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This Bridgeport Herald cartoon in 1938 zings a sleepy Pete Brewster, the city's Public Works director, for "Waiting Till The Sun Shines" for snow clearance.

It’s one of Bridgeport’s legendary lines: “God put the snow there…let Him take it away.” Bridgeport’s penny-pinching Socialist Mayor Jasper McLevy, 1933-57, received credit for the declaration following a snow storm in 1938. Jasper was cheap. Voters loved his frugality. Except during storms.

McLevy never uttered those words, but what’s the sense of having a good line if you cannot attribute it to someone? The genesis of the expression comes from Pete Brewster who served as McLevy’s director of Public Works. Several months after the storm, Brewster was taking a friendly beating from city scribes over beers at Billy Prince’s bar on State Street downtown. Each sip of beer pried another needle. The piling on unnerved Brewster. “Let the Guy who put the snow there take it away,” Brewster snapped.

And so it was done. Down through the years the comment morphed into a McLevy classic shared by thousands of city residents.

(Check out my daily webzine www.onlyinbridgeport.com)

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 I prefer this quote about Bridgeport:

So I gave up the idea of a circus, and concluded he was from an asylum. But we never came to an asylum—so I was up a stump, as you may say.

I asked him how far we were from Hartford. He said he had never heard of the place; which I took to be a lie, but allowed it to go at that. At the end of an hour we saw a far-away town sleeping in a valley by a winding river; and beyond it on a hill, a vast gray fortress, with towers and turrets, the first I had ever seen out of a picture.

“Bridgeport?” said I, pointing.

“Camelot,” said he.

—Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, 1889.

(Check out my daily webzine www.onlyinbridgeport.com)

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In 1986 Bridgeport celebrated its 150th birthday. I had to come up with a title of a book to commemorate the city’s history. It seemed to me that with all the odd stuff that happens in the state’s largest city the title Only In Bridgeport was a fit. I mean the city had actually built a firehouse on private property. How did that happen? One of its mayors campaigned wearing a bullet proof vest. The FBI tried to sting the city’s top cop, but guess who got stung? Yup, wily Joe Walsh pinched the feds proffer.

The showmanship of P.T. Barnum, who made Bridgeport his home, became contagious. So, Only In Bridgeport was born, an illustrated history that tells of a small town’s drive to become a major industrial center and all the crazy stuff that happened before and after.

In 2011, Bridgeport celebrates its 175th birthday. I’ve completed a 25th anniversary update from the first printing with more images and more kooky stories.

On Thursday (Dec. 9) from 5 to 6:30 p.m. I’ll be signing copies of the book at Rainy Faye Bookstore, at Broad and John Streets downtown. Host Georgia Day will provide refreshments. Come on down and support an independent bookstore in downtown Bridgeport. And tell me your favorite only in Bridgeport stories.

(Check out my daily webzine www.onlyinbridgeport.com)

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Get a load of the love State Rep. Chris Caruso is receiving from members of the city’s legislative delegation that elected him leader for the General Assembly session that begins in January. Who says Caruso cannot get along with fellow pols? Caruso is seriously considering a mayoral run in 2011. Check out this news release:

REP. CARUSO IS ELECTED CHAIRMAN

OF BRIDGEPORT ’S LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION

Members of Bridgeport ’s legislative delegation have elected State Representative Christopher Caruso to chair their delegation.

Rep. Caruso, a veteran legislator and the dean of Bridgeport ’s legislative delegation, was re-elected to his 11th term this year in the Connecticut General Assembly.

“I deeply appreciate the support of my Bridgeport colleagues for electing me chairman of the Bridgeport delegation,” Rep. Caruso said. “By working together we will succeed in getting results for the citizens of Bridgeport .”

“This is going to be a very challenging year, particularly for legislators from the state’s largest cities like Bridgeport ,” Rep. Caruso said. “Despite a very difficult economy, we must ensure that the state budget is not balanced on the backs of Bridgeport ’s residents. It will also be important for Connecticut ’s municipalities to be able to consider revenue options other than relying on the property tax.”

“We feel like our delegation works well together,” Senator Edwin Gomes (D-Bridgeport) said. “And we felt that Representative Caruso was very experienced and very able to lead the delegation. His knowledge of the legislative process is beneficial to us.”

“It was my honor to nominate Chris for the position of Chair because of the fact that during my first two years he always offered to assist and was there whenever I called on him,” Rep. Ezequiel Santiago (D-Bridgeport) said. “He has the tenure and experience to allow the delegation to build on the progress we have made over the last two years.”

“As the senior member of our delegation, Representative Caruso has been a tireless supporter of our City of Bridgeport for many years at the State Capitol ,” Rep. Don Clemons (D-Bridgeport) said. “I am sure he will continue to work on the issues that affect us all.”

“Rep Caruso is an effective and dedicated public servant and his years of service prove I am not the only one that believes that,” Rep. Jack Hennessy (D-Bridgeport) said. “I therefore have no reservations and fully support Chris for Chair of the Bridgeport legislative delegation.

“Representative Caruso’s experience at the municipal and state level makes him very effective at getting legislation passed,” Rep. Auden Grogins (D-Bridgeport) said. “We are pleased that Chris has volunteered his time and service for this important position.”

Rep. Andres Ayala (D-Bridgeport) said, “Chris Caruso’s extensive experience in the legislature will serve our entire delegation well as chairman and will help promote our city in Hartford .”

“I’ve learned a great deal from Representative Caruso over the last two years, and I respect his ability to get things done,” Senator Anthony Musto (D-Trumbull/Bridgeport) said. “I look forward to his leadership for our delegation as we enter this difficult budget year.”

Rep. Caruso said the delegation will meet soon to begin building a legislative agenda for the city.

(Check out my daily webzine www.onlyinbridgeport.com)

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What, zoners voted against Mario! How could that be?

The Planning & Zoning Commission meeting nearly hit the stroke of midnight, but when the vote came Monday night dozens of North End residents were stunned and pleased that an application by Democratic Town Chair Mario Testa to change the designation of his Madison Avenue restaurant to Office Retail in a heavy residential area was rejected.

Testa needed five yes votes for application approval and came up one short. Commissioners Carl Kish, Robert Morton and Reggie Walker voted no. Commissioners  Joe Tiago, Anne Phillips, Tom Fedele and Mel Riley voted yes.

State Representatives Chris Caruso and Jack Hennessy were among the pols who spoke against the application presented by attorney Chuck Willinger on behalf of Mario. Caruso, who appears to be gearing up for a mayoral run, has had a decades-long battle with Mario on things political and zoning.

If Caruso runs for mayor it sets up a rematch of his primary battle with Bill Finch in 2007. Caruso lost by just 270 votes. Why do I get the feeling that zoning and ballot counting will be part of the Big Wave campaign message.

Book Signing

I’ve updated my book Only In Bridgeport, a 25th anniversary special edition (yes, I’m that old) from the first printing. Georgia Day, owner of Rainy Faye Bookstore at Broad and John Streets downtown is hosting a book signing party Dec. 9, 5 to 6:30 p.m. Come on down and say hello. This new edition includes more than 40 new photographs and a load of Only In Bridgeport moments.

(Check out my daily webzine www.onlyinbridgeport.com)

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The Connecticut Post wants a recounting of Election Day ballots. City Attorney Mark Anastasi says that will occur “if appropriate.” I can’t wait to hear Mark’s legal version of “if appropriate.”

From Post staffer Tim Loh:

BRIDGEPORT — The Connecticut Post announced Friday its intention to conduct a full and open recount of all of the Bridgeport ballots cast for governor in the Nov. 2 election.

The recount would serve as the first audit of the city’s disputed voting totals, which were submitted to the secretary of the state’s office on Nov. 5.

The city’s handling of Election Day has attracted widespread criticism in the past two weeks, most recently when city attorneys on Monday refused to allow the secretary of the state’s office to recount the ballots itself.

“We think the people of Bridgeport — and Connecticut — deserve a clear accounting of the city’s vote for governor on Nov. 2,” said Tom Baden, Connecticut Post editor. “We’ve asked the voter registrars and the city attorney’s office, under the provisions of the state’s Freedom of Information law, to make all ballots available to us for an impartial and open recount.”

City Attorney Mark Anastasi responded Friday that his preliminary review of election law indicates the ballots should be sealed until Monday, Nov. 22. He said he planned to confer with Bridgeport Democratic Registrar Santa Ayala and Republican Registrar Joseph Borges on Monday, and expected to work out a process to make the ballots available to the newspaper “if appropriate.”

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We’ve seen this movie many times. A Bridgeport company leaves the city lured by Shelton developer Robert Scinto. Add Modern Plastics to the list.

Modern Plastics has been a fixture in the city’s West End for 65 years. Bing Carbone, president of the company, says Bridgeport development officials must do a better job communicating with city-based businesses to retain them.

Scinto is a master at recruiting businesses to his Shelton properties. He was in the news a few weeks ago when he entered a guilty plea for providing false statements to FBI agents probing the administration of Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti. Modern Plastics news release:

BRIDGEPORT, Conn., Nov. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Modern Plastics, Corporate Headquarters, 678 Howard Avenue, Bridgeport, Connecticut, is moving from its current location for the past 65 years in early 2011 to Shelton, Connecticut.

Modern Plastics is one of the largest distributors of medical-grade plastics and supplies high-performance engineering-grade plastic stock shapes along with fabricated plastic parts. The new facility will have a quarantined environmentally controlled room for storage of medical plastics, 5,000 square feet of office space and 18,000 plus square feet of manufacturing floor space, including a retail store for items such as cut-to-size Plexiglas and Lexan sheet.

“We are saddened to leave Bridgeport after so many years, but we are also thrilled and excited about the move to Shelton. The location is ideal for us just off of Bridgeport Avenue in the heart of both industrial and office commerce,” said Bing J. Carbone, President of Modern Plastics. He added that “the need for efficient manufacturing space, larger offices for our core business plus a retail store to serve the local market has become essential to meet the growing requirements of our customers.”

(Check out my daily webzine www.onlyinbridgeport.com)

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Election Day was a mess. Ballot shortages, chaos at voting places, long lines, electors walking away in disgust. Kudos to voters that waited in line for an hour or more. For those that walked away who could blame them.

Mayor Bill Finch has formed a committee to assess the election process and make recommendations for improvement. The obvious improvement, print more freaking ballots! City elections are managed by elected registrars of voters, one Democrat and one Republican, and their respective staffs. The registrars, chosen by party regulars, have two year terms and do not report to the mayor.

A public meeting will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m., in City Hall Annex, 999 Broad Street.

Former Bridgeport Mayor Nick Panuzio, attorney Richard Bieder and Robert Trefry, former CEO of Bridgeport Hospital want to hear from you. “We want to hear firsthand accounts of problems and issues faced by any Bridgeport voters who went to the polls to vote on Election Day, Nov. 2,” says Panuzio.

(Check out my daily webzine www.onlyinbridgeport.com)