From Brian Lockhart, CT Post:
The city is changing its contracting rules to make it a little less intimidating for companies owned by ex-felons to bid on municipal work.
And it was prompted by ex-state Sen. Ernest Newton, who has had some high profile run ins with the law over the years.
“I think we have a lot of minority companies that may have liked to have been on contracts, but the felony piece has kept a lot of people away,” Newton said.
Full story here.
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Here we go again, another disgraced politician looking for a break from the city.
Ernie, based on what was published in the papers and here you bid on this contract from Milford. None of you had experience, you had no equipment other than a pick-up truck and your business office was a vacant lot on Read street.
In my humble opinion Ricci should have been fired for putting this out to bid with no stipulations.
Hey Andrew,
Pull your head out of your ass (or the liquor bottle, wherever it is stuck). Mr. Newton is trying to make it easier for local businesses to successfully bid on municipal contracts.
Listen, you ignorant asshole. Ernie is for Ernie. Wake up, stupid.
You need to see a doctor.
Andy–Can you fill in the blanks?
BTW–Isn’t it the responsibility of the Purchasing Department to write and review all bids and RFP’s?
ANDY, You of all People should Talk. You’ve been a part of Keeping your Foot on the Backs of Black and Hispanic Firefighters all your LIFE. You have never stood up for your Minority Brothers and sisters. SO it’s safe to Say Andy is For Andy.
Ernie, you have no idea what you are talking about and that’s no surprise. Ernie, you really are out of touch. We were trying to protect civil service and the testing process. You say I kept my foot on the backs of blacks and Hispanics. Ernie, you are so full of it and as usual don’t know what you are talking about. Tell me how a provisional lieutenant does that.
Hey Ernie, no comments on your bid for the transfer station?
It would be great if we got a full and complete explanation of the mess that was the bidding process for waste management. And then John “I just do what I’m told” Ricci took over the waste management from Enviro to the tune of MILLIONS of dollars. Do we know the Whole Story? NO!!! Do the 20 clueless puppets know what’s going on? NO!!!
Andy, so you know, The Company is getting ready to Open a transfer Station. In Bridgeport no help from the city a two million dollar project. Frank, the only Reason We Didn’t get the Contract was The city didn’t want a Minority company to get a three million dollar contract for three years. Just Like Andy didn’t want Blacks and Hispanics on The FIRE DEPT. Now the city is spending a Hell of a lot of Money running the transfer station!
Ernie, you are a phony and you are not telling the truth. You did not fill out the paperwork properly. Ernie, why won’t you address the fact your company’s listed address is a vacant lot on Read St.? Ernie, you are full of it when you say the city did not want a minority contractor. Prove it Ernie, or are you one who cries racism every time you don’t get your way? Ernie, your bid was in the area of $300K, not in the millions.
Andy, if anyone is a PHONY you are. As Long as your Family was Eating well off The City Of Bridgeport and you did nothing to help bring Minorities on the FIRE DEPT WHO’s the RACIST? Your actions speak louder than WORDS! Paging RON and DON, What did Andy do to STOP RACISM in The Fire DEPT?
I wish for once you would get your facts straight. You are covering your ass by claiming racism yet you won’t answer questions about your bidding on a city contract. Do you think it might be a crime to list a vacant lot as the company headquarters? Really, do you think four landscapers and a piano player were qualified to put in a bid? BTW it was not my job to recruit people for the FD.
Same old answer. Racism. It’s always Racism. The fact a small landscaping company from Milford with big headquarters on a VACANT lot on the East Side suddenly wanted to bid about 50% less than the other bidders makes no difference at all. And Bridgeport regulations give PREFERENCE to minority owned companies. And this teeny tiny Milford landscaping group needed Bridgeport minority ownership to gain advantage. Yes INDEED. It’s starting to make cents, I mean sense.
Frank, so I guess you had no problem when factories had signs on their gates that said blacks need not apply or test questions for voting that had a question, how many bubbles in a bar of soap? Frank, I know that was based on merit.
Ron Mackey, please don’t put words in my mouth. I did not say anything at all to what you allude to. There used to be signs in the United States that said ‘Jews Need Not Apply’ or signs in Boston that said “Irish Need Not Apply.” There are still invisible signs that say ________ Need Not Apply. It’s a constant ongoing battle.
Frank, here is the big difference. They are all white and all they have to do is to change the name but blacks can’t change their color but I guess you know that.
Ron Mackey. Yes, you are right about that. I think I will take an OIB holiday break. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL.
Frank, I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Does anyone know how many minority companies are there in Bridgeport? I have seen the ads for McBride electrical, I see he put those projectors under I-95.
The rest of the contractors are white and have very few black and Hispanic workers. If you look around the city it’s always the same ones doing one thing or another. The deck seems to stacked against anyone else.
Oh by the way, You of all people should be talking about Ex-felons. People who live in glass Houses should not throw STONES! Mr. Archie Bunker!
ERNIE, WHY DON’T YOU BRING YOUR SKINNY ASS OVER HERE AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU ARE BRINGING MY SON INTO THIS? I AM SURE HE WOULD BE INTERESTED IN WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY.
Oh Andy I’m SORRY. Some of your Best Friends are Black, RON and DON! lol.
That’s not true and for sure you are not one of them. You are a professional minority.
Andy, let me say this to you. This Gentleman who bid on this contract put up a three million dollar bond. You know the city wanted to give it to enviro. What degree do you need to put debris in a dumpster and haul it away? He would have saved the City Millions of dollars. But at lease I didn’t sit back and do nothing. We Changed the Law. While you sat back and did nothing to fight for minority fireman. You joined the rest of your WHITE BROTHERS. That’s the difference between you and me!
Ernie, you really haven’t done squat for the people you represent. Let’s look at it from this point of view. Mt. Trashmore started on your watch and grew to a gigantic pile of garbage. You didn’t do squat. Let’s look at O&G site on Seaview and Stratford Ave. That pile has been there for more than 20 years and until recently you have said nothing about it. Ernie you chickenshit, tell us about the vacant lot that is the home of this company you are a part of. Just so you know Ernie, there is a big difference between you and me. I have lived an honest life, no arrests, no plea bargains. BTW it was not my job to fight for minority firefighters.
Andy, you are right. It was not your Job to help your Minority Brothers and Sisters. Let me say this. We Brought more MONEY Back to Bridgeport when I was in Hartford. Let me say you know I was not the mayor of this city when MT. Trashmore was there but I did get $500,000 to move it. Andy, just remember you and your White Brothers cost the city of Bridgeport a lot of money because you didn’t have the BALLS to stand up and fight the racism in the Fire Dept. because you believed Blacks and Hispanics should not be Fire fighters. I’m sure if it were up to you, the Bridgeport Fire Dept would still be ALL WHITE!
Ernie, you were an elected official when Mt. Trashmore was in the news. You did nothing while this pile of garbage grew. Ernie, I don’t remember you in the front of the line helping minorities. We were fighting to preserve civil service. Ernie, the difference between you and me is I am not walking around with my hand out. BTW you still have not answered the question about the vacant lot on Read St. that is listed as your company’s headquarters.
Creativity is the only unfair advantage allowed by law. It’s earned by hard work and failure. Its fans say things like “don’t be the best, be the only!”
A privilege, on the other hand, bestows benefits, is unearned, requires the law to change and frequently involves a suited cowboy posing in front of a dump truck.