I swear, if Bridgeport elections took place in the spring more incumbents would be blown out. Shoot, Jane Byrne became Chicago’s first female mayor in 1979 riding voters’ blistering anger after the city’s inept snow removal.
Wouldn’t it be great to run a campaign simplistically? “I promise to plow your streets. I promise to pave your streets. I promise to pick up your garbage. I promise to keep your parks clean. No, I cannot promise to lower your taxes because I don’t know what the current knucklehead has done to the budget.”
The storm that greeted us the past few days is among the worst of my lifetime. Not the snowfall so much as the winds that accompanied it. Drifts suck. Mayor Bill Finch and his Public Facilities Director Charlie Carroll are doing everything they can to make roads passable. There’s something about snow that presses a chief executive into action unless you were former Connecticut Governor Tom Meskill vacationing in Vermont in 1974 when a storm hit the state. It’s never good to be on vacation when your city or state gets smacked by snow.
A public works director can make a mayor look like an icon or an incompetent. Among the best in the city the past 30 years were John Marsilio and George Estrada. This is where a mayor needs a rock-solid manager of drivers, trucks, sanders, salters and knowledge of the city. And friends in state Public Works to help clear main arteries. And plowers who know how to navigate a street without ripping it to pieces. Okay, boys, don’t rip up this street when you’re plowing. It’s not on the paving list for election year.
You see that’s what drives mayors nuts about election-year snowstorms, destroying streets in the winter not slated for summertime paving just before the election. A good public works director will also call in City Council members. Okay boys and girls what streets in your district do you want paved? Keeps the legislative body happily plugged in during election season door knocking.
“Oh, don’t worry Mrs. Haystacks, your street will be paved.”
“Oh, you’re such a nice boy.”
City streets, without strong communications and a public understanding of alternate side of the street parking, can be a nightmare to clear.
So what are you hearing out there? How do the streets look?
“… It’s never good to be on vacation when your city or state gets smacked by snow …”
Bullshit! Hey Lennie, it could have been worse. Washington D.C. spent over $600,000 spreading salt on the entire area–they got just a flurry. The roads are white from so much salt on the ground.
Hey Lennie, is that Tom White in the pothole?
The plows showed up yesterday a full 24 hours after the storm started. Let me state the drivers worked hard and I spoke to them and they were putting in long hours.
It was painfully obvious they were inexperienced. There were 2 large trucks with big plows attached they went up and down my street no fewer than 7 times. They spent at least 45 minutes doing this.
Experienced drivers could have completed plowing my street with 1 pass up and 1 pass down. There are no cars parked on the street and no traffic. Is this the drivers’ fault? No.
We do not train our plow operators on how to plow and what the correct method is. Compare the state roads that traverse the city and the city streets.
I took a ride around the area this morning and I can tell you there are going to be a lot of upset people. I saw a few streets that have not seen a plow. I saw two driveways at the end of streets where the plows dumped their loads, the snow piles have to be 5 ft. high. Most intersecting streets have not had those areas plowed thus turning from 1 onto the other is difficult.
Because there is no set policy on trash pickup and no way to communicate that there is no pickup on your normal day and that pickup will be the next day people have put out their trash and this will impede snow removal. There could be some valuable lessons learned here but that won’t happen, we will stumble forward and next year’s administration will fumble along as this one did during this storm.
Joel and town committee are so intertwined in a negative feedback loop that their objectivity is in peril. I will not trust their opinions until their senses return and they are able to think clearly without the preconceived ideas that limit their blog posts.
Blogging might be a skill but chronic complaining is a boring fault.
Gee Local Eyes I am sorry I point out things that could be improved. I guess living in Fairfield where it never rains or snows allows you to have a sunny disposition or is it your work at home project that makes you so happy and so blind as to what’s going on?
town committee: your apology is accepted–can a Presidential pardon be far behind?
You seem particularly out of touch with reality today.
I hope your situation improves.
While nobody likes to be inconvenienced, this was a big storm that came on fast with high winds thus drifting. Plows came down my street at 4:15 yesterday. Prior to that, it was impassable for many normal, low-ground-clearance cars. I was told the main arteries were pretty clean and that also seemed to be the case.
It was a big storm for God’s sake. Lighten up everybody!
OIB Rumor Mill: Grapevine edition–
President Obama is a regular reader of OIB. He has taken a special interest in Bridgeport CT. He thinks Bridgeport proves his “rhetorical might” and his ability to sway an election. Like a rock star, he calls The Arena a “good room” and hopes to play there again.
Frustrated Bridgeport Democrat & Local Eyes are his favorite posters.
His least favorite posters were named by me in an earlier missive today.
He would like to join OIB as a participant but Presidential protocol prevents that from happening.
If it’s worth saying, it’s worth repeating:
AM I THE ONLY PERSON HERE who thinks America’s financial disaster, which is currently raging, omnipresent, widespread and growing daily won’t turn into a political issue soon?
Our current situation prevents a sense of national happiness and is conducive to civic interruptions. Spotters report unpleasant activity. (nod)
Bridgeport is an incubator for this growing trend.
Local Eyes KMA now that is reality.
Riddle me this …
If you believe everything Finch and Sherwood say about the budget problems, how many more layoffs does this blizzard result in?
Local Eyes: There is a sale on aluminum foil today. Now would be a good time to replace your protective helmet.
TC, I too spoke to my plow driver and got an earful. Drivers were not called in based on seniority or experience. They were called in based on political connections (like everything else in Bpt). Just ask Rich Paoletto’s father. A CDL does not mean someone has expertise driving a snow plow. You not only have to be trained on the plow but you have to have a familiarity with your section of the city. If you keep assigning different (inexperienced) men, they never get good in any one section. This is not a criticism of Public Works. It is a fact based on years of observation. I wonder if CitiStat had any recommendations in this area.
city hall smoker // Dec 28, 2010 at 6:00 pm
To your posting
Yes CitiStat does … if you mean the Gomes CitiStat, or do you mean the eviscerated department operating today?
City hall my old plow driver was not called in until very late the night of the storm he has plowed my North End neighborhood for years but he now is not on the politically correct list because he bruised somebody’s ego a few years back now the dumb asses get called 1st because they suck up better.
Guy, isn’t that what they call biting off your nose to spite your face? This is an election year and people remember things like this. So let the dumb asses get what they can while they can. The party is almost over.
city hall smoker // Dec 28, 2010 at 7:11 pm
“From your mouth to God’s ear” … as the saying goes.
I’m up for your ideas …
I haven’t been home since early this a.m. but no plow had been through. I was able to meet some of the neighbors as we helped push vehicles. It occurred to me that maybe that was the plan, to get the people of Bridgeport to ASSIST one another.
Really!!!
CHS I don’t know if these were new guys up here or what but for the first time since I can remember the plows came down the wrong side of the street each time they made a pass. When I made my bumpy journey from my house to the turnpike I noticed that when I reached the turnpike the road was clear and drying while my street was like the Burma road. I wonder why that is? The management of public facilities should be taken to task for their handling of this storm.
CitiStat made MANY recommendations to improve the efficiency of Public Works and save money. Charlie Carroll didn’t listen to one of them. The rest of the story you know …
city hall smoker // Dec 28, 2010 at 7:16 pm
to your posting
Not only didn’t he listen to them, Charlie became arrogant and surly when even a hint of accountability was called for.
Hector, that was stupid.
So is your sister.
Hector to say the least your post was a little over the top and CHS was right. Yeah I know my brother is stupid. I applaud you and your neighbors for spending the day pushing the cars of dumb asses who should have stayed home. Really.
Some of us had to get to work.
No one is ever happy with the administration of public services. Sometimes the gripes are legit. I recall when I was living on Harbor Avenue, the rubbish collector would pick through my garbage can, deciding what he was going to take. (He also deliberately broke the lid off the can.)
We ought to be counting our blessings. The streets are being cleared. Thank God this didn’t happen to you:
www .youtube.com/watch?v=kt_r-jO3lKE
Seasonals were called in ahead of permanent workers with seniority. Mario gave the order that his buddies get the overtime. Public Facilities supervisors followed suit. When the senior guys complained they were told to file grievances. True story.
“I don’t care if they win the grievances, they’ll have to spend a long time fighting, and plenty of money too!”
The Fixer // Dec 28, 2010 at 7:24 pm
Is this all we can know about this true story?
Fixer, these are the things John Gomes wants to fix …
This is crazy … And Charlie Carroll agreed to this?
Years ago Public Facilities was managed by two Portuguese guys. Decent men, worked hard, treated people fairly. One of them just passed away God rest his soul. Now there are many foremen and acting foremen. Not one of them is worth a shit. True story.
My street still has not been plowed, just beaten down by the vehicles. Most of my neighbors threw the snow out in the middle of the street in anger. Is it true what I have heard that public facilities is managed by a politically connected electrician with no college or management experience?
Good management starts from the top. The electrician doesn’t know the first thing about running a dept of this size or managing a storm of this magnitude. He thinks his mere presence is enough. When his back was turned one of his supervisors was playing games on his computer. Racking up the overtime. True story.
UNION // Dec 28, 2010 at 7:36 pm
To your posting
All these credentials plus the ego …
Damn, you guys need to stop–makes me want to stay here.
Good idea Joel & while I am at it Happy New Year.
Hmmm … careful what you say, and what you put in print! Here is a perfect example of how things were going to be … from the Mayor’s archived Newsletter which ceased a while ago.
I love this:
“These GPS units will help the city to better track the most efficient routes, and be more accountable to constituents’ concerns, for example, whether and when their street has been plowed,” said Mayor Bill Finch. “When I took office [and he really did take it], one of my goals was to professionalize city government, increase accountability, and realize cost-savings, in conjunction with the creation of CitiStat. The installation of GPS units is one more step in that process.”
Check it out here!
www .bridgeportct.gov/mayorspage/WeeklyUpdates/Finch_Report_01_09_09.pdf
Birdman doesn’t have a clue, he thinks people will forget what he says. OIB will not allow it. More problems to come in city his idea of solving these is to hire more cronies. This guy is a Trumbull boy who can’t handle big-city problems, we need someone who has balls big big ones and a brain would help not big big one but bigger than birdman’s. I remember once he told me he hated Univ. of Bridgeport now because he said it was run by a cult but so is Sacred Heart I told him only SH is an acceptable cult.
These GPS units cost $299.00 each plus $30.00 each to monitor per month that’s $30,600 per year to monitor plus $25,415 to buy them and they still don’t know where the plow trucks or Charlie are. The second one is easy he is in his wife’s office.
bpt guy, I don’t think Charlie or any of his flunky supervisors know how to use the GPS tracking system. That was just another press release with no substance and no intention of following through.
Hey Carolanne, welcome back.
Maybe the Mayor was just covering one supervisor, who was the very first to employ the GPS units, and kept the units secret for months and months, then 5 were terminated for various charges related to their whereabouts. Later more units were added to other department vehicles and all employees were told they could be monitored.
It looks like there has been no more monitoring of the vehicles. All department heads should have access to the software … but who has time when you’re playing solitaire!
The laborers don’t need the GPS. They are working their asses off. The supervisors need the GPS. They’re the ones hiding, taking cars home and fooling around on city time. With all that overtime they are raking in, you’d think one of them would figure out an effective system for plowing the streets.
The PFD Snow Plow drivers were sent home the night of the storm at 10PM! Right in the middle of the storm. They were replaced by Sanitation Drivers,who only show up for the money, do not know the snow routes and could give a shit about the quality of the work they do in a Department not their own! Roadway Dept Drivers should have stayed the night. Like in the old days! In the old days drivers could take a snow truck out in a section before a storm. Get used to the truck, plow, streets, trees, cars. Drivers were given cleaning material to clean window mirrors etc. and the time to do it. Not these days! The Big Dummy who thinks he can run this Dept calls in his buddies from recycling and sanitation, while the roadway drivers (The Real Snow Driver) sit home with their thumbs up their asses! Morale is at an all-time low! And you wonder why your streets don’t get plowed!