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.
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1 week after the huge storm..my neighborhood is still loaded with snow mounds.No plows seen since 2 a.m. thursday.Finch should FIRE his $82,000 publicist and hire two plow drivers
Bill Finch should be ashamed of his statement on channel 12. He asked the people of Bridgeport to dig out the sewers. Is he crazy we pay the 3rs highest taxes in the nation. Now we are expected to take care of the public right-of way. Which is by law the responsibility of the City of Bridgeport. He should stop hiring people to reasure his re-election and re-hire people in public works. Thats what our taxes require. We can’t afford to continue to make bad decisions that continue to cost the home owners in Bridgeport. Maybe its time to get rid of the administration that reside outside of the city. An administrations that has no vested interest in the City of Bridgeport. It is a slap in the face to continue to have outsiders run the city. Bill you promised to correct that if elected, among other things. Where is your loyalty. It’s should not be about the well being of Bill Finch but the citizens of Bridgeport.
He continue to show signs of a bad Mayor by making decisions that continue to create hardships for the citizens of Bridgeport.
Blowhard Bill was on TV telling us to move our cars or get towed.Well-I havent seen a plow since Wed. night.You plow my street and I will gladly move my car.There’s a car up the street that has been in a snow bank since Dec.26.Tow that idiot……………
The snow removal really sucks in Bpt.When there’s a storm the plow makes ONE pass down the middle of the street and THAT’S IT until the next storm.They should be out for 2 days after a storm cleaning the streets so us taxpayers can GET out to our jobs
What about the 6k I pay, it still needs better plowing.
When Joe lived in Blackrock snow was remove the day before.
For the 5 grand in taxes I pay-my street should be plowed.It wasn’t until 3 pm monday.I bet Crown St was cleared bright and early,though..