rule of law.’
6. Value Norms- Unwritten traditions, rules, customs, conventions, codes of conduct, practices that reduce friction. Furnishings that frame the laws and structure of Democracy.
7. Promote the Common Good- A stake in the overall well-being of the community. Inescapable network of mutuality-well beyond “rugged individualism.” Equal opportunity not outcomes. Fairness.
8. Respect Government Service -Imperfect or flawed government must suggest better and active expertise in governance values.
9. Support the Teaching of Civics- Like the Service Academies do to avoid a ‘civics deficit’ worse than any ‘budget deficit.’ Why has public school education been crowded out from core intellectual curricula, basic, remembered civics instruction? Instruction in practicing the habits of democracy!
10. Put Country First – Before party and person. Human nature requires guardrails if our ‘better angels are to prevail’ in all branches and levels of government. John F. Kennedy’s, PROFILES IN COURAGE, stories of eight Senators who used personal virtue and character in service of the national interest as motivation for action rather than personal or political gain.
Have we become so accustomed to governmental ‘wrongdoing’ that allegations without facts or evidence presented have become equal to “tried and sentenced in a court of law?” Or has the frequency of such situations merely made us more impatient, of oversight enforcers, lawbased prosecutors, and courts where the facts become public and judgements are rendered, to see the rule of law in action, with justice as a result? Time will tell.
John; I think that you may have drifted away from your own ORIGINAL point about the indications for municipal and state oversight. I was in agreement with you about the latter…
Jeff, not ‘drifting’ at all. I have been making what you term as an ORIGINAL point for months now whenever I write about Success Village. And while municipal reality would be an assist if there were an active, Fair Housing Commission (as Ordinance passed in 2022) but Mayor Ganim perhaps has been too busy? And perhaps it will take one or more condominium associations to founder before State regulations are amended to provide necessary support.
But ultimately I will assume that most owners are US citizens, by birth or application which provides civics training. How much civics knowledge and understanding resides in the general public? Based on issues raised to the City Council? Or to a subcommitte? How much is represented by anemic use of ballots, other than the top of a ticket, at voting sessions? Votes are an expression of an informed opinion as to favorably supporting a candidate for office on a ballot. Isn’t active citizenship necessary to vote in municipal, State, or Federal elections, or more practically for support of neighbors in tending to your real estate interest while respecting that listening to all parties is necessary? Time will tell.
What percentage of American-born, high school educated citizens would you guess are aware of the committee process by which municipalities function?! What percentage know how to get the city to look at a problem or change a municipal situation other than by calling the Mayor’s Office?! Citizenship training is unlikely to bring any awareness of the means of self-advocacy at the city state or city government, let alone how to correct dysfunctional housing co-op governance….