Emboldened by Tuesday’s drubbing of endorsed Democrats, coalition forces that supported the winning primary challengers for school board and City Council are looking to next year’s legislative season and among the establishment targets is State Senator Anthony Musto who’s likely to be challenged by Marilyn Moore who served as campaign manager for the Board of Education winners.
In this season of opportunity for challengers, anti-establishment activists view Musto’s voting record as vulnerable in a Democratic primary next August. This would be a rematch from the Democratic primary in 2008 when Musto squeaked past Moore in the city-suburban 22nd Senate District that includes all of Trumbull, part of Monroe and western portion of the city including the higher turnout Black Rock, Brooklawn and North End neighborhoods. The number of registered Democrats in the Bridgeport portion of the district is roughly double the suburban registration.
Musto has drawn the ire of Bridgeport government reformers for killing a bill co-sponsored by State House members Jack Hennessy and Auden Grogins to enforce Bridgeport’s City Charter prohibiting city employees from serving on the City Council and eliminating conflicts of interests such as councilors approving their own wages and benefits. Musto feared alienating Bridgeport’s political establishment that opposed the bill. Two city employees who serve on the council were defeated Tuesday night, Warren Blunt and Richard Bonney.
Musto was also chief architect, in his role as chair of the legislature’s Government Administration & Elections Committee, of watering down Connecticut’s landmark campaign finance reform, permitting additional special-interest money to flow into elections.
Musto was one of just two state senators to support public disclosure of images of slaughtered Sandy Hook children in defiance of the wishes of victims’ parents.
Moore is executive director of The Witness Project, a community-based breast and cervical cancer education program for African American women. She also served as a legislative aide to former State Senator Ed Gomes whose base political support in the Wilbur Cross voting precinct was carved into Musto’s district by state Democratic redistricting leaders in an effort to make Musto’s seat safer from Republican challengers. Gomes says he was blindsided by the move. Ironically, that change could backfire against Musto in a primary where Moore is familiar with the electoral turf and has a close political relationship with Gomes. Wilbur Cross was one of many voting precincts on Tuesday where challengers ran up large wins against endorsed Democrats.
Prior to Musto the 22nd Senate District was occupied by Republican Rob Russo and before that Democrat Bill Finch before he was elected mayor. Moore is expected to announce her campaign intentions soon.
No.
I do commend Ms. Moore on her efforts on behalf of slate B.
*** DUMP MUSTO! ***
Just say the word, Marilyn. Once again it is time for a change and you are the change we need.
Yes, you get Ed Gomes, Caruso, Bob Walsh and all anti-Steelepointe … yeah that’s gonna happen when bats fly out of my ass. Now that’s the change we need … Really? Change the channel, please.
If I were you, I’d watch out for those bats. You’ll be seeing them soon.
Lololololol
Really, Steve.
You should take the time to learn the facts rather than just continue singing this same old tired tune.
Anthony Musto has spent his tenure standing for nothing. He was nowhere on the gun violence bill and nowhere, until he sandbagged it, on HB5724, Hennessy’s bill to amend state law to conform to our city charter prohibiting municipal employees from serving on the City Council. I used to say if he couldn’t stand for something, he stood for nothing. Then he stood up and mocked good government in Bridgeport. He needs to go.
Although I appreciate Lennie’s attempts ad nauseam to get rid of Musto, it’s not going to happen.
Let’s not forget Musto’s opposition to increasing the minimum wage!
Ron, let’s not forget his support for Bridgeport and Steelepointe. His support with Ayala for great educational benefits for the Bridgeport region. It is a shame about his non-support for minimum wage. As a substitute working in the City of Bridgeport I think I make minimum wage. I think you are right, RON. If people working in most minimum-wage jobs voted, he could be in trouble. He could in fact be replaced by a Republican. Marilyn Moore, I do not think so.
Steven Auerbach, LET IT GO, LET IT GO, I mean you and this Steelepointe thing is ridiculous. Between the casino and Steelepointe they both were the “savior” for Bridgeport, please. Steven Auerbach, this Bridgeport remember PT Barnum. Ed Gomes, Caruso, Bob Walsh, Marilyn Moore and all anti-Steelepointe, please Steven Auerbach let’s move on with life, the sun will come up tomorrow.
Ron Mackey, I do not need to let Steelepointe go. I will not support Marilyn Moore and neither will most everyone I know and respect. You sir, get over it and do what you can. Ed Gomes sucked, Chris Caruso and Bob Walsh and Ed Gomes and Marilyn Moore are as about as progressive as OMG I can not even come up with anything. Although I occasionally appreciate a maverick, not at the expense of being an obstacle in development. Ron. that’s my agenda. Economic development. That is my number one issue second only to education. Ron Mackry Ron Mackry Ron Mackry thank you for using my name so many times in one post. STEELEPOINTE STEELEPOINTE STEELEPOINTE. And no to Marilyn Moore. Oh BTW Ron, we have been through this before. You can support Marilyn and I will vote for Anthony Musto and yes, the sun will come out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there will be Sun … Tomorrow, Tomorrow … I love ya, Tomorrow … you’re only a day … a … way 🙂
Ron Mackey, btw I never ever believed in bringing a Casino to Bridgeport. I never supported that idea. As for your favorite subject of Steelepointe, as with Mayor Finch, Anthony Musto will be cashing in on that amazing news as soon as that shovel goes in the ground. There will be no interest in any challengers especially when they do not have a platform.
But Ron Mackey, I respect your wanting to support Marilyn. She is quite an eloquent speaker. I would expect the same respect of my support of Musto as he is supporting my agenda of development in Bridgeport including Seaview Ave, Remington Woods, South End by the University of BRIDGEPORT as well as Downtown and Steelepointe, Steelepointe, Steelepointe … 😉
Steve, Steelepointe is low-paying jobs. How is that progressive? Finch and his buddies in the Bridgeport Regional Business Council are busy chasing what is left of Bridgeport’s remaining industry in favor of high-cost residential housing and retail, which are not as good for the tax base or for employment.
Ed Gomes being a state senator is one of the best things that ever happened to Bridgeport and Marilyn has always been someone who supports real change and not the real-estate industry.
Steve Auerbach,
For the nearly 20 years RCI has been a player in the Steel Point development proposal, how much of their own money have they spent in hard development costs? You can also throw in those jokers Midtown Equities. And how many development deadlines have they missed?
And then tell me how much the taxpayers have spent and how much in revenue have the taxpayers been asked to forgo by tearing down taxable properties and not receiving any type of annual PILOT payment?
Gomes, Walsh, Moore, Finch, Caruso, Ayala, Malloy et al. This City and this State need to get off this liberal Democratic bandwagon. It’s not working!
That’s why I and many people I know are voting against all incumbents this November. It’s that same sentiment for many who voted out the BOE and incumbents in the primary.
Denis OMalley, please give us a list of conservatives you know who have things working.
It’s too bad we have to suffer through Auerbach’s continuing harangues of baseless posturing against the mainstream thought. “… bats flying out of (his) ass …” I never realized how troubled the man really is. We have important issues to address now that the momentum seems to be shifting. We cannot waste time reading or considering his childlike rants.
yahooy, I have to say I agree with you. Auerbach has every right to those opinions but to act like the vote for Steel Point development is the end of the world because some elected officers vote against Steel Point development and these individuals should not trusted or we shouldn’t vote for them or support their views is what you said yahooy, “We cannot waste time reading or considering his childlike rants.”
Ron and Steve,
Some may be interested in the verbal tennis match you guys are having, but I am waiting for someone to share part of the reason for past opposition: show us the numbers, all the expenses, the expected revenues, the sources of funds, as well as the pretty renderings. We get the pictures, but not the numbers … facts and figures that determine viability … that determine who gets what, when and how … reasonable for taxpayers to expect since they are ultimately footing the bill whatever combination of local, state and federal revenues are used. And if the developer(s) are representative of risk-taking entrepreneurs, believers in putting capital up so as to create a rewarding return, then shouldn’t we be able to see where we are headed from a deal point of view? We have no Finance Board to review and comment on such, do we? We have no B&A Council Committee that deals with such, do we? (If you think we do, please refer those minutes to OIB for public review.) And more than one City Administration has already put shovels in the ground, had the picture snapped and what do you see? Disputes about utility service to the site and who will pay for it. Where is the planning? Show us the money! Time will tell.
I would love to see her run! She has my support for sure! As for Musto, to me he looks real attractive LEAVING a room. We will push for Marilyn in my neighborhood. She can take that to the bank.
“he looks real attractive LEAVING a room”
I feel the same way about women, hence my handle. You wanna borrow it?
RM,
Right off the bat … In CT, be they Republican or Democrat, historically first selectmen/mayors of Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk, Darien, Fairfield, Easton, Danbury all seem to have done well for the most part.
In terms of governors, I’d point out Wisc Gov. Walker because he re-worked unsustainable union contracts, balanced the budget without a tax hike and added teachers instead of firing. Michigan Governor because they are finally dealing with that train wreck Detroit. Gov Christie.
Denis OMalley, here is a liberal Democratic bandwagon. It’s working!
After Raising Taxes, California Expects Budget Surplus In 2014
By Travis Waldron on January 11, 2013 at 10:35 am
Since the Great Recession, California has epitomized the fiscal problems facing states. Its economy was ravaged by the housing crisis, and its budget gaps swelled into the tens of billions of dollars. Even before the recession, the state often struggled to balance its budget, hamstrung by legislative rules that made it nearly impossible to increase taxes.
Gov. Jerry Brown (D) took tax increases to the voting public in November, though, and voters approved multiple tax increases for 2013. After years of spending cuts and with billions of dollars in new tax revenue coming in, Brown now expects the state to have a budget surplus this year. The expected $851-million surplus would be just the second for the state in the last decade, the Los Angeles Times reports:
After years of red ink, Gov. Jerry Brown said on Thursday that California’s $96.7-billion general fund is now poised to end next year with a surplus, thanks to years of deep budget cuts and billions in new taxes approved by voters last year.
“We achieved the position we’re in because of tough cuts … and then the people voted for taxes,” he said. “We broke the logjam by going to the people.”
Proposition 30, the tax increase on the wealthiest Californians voters approved in November, is expected to raise $8.5 billion in revenue, bringing balance to the billions in spending cuts Brown had already approved to close California’s budget gap. The tax increases and the budget surplus will especially benefit California’s school system, which will receive a $2.7-billion budget increase in 2013 and more than $10 billion in increases by 2016. Medi-Cal, the state’s health care system, will also receive increases aimed at implementing Obamacare.
In Washington, President Obama has pushed for a similar balanced approach to deficit reduction. Thus far, 75 percent of the $2.4 trillion in deficit reduction that has been enacted since 2011 has come from spending cuts, and Republicans are refusing to consider further tax increases in future deficit reduction packages. Without tax increases in future deals, the ratio of spending cuts to tax increases could reach as high as five-to-one, according to the Center on Budget and Policy.
Priorities. But if California is any evidence, combining tax increases and spending cuts can bring balance to the budget while also allowing lawmakers to avoid cuts to education, health care, and other important programs.
Off Topic, can someone tell me how our economic development director can properly represent Bridgeport when he was just elected to a government position in Stamford? Does anyone see a conflict?
Andy,
Either countdown is being extremely witty today with the potential conflict or she still doesn’t get it.
Now my answer to you Andy would be there is no conflict because no reputable developer he does business or seeks to do business in Stamford with would step foot in Bridgeport and by the same token the city of Stamford would not even entertain the thought of a sit-down with the deadbeat developers who keep trying to make a buck off of Bridgeport; Sal DiNardo, Bob Christoph, Manny Moutinho, etc., etc., etc.
Bob, I guess we don’t need an economic development director and can save the salary and put it towards next year’s deficit.
Are you kidding? Finch’s development director is running for office in Stamford? And, is this a fact? Bob Walsh, I do agree with you about the lack of money the group for Steelepointe put up. It is also a shame many people gave up their homes through eminent domain. I will listen to any candidate who has a plan and puts development at the top of the list to ultimately take the tax burden off the homeowners. Looks like Finch and politicians may pay a high price in the next couple of elections. yahooy, good luck with Mackey working Moore’s campaign. I will not lift a finger to help Musto. I will support any candidate who has economic development at the top of the list. As always it is a pleasure to be an outsider getting attacked by anonymous people from all directions. The good news is. I REALLY ENJOY IT. IT IS SUNDOWN AND YOM KIPPUR. MAY WE ALL BE INSCRIBED IN THE BOOK OF LIFE FOR A HAPPY HEALTHY NEW YEAR. EVEN MY ADVERSARIES. 🙂
Slow down. He won the Democratic district primary. He has a general election to get through in a City where there truly is a Republican Party that is effective and a 40-member Board of Reps. I don’t know if the Bridgeport Common Council committee and full meetings conflict with when the Stamford board of Reps caucus, committees and full meetings happen. If they don’t conflict it is possible if you want to do nothing but work work work. He is going to be exhausted if he wins the November election.
… “do nothing but work, work, work.” Exactly the point. How can he be effective in Bridgeport if he is spending so much time in Stamford? Instead of work, work, work, it will be more like do nothing! Plus, another economic director who does not live in the city. Give me a break.
Don’t worry about Dave Kooris. Finch is appointing a Deputy Director of OPED to cover while Kooris is in Stamford. By the way, Ed Lavernoich, former Deputy Director, is doing a fine job in Trumbull bringing in new restaurants and other taxpaying entities.
Off topic, the director of Central Grants resigned because of Alanna’s relentless bullying and micro-management. What’s that make now Alanna, 14, 15 or 16 good people who left because of you? Exactly how many lawsuits are you currently named in? I’ve lost count.
Lastly, the mayor will be naming a new Airport Superintendent of Operations soon. All three of these positions were announced at his cabinet meeting. Mo money, mo money, mo money.
And Steve,
Your bud Bill Finch tried that same lame argument when he got Sal DiNardo’s sister and the State Central Committee to pay for a mailing that said Andre Baker voted against jobs for Bridgeport when he voted against Steel Point.
Well guess what Stevie boy, Andre was the highest vote getter in Tuesday’s primary so we can all be grateful the vast majority of Bridgeport Dems do not think like you and your friends.
Bob Walsh, everyone I know voted for slate B. I do not think any of us voted based on who ran the campaign. Where did you even get the impression I voted otherwise?
Bob, because I support the positive things Finch does is no reason to assault me. I have no relationship with Finch and have never been involved in any way shape or form with the Democratic machine. I have never been invited to the party and I could care less. Most local Democrats are not too bright and see me as a Republican having worked for Mayor Moran. I have been viewed as a Republican even though I have been an active Democrat locally and nationally for the past 22 years. I Have not once in 22 years been asked to get involved and now I have no desire. Local politics to me is pathetic at best. I will always split my ticket to put the best candidate in office. The best candidate to serve the City, State or country. It is so much better not owing any politician anything and I feel sorry for those who are anonymous and fear retribution. Btw where are the Republicans on the blog? It seems the blog has become comparable to tea party Democrats. About as reprehensible to me as tea party Republicans.
Denis OMalley, where do you get your talking points from, the National Republican Party or from Sean Hannity?
Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk, Darien, Fairfield, Easton, Danbury have more wealth than Bridgeport plus they don’t have the social ills of a big city, they have a totally different tax base.
Denis OMalley sounds like someone from the far right wing of the Tea party if that sounds redundant.
Find me a young Independent not beholden to a machine or even the WFP that’s become the new bully in the city (I put up money so you do what I say) and that’s who will get my vote.
Now try and find someone, good luck with that.
Be careful what you wish for. If Moore, without a track record, beats Musto in a primary and runs in a November election without Obama’s coattails, it opens the door for a Monroe or Trumbull Republican (Tim Herbst?) to win the seat.