Okay, here we go. Mayor Bill Finch is expected to submit his budget to the City Council on Monday for the budget year that begins July 1.
TO: ALL DEPARTMENT HEADS
CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
FROM: FLEETA HUDSON, CITY CLERK
RE: BUDGET MEETING SCHEDULE-FY 2011/2012
The Mayor’s Proposed General Fund Budget for FY 2011-2012 is expected to be referred to the City Council’s Budget and Appropriations Committee on Monday, April 4, 2011 pursuant to City Charter mandates.
The attached Budget Committee meeting schedule has been set forth by the Budget Committee concerning the Mayor’s Proposed General Fund Budget, FY 2011-12.
Please be prepared to review your budget in detail on the date indicated for your department. Bring copies of your material for all 20 Council Members plus a copy for the City Clerk’s permanent records.
Please contact the Budget Committee co-chairs for attendance or other issues concerning the schedule: Co-chair Mr. Robert Curwen at 203-371-1091 or Co-Chair Mr. Angel M. dePara, Jr. at 382-1199.
What’s in the budget? Dunno yet. My guess is the mayor submits a budget with no tax increase or minimal in this election year cycle. The council’s Budget and Appropriations Committee has scheduled its first meeting for Tuesday, April 5, 6 p.m. in the Wheeler Room of City Hall. It also has a meeting scheduled for April 6, 6 p.m. in the Wheeler Room. The council’s budget committee will spend the next six weeks reviewing and acting on various department budgets before voting on the budget May 9. It then goes to the full council for a vote, back to the mayor for possible veto action, before the council sets the final budget year mil rate in June.
Zippity doo dah, zippity yay …
Plenty of Sunshine headed my way, Zippity doo dah, Zippity yay.
If Mayor Finch is sooo determined to balance the municipal budget he ought to voluntarily take a pay cut.
Bill Finch just announced his resignation and named Joe Ganim as his successor. Finch claimed “The city is lost without ol’ Joe.”
APRIL FOOLS!!!
I can’t wait to attend these hearings. This will be one of the greatest dog-and-pony shows held in Bridgeport since PT Barnum lived here.
Does anyone really expect anything to come from these hearings? Last year they held their dog-and-pony hearings and NOT ONE department had their budget trimmed.
PT Barnum AKA mayor Finch submitted a budget with an $8 million deficit. The budget committee sent the exact same budget to the council who then passed this budget like the good boys and girls they are. Look for the same thing to happen this year. What incentive does Bob Curwen, a new city employee, and Angel Depara have to make changes to Barnum’s (Finch’s) budget? Remember these words.
So I guess it’s safe to say Curwen is not resigning. Mike M. must be pissed as he changed his address and everything.
city hall smoker: Mike Marella I am told showed people a drivers license with a Bridgeport address. He was told that is unacceptable and threw a hissy fit. Martha Santiago then tried to get this through Testa and was also rebuffed.
If in fact he is in possession of such a driver license then he has violated the law as he still resides in Shelton.
Curwen to his credit is holding on to his seat because we don’t have enough votes in the 138th to stop Martha’s appointment of Marella.
Finch even told Marella this was a bad idea. Curwen resigns from the council then Santiago appoints an out-of-towner whose wife has a city job, his nephew Paoletto has a city job and is on the council and Marella through PAL is the recipient of CBDG Grant money.
Remember Santiago and Anastasi’s wife serve on the board of directors for PAL. Remember Marella’s wife is the President of the Women’s Democratic Federation.
You can’t make this shit up. One phone call from Finch or Testa to Santiago could put this all to bed and quick, it’s called political hardball.
There’s only one problem with your scenario, tc.
The City Council elects the replacement. And although the council traditionally supports the choice of the Town Committee, they have in the past rejected that and chosen someone else.
Grin I understand about the council vote. They have only on one other occasion voted down a person reccomended by the district town committee. With this council I don’t see that happening. I don’t see Finch speaking against it. He is well aware that the Marellas on the surface backed Finch’s choice for governor and at the same time worked for Malloy. Proven & documented. Finch wanted a hit list of people who back-doored him. He got it & the Marellas’ names were on it. The next thing you know, they are all going to the governor’s ball together. Voted down by the council, I don’t think so, unfortunately.
Is it true Finch does a mayor’s ball every year and all the proceeds go to Bpt PAL? Isn’t this a conflict of interest? Why aren’t the funds spread around to other well-deserving programs? tc is right, you can’t make this stuff up.
Whose address did Mike put on his drivers license? Martha’s or nephew Richie? Either way it’s fraud and they could all be arrested.
You know what I find really interesting? I can’t find anyone in our town who thinks Finch has done a good or even marginally good job since taking office. Furthermore, I have not been able to identify one person who intends to vote for him again. I have been wandering around my favorite haunts like R&R, Epernay, the Greek thing on Villa Ave., Torres’ place in Black Rock … hotbeds for political banter. But the most surprising anti-Finch talk came just this morning at Chaves’ Bakery on State Street. Full disclosure, the anti-Finch sentiment came from only the patrons. I have no idea what Chaves’ management or staff have to say. These patrons cannot be construed as the elite of society. Just hard-working folk trying to make it happen with little resources. Most, if not all, are renters who, over the past 3+ years have seen a dramatic increase in their rents because of Finch and his reckless taxing policies. They further lament over the combat zone nearby I once enjoyed as the “Lions Den” … Bassick High School. Academic failures notwithstanding, Bassick is (not seems to be), a hub for drug distribution. Absolutely no police presence despite numerous calls of complaint regarding open drug selling on the surrounding streets before during and after school hours. The group I was talking with actually pointed out a drug sale while we were talking taking place under a sign warning that this is a school safe zone with severe drug penalties. Amazing that our mayor addressed nothing to improve the quality of life of the people of Bridgeport while he has been in office. Yet because of the political machinations of Mario Testa and Paul Timpanelli which includes but is not limited to diluting the primary by planting spoiler candidates, Finch’s prospects for reelection are strong. Gomes and MJF are worthy of the forthcoming challenges. I hope they hear this message loud and clear. The people do not want Finch reelected. The machine will see to it that he is. He can be defeated, but the candidates need to GET OUT AND SHOUT right now … not when it is strategically appropriate (which means until they raise the cash to mount an effective campaign). I’m ready to write a check or two, but at this point I just don’t know to whom to make it out. GET OUT AND SHOUT, now, please.
yahooy // Apr 1, 2011 at 9:29 am
to your posting
yahooy,
Gomes has heard the message loud and clear. Bill Finch has not been a good Mayor for the people of Bridgeport, he’s been a Mayor of convenience to those who see the City coffers as their own little spending playground.
Gomes is out there shouting and you and I are on the same page … it doesn’t cost money to shout … to get yourself on the doorsteps, to get yourself to the public meetings, to get yourself in to meet the small business owners, to get with the people and get to the people of Bridgeport so there are more than 20 votes cast on September 13, 2011. This is the day of reckoning …
yahooy: Great post, right on the money.
Finch has a few things working against his re-election chances.
#1, Chris Caruso. The former state representative has not declared his intention to run for the mayor’s job. Yet. If he chooses not to run he is still a political force to be reckoned with. He’s well liked in the North End.
#2, Governor Malloy. He’s not all warm and fuzzy with Finch or the DTC party machine here in the ‘Port. They supported Ned Lamont during the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Governor Malloy, the former mayor of Stamford, is all about urban renewal. He knows Bridgeport has been poorly served by the intramural politics of Bridgeport’s one-party system.
#3, Joe Ganim, THE spoiler. Should he decide to run (and it’s more than likely his ego will not allow him to sit this one out), he’ll siphon votes away from Finch.
An oversimplification of the facts, but the facts nonetheless.
Milieu de la matinée et aucun signe du nain toxique. Le jour est assez bien le tri.
Caruso won’t take the risk. He is too dependent on his Malloy paycheck. His life doesn’t work without it.
Malloy is a political pimp who is starting to smell. If the Calamarians promise him much, he supports Finch.
Ganim will not run. If you think, the loss of income while incarcerated, the loss of his law license and the stiff fines he had to pay were expensive. They pale when compared to the cost of a divorce and being disowned by the family.
Caruso won’t run. He may well endorse a candidate who operates outside the “corrupt political machine,” as he accurately described it.
Whatever gripes there may be about Malloy, he did make over Stamford during his tenure as mayor. What worked in Stamford, and the Baltimore waterfront and Providence Rhode Island, can work here in Bridgeport.
Bitching about the machine politics will not make things happen.
yahooy // Apr 1, 2011 at 10:15 am
to your posting
yahooy,
From your mouth to God’s ear.
However, you’re short-selling Malloy. This guy may be political, but he’s no pimp for Bridgeport’s Party boss.
Malloy is from Fairfield County. He sees the neglected potential of Bridgeport. He’s also miffed that Mario Testa and Bill Finch ordered the minions to support Ned Lamont in last year’s Democratic gubernatorial primary. And he knows Bridgeport’s Democratic Party machine is the most corrupt political organization in the state, more crooked than a dog’s hind leg. The governor knows we, as citizens of Bridgeport, have been poorly served by a town committee chairman more interested in power and sport than actually doing anything for the people who live here.
yahooy. Your post is spot on. If Finch gave a damn about crime, he would have appointed a real Police Chief, not the puppet dunce in place now. For those who don’t know, the test for Chief was manipulated by Finch to get Gaudett in place. Two real Chief candidates lost out to this fool. Sadly Bridgeport residents lost out. My friend tells me there are already issues of racism in the way minority cops are treated in the PD since this chief took over.
Hear hear!
The Phantom // Apr 1, 2011 at 10:34 am
To your posting
Phan, …
Gaudett’s boss is the one who is implicitly encouraging this racism by his silence; just as he has implicitly encouraged sexism, age discrimination, homophobia and special favoritism as practiced by his many underlings …
So no wonder Gaudett acts the way he does …
I suppose you’re right about Ganim. He’d have to move his family to Bridgeport. My guess is his wife and children enjoy the gentrified “country life,” fresh bagels, fresh air, many white people …
Kid,
I’m enjoying your posts especially since you tend to agree with me. But you have got to dial back the racist bullshit. While the attack dogs and firehoses are a thing of the past, minorities still have a great way to go to achieve the full equality they deserve. Racism, especially from a well known and regarded political commentator, only places an unnecessary obstacle which blocks or slows inevitable progress.
I grew up in a lily-white suburb of Hartford, so I know of what speak. It is Ernie “Moses” Newton who plays the race card too often. If he runs for his old state senate seat (which seems more and more likely) he will play the race card to garner votes: “I got five years and that cracker governor got a year and a day!” He still carps about that, a tacit admission that #1, he doesn’t hold a shred of remorse for the crimes he committed; and #2, his biggest personal problem is a raging case of self pity.
Like it or not race plays a big part in the politics of Bridgeport. The DTC has used that fact to create divisiveness. The cultural diversity of Bridgeport is actually an untapped reservoir of strength.
Oh.
I have it from a good source the Bridgeport pensions have not been funded for 3 years. This is one way to balance the budget at 20 million per year. Will it be four years?