Mary-Jane Foster
“She’s a formidable candidate,” Testa said. “I don’t know if she will have the town committee endorsement. Mayor Finch has got the endorsement.”
He hemmed a bit. Hawed a little. “She does have a record as a business woman,” he said. “I would not discourage and I would not encourage her,” he said.
He paused a moment and then declared: “But, hey. This is democracy.”
Mario and the mayor don’t have the greatest relationship, but Mario really doesn’t have anyone else. Not yet, anyway. If Foster decides to segue from exploratory committee to candidate committee the mayoral race will not be so boring afterall. “This is democracy,” states Mario. If you talk privately to most of the rank and file members of the Democratic Town Committee they’ll tell you Foster would make a far better mayor than Finch. She’s smart and thoughtful and not infected with the narcissism that strangles his decision making. Finch wasn’t always this way. Perhaps it’s too much Pequonnock River water.
But they will also tell you that, for now, they’re sticking with Finch because his excessive admiration for himself hasn’t translated into full blown implosion. They have their job and legal work and consulting gigs controlled by hizzoner. Such courage, eh? But the notion that the DTC is unbeatable in a primary is a bunch of chicken droppings. They’ve been beaten before. And if they control so many votes why did they throw John Fabrizi under the bus in 2007? Because they didn’t think he could win.
Mary-Jane Foster and her husband Jack McGregor (full disclosure: I am his biographer) created an excitement in Bridgeport this city hadn’t seen in decades with the development of the Bridgeport Bluefish, and ballpark and arena at Harbor Yard. She no longer co-owns the team and the whisper campaign the Finch forces have started questions the economic viability of the fish. Amazing, the Finch people didn’t say a peep about that when Finch implored Foster for campaign donations, when he urged her to serve as his mayoral transition team chair in 2007. I want you, I need you, I love you, Finch said then.
Now that she’s a potential threat, differently story. But, ah, it’s democracy, isn’t it?
(Check out my daily webzine www.onlyinbridgeport.com)
Finch doesn’t need a “mouthpiece”.He’s on Channel 12 more than some reporters-tooting his own horn.The press ‘picks on’ Bridgeport because of high crime,murders,and high taxes? All that “negativity” is true.Those of us who are homeowners that can’t sell our houses are trapped here,paying high taxes and dodging bullets.We don’t need a highly paid “Publicist” to B.S. the press !
The largest municipality in the State needs a communications director. In case you haven’t noticed, the press paints the poorest picture possible of our City. Elaine does an incredible job at setting the record straight with integrity and diligence. She works incredibly hard, never gets a break. I’d give her a raise if it were my money.
Pick on someone who deserves it.
He’s done a lot for cronies like Elaine Ficarra who gets 82 grand a year,to be his ‘publicist’.And that public relations firm that he paid an obscene amount of our tax dollars for those awful TV commercials.But for the citizens? He’s raised our taxes-services are lousy (snow mounds from Dec.26 still on my street).He must go and not SOON enough!
I can’t think of one thing, Finch has done for City of Bridgeport.
He’s not even a Good Care-taker. LOL
Under Finch,Bridgeport is mired (as it has been for 20+ years)in cronyism,corruption and nepotism.The only thing that has grown in Bpt in the past 4 yrs is Finch’s ego.We need a fresh voice in City hall.After hammering the rank and file city workers with layoffs,threats and pay cuts (and hiring highly paid cronies to goof-off jobs)-I don’t think Finch could get elected as dog catcher.
I concur with you Tom Kelly!
Bridgeport deserves better leadership and management than we are presently receiving. I guess you could say that Bridgeport needs some Foster care!