Rock icon Frank Zappa scored an infectious FM favorite about several band buddies, an unconventional bunch, coming together to play in “Joe’s Garage.” In Joe Ganim’s unorthodox comeback, he’s assembling pieces to an administration both unconventional and even surreal should the former FBI agent who investigated him work in his administration to create an Office of Public Integrity, a Ganim campaign promise to assuage concerns about his past.
When Ganim walks into City Hall Tuesday morning as mayor, retired federal agent Ed Adams, now private investigator who was a regular presence in Ganim’s campaign, could join him as an administrative appointment. See Adams’ background here. How often can a public official say I hired the guy who helped put me away? Yes, surreal. It could happen. It’s certainly under consideration.
Ganim will receive the oath of office at inauguration ceremonies Tuesday 6 p.m. at the Klein Memorial Auditorium, 910 Fairfield Avenue. According to the Bridgeport City Charter he officially becomes mayor 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.
Who else is under consideration to join the Ganim administration?
John Ricci, the long time Sikorsky Memorial Airport manager whom outgoing Mayor Bill Finch scapegoated in the fallout over a controversial driveway improvement for a developer in conjunction with an airport safety plan, may go in as Public Facilities Director, a super agency that oversees Public Works, parks and the airport. Ricci, who has an engineering background, served as administrative aide to Republican Mayor Lenny Paoletta who served from 1981-85.
R. Christopher Meyer, a legal adviser to Ganim’s campaign, could end up city attorney overseeing a legal staff of 12 lawyers. If that happens, one of the first items on Meyer’s agenda is examining the legality involving Finch’s late reappointment of Police Chief Joe Gaudett to another five years.
State Rep. Charlie Stallworth, a city minister whose East End church was the scene of Ganim’s first public apology January 1 in an informal kickoff for mayor, is in line for a key administrative position.
Danny Roach, Black Rock district leader who served as Ganim’s campaign manager, is under consideration to join Ganim’s inner office staff. Roach, appointed by Ganim to the Police Commission his first tenure in office, owns the popular neighborhood bar Matty’s Corner in Black Rock.
John Gomes, owner of the popular Red Rooster deli, could be appointed deputy chief administrative officer. Gomes served as a deputy CAO during Finch’s early years as mayor before a falling-out between the two led to his dismissal. The Red Rooster at times has been a rallying point for the anti-Finch coalition that largely backed Ganim. The multi-linguist Gomes was a mayoral candidate in 2011.
Ken Flatto, former first selectman of Fairfield and a CPA, could join the administration either as finance director or budget director. Both positions are now vacant. Anne Kelly-Lenz recently accepted a finance position in the town of Wilton and longtime budget chief Tom Sherwood has announced his retirement.
Ganim is expected to bring in about a half dozen or so during his first week in office then examine the several dozen available government positions under the mayor’s discretion.
Ricci is an engineer by degree. He has the nuts and bolts for this job. He kept the beat going in Joe’s Garage in drumming Finch out of office.
He’s a behind-the-scenes kind of guy who doesn’t want to be the lead singer. Although he is a pretty good zinger!
Congratulations!
R. Christopher Meyer is a sharp legal mind. He’ll find a way to circumvent Finch’s last minute “Fuck you, Charlie” gesture.
Damn Andy Fardy, Steve Auerbach, I was 5 for 5, any stupid comments now? Oh JML, am I still always wrong?
This was my rated PG version of what I’d like to say to you know-it-alls.
Frank Venna,
Thin skin?
“You are correct about how gravity works to move material downhill. But some of your frequent posts are beginning to look perilously close to Steve Auerbach’s during the 2015 mayoral campaign. Steve’s record: too frequent prophecy … infrequent accuracy.”
Picking major actors in the new administration, for those who were interested, has been a matter of who appears often in Ganim photo-ops, isn’t it? In that sense going 5 for 5 is about as praiseworthy as dunking the ball when the net is set at your height.
You got the players, as you point out, 5 for 5, but what is it they will do? How will they handle the fiscal issues within their areas? Will they be as closemouthed about such issues in practice as you have been in posting? Isn’t it what they are capable of doing within a new administration that has value to the rest of us?
So Frank, you think Andy Fardy and I think we are “know-it-alls” or are you just telling us you took us down a peg or two in your own eyes? Andy and I have been posting here for years and some folks like it and others are not quite sure how to handle it. We raise issues, often with financial focus, and we ask questions, or keep questions in play others forget about. But they all have $$$ bottom-line importance. So we close with TIME WILL TELL usually because it will take time for the people you have correctly placed on the scorecard to provide the answers.
By the way, thanks for the PG version. When folks use XXX blurts, it kills serious readers who leave for a different playground. It’s true.
The next time you’re out at a community event or meeting, please introduce yourself. I may learn from you how fiscal affairs will be communicated in the next few years perhaps, a subject I will continue to be interested in. And you? Perhaps you’ll be covering personnel changes so we all can learn how many mayoral appointments will be new and how many Finch-appointees may stay. Time will tell.
I was more pointing at Fardy and Auerbach for their nasty comments but being my education and job is as a first responder. I can’t as eloquently word things as well as you JML, time will tell how the cabinet does its jobs but the first six months will suck for them all after the Finch reign of terror.
Frank Venna, you may want to clarify Auerbach’s “nasty” comments toward you, and you would really have to have your head stuck up your ass to not know who will be getting top jobs in the Ganim administration. Btw, to enlighten JML. What I post and what I know to be a fact are sometimes quite different. I am a loyalist. I worked on Foster’s campaign as a favor. I knew she would be a distant third in the primary. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know Ganim was going to win in a landslide against Foster. Honestly, with Finch, well his loss was not due to my efforts. Ganim was destined to win. During the first major debate at the Holiday Inn before the primary I went up to Joe Ganim standing with his mother and dad and told him he did an amazing job. I did not go up to any of my current or past candidates. During the campaign unlike many, almost everywhere Finch was I was and nearly almost everywhere I was Ganim was also. Foster was nowhere. People on her campaign, not one could tell you where Foster was at a given time and yet I always knew where Ganim would be. Honestly, I am not as naive as you would think. I always knew the pulse of every community. I shared info with a deaf group. Ganim’s campaign was run so perfectly I had to post on this blog during both the primary and the general election and they still ran blindly. That is not my fault. I wish Ganim good luck and remember JML, the things you focus on and what I focus on are night and day. The difference is, I will not spend four years critiquing Ganim’s every move.
Silly man, full of hyperbole, and loyalty? Joe ran a winning campaign against an incumbent with funds. But the incumbent lost the machine and lost the public. Photo-ops that cost $800 per session to the public for video will be available where and when? (By the way Steve, does a comment like that count as a “critique of a Mayoral move?” Or is it something we all should know about how our money is spent?
Where are City watchdogs on taxpayer funds, Steve? Where are they, my friend? What did you enjoy in the Finch reign that did not take money? When you are at school these days, substituting for a professional teacher, have you thought about funds spent today and the future of the kids before you? Tell us about it. You are living in the same 24-hour periods as the rest of us, we both experience night and day. You merely assume fiscal issues are not in your spectrum as they are for most people, and I sincerely hope Joe Ganim’s four years upcoming are more open, accountable, transparent and honest than Finch’s last four, or the four before. Don’t you? Time will tell.
John Marshall Lee, where do you come up with photo ops at $800 per session? Ganim, Finch and Foster all had money to run their campaigns. I will assume you were one of the 2000 who voted for Torres. I do not question the need for a watchdog. I support Charter schools, I think the Teachers union needs to be disbanded, I do not think throwing more money into our schools will improve the quality of education and I supported the Finch takeover of the BOE that most people have no interest in. JML, there are many you can question on fiscal responsibility, I would not be one of them.
If Bill Finch was not going to be re-elected, there was only one candidate who could be and that was Joe Ganim. IT WAS NOT BECAUSE OF HIS 12 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE BUT BECAUSE HE HAS A PULSE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING. HE IS RESPECTFUL AND HAS TOUCHED NEARLY EVERY VOTER. EVERYWHERE I WAS HE WAS AND THAT WAS PRETTY MUCH EVERYWHERE. I AM HOPEFUL HE WILL BE AMAZING AND THAT IS WHAT I AM EXPECTING. The campaign is over. A year of getting beat up over Finch is enough. It is time to move on. Torres and Foster are already forgotten and Finch may have done more damage to his legacy in the last four days than in the past eight years. That was his choice. I expect Ganim will get over it. I thought Finch was a fine Mayor and I think Ganim will surprise many!
JML,
Don’t waste your time trying to engage in an intelligent conversation with S.A. After predicting “landslide” victories for Finch and Mary-Jane “Pinocchio” Foster he’s trying to turn it around so it appears he predicted Ganim’s win.
Nothing else to be expected from a flatulent bullethead who talks out of his asshole.
GFY.
Fardy’s education and IQ shows in his answer above, he throws shots at people and when they are right he falls back on his education and IQ as again shown above.
You are right AH, and you can still GFY.
Frank Venna, I am not so sure why you mentioned my name. However, since you did, did you think any of these proposed positions is a shock to anyone? Every one of these positions I could have told you in the early days of the Primary. Not one of these should be a surprise to anyone. Not one of these is a bad call. Not one! But congratulations to you if you feel you had a crystal ball. Chris Meyers, John Ricci, Danny Roache, Ken Flatto and John Gomes. All excellent choices! Congratulations to all of them. If they run city hall like they ran a campaign, then I think we are in good hands.
*** Rumors have it the minority Joe supporters are upset there are no minority picks for any of the upper-office city jobs. Let’s see if it’s the usual low-paying jobs for them after their loyal support for Joe, no? ***
Mojo, you know in politics if you want something there must be a demand, did Rev. Stallworth and Ralph Ford make any demands before the election and after? Joe Ganim owes the black community for jumpstarting his comeback. Time will tell (JML).
Joe Ganim does not owe any community anything, Mojo and Ron Mackey. There will be disappointed people but in politics, you can not please all the people all the time. He owes every individual in this city to be the best! Not any community. Sad that you think so!
Steve, get real, all mayors reward those who put them into office because they will need their vote in the next election. The unions will have the mayor’s ear. Steve, that’s what politics is about, in fact governors and presidents no matter the party.
Ron Mackey, I do not totally disagree with you. Foster advised Ganim not to hire his cronies who supported him. I say hire those who will be loyal to you. So far he has. He does not need to focus on the black community. He has leadership from those communities with the Rev Stallworth and John Gomes. He will have more I am sure. His supporters were all different colors and nationalities. He owes nothing to any particular community. He will be inclusive, I am sure.
Rev. Stallworth is in the mix.
Oh wow, one black.
John Gomes is a minority from Cape Verde, people really don’t check things out before opening their yaps.
I think there’s a yapp for that. Good catch!
Right away people want to bring up race if they have nothing else to tear apart.
Gomes has a masters degree so we can’t tear him down, Adams a former FBI agent, got nothing there, Ricci a engineering degree, nope can’t shoot that down, Flatto a CPA background, nope no shot there.
Let’s pull the race card. Well, Gomes speaks a ton of languages and is from Cape Verde so stick the race card up your a*ses.
You reward those who put you into office and those are the voters who put you into office.
Ron Mackey, first, Foster would definitely not agree with you and second I think maybe a few white people voted for Ganim. So he has thousands to choose from.
*** Sounds like you’ve already checked things out and have all the latest news on who’s getting what in the new admin, or are you just guessing after hearing a name mentioned here on OIB, F.V.? ***
Sorry Mojo, but you can ask Lennie I wanted to play a guessing game a few weeks ago and named 5 out of 5 a FEW WEEKS ago but as my boy Steve A. said, anyone could do that so it is no big deal.
Frank, we have all made the pics back in early May. No-brainer so far. Do you disagree? So far, every one of Ganim’s pics have been high-profile people in his campaign. We are just missing Chris Meyers, Ernie Newton and Carolanne Curry and a few in-house promotions and we pretty much have Ganim’s crew. AJ Perez and Danny Pizzaro will be his escort. These are pretty much expected and not bad choices. I can even give you the third and fourth tier smaller jobs at the Mayor’s discretion. Honestly, Ganim has already gone through the job listings with Mario and John Ricci. There will be not one unfamiliar appointment because Joe Ganim does take care of his own and has been there before and knows who will serve him well. Sorry Frank, Ganim was easy. I couldn’t name one person from the other candidates’ teams who would have been up for any position. I mean any! At least Ganim had a strong group to pick from. As for Tom McCarthy, he is the least of Ganim’s problems. He is a team player, a loyalist, a Democratic town chair member and an elected official. He will be a great asset to Ganim. I am certain Ganim would have no problem replacing him in a blink if he had to. I mean the Ganim family is in the law business and there has to be one lawyer they can tap into other than Christoper Meyers.
Inaugural will be at The Klein.
They should hold this inaugural in a phone booth.
The inaugural at Matty’s Corner. Danny Roach needs money to fix the bowling game.
Keith is too stupid to realize how childish and stupid he is and sounds.
Frank, GFY.
Boys. Stop. Breathe.
Now, listen for the only sound that is important right now.
Can you hear it? Yes, it’s a Stratocaster with a whammy bar.
Hysterical!
In some cities, “commissioner” is the member of the board of officials in charge of the department, while a “chief” is the top uniformed officer answering to the commissioner or commission. In very large departments, such as the New York City Police Department, there may be several non-police officer deputy and assistant commissioners, some of whom outrank the chief of department and others on par with the uniformed chief.