Comments(9)

|

E-mail

|

Print

A new poll conducted by the Merriman River Group shows Mayor Bill Finch with a 5 point lead over former Mayor Joe Ganim and a 15 point lead over Mary-Jane Foster, co-founder of the Bridgeport Bluefish, in head-to-head matchups based on more than 500 likely Democratic voters. Finch has larger leads over two other announced Democrats, former Finch administration official John Gomes and multi-mayoral candidate Charlie Coviello. Ganim, who is not a candidate for mayor, had been acting like one several weeks ago, but has recently lowered his profile. The poll shows there’s still some nostalgia out there for the former mayor. Finch and challengers will face off in a September primary. As for Bridgeport Republicans, knock, knock…anyone home?

What are the poll results if there’s a large primary field that includes Ganim? This is the percentage breakdown, according to the survey:

Five Candidates, Percentage

Ganim 34

Finch 32

Foster 15

Gomes 4

Coviello 2

Other 2

Unsure 10

Total 100

For more on the poll check out www.onlyinbridgeport.com

Comments(13)

|

E-mail

|

Print

Bridgeport’s mayoral campaign has begun. Will there be any drama? Thirty years ago the municipal election between Democrat John Mandanici and Republican Lenny Paoletta was a reporter’s dream, for the force of the candidates personalities and all the explosive background noise. Mandanici was the incumbent keeper of the keys to city’s Democratic machine. Paoletta was the enemy loosening the bolts to the wheels.

Mandy had all kinds of issues including political and investigative. Politically it had started when Margaret Morton took on the establishment by knocking off State Senator Sal DePiano in a Democratic primary to become the first African American woman to win a Connecticut state senate seat. Mandy couldn’t, wouldn’t heal the political wounds. He was also the target of a federal investigation that had already nailed several members of his administration on a variety of corruption charges. Charlie Tisdale, a cunning political organizer with a strong following in the black community, stepped up to challenge Mandy in a Democratic primary. Mandy won the primary but the split remained. Meanwhile Paoletta was hammering Mandy’s indictment-filled administration (Mandy was never charged himself.)

Mandy could return fire with the best of them, especially after the feds had employed a local car thief to lure Superintendent of Police Joseph Walsh, himself a target of a federal grand jury probe, into a bribe. Walsh was prepared for the set up and arrested Thomas Marra Jr. for attempted bribery, making the feds look like the Keystone Kops. A howling Mandanici claimed it was Paoletta, who had an attorney relationship with Marra, that instigated the whole thing.

About a month after the sting attempt, Frank Piccolo, leader of the local operations for the Gambino Crime Family, was blown away while he stood at public phone booth on Main Street in the North End. And then Daniel Bifield, a member of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle club escaped from the Bridgeport Correctional Center. Bifield had been described by federal authorities as the “most dangerous man in Connecticut.”  A young U.S. Attorney Richard Blumenthal (yes, that Dick Blumenthal) announced several days later that Bifield’s body was possibly fished out of New York’s East River, a theory proven false. A bewildered Bifield watched the exaggeration play out on television, holed up in Bridgeport with an old girl friend. Only then did he leave Bridgeport. The feds would catch him six months later in Colorado.

The nutty election season continued when Marra’s car was firebombed outside of Paoletta’s campaign headquarters, and then two cars parked in Mandy’s driveway were torched. Mandy wore a bullet proof vest. Paoletta’s house was burgled. It all got so crazy that local scribe Jim Clark cracked, “Bridgeport…where the circus never left town.”

In the end Mandy failed to make peace with Morton and Tisdale. The black community supported the Republican. On election night when the votes were counted Paoletta won by a stinking 64 votes.

Comments(29)

|

E-mail

|

Print

CT Post reporter Keila Torres Ocasio’s Sunday article provides an intriguing glimpse into a possible Democratic primary matchup in September. If former Mayor Joe Ganim isn’t getting into the race he’s doing a pretty good imitation. And the forces of Mayor Bill Finch are loading up the campaign warchest for a showdown with Ganim if he gets in. The Democratic primary could look like this: Finch, Ganim, former Finch administration official John Gomes, co-founder of the Bridgeport Bluefish Mary-Jane Foster and multi-mayoral candidate Charlie Coviello.

(Before you ask me about me, here’s my answer: I stuck my head in the woodchipper once. Ain’t doing that again.)

So, let’s have a little fun. If the following candidates appeared on the ballot whom would you support?

Bill Finch

Joe Ganim

Mary-Jane Foster

John Gomes

Charlie Coviello

If you missed Keila’s article see here>

Comments(39)

|

E-mail

|

Print

Will former Mayor Joe Ganim try to reclaim the job he had from November 1991 to April 2003? When I talk to city political operatives they say there’s a pretty good buzz out there for Joe.

And then there’s former State Senator Ernie Newton, the Moses of his peeps, who’s back in the political action exalting his comeback. For Ernie it’s not a question if he’ll run for something but for what office. There’s two options for Ernie, run for mayor this year or sit it out and next year try to reclaim his former State Senate seat occupied by Ed Gomes. That may depend on what Joe does. If he runs for mayor Ernie is likely to support him.

Joe and Ernie spent some time together in the joint and appears they’re both on a mission of redemption. No doubt both bring baggage. But no doubt in some neighborhoods they’re still popular. They were feeling the love from voters on the day of last week’s special election campaigning for victorious Charlie Stallworth, who replaced Chris Caruso in the state legislature, at Wilbur Cross School.

Will Joe run? If he gets family clearance my guess is he runs. Joe always thought of Bill Finch as a lightweight and most Democratic voters feel the city’s headed in the wrong direction. That doesn’t mean Finch cannot win reelection. He’ll be well financed to make his case. A lot depends on how the next few months play out. The larger question for Ganim: does the nostalgia for Joe outweigh the baggage? Also, how will Joe address the past? He has carved out a strategy that he did nothing wrong and is likely not to move far from that mantra. Voters will want to hear some contrition, something like I made some bad decisions but they didn’t rise to the level of what I was accused. If Joe can negotiate that he’ll contrast how he governed versus how Finch has governed and who voters prefer. Sure, Finch will drum up the past, but Joe, a stronger politician than Finch, will contrast his years of balanced budgets, tax cuts, and development record against Finch.

Finch’s battle cry for more than three years has been “Together we are making Bridgeport the cleanest, greenest, safest, most affordable city with schools and neighborhoods that improve each year.” Really? Now that is some declaration from the 2007 mayoral candidate who promised a $600 tax cut knowing full well he could not deliver it. Finch attached himself to a government slogan without a government track record of success. So, tell me do ya think the city under Finch is cleaner? Safe? Affordable? Schools and neighborhoods improved?

Now, hold on one minute. Two others potential challengers, one an announced candidate and the other in the exploratory stage, can provide alternative messages to Finch and Ganim.” We know what we had in the past and we know what we have now.” Most electors tend to vote on the future. How will you make my future better? John Gomes, who had served as Finch’s deputy chief administrative officer and Mary-Jane Foster, co-founder of the Bridgeport Bluefish and an executive at the University of Bridgeport, will work in earnest to capture the voter sentiment that wants to turn the page from the Ganim past and Finch present. But to capture voter interest they must have enough money to make their case.

So, what will Joe do if he runs? Run in a Democratic primary or take his case straight to a general election as an independent? Stay tuned.

Comments(16)

|

E-mail

|

Print

Mary-Jane Foster, an exploratory candidate for mayor, says Mayor Bill Finch is so desperate for revenues in an election year he’s placed a for sale sign in front of City Hall. Ah, yes, the city’s for sale.  From Foster:

The Finch administration has served up another ill-conceived, ill-timed and thoughtless proposal. Why suddenly throw City Hall and the City Hall Annex on the market with a request for proposals that are unrealistic and make no sense? A sale and lease back only makes sense if the result generates revenue from the sale and increases tax revenues for the city.

Where does this proposal fit in the earlier discussions of consolidating municipal office space and disposing of no longer necessary city-owned buildings? Consolidation would decrease expenses and the sale of unused buildings would drive some economic development opportunities. Here in Year 4 of the Finch administration, there is still no vision, no plan and no execution of these long ago identified opportunities.

What happened to the mayor’s promise to forego one-time revenues to plug the budget holes? That promise must be packed away with the promise to give everyone in Bridgeport a $600 tax refund.

The lack of coherence suggests desperation for revenue. With a budget deficit that moves with each day, unfunded pension liabilities and a Rainy Day Fund that is essentially at zero, perhaps this is a Hail Mary to try to bridge a gap that the administration doesn’t have the skill or stomach to deal with realistically. Some transparency or open communication about just how bad the situation is and what the options are would be helpful but are highly unlikely given this administration’s track record of secrecy.

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, the RPF revealed that tours for interested developers will be led by Art Harris, a City employee who took a medical leave to have knee replacements. In Harris’ absence, City Councilman Robert Curwen was hired as a ‘temporary’ City employee. Where is Robert Curwen now? Still working for the City? What happened to the hiring freeze? ‘Guess that’s only for individuals who aren’t the mayor’s buddies.

Comments(1)

|

E-mail

|

Print

Roughly 50 neighborhood activists and city officials gathered at the Wheeler Fountain near Park Avenue Tuesday night to protest a proposed 120-bed halfway house for the West End. The opposition hopes to attract a larger crowd Monday night when the Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled take up the issue in City Council Chambers on Lyon Terrace. This meeting could get noisy. Several officials including Mayor Bill Finch and City Council President Tom McCarthy oppose the proposal. Mary-Jane Foster, who has formed an exploratory committee for mayor, was among the gathering at the fountain Tuesday. She says the Connecticut Legislature should pass a law to correct an imbalance that forces the region’s social problems on Bridgeport. From Foster:

Bridgeport businesswoman and social action advocate Mary-Jane Foster, who is exploring a run for office, issued the following statement today:

“Over the course of my career, I have been an active proponent of reentry programs, having both hired and worked with individuals committed to transitioning from incarceration to civilian life. I applaud organizations such as Community Solutions for delivering programs that help people successfully get their lives back on track. While there is undoubtedly a need for these programs and services, it is clear that Bridgeport has borne far more than its fair share of the responsibility for not just Fairfield County, but the entire state of Connecticut. I cannot support locating one more bed in Bridgeport, nor can this be a battle Bridgeport fights building-by-building, neighborhood-by-neighborhood. We need a statewide solution to this problem and I call upon the State legislature to review the issue and pass a law that fixes this gross imbalance. It is time for the rest of the state to step up and be a part of a true community solution.”

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

Comments(4)

|

E-mail

|

Print

If you want to be landlord for Bridgeport City Hall and Annex here’s your chance. No statement from City Hall yet as to what this all means. From www.bidsync.com

RFQ/RFP – SENIOR MANAGING UNDERWRITE SERVICES

Description

PURPOSE. As financial advisor to the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut (the “City”), Public Financial Management, Inc. (“PFM”) is requesting proposals from financial institutions to serve as Senior Managing Underwriter in connection with the City’s upcoming financing, which will include the sale/leaseback or lease/leaseback of City Hall and City Hall Annex. The City expects to issue either Certificates of Participation (“COPs”), Lease Revenue Bonds (“Bonds”), or other financial structures that will yield approximately $30 million in April/May 2011.

The City anticipates entering into a lease agreement with a not-for-profit entity that will serve as lessor for the term of the lease. At the end of the term, City Hall and City Hall Annex will be conveyed back to the City. A portion of the proceeds from the sale, approximately $5,000,000 – $10,000,000, will be used to renovate City Hall and City Hall Annex and install capital improvements and green energy and other energy-savings improvements.

POTENTIAL FOR JOINT PROPOSALS OR STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS WITH DESIGN-BUILDERS RESPONDING TO A SEPARATE RFQ. The City is currently also conducting a procurement for a design-build firm to design and construct certain capital improvements and energy improvements to City Hall and City Hall Annex (“Design-Build RFQ”). A potential proposer for this Underwriter RFQ may submit a joint proposal with a prospective design-build firm that identifies itself in connection with the Design-Build RFQ and, if doing so, shall identify any value-added to the City of such a joint approach in addition to the qualifications required by this RFQ. Prospective design-build firms that intend to respond to the Design-Build RFQ will be identified early in the process and prospective responders to this RFQ will receive the identities and contact information of such firms.

WITHIN TEN (10) DAYS AFTER THE PUBLICATION OF THIS RFQ, EVERY PROSPECTIVE PROPOSER TO THIS RFQ MUST PROVIDE ITS CONTACT INFORMATION TO DAWN NORTON, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, 45 LYON TERRACE, ROOM 104, BRIDGEPORT, CT 06604, VIA FAX (203) 576-7067 OR VIA EMAIL AT dawn.norton@bridgeportct.gov. THIS WILL ENABLE THE CITY TO IDENTIFY PROSPECTIVE PROPOSERS TO THE PROPOSERS THAT IDENTIFY THEMSELVES IN CONNECTION WITH THE DESIGN-BUILD RFQ. FAILURE OF A PROPOSER TO TEAM WITH A DESIGN-BUILDER, HOWEVER, WILL NOT RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION, BEING DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE, OR BEING PRECLUDED FROM SUBMITTING ITS QUALIFICATIONS.

Project. This solicitation is being conducted specifically to identify the most appropriately qualified firm to provide senior managing underwriter services for the sale of Certificates of Participation, Lease Revenue Bonds or other revenue-raising vehicles for this project through issuance of this RFQ.

Minority Business Enterprises Are Encouraged to Respond. The City encourages Minority Business Enterprises (“MBEs”) to submit their qualifications. An MBE firm is entitled to Evaluation Credits (as described below) if it is a Target Group for these services under the provisions of the Minority Business Enterprise Ordinance, Section 3.12.130 of the City Ordinances (“MBE Ordinance”). Target Groups for this procurement are:

• Asian Americans

• Hispanic Americans

• Caucasian Females

• Minority Business Enterprises

• Minority Female Business Enterprises

• Caucasian Female Business Enterprises

Non-Minority Firms Are Encouraged to Joint Venture with Target Group Firms. Non-minority firms are encouraged to form joint venture arrangements (described below) with Target Group firms and the joint venture will be entitled to additional points based on the extent of the Target Group’s ownership interest in the joint venture as further described below

Companion piece to RFP/RFQ

RFQ/RFP – CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS CITY HALL AND ANNEX

Description

PROJECT DESCRIPTION. The City of Bridgeport (“City” or “COB”), through its Department of Public Facilities (“DPF”), is seeking architectural/engineering firms or teams to act as a design-builder for purposes of designing and constructing necessary capital repairs and improvements (“Capital Improvements”) to two (2) specific City properties, that is, City Hall, located at 45 Lyon Terrace (“City Hall”) and the City Hall Annex, located at 999 Broad Street (“Annex”) (See Exhibit C attached for a description of these properties). The City will select the energy improvements for City Hall and the Annex that will fit within the City’s desired level of investment (“Energy Improvements”). The City intends to seek energy audits for City Hall and the Annex from others. The design-builder selected as a result of this RFQ will be responsible for designing and constructing the Capital Improvements and Energy Improvements that the City selects.

DPF will conduct this procurement for professional services in conformance with (i) the Bridgeport Municipal Code of Ordinances Section 3.08.070 “Purchasing Procedure”, (ii) its “Official Policy Concerning Quality-Based Selection Processes”, and (iii) State statutes. The Selection Committee (described below) will utilize the Evaluator’s Guide For QBS Selection Processes in the process for selecting the successful vendor.

A. POTENTIAL FOR JOINT PROPOSALS OR STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS WITH UNDERWRITER OF SALE/LEASEBACK FINANCING. The City is currently also conducting a procurement for an underwriting firm to act as Senior Managing Underwriter in connection with the City’s upcoming financing transaction that is designed in part to raise funds to complete certain Capital Improvements and Energy Improvements at City Hall and the Annex, which financing transaction will include the sale/leaseback of City Hall and the Annex facilities or another financing structure to be determined (“Underwriting RFQ”). A potential proposer for this Design-Build RFQ may submit a joint proposal with a prospective underwriting firm that identifies itself in connection with the Underwriting RFQ and, if doing so, shall identify any value-added to the City of such a joint approach in addition to the qualifications required by this RFQ. Prospective underwriting firms that intend to respond to the Underwriting RFQ will be identified early in the process and prospective responders to this Design-Build RFQ will receive the identities and contact information of such underwriters.

WITHIN TEN (10) DAYS AFTER THE PUBLICATION OF THIS RFQ, EVERY PROSPECTIVE PROPOSER TO THIS RFQ MUST PROVIDE ITS CONTACT INFORMATION TO TED GRABARZ, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC FACILITIES AND SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM COORDINATOR, 999 BROAD STREET, SECOND FLOOR, BRIDGEPORT, CT 06604 VIA FAX (203) 332-5652 OR VIA EMAIL AT TED.GRABARZ@BRIDGEPORTCT.GOV. THIS WILL ENABLE THE CITY TO IDENTIFY PROSPECTIVE PROPOSERS TO TEAM WITH AN

UNDERWRITER. FAILURE OF A PROPOSER TO TEAM WITH AN UNDERWRITER, HOWEVER, WILL NOT RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION, BEING DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE, OR BEING PRECLUDED FROM SUBMITTING ITS QUALIFICATIONS.

Minority Business Enterprises Are Encouraged to Respond. The City encourages Minority Business Enterprises (“MBEs”) to submit their qualifications. An MBE firm or a team of which it is a part is entitled to Evaluation Credits (See Exhibit B attached) if it is a Target Group for these services under the provisions of the Minority Business Enterprise Ordinance, Section 3.12.130 of the City Ordinances (“MBE Ordinance”). Target Groups (“Target Groups”) for this procurement are:

Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Caucasian Females

Non-Minority Firms Are Encouraged to Joint Venture with Target Group Firms.

Mandatory Walk-Throughs of City Hall and the Annex; Questions and Answers. The City will conduct mandatory walk-throughs of City Hall and the Annex at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, February 23 or Thursday, February 24, 2011 (prospective proposers need only attend one (1) walkthrough), beginning in the offices of the Department of Public Facilities, City Hall Annex, 999 Broad Street, 2nd Floor, Bridgeport, CT. The walkthrough will include both City Hall Annex and City Hall. The City representative leading the walk-through will be Art Harris, Director of Construction Management Services, telephone 203-576-3960. The City will entertain questions about the buildings, their current condition, the City’s desired Capital Improvements and Energy Improvements, and the like until Friday, March 4, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. The City will provide answers to such questions to registered vendors no later than Monday, March 7, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. on Bidsync. BECAUSE OF THE UNIQUE NATURE OF THIS RFQ AND THE UNIQUE CONDITION AND FEATURES OF THE BUILDINGS INVOLVED, ANY VENDOR THAT DOES NOT REGISTER FOR OR FAILS TO ATTEND ONE MANDATORY WALK-THROUGH WILL BE PROHIBITED FROM SUBMITTING ITS QUALIFICATIONS.

Comments(2)

|

E-mail

|

Print

Yikes! This week’s issue of Forbes warns that Bridgeport could be on the financial brink. Written by Daniel Fisher, Forbes asks “Are you sure you want to live here?” In Forbes’ story Bridgeport leads a pack of cities the magazine claims is on the ropes. From the article:

Most of these cities aren’t in imminent danger of bankruptcy or default, but fiscal irresponsibility, a deteriorating tax base, soaring pension costs or a combination of all three means residents may want to consider moving before they get stuck with the bill.

Bridgeport

Fast Facts:
- City first placed under state oversight in 1988; still places property taxes in trust account for bondholders
- Retirement benefits other than pensions exceed city’s total debt of $685 million

This former industrial powerhouse on the Connecticut coast has been in financial crisis off and on since the 1980s as its factories closed, leaving behind a needy, impoverished population. Moody’s Investors Service notes that poor investment returns have hurt the city’s pension funds, while benefits like health care represent a rising claim on tax revenue.

City Hall Says:
Bridgeport left state oversight in 1995; bond trust is entirely voluntary

Mary-Jane Foster, an exploratory candidate for mayor, says Bridgeport can thank Mayor Bill Finch for Forbes’ financial storm warning. From Foster:

“The article in Forbes magazine this week is just one more embarrassment for Bridgeport. Bill Finch has had three plus years to face up to the real costs of running this city. Because of this total lack of leadership, we are once again looking at a looming financial nightmare. Budget deficits, budget secrecy, no economic development plan, jobs and pay increases for political friends all contribute to poor city services and more red ink. In 2007 Finch promised a $600 tax cut. What did he deliver? A tax increase. Soon the Mayor will have to submit a budget to the City Council — an election-year budget that is sure to be served up with a lot of blue smoke and mirrors. The city’s financial solvency and our collective future require leadership and the ability to make tough but fair choices. Anything else will simply validate this article in Forbes and once again, we will be embarrassed by the poor administration of our city.”

Entire article

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0214/real-estate-bankruptcy-taxes-pensions-cities-on-brink.html

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