Jim “Sonny” Fox, one of Bridgeport’s preeminent conspiracy theorists and radio moonlighter from his Black Rock home, shares this commentary on what he claims is tax favoritism for the politically connected. The retired electrician and occasional candidate for public office cites tax disparity for the 2009 revaluation among members of the Democratic Town Committee.
Every five years, Connecticut municipalities hire a professional appraisal firm to review properties and establish market assessments. Property tax challenges can be submitted to the Board of Assessment Appeals and further to the Connecticut Superior Court. Fox doesn’t specify where he thinks the fix is in, but he claims variances exist based on his research. This started, he says, helping a neighbor in need, as he explains in this narrative. Fox provides a selection of various property assessments for members of the 90-member DTC. As you’ll see, some went up and some went down. And by the way the city is currently going through this reval exercise for the next budget year. What’s your appraisal of Fox’s assessment? Legit or off base?
2009 Revaluation
This is a very disturbing message for the taxpayers of the City of Bridgeport. I will do this in chronological order. I have no axes to grind nor mud to sling. These are the highly disturbing facts I regretfully discovered.
This began with me seeing one of my neighbors crying in her driveway. Out of concern I crossed the street to ask what was upsetting her. She told me at her age she needed to work 6 days a week just to pay her taxes or lose her home. This prompted me into researching this problem. I discovered the City does have programs in place that will help Senior citizens, the physically disabled and other BPT taxpayers.
This begs the question, why the hell doesn’t the city inform the people who are eligible for these benefits? Perhaps another example of milking the unknowing to the City’s tax bandits, pay as you learn. The Common Council representatives and the administration should have blanketed the City with this information with the same zeal they invest in their political campaigns. This is the least disturbing information I have discovered, which prompted the more volatile findings that follow.
Out of curiosity I began researching the individual taxes on my street and discovered many upsetting variances. The taxpayers who live on my street (Seaside Ave.) were slammed by taxes whereas the people living on the next block (Lake Ave.) seemed to have been protected. Out of curiosity I began to look at possible political favoritism and discovered a nightmare. The Democratic political machine does not pay the party faithful with cash or checks. They pay them with tax advantages.
The mayor and other recognizable names seem to pay their fair share out of necessity. However district leaders and their families along with many City employees seem to have an unfair advantage over their next-door neighbors. I have only scratched the surface but it seems there is also a negative side, an Enemies list. If you pissed off the Machine or are a Republican your taxes will reflect it clearly.
Please don’t take my word for anything you have just read. ‘Perestroika’ Trust but Verify. Look it up on www.zillow.com and put on your aluminum foil helmet.
Jim Fox
From www.zillow.com
2009 Revaluation Tax Disparity
District 130
DANIEL ROACH, 19 QUINLAN AVE 06605 DN 4.1%*
HECTOR A. DIAZ, 34 ARTHUR ST 06605 DN 5.9%
JOANN MANZO, 163 SCOFIELD AVE 06605 NA
JOHN F. McCARTHY, 152 MOREHOUSE ST 06605 NA
JOHN BOHANNON, 115 BALMFORTH ST 06605 UP 6.6%
MICHAEL MEEHAN, 113 SEASIDE AVE 06605 UP 6.4%*
THOMAS MULLIGAN JR, 20 ARMITAGE DR 06605 DN 9.2%*
PATRICK CROSSIN, 331 LAKE AVE 06605 DN 3.5%
MARIA AGUEDA, 29 JETLAND PLACE 06605 UP 1.2%
District 131
MITCHELL ROBLES, 993 STATE ST 06605 NA
MILAGROSA SEGUINOT 140 YALE ST #11 06605 NA
LETICIA COLON, 140 YALE ST #13 06605 NA
AMERICO SANTIAGO, 93 BURNHAM AVE 06604 NA
ASHLEY WACKER, 323 FAIRFIELD AVE #409 06604 NA
JOSE NEGRON, SR., 30 COLE ST 06604 NA
JACK BANTA, 20 COLE ST 06604 NA
DENISE TAYLOR-MOYE, 134 IRANISTAN AVE 06604 NA
PAUL BOUCHER, 37 FOREST CT 06604 NA
District 132
MIKE FREDDINO, 31 RUSLING PLACE 06604 UP 2.7%
ANTHONY LANCIA SR, 157 SUBURBAN AVE 06604 DN 11.9%
CAROL COCCO, 564 BROOKLAWN AVE 06604 DN 10.%
JOHN OLSON, 574 MAPLEWOOD AVE 06605 Up 24.6 %
LISA PARZIALE, 97 BICK TERRACE, 06604 UP 11.4%
JOAN THORNTON, 85 POWELL TERRACE 06604 UP 15.8%
ELAINE PIVIROTTO, 2625 PARK AVE #9E 06604 NA
REGINALD WALKER 48 HAZELWOOD AVE 06605 DN 7.4%
M. EVETTE BRANTLEY, 51 YALE ST 06605 NA
District 133
THOMAS McCARTHY, 135 HARLEM AVE 06606 UP 8.8%*
VINCENT DiPALMA, 137 HOLROYD ST 06606 DN 0.4%
ABEL CHAPARRO 40 ALEXANDER DRIVE 06606 UP 13.8%
HOWARD AUSTIN SR, 358 MCKINLEY AVE 06606 DN 3.5%
JOSEPH HATRICK SR, 405 MCKINLEY AVE 06606 DN 10.9%
JEANETTE HERRON, 2649 MAIN ST #C2 06606 NA
MARIA HELLER, 116 HARLEM AVE 06606 UP 10.6%
VIRGINIA KEELEY, 210 STRATFIELD PLACE 06606 DN 1.3%
JOSEPH MOURA, 473 GARFIELD AVE 06606 UP 1.3%
District 134
DENNIS SCINTO, 2641 MADISON AVE. 06606 DN 15.7%
MATTHEW CUMINOTTO JR, 320 VINCELLETTE ST 06606 DN 14.8%
JOHANNA DORGAN, 88 LANCE CIRCLE 06606 NA
JOHN FABRIZI, 120 DOREEN DRIVE 06606 UP 9%*
PETER MINAYA, 280 JEWETT AVE 06606 DN 8.5%
PATRICIA NOLAN, 14 ROXBURY LANE 06606 DN 4%
THOMAS LYONS, 91 JEWETT AVE 06606 UP 2.7 %
EUGENE O’NEILL, 25 SAXON DRIVE 06604 DN 5.1%
MARILYN SANTACROCE, 650 JEWETT AVE 06606
District 135
WARREN BLUNT, 30 NAUTILUS RD 06606 UP 4.1%*
RICHARD BONNEY, 499 PLATT ST 06606 NA
CHARLIE STALLWORTH, 35 WICKLIFFE CIRCLE 06606 REV.*
RICHARD CRUZ, 117 CHAMBERLAIN PLACE 06606 NA
EDWIN GOMES, 243 SOUNDVIEW AVE 06606 NA
WILFRED MURPHY, 119 KAREN COURT-UNIT B 06606 NA
CYNTHIA KING, 40 SOUNDVIEW AVE 06606 UP 12.4%
ALMA MAYA, 220 FUNSTON AVE 06606 DN 7.9%
MARY MCBRIDE-LEE, 125 HILLCREST RD 06606 UP 9.8%
District 136
DOROTHY GUMAN, 135 HICKORY ST 06610 NA
MARILYN MIDDLEMASS, 119 HICKORY ST 06610 DN 2.5%
ADELAIDE ESTEVES, 115 HARREL AVE 06604 UP 26.4%
JOYCE PURNELL, 32 OAKVIEW CIRCLE 06604 NA
CRUZ (MANNY) COTTO, 117 ALPINE ST 06610 UP 10.6%
MARK TROJANOWSKI, 1149 NORTH AVE 06604 UP 30.5%
LAWRENCE OSBORNE, 40 EDNA AVE 06610 UP 19.8 %
MARIA VICENTE, 1316 PARK AVE 06606 Up 22.1 %
DANIEL PICCOLELLO, 193 HAWLEY AVE 06606 DN 19.5%
District 137
MARIA A. RIVERA, 280 HARRIET ST 06608 UP 13.5%
GILBERTO HERNANDEZ, 225 HOUGH AVE 06608 UP 23.3%
VIDAL AGOSTO, 1354 PEMBROKE ST 06608 NA
AIDEE NIEVES, 348 PARK ST 06608 NA
ALBERTO “TITO” AYALA, 773 KOSSUTH ST 6608 UP 19.3%
LYDIA MARTINEZ, 85 WILLIAM ST 06608
MARIA ANDINO 35-A BOOTH ST 06608 NA
MARIA VALLE, 561 BROOKS ST 06608 UP 28%
JUAN HERNANDEZ, 585 EAST MAIN ST 06608 DN 0.5%
District 138
MARTHA SANTIAGO, 410 KENT AVE, 06610 DN 4.1%
CHRISTOPHER ANASTASI, 25 SULLIVAN PLACE 06610 DN 4.7%
LUCRETIA SKENDERS, 650 PALISADE AVE 06610 NA
ROBERT CURWEN SR, 119 GREYSTONE RD 06610 UP 1.2%*
KORI POWELL, 291 PEARL HARBOR ST 06610 NA
KEVIN MONKS, 200 HOLLAND RD 06610 DN 5.6%
RICHARD PAOLETTO JR, 321 LYNN PLACE 06610 DN 3.2%
BARBARA POWELL, 291 PEARL HARBOR ST 06610 NA
ANDREZEJ NAROLEWSKI, 138 SUCCESS PK-COURT D 06610 NA
District 139
RALPH FORD JR, 410 MILL HILL AVE 06610 UP 4. %
CHARLES COVIELLO JR, 73 WILLOW ST 06610 UP 45.6%
CYNTHIA MAIGNAN, 518 N SUMMERFIELD AVE 06610 UP 22.7%
JAMES HOLLOWAY, 427 WILMOT AVE 06607 NA
CLEMENT YOUNG, 50 RIDGEFIELD AVE 06610 NA
DEBORAH SIMS, 302 UNION AVE 06607 UP 24.%
WILLEEN GIBSON, 355 CARROLL AVE 06607 DN 3.5%
KEITH WILLIAMS, 92 WATERMAN ST 06607 NA
ENEIDA MARTINEZ, 3 EDWIN ST 06607 UP 138%
My taxes went up over 30% under Finch, with the new reval coming, I’ll vote out any flucking incumbent. Keep up the good work, Sonny.
Chicken Little said “The sky is falling, the sky is falling.” On the surface I’m a little skeptical about these claims. We should do like he says and check out the facts on www .zillow.com now. In a worst-case scenario if this is true the taxpayers should begin gathering tar & feathers. Furthermore a federal investigation should begin a citywide probe and send everyone involved in this corruption to prison. This may be far bigger than Ganim’s brush with the FBI investigations.
Mine are up 31%. If you like high taxes that will continue to increase every year, if you like poor services, if you’re not embarrassed by the many contracting, conflicts and other failures of Bridgeport’s city government, and if you like machine politics, keep voting the way you’ve been voting …
Jim,
Good job. Keep digging. With light comes heat and with heat comes action. It’s time for real change and new leadership in Bridgeport.
Thanks David Walker, Ronin. This list is growing by leaps and bounds every day, I’m now working on boards and commissions list.
It makes me sick to see how a member on the Board of Assessment Appeals can receive a 12% lower tax bill for each of his five rental properties and then stick it to the average homeowner.
I should have my 2009 grand list in about two weeks just before Nov.
Jim Fox is a crackpot!