Shock Wave! State Rep. Chris Caruso has accepted a gubernatorial appointment from Dan Malloy changing the makeup of the mayoral cycle while providing Caruso a state payday more than double what he earned in the legislature.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to help Bridgeport and other cities,” Caruso told OIB. “I wanted something where I could be involved in policy and report to the governor.” Caruso will earn $72,500 a year working as a development official out of the Department of Economic and Community Development Office in Rocky Hill. He told OIB taking a state job means he’ll be out of the mayoral sweepstakes.
Caruso says he put his heart and soul in the last two mayoral cycles and came up short. He lost close primaries to John Fabrizi in 2003 and Bill Finch in 2007. Over the past several days, he says, it was a hard decision. He had seriously contemplated another run for mayor. He made his decision Tuesday to accept the state job. Caruso announced his support for Dan Malloy in the final weeks of the Democratic primary for governor at a time Malloy felt his support was crucial.
What does this mean for the mayoral race? Too soon to say how it will sort out. Former Finch administration official John Gomes is the only announced candidate. Mary-Jane Foster, an executive at the University of Bridgeport, has been contemplating a run and she will no doubt be encouraged to run by the anti-Bill Finch forces. Former Mayor John Fabrizi? Former State Senator Ernie Newton? We’ll see. As for Mayor Finch who supported Malloy’s primary opponent Ned Lamont, the Big Wave taking a state job, at least in the short term, takes out an immediate threat. But now the mayor’s office must deal with Caruso as a state development official who could have influence over what the city gets. Ain’t politics fun!
Stay tuned for a special election to fill Caruso’s legislative seat. Caruso submitted his letter of resignation Tuesday to the office of the Connecticut Secretary of the State.
From Dan Malloy:
MALLOY APPOINTS STATE REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS CARUSO TO POSITION WITHIN DECD
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor-Elect Dan Malloy today announced that he has appointed State Representative Chris Caruso to a position within the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), where he will provide counsel to Governor-Elect Malloy on urban initiatives, housing and smart growth. Representative Caruso’s role will require him to resign his member-elect status and not be sworn in to a new term in the State House.
“As a former mayor of an urban center, I know that many of the issues cities face can be unique and complex,” said Governor-Elect Malloy. “While no more or less important that the issues our state’s other areas face, they certainly are different, and I am looking to Chris to draw from his experience living in and representing a city to help shape policy at DECD.”
“I’ve enjoyed serving in the Connecticut House of Representatives, but this is an opportunity I could not turn down,” said Representative Caruso. “The chance to help shape urban policy and provide counsel to the Governor is one in which I believe my experience as a legislator from Bridgeport could be helpful. I’m looking forward to working with the staff at the department to implement many of the ideas and issues Governor-Elect Malloy and I have worked on throughout the years.”
Representative Caruso, a native of Bridgeport, was elected as a Democrat representing the 126th Assembly District in 1991. Presently, he is the Ranking Member of the Regulations Review Committee, and member on the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, Public Safety Committee and Transportation Committee. Previously, Representative Caruso chaired the Government, Administration and Elections Committee; served on the Appropriations Committee; and co-chaired the Subcommittee on Tourism. Representative Caruso spearheaded legislation to clean up corruption in state government and reform Connecticut’s campaign finance law.
Congratulations Chris.
Our Governor has chosen wisely and well …
Come on Carolanne tell the truth you are beside yourself with glee now that this major contender is out of the way.
town committee // Jan 4, 2011 at 5:58 pm
TC,
Do you think?
Our “Governor” has chosen Finch.
Dude–you been smoking or what? Next you will say “our Governor ” is choosin’ Lamont.
Well this appointment sure opens up the mayor’s race. I expect to see new names and faces coming out now that the #1 contender is gone. I bet Finch is one happy camper at this time. I was wondering if they would buy off Caruso with a job and they did. I wonder how much influence Stafstrom had in this appointment. It is really going to be one hell of a year.
Goodbye Chris you will always be a contender never a champ.
Congratulations Mayor-elect John M. Gomes.
I think Serpico is the one who’s been smoking …
Sorry to see my boy go, on the other hand congratulations. I agree, congratulations to Gomes are in order.
Bridgeport could use some Foster care!
Is it a coincidence that Mr. Gomes has a banner next to Mr. Caruso’s smiling face? Is there a connection? Are they in this together? In Mr. Caruso’s new position he has to have a mayor who he can work well with. I can see this being the case.
Great for Bpt!
Cong. To Chris, what Bridgeport needs is a strong voice in our state. Chris could be that voice in Bridgeport. I’ll be making my intentions known real soon. My family has suffered the loss of my brother-in-law. Once again I’ll make my intentions known on what office I will seek in the future.
Wait until you’re finished with the probation “office.”
hahaha
Remember, I’m a VOTER AGAINNN.
Ernie–are you kidding? If you were really concerned more about this city instead of yourself, you wouldn’t run. Hasn’t this city had enough problems already? People outside of this great city have enough to laugh at already.
Chris do you really think you will be meeting with Governor Malloy as a representative of The Department of Economic and Community Development? You will be a minor functionary at a salary of $72,500. Policy making in that position? I doubt it. The salary they are paying indicates you will be well down the food chain. I am sure the person who is in charge of this department will be the one to meet with Malloy if there is ever such a meeting. This department sounds like one that should be eliminated in hard budget times. Chris I am sure you did what you thought was best for you and that really does come first but don’t fool yourself you are in for long meaningless days ahead.
Anyone with half a brain saw this bullshit coming. All this amounts to is one hell of a strategic move by the Calamarians to preserve their cushy and comfy way of life the consequences of which shall place this city on the already established course of total collapse. Lennie asked me a while ago why I was retracting from Caruso. Plain and simple. When he started making deals with Malloy, any hope of ridding this town of Testa and Timpanelli control was over. And on top of all this, Moses thinks he has a future in Bridgeport politics. We’re not that dumb Ernie T.
PS
Who’s going to explain to the fat man what a W-4 is, a paycheck, direct deposit, etc? Imagine … this is the very first full-time job he has ever had. We are entrusting statewide economic growth and development to a guy who could never improve his own economic growth and development. Any bets where the fat man’s Bridgeport-based satellite office will be located … Duchess? Merritt Canteen? Dunkin Donuts?
With Chris Caruso out as a State Representative of local issues and in as a State employee bringing his experience to bear on city matters at whatever level his title and portfolio position him, Bridgeport is still in its Mayoral 2011 Sweepstakes running. Best personal wishes to Chris in his career in public service.
Many OIB posters continue to focus on personality, popularity and political motivation when considering candidates. Fair enough. Makes for interesting reading at times. Part of this stems from critique of Mayor Finch for lack of executive skills, inability to let personal issues drop (University of Bridgeport as major City stakeholder), or failure to deliver open, transparent and accountable governance, instead looking to ‘green’ philosophy to cover the ‘ungilded’ financial practices of his term.
I like to look at the various candidates in terms of how they specifically approach economics (taxes and development), educational system and results for youth in the City, and executive potential (how they would operate/reform City operations). In this final regard, leading a group of people, employees, elected, and volunteer, requires something more than occasional charisma or a big smile. Experience is good. And I don’t want to knock affability. A sense of humor or perspective is most helpful. But real executive experience suggests the self-confidence to have many people with real ability and experience in the public forum pursuing the mission(s) of government, in general, or of a particular administration specifically. Dialogue and discussion would be novel practices in this City previous to policy execution.
Hard government decisions will be upon elected leaders, whether in executive or legislative positions, increasingly in the years ahead. I am looking for the signs that a candidate can do the job he or she seeks. It is possible such a leader might make for a less interesting topic of conversation on OIB, but certainly the issues tackled would then become the subjects for deeper discussion: sewers and sewage, economic development and taxes, educational goals and achievements, public safety issues (perception and reality), access to governance facts and service opportunities, etc., etc. What subjects do you want a candidate to satisfactorily address to command your support?
BEACON2 // Jan 5, 2011 at 10:15 am
To your posting
Well phrased BEACON2.
Your points are such that any well-intended candidate would do well by their campaign to incorporate these points as part of preparing Bridgeport for the decades to come.
Any smart leader knows that surrounding themselves with even smarter people will lead to a City structure of government that not only addresses the points you make, but even more important, it will lead to a structure of City government that serves our approx. 138,000 residents … not just a few dozen favorites!
As you know I believe strongly that John Gomes has the “leadership” qualities that would demonstrate an ability to reach out to those who could help a new administration turn this City in a better direction.
Beacon I would want a candidate who cares and I mean really cares about Bridgeport and its people not just the hangers-on.
We need a mayor who can manage people and is not afraid to surround himself with experts in city department management. There has been enough of recycling the same people over and over again.
I want a mayor who is not worried about reelection the day after he is sworn in.
We need a mayor who is not afraid to make the hard decisions and will trim the political hangers-on from the payroll. He will close departments like CitiStat that has become a dumping ground for political allies.
I want a mayor who will force the BOE to look at its programs and figure out why we have a 68% dropout rate.
I want a mayor who will tell Chief Gaudett to get off his ass and modernize the PD and get cops in the street and not in offices.
I want the mayor to take a more active role in redevelopment and make the deals that are necessary to get things done in Bpt. Fire the present director of redevelopment, living in NY is not cutting it.
I want a mayor who will make the hard decisions and not worry about reelection. Do the job right and reelection will take care of itself.
TC–you posted “I want a mayor who is not worried about reelection the day after he is sworn in.”
I would hope you meant “the day after he or SHE is sworn in.”
You know what I meant. But if you want to nitpick, fine. BTW there is a nitpickers Hall of Fame in Are You Kidding Pennsylvania. You have been nominated.
I hope this will be good for Bridgeport. A lot of help needed from state level too. “It’s a great opportunity for me to help Bridgeport and other cities,” Caruso told OIB. OK, how about starting with State Street, which is owned by the state apparently? It’s full of potholes and that’s the first thing people see when they get off that I95 exit.
Other stuff we need to put pressure on local officials. On yesterday’s Bridgeport Now TV show, we showed pictures of broken windows and empty buildings on Middle Street, Downtown North. This area I am told was taken over by eminent domain by the city and nothing has been done. Is there a plan? I wonder what these buildings look like inside, since so many of them have open windows.
In other developments, in Hartford, in the paper today Malloy is asking for sacrifice. I hope that doesn’t mean our taxes go up again. I don’t see the hedge fund and private equity crowd doing any sacrifices meaning raising their tax rate to normal level (carried interest issue). Obama and Himes were against this and I don’t get why. They even extended Bush policies of tax cuts for the very rich. They could have even tried to negotiate it, but just caved in to Republican demands. We need someone who will fight for the working people and not give in to the GOP. Maybe the Working Families Party is the choice, some say and they might bust the monopoly at the city council too. After all, much of the Republican Party policies are bad for America, according to former Reagan insider. David Stockman Trashes Reaganomics, Bush Tax Cuts, And Hank “Incompetent, Reckless” Paulson:
www .businessinsider.com/david-stockman-hank-paulson-reaganomics-tarp-2011-1
I mean if the GOP were leading us off a cliff, the DEMS would just follow blindly.
Meanwhile back in Bridgeport, front cover CT Post story: City budget hole. BTW who is in charge of selling buildings like the former Black Rock Arts Center? Some say they need a little assistance and what is their current marketing strategy in finding a buyer? Do we know the responses to the RFP’s or only city insiders? There might be a good business idea but public does not know anything about this.
Lastly, this year the Bridgeport Take Home Car issue is supposed to be revised. City officials apparently are not abiding by the law, says one city council person, since city law clearly states take-home cars need to be identified as such on car and they are not. In addition, there is no public record of how many such cars are in use and why they deserve these. We need transparency and accountability on this issue. We need to cut expenses to ensure our real estate taxes don’t go up. My apologies to anyone who currently gets this take-home car benefit. Only 3 such cars should be in force according to the mayor.
town committee // Jan 5, 2011 at 11:35 am
To your posting.
Some might think you’re dreaming, but I truly believe your thinking can become a reality with the individual whose thinking is all about Bridgeport, not favors for the few …
And most assuredly there may be only one term … but that may also be the way to success for rebuilding Bridgeport for the 21st century and take it out of the 19th century way of doing City business …
TC, think about it … accountability is key … and whether you want to call it CitStat or just plain accountability … that has to begin in order for any City government in Bridgeport to work for the benefit of her residents.
Gomes is a Calamarian. We need someone who will eradicate the Testa/Timpanelli gaggle so this town can make some headway toward its real potential.
I can without a shred of doubt say from what I have studied up on about John Gomes he is not a calamarian.
Yahooy,
“Gomes is a Calamarian.”
Will you share with the uninitiated the “acid test” of being a Calamarian? You have repeated similar statements in the past without explanation. It sounds like a negative descriptor. If it’s simply a fondly held opinion, no problem, but if it has some substance to it, please share the details.
From where you sit is there any City resident with suitable life experience, reasonable intelligence and education and willingness to commit four years to public service as chief municipal executive of Bridgeport promising four years in which we can see human, economic, and ethical potential increase?
yahooy, you have all the answers, I would love to see you runnn for office.
Careful what you wish for Ernie. yahooy is White and married for close to 40 years to a Black woman who is well educated and an educator herself. The last thing you need is for yahooy and his wife to assemble a group of African Americans (not career politicians) and support your opponent.
Don’t try to tame yahooy–I’ve tried for over two years and he just keeps coming back like a Republican.
Does this mean the Public Hearing is off?
“Caruso Sets Delegation Hearing”
Looking back at the comments made by members of the Bridgeport Legislative Delegation as to why they selected Caruso to lead them, leads me to one conclusion: The delegation is weaker than ever. They selected the best to lead them, but now that Chris is gone …
Now I’m left to wonder–how is it that Dan Malloy would select a person to “counsel” him on ECD matters when this same person and the delegations he lead needed input “… from Bridgeport’s residents to speak out on any issue they consider important for the city or the state …”
“… I’m looking forward to working with the staff at the department to implement many of the ideas and issues Governor-Elect Malloy and I have worked on throughout the years …”
Noticed the “I” and no mention of the Bridgeport delegation? Noticed “… to implement many of the ideas and issues …”? Sounds like he already knows the ideas and issues. Therefore, no need to listen to the Bridgeport delegation.
“But now the mayor’s office must deal with Caruso as a state development official who could have influence over what the city gets. Ain’t politics fun!” Good observation Lennie. I’d bet the Juvenile Detention site will be at the top of Caruso’s list.
Somebody else enlighten this person about the concept of Calamarianism.
Ernest T. … I am not interested in running for office. I’m only interested is seeing to it that you don’t.
Are there Bridgeport residents capable of turning this city around? Surely. Will they run? Probably not. Why not? Nobody has the balls to go up against the Calamarians.
Ernest T. As far as finding a suitable candidate with “suitable life experience, reasonable intelligence and education” you have none of that. These traits are what the good people of Bridgeport want in a mayor. That is abundantly clear.
If Gomes or his handlers aren’t going to fall for my baited Calamarian reference, then I would like to hear from him (not you Carolanne Curry) how he intends to rid the City of the controls these nefarious philistines have held on for the past 30+ years.
“Calamarianism”–the real or perceived actions of an initiated member, or associate, of a Bridgeport political club with tentacles reaching Madison Avenue and environs. (No hot sauce required, but a lemon wedge or two.)
Cunning.
New Irish Airline to be named Cunning Air Lingus!
A Squid-Pro-Quo with huge Testacles.
Brilliant!!!
yahooy, you might not think I have a future but my people do, and that’s what counts. Just because you lose your JOB with the CITY doesn’t MAKE you a contender for Mayor. Joel, thanks for your words of wisdom. But I don’t give a damn what yahooy thinks.
Going to jail and having your own people makes you a contenda I guess. Ernest T fires the first dirty shot.
Amen
Ernest–You will not be elected to any political office (not even dogcatcher) outside of the East End. You are not Mayor material. You’ve proven the fact that you were not in politics to serve your constituents–the people. The only public service you provided was for yourself.
And regarding “your people,” let’s get something straight and clear. YOU ARE NOT MOSES, nor are you even Moses-like.
Lastly, you need to thank God you have a job right now, and leave the fact that others, who may have lost their job due to no fault of their own, alone.
Now the fun begins on who will replace Caruso as state Rep. I am sure a tired old bunch of retreads will apply. I can’t wait to hear their sales pitch to the 138th. I can hear it now: There will be no more flooding, we will improve your police protection, we will plow your roads on time. Yada! Yada! Yada!
Mr BPT, never will I let anyone tell me what I can do and can’t do. Well I guess losing your JOB makes you ONE?
Looks like someone is a little bitter after serving a little time … (not to mention his little crime)
*** Caruso’s gone for double the money, new governor has one less anti-admin. worry in the statehouse & Bpt’s DTC doesn’t have to worry about the possible number-one contender (Caruso) cleaning house if he became Mayor, no? Now there’s a mad scramble for the empty seat in Hartford leaving any & everybody interested coming out the political woodwork. Who’s left in Hartford to really look out for the city of Bpt? The more things change, the more they remain (or get worse) and stay the same! Well I’ve had enough, I’m running for state rep, Mayor, council & dog warden this year! (wink) *** Back to Basics ***
This only leads me back to one Candidate and that is Ganim!!!
Hmmm is that really Newton? I will give Gomes a better look now anyway still might not vote this time around. But if Ganim were smart he would jump in now. I would vote if he were running, no doubt about it. Go Ganim!
*** HERE WE GO! ***
BEACON2 // Jan 5, 2011 at 10:15 am
To your posting
It would seem citizens of the City (using your posting as an example) have a far wider and deeper understanding of the issues that define Bridgeport’s future.
They seem to know the ability to respond to these issues will not be achieved by one good Mayoral leader in the 2011 City elections. It cannot be on the shoulders of one person who is elected Mayor to reset the direction of this City.
And perhaps it will not be to elect a Mayor with the capacity to recite numbers, but to elect one with the capacity to communicate a moral agenda, display a political will, and demand accountability for their own self and for those representing the City.
Within the context of the Mayor’s campaign, does this call for presenting an alternative choice of candidate slates? Does this represent wholesale replacement of the current hierarchy of elected officials?
I think perhaps it is this and more.