Art Harris and Robyn Stephanie Waul-Blake, city employees at the center of a police investigation, were fired by the city on Friday for their role in receiving nearly $400k in subcontract work on city projects involving minority business contracts.
Local law enforcement officials continue their probe of work awarded Nyborg Construction, a company created by the former city employees. If officials learn, if they haven’t already, that federal dough ended up as part of payments to the company they will likely ask the feds to step in. Harris, who served as director of Construction Administration and Waul-Blake, a Public Facilities administrative assistant, have not been charged criminally.
Dennis Scinto Jr., the city’s contract compliance officer, was placed on administrative leave as the city’s Labor Relations Office sorts out what role each played in the matter. If the city’s review shows Scinto’s involvement was limited to his role as the compliance officer he’ll likely be reinstated in his job.
Scinto’s father, Democratic Party district leader in the North End, has been active in city politics for decades.
I think this is just the tip of the iceberg. I believe this is going on elsewhere in the city. Look at Planning & Zoning, Public Facilities and the city attorneys office. In the city attorneys office look at some of the land and building deals that have been going on for the past 4 years.
Now with Art Harris gone does that mean Bob Curwen will again be hired to fill that job? Bob has been a good soldier ushering through many bogus unbalanced budgets for multiple administrations.
Looking down the road further, if Curwen does get the job who will the leader of the 138th town committee group appoint to fill his position on the council? Now we all know Martha will do what she is told to do and seeing as 5 out of 9 of her present town committee are city workers it should be interesting to see which step and fetch it person they put in Curwen’s spot.
*** If the feds get into this, it could get ugly for the city as a whole & its MBE programs, etc. *** WHAT’S NEXT IN ZOMBIELAND? ***
Lennie, they should have known better! I understand when one goes to the City of Bridgeport’s SMBRO they are greeted with: Hi! What canned we do for you?
Let’s not be so quick to place the full responsibility on Mayor Bill Finch–like implying he is on the take in this matter. Back when Fabrizi took office, news broke about an envelope full of cash sent to the wrong address. The receiver turned the letter over to the postal service who then notified the authorities. It turned out a city employee was taking a kickback from a contractor doing work on Cesar Batalla School. No one else was implicated. It is possible for a single or a small band of City employees to commit corruption without the knowledge of elected or appointed officials.
Joel, I haven’t read where anyone implicated Finch in any of this. That being said how can so many people know about what is going on and no one in the administration is aware of it? The feds should get off their collective asses and look into what is going on here.
Joel,
We know you are sucking up to Finch to save your job, but please, enough is enough.
Art Harris was not competent to serve in this position. That is what I blame Finch for.
Bob Walsh, what are you trying to save or gain by sucking up to Senator Ed Gomes? If Art Harris is declared “not competent” to stand trial, you will blame Bill Finch for that, too.
I think you all ought to suck wind and blow harmonicas.
Interesting, all these things broke after the primary.
The MBE program is one of the biggest scams going. You set up a “straw company” under the guise of an MBE. Then you shepherd back the business to non-MBE’s and take a Pizza-d-Action and slice up the pie.
The proposed Sheltered Platform program is the better way to go.
When Curwen takes on the city job vacated by the firing of Art Harris, Martha Santiago will undoubtedly keep her past practices alive. She will make two recommendations. The first one will be for a replacement who will fill the council seat. But she will also select someone to fill Curwen’s seat on the town committee. For the TC she will most likely pick a city employee or at the least a relative of a city employee. She will pick someone who does not have the balls to vote their own mind. Martha will do this of course by just appointing the person. She will not call a meeting. She will not have others suggest names. And she certainly won’t have a vote as legally outlined in the bylaws. After all Martha Santiago is above the law. She will pick a person she can control. She has some damage control to do. Martha has always prided herself on being able to deliver her committee to the powers that be. She fell a little short of that once I was on the TC. I was the thorn in her side. She could not control or buy my vote. Therefore I made her look bad. She could not wait to get rid of me. The only time she valued my contribution to the TC was when my family of 8 helped her collect signatures or pass out campaign literature.
History always has a way of repeating itself. Martha will continue to run the 138th’s TC illegally and her only objective is to stay in the good graces of the powers that be. Her motives have nothing to do with the best interest of the residents of the 138th. Her motive is her city job and overpriced salary.
I was just discussing today Martha’s absentee ballot operation at the Spanish senior center on East Main Street. Like Lydia, Martha can do no wrong. Finch rewards bad behavior, especially if it wins him an election.
The 138th would not name Curwen’s replacement on the City Council. The City Council elects and can ignore the input of the district like it has in the past.
This is all assuming Finch wouldn’t let Curwen serve just like he lets Paoletto serve. Don’t make them a department head, make them a deputy to a department that doesn’t have a director, that’s all.
But this is also assuming Finch would be stupid enough at this time to replace Harris with Curwen. It might just be too hot of a potato to let that happen.
Bring in the FBI.
Let’s get to the bottom of this mess NOW!
The FBI is the only organization that will conduct a full and honest investigation and punish the people who need to be punished, no matter whose campaign they donated to. Firing the employees is just the beginning. Much bigger fish to fry.
Walsh is right. Bring in the Feds. There is a pattern developing here.
News breaks. Bridgeport Police investigate.
Finch hires minority law firm to investigate minority contracting.
Finch fires two.
All of this is aimed at saving Dennis Scinto.
But the big rub is if the FBI come in.
Then the investigation is out of Finch’s hands.
He wanted this done and over before the feds got involved but it may be too late.
Once again Walsh is write-on in his assessment. Clearly, FBI does not stand For Bridgeport’s Integrity.
I thought it stood for: For Bob’s Information
These two were the sacrificial lambs, their bosses are responsible for their actions plus O&G Industries who recommended this company to the construction companies who used NYBOR to circumvent the legitimate minority contractors who do actual work. These GCs used the paper company so they meet the numbers by having the paper company buying materials but not doing the more lucrative jobs that put people to work and not meet compliance numbers and get phony letters saying no one qualified to do the work.
This is Dennis Scinto’s job, to make sure they comply; a job not getting done.
Charlie Carroll is the director of Construction Services, it is his responsibility to manage this dept, which he failed miserably as he does all he does because he is neither a leader nor a manager. It was his job to oversee this, but he was too busy making sure G Pic and sons received all this work of which a large amount of jobs went to G pic as emergency work. This is payola at its worst, of the $400,000 of work Nybor performed all was for material paid by their credit card from these funds which represented about 90% to 92% of funds, the small amount left after payments went to Nybor. This is peanuts while G Pic and others got credit for $400,000 to Millions of dollars as minority participation for this pass-through operation. Legitimate minority contractors get cut out of this money because of these pass-through companies who don’t realize there is more than money to be made, opportunities for work and then money.
The city has failed these companies and the minority community by not enforcing these laws, again The Massa takes credit for something that is truly a failure.
Lennie, thanks with grammar. Speaking from the heart; not an English major.
Joel, many times you have good things to contribute, other times actua como un payaso. Stick to your serious side, you are great at investigating and revealing info about these slave traders.
Perfect pass-through company, Longfellow School Bismark has a contract with minority contractor, he will put a person in a trailer, get paid for that person who will not perform any work or have any authority on the job. Ms. Torres-Ocasio reported this yesterday. This is another way to circumvent minority hiring.