Is it me, or do we now have three wings of the Democratic Party in Bridgeport. The Mario Testa wing, the John Stafstrom wing, the Chris Caruso wing.
Can you imagine Mario, Stafstrom and the Big Wave meeting to become one big happy family? Yeah, when donkeys fly. What, no Bill Finch wing? Well, the mayor is probably split between the Testa wing and Stafstrom wing. And why does the Big Wave have a wing? He gets the disaffected pols who have nowhere else to land. Paging Andy Fardy! (Town Committee, what say you?)
Mario had a bad day last Tuesday. His candidate for governor Ned Lamont got hammered by Dan Malloy. Mario is telling anyone willing to listen in his restaurant that he “won Bridgeport.” Mario emptied his tank on this primary and won by a stinking 43 votes. What a win. Well I guess a win is a win, eh? But considering Mario’s machismo promising a large Lamont win in the city, winning by a few dozen votes is a stick in the eye.
John Stafstrom, who Mario dethroned for control of the party a few years ago, must be feeling roosterish with the Malloy win. He and the Big Wave were on the same side for the primary fight. Could this be a lasting honeymoon? Probably not, but ya never know.
Meet Chief Joe In Black Rock
State Rep. Auden Grogins and Police Chief Joseph Gaudett will host a neighborhood discussion at 6 tonight at the Black Rock Library Branch, 2705 Fairfield Avenue, on the recent spike in crime affecting Black Rock.
Latest Linda McMahon video hits Dick:
From Jim Himes:
Himes, UB Announce $1.1 million for Student Support Services
U.S. Dept. of Education grant will help provide services to at-risk students
BRIDGEPORT, CT—Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4) and the University of Bridgeport announced today that the school will receive a $1.1 million U.S. Department of Education grant. The funding will be used to provide a range of services to help low-income, first-generation college students and students with disabilities boost their academic performance and successfully complete college.
Established in 1965, the Student Support Services (SSS) program is one of eight federal education campaigns that identify and assist students from disadvantaged backgrounds as they progress from middle school through college.
Studies have shown that low-income, first-generation college students are nearly four times more likely to leave college than peers without those risk factors. After six years, 43 percent of low-income, first-generation students leave college without earning a degree, according to The Pell Institute.
“A good job starts with a good education, and college should be affordable and accessible to any student ready to take on the rigors and commitment of higher education,” said Himes. “This grant will help meet our shared interest of providing more students the tools they need to reach their fullest potential while helping our country become more competitive in the changing global economy.”
U.S. Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman backed the grant application, as well.
“This is an extremely competitive grant,” said UB Provost Michael Spitzer. “For schools like UB and communities like Bridgeport, it provides critical funding to address the needs of a significant portion of their populations.”
Under the grant, UB will receive $220,000 per year for five years, beginning September 1st, to help 140 undergraduate students annually who meet certain eligibility requirements. Incoming and continuing students will be invited to join the program based on information they provide on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Graduates from academically disadvantaged high schools in the Bridgeport area who are new to or continuing their studies at UB also may qualify. UB faculty and staff may nominate students, and students may apply to the program.
Once enrolled, students will receive tutoring, guidance in selecting courses, information on how to obtain federal financial aid and other public and private scholarships, as well as assistance in completing grant and scholarship applications. Students will receive financial education to help them fully understand school loans and minimize school-related debt. The SSS program also features additional workshops, lectures, career counseling, and activities to encourage students to pursue appropriate graduate and professional education.
Roosters and Dick! Today’s posting is a real cock-a-doodle-doodle-do!
Well Lennie you are right, there are 3 wings on this chicken and all 3 are broken.
First Mario yeah he predicted a big win in the primary. What else was he supposed to say we are going to have a squeaker? There were many factions at work in Bridgeport on primary day so a victory is a victory.
Stafstrom did his damnedest to win this primary for Malloy in Bridgeport. Stafstrom knew his firm’s role as bond counsel for the city was resting on the results as was the extension of his partner’s contract with the city. He enlisted the help of the flip-flop Black Rock politicians. Stafstrom even made peace with Lisa Parziale who up to this point he hated with a passion. That liaison to me was a sign of a desperate man.
To me the first 2 years of the Finch administration have all the earmarks of Stafstrom influence from his appointees to all the bad decisions that have been made.
Stafstrom is one of the best fundraisers in the state but for the day-to-day running of the city and the day-to-day politics he is sadly lacking. Just review the last 2 years of the Finch Administration.
Now for Chris Caruso. Yes he came out for Malloy about 2 weeks before the primary but did little to sway the voter outcome. Malloy lost at 3 of the 4 schools in Caruso’s district. No voter mandate there. The disenfranchised politicians going for Caruso are the ones who did not get a big enough cut of the pie under the Finch or Fabrizi administrations.
Carsuo as of today is on his way to being mayor. I believe if the election were held TODAY he would win. What he does between now and next September will determine his actual position in the mayoral race. Ask the average voter what Caruso stands for and they can’t tell you.
Now finally all 3 wings are bad for the city. They all have their agendas and these agendas are not in the best interest of Bridgeport. These 3 agendas represent the WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME crowd.
The last politician I remember who was in this game for his constituents and for no personal gain was my council person the late Ed Greene. I am sure there are others I just can’t think of them I guess the closest today would be AMVP.
Mario get Finch off his ass and on the right track.
John care about the city more than you care about yourself.
Chris come up with a plan for the city.
Political cockfights!
Lennie, you left out the Red Rooster wing. I know you don’t think this wing has any chance of winning, but it’s the only one with an announced mayoral candidate.
“… Ask the average voter what Caruso stands for and they can’t tell you.” I’m not sure what makes a voter “average.”
I’m more familiar with voters with average IQ’s and there aren’t that many around. Most Bridgeport residents don’t even know who their Council member, State Rep. or State Senator is. In the North End, a majority do know that Chris Caruso is their State Representative. Caruso has enough name recognition to give all the other three wings combined good reasons to be concerned.
This would have been a good year to legalize Cock Fighting. Imagine the entire adult male Hispanic population of Norwalk, Hartford, Bridgeport, Waterbury and New Haven all packed in at the Arena for the Cockfights of the year.
Lennie, John a rooster, he he je je are we talking about the same John Stafstom “he who speaks with forked tongue” not a rooster maybe a synonym for it.
Barnacle Bill the Sailor was a real cockswain.
Well, it is never too easy to guess, I suppose, but first all these actors purportedly ruling the roost have to figure out if they want to elect a Democratic governor or not. Nothing about the Malloy-Lamont results is going to want to make these guys go out and have a glass of wine with one another to establish some sort of long-term relationship to elect a mayor.
In the grand scheme of things, however, it is still Caruso against the world. If he really wanted to be a player, he would have been out early for Malloy. He held back, as usual, isolating himself, as usual.
And that is really where the mayoral appears to be going: the anti-establishment Chris, and everyone else.
The big difference is that Caruso has something of a city-wide following today. Years ago he was just a North End crank. If people want to think of him as a crank, that is fine. But his vote tally running for mayor in 2007 shows he is a citywide crank.
That should have made what passes for a Democratic Party establishment to sit up and take notice. Chris has no time for any of them. They have to cut a deal elsewhere. They probably won’t.
Which may put Lennie’s doomsday theory of a multiple-candidate primary for mayor into play.
You almost feel sorry for Mayor Finch.
Everybody is out to get Finch … They are coming from all different directions … The ramparts have been breached … And they’ve killed each other off … And Mayor Finch is the only one left standing!
Or something like that.
But first the Democratic candidate for governor has got to explain why a veto-proof Democratic Assembly has voted to politically align Connecticut with Byelorussia. Or something like that.
Does anyone have anything good to say about Mayor Finch? Hasn’t he done something right? Geeze, can you come up with 3 good initiatives–only 3???
No one can be as bad as all of you are making him.
I’ll give you a few:
(1) Has kept the tax rate low;
(2) Has streamlined the municipal payroll;
(3) Loves Bridgeport
Junkyard what planet are you from?
Keeping the tax rate low is wrong we still don’t have a budget for this year and there is an $8 million built-in deficit that needs to be fixed. He also deferred a $25 million payment to the pension fund. I will grant you my property taxes which have gone up every year did not go up a lot yet.
Streamlined the payroll??? Yeah he laid off career civil servants and created a ton of patronage jobs how is that streamlining the budget?
Loving Bridgeport does not get things done. Crime rate is way up, city is fast becoming a pig sty. Employee morale is at an all-time low and the wolves are at the door.
Props to Obama he promised to get them out and that the Big O did.
Israel will soon do what Big O lacks the Big balls to do. What will Big O say when Israel attacks the Iranian Nuclear site?
Is it fair to remind everyone of the summer that just passed us? We went through a tornado, we lost 2 of our bravest firefighters in a house fire. My opinion of Mayor Finch through these difficult times is nothing but honor, professionalism, character and integrity. I am not posting to look for an argument or debate. I do think it is fair to at least recognize the way in which the man carried us through these horrifying events. As for the City looking like a pigsty, a little confidence in our Public Works dept should be considered. As is, these workers did an outstanding job with the tornado clean-up even to the point of national recognition. I am seeing the vacuums on wheels out, street sweepers out, guys with weedwhackers cutting down overgrowth weeds in the downtown district. I even saw a crew cutting high grass near the health dept today. Yes, I would agree the City has looked cleaner. However considering the challenges these departments were faced with, I for one think our city is back on track to being clean again. Give them a chance, and give the Mayor credit where credit is due!
Are we in the same Bridgeport? Drive down Catherine Street, there are still tree branches everywhere, and so many other city streets that have not been cleared since the storm. How much has Finchie played you to be on his side? In 40 years I’ve lived in Bridgeport, I can honestly say I haven’t seen any improvement. Every area in Bridgeport has gotten worse, or stayed the same. Example the Hollow, the North End, the South End, the West End etc. It’s so sad. TC why won’t you run for Office. I like what you have to say …
I did run for the council with Anne Barney here in the 138th. Ann and I were not able to overcome the 3rd set of candidates that were inserted in this race to take away votes from Ann and me.
The administration had both council president McCarthy and city attorney Anastasi at the polls all day. They had 1 city union working both polling places for our opponents (the incumbents).
We could have won that election without the infusion of the 3rd set of candidates. We lost and we are moving on. Who knows what the future holds?
This ad is paid for by I.P. Dailey read his other great novel THE YELLOW RIVER. He approves this message.
TC, I don’t know how you can blame John Stafstrom for the horrible Finch appointees. Did he make Feeney the director of Finance? No. Did he make Andy Nunn the CAO? No. Did he make David Dunn the director of civil service? No. Did he make Charlie Carroll the director of Public Works AND Parks? No. Did he make Osborne permanent director of Labor Relations? No. Those were all Finch decisions; Piss poor Finch decisions. These people have destroyed employee morale and are slowly but surely ruining city government. Even with a new mayor and administration, it will takes years to recover.
Look you are right Finch made the actual appointment but I will tell you this, Stafstrom had a lot of input on these appointments. In fact Stafstrom was the mayor’s key confidant in the early stages of his administration.
It looks like a determined effort to ruin the public library system. (This time it’s nothing to do w/Finch.)
Another council member is hoping to become Lucky #7. Why wasn’t one of the laid-off NAGE maintainers called back to fill the position? They have up to two years to be called back for duty.
www .ctpost.com/local/article/Sixth-council-member-joins-the-city-payroll-620594.php