FBI probing Bridgeport?

 

 By Reginald Johnson

         

            BRIDGEPORT REPORT

     BRIDGEPORT --- The FBI has investigated this city in the past, with spectacular results.

   Now it's possible federal officials are looking at Bridgeport again.

  The FBI has reportedly issued a subpoena to the city for information concerning the construction of the new ampitheater in the South End, according to Maria Pereira, a member of the Bridgeport City Council.

  Pereira, who represents part of the East Side, said she learned through a reliable source that the federal agency issued the subpoena concerning the ampitheater, which was built in 2020 with $9 million of city money.

  The facility, called The Hartford Health Care Ampitheater, opened last year in July and has hosted a number of concerts.

  A  request for comment was made to the City Attorney’s office, but a secretary said any statement would have to come from the city’s spokesperson, Rowena White.

   White said “I have never heard of that before. But then again, there’s always rumors out in the community.”

  When asked about the subpoena, a Bridgeport FBI spokesman referred this reporter to the agency’s New Haven office. No one from that office has thus far returned a call for comment.

    

The ampitheater in Bridgeport. The FBI may be investigating the construction of this facility.

  The ampitheater --- which is viewed as a key part of the city’s redevelopment efforts --- was built amid some controversy. Developer Howard Saffan initially promised local officials that the city had to invest no more than $7.5 million for the project, which was pegged to cost $15 million in total. But in 2020 Saffan came back to the City Council asking for another $4.5 million --- on top of $4.5 million the city already had put out --- saying that the construction work had run into unforeseen infrastructure problems.

  Some members of the council, including Pereira, objected and questioned the viability of the new facility. Pereira said the ampitheater would in the long run cost the city a lot more money than what was forecast.

  “The amphitheater is not an economic development project,” she said. “It is nothing more than a taxpayer-funded handout to a developer closely aligned with Mayor (Joseph) Ganim who is also a generous donor to Ganim’s political campaigns,” wrote Pereira in an opinion piece in the Connecticut Post.

  But a majority of council members approved the request for additional money with several commenting that the amphitheater would provide a major boost for the downtown area and bring the city additional revenue.

   “The ampitheater will be a big draw and reinvigorate the downtown,” said City Council President Aidee Nieves.

  The amphitheater was constructed on the site of the old Bridgeport Bluefish baseball field. The city decided in 2017 to not renew the lease for the Bluefish and head in a different direction.

 The amphitheater retains the seating from the old stadium.

 Pereira, who has been a vocal critic of the Ganim administration, also claimed last year that the FBI was investigating a $6 million payment made by the city to the University of Bridgeport for property to be used for the new Bassick High School.

 Pereira and other members of the community had claimed that the $6 million payment was illegal because it was never approved by the City Council.

  An FBI official at that time would not confirm or deny an investigation on that matter.

  The Bassick project is now underway, with the demolition of several dorms at UB.

  The City of Bridgeport is no stranger to FBI investigations. Some 22 years ago, federal officials conducted a major investigation of corruption in the city, and wound up indicting a number of officials including Mayor Ganim. Those officials were later convicted and Ganim served seven years in prison.

  Ganim resurrected his political career when he got out and was able to win back the mayoralty in 2015.

  In the late 1970s, the FBI also netted a number of officials for corruption in Bridgeport, during the administration of Mayor John C. Mandanici.

 

     

Debate rages over Bridgeport Ampitheater

By Reginald Johnson

 
  BRIDGEPORT ---- Is it salvation for a city still trying to remake itself years after industrial plants shut their doors?

  Or is it an expensive boondoggle, saddling the city with debt for years to come?

  Those questions are still being debated by city leaders and residents following the City Council’s vote to approve $4.5 million more in city funding to complete the Harbor Yard Ampitheater, a concert venue in Bridgeport’s South End.

  The ampitheater, being constructed on the old Bluefish baseball field and incorporating stadium seating, was slated to open in 2019.  Developer Howard Saffan and his partner Live Nation predict the entertainment facility will draw tens of thousands of music fans from around the region and provide much needed revenue to the city and boost business downtown.

  But Saffan told city officials earlier this year that he has run into unforeseen infrastructure problems which have driven up costs and the city needed to give him another $4.5 million to complete the project.

  Some of those infrastructure problems reportedly dealt with rerouting an old sewer line under the baseball field and which was interfering with amphitheater construction. Other issues concerned broken elevators and faulty sprinkler systems.

  Under the original agreement, Saffan said the city would have to put in no more than $7.5 million for the project, to be matched by the developer’s $7.5 million for a total $15 million project .

  Despite going back in his original pledge, a majority of the City Council went along with Saffan’s request, citing the ampitheater’s importance in helping to revitalize the city’s downtown.

    “I support this project here 100%,” said Councilman Jorge Cruz who represents the South End and the downtown. “We here in the South End need an infusion of energy of development,” he told the Connecticut Post.

  “If you want to grow things in the city, you have to begin with something to make it grow,” said Councilwoman Denese Taylor-Moye, who also represents the South End.

  Taylor-Moye said the city will benefit from the revenue from rent, ticket sales, the hundreds of jobs created and spin-off development from the amphitheater.

 “This will definitely benefit the city,” she said.

The concert ampitheater being built in the city's South End.

 But Saffan’s request for more money was not greeted favorably by all.

 Councilwoman Maria Pereira from the East End criticized Saffan and doubted the viability of the project overall.

  “The ampitheater is not an “economic development” project. It is nothing more than a taxpayer-funded handout to a developer closely aligned with Mayor (Joe) Ganim who is also a generous donor to Ganim’s political campaigns,” wrote Pereira in an opinion piece in the Connecticut Post.

   Pereira said that when you add in the interest on long-term bonded debt for the city, the cost of police and fire protection and facility maintenance, the city is looking at a final cost of $17.5 million, which she said will never be recouped.

   The council member also disputed Saffan's contention that he had no way of knowing about the infrastructure problems when he signed onto the project. The developer has maintained that the city denied him access to inspect the Bluefish Stadium before the agreement was reached.

  Pereira said in her op-ed that the the former director of city facilities had told her that Saffan had never requested an inspection and if he had, the city would have granted him access.

  Also expressing skepticism is AmyMarie Vizzo-Paniccia, a council member from the North End.

   Commenting on the problems at the stadium, Paniccia said “It was common knowledge… He knew about it.”

  Paniccia, who said she had reservations about the viability of the project when it was first proposed three years ago, questions how many people will actually come to the amphitheater concerts, given the fact that Live Nation also runs concerts at the Oakdale in Wallingford and the Mohegan Sun Casino. She said those concert sites will siphon away patronage from the Bridgeport facility.

  The amphitheater she said, may become a “big drain“ on the city financially.

 On the issue of the long-term bond debt and the financial burden that would pose for the city, Taylor- Moye disagreed with Pereira. She said the $4.5 million given to Saffan now is coming out of an “old” bond package approved for downtown improvements.

  “ It’s not new money,” she said.

 City Council President Aidee Nieves said she was not troubled by the fact that the developer had asked for more money based on his claim he had run into unforeseen problems in building the amphitheater.

  “Sometimes you find these things as you go along,” during a remodeling or construction project, she said.

   On the whole, Nieves predicted, the amphitheater “will be a big draw and reinvigorate the downtown.”
  There's disagreement as well over the number and quality of jobs to be created by the new facility. Pereira said she was skeptical that "800-1,000" jobs would actually be produced, as Saffan has promised. She also maintained the jobs would be "part-time and low-wage."  But Taylor-Moye countered that while the concert jobs would be part-time and seasonal, the same workers will have jobs during the cold weather months at the nearby Webster Bank Arena, giving them good, year-round employment.
   The baseball stadium now to be the ampitheater is located on the site of where a thriving factory, Jenkins Valves, once stood.  The manufacturing plant --- one of many heavy industrial facilities in Bridgeport in the 20th century --- employed about 400 workers, all union members and making solid pay and benefits for the day.  But Jenkins, along with dozens other plants, began shutting down in the 1970s and 1980s, as de-industrialization took over the Northeast. Companies fled Bridgeport to gain higher profits in low-wage, anti-union Southern states or in foreign countries.
   The Jenkins building sat vacant for years until it was demolished in the 1990s when Ganim in his first tenure as mayor proposed the idea of bringing a baseball team to Bridgeport, as a means of helping to redevelop the city.  After opening, the Bluefish were very popular and drew many people from the suburbs. Over time, however, the team ran into financial problems, there were issues with rent payments, and the city opted to move in another direction in 2017.
     

     

  

 

   

   

City schools in crisis; kids at risk

  By Reginald Johnson

  

  BRIDGEPORT --- Is the city school system on the verge of collapse?

  Education officials are warning that if the school district doesn’t get millions more dollars than what has been proposed by Mayor Joseph P. Ganim, some schools will be closed and vital services cut.

 Already the over last four years, the Board of Education has eliminated 230 positions and slashed $38 million in spending.  Many services --- such as those provided by guidance counselors, social workers and the parents center --- have been slashed to the bone.

  Officials say that things are so bad that the state might be asked to take over the school system.

  “We will close schools,” said board Chairman John Weldon at a City Council hearing last week. “We will become a school system in name only. We will have buildings that don’t provide the very core services that they exist to provide. Why would anyone send their kids to a school system like that? The school system is being bankrupted. It’s insolvent.”

 Weldon was joined at the hearing by well over 100 school supporters, including parents, teachers and students, who pleaded with city council officials to fully fund the schools, which serve over 20,000 students.

  A second hearing will take place tomorrow (May 2) at 6 pm in the City Council chambers, 45 Lyon Terrace.

  The City Council is working on their budget outline for the city, after Mayor Ganim  proposed a $557 billion budget for city and school funding. The budget flatlines the city contribution for schools, at about $61 million, roughly the same amount as this year.

 But other city departments, including the police and city attorney’s office, are receiving increases. Ganim, up for reelection this year, has also promised city residents a modest tax reduction.

  School officials made clear they need a minimum of $11.5 million more from the city, just to maintain existing levels of service.

  According to state figures, Bridgeport contributes less money to local schools than any other town or city in the state. Bridgeport funds only 26 per cent of the school budget, while the state puts in 74 percent.

 Bridgeport’s per pupil spending is lower than the other largest cities in the state. Figures from the 2017-18  fiscal year show Hartford spending $19,916 per pupil;  New Haven, $18,381; Waterbury, $15,546, and Bridgeport, $14,241.

Hall School in the East End may close if the city doesn't provide the school district with more fuunding.

  City Council Member Kyle Langan, D-132, said the present situation is not acceptable. “What is the message in the numbers?” he asks. “Do we value incarceration over education? Do we believe that more police equates to a safer environment? Do we believe our children are not capable and therefore undeserving of an equal chance? Do we believe we are a lost cause and have no other option but to become a reactive community?

   Langan criticized the fact that police protection and other departments such as the city attorney’s office are getting increases in funding in the mayor’s budget, but not education.

   “When we remove the state and federal aid from our education budget, we as a city, contributed only $61 million to education (11 % of our budget) versus $174 million for public safety,” he said.

The police and city attorney’s office have received regular funding increases since Mayor Ganim was reelected in 2015, while the school board has received almost no increases.

    The city council member said that it was possible to come up with the additional $11.5 million that the school board needs this year. Langan said that if the increases in public safety and city attorneys office together are eliminated and the tax cut is dropped, it would go a long way towards coming up with the needed revenue for schools.

  “The question is, what do we value?.... We can make it,” he said.

 Langan also said that the huge amount of money the city spends on special education --- about $35 million --- can be reduced to generate more funds for education as a whole.  Bridgeport now sends the students that are in need of special education out of district for instruction.

  He said the city can work with the school board to develop a plan for teaching special ed kids in Bridgeport, and reap significant savings. “But that takes leadership,” he said.

  Several of the speakers at last week’s hearing also talked of values --- the paramount need to invest in children and their future. One of those was a teacher from Hall School in the East End --- which could be closed if the district continues to have a funding shortfall.
  “I ask you to look in the eyes of my children and tell them they’re not worth it,” she said.

     

Lamont for Governor

Opinion

  

    By Reginald Johnson

  

 I can’t really point to anything specific about policy or issues in Connecticut that makes me think Ned Lamont is the best person to be the Democratic nominee for governor.

  But sometimes in these elections you have to go with a gut feeling and my gut feeling tells me that Lamont is a better choice than Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim in the Tuesday primary.  I liked the way Lamont took on powerful incumbent Sen. Joe Lieberman 12 years ago in his unsuccessful bid for the US Senate. He spoke forthrightly about the need for a better foreign-policy and ending the Iraq War and respecting the sovereignty of other countries. Though foreign-policy doesn’t have anything directly to do with being governor, Lamont showed a feistiness and an honesty that I really liked. They are qualities that will help him govern the state very well.

   And on the issue of integrity, I am still bothered by what Joe Ganim did back in the 1990s in Bridgeport. His corruption hurt the city badly, and it’s a hurt that’s not easily forgotten. I didn’t vote for him in his comeback bid in 2015, but once he won re-election, I figured it was time to give him a chance to redeem himself and make up for what he had done.

   To his credit, Ganim has run a clean administration in the 2 ½ years he’s been back. He also brought taxes down for some residents, and I include myself as one of them. So that’s nice. However, I don’t think Joe Ganim has really paid his dues for what he did. I get the distinct impression that within a year or so after he returned to the mayor’s seat, he was plotting his next move, which was to run for governor.  Instead of working hard for the people of Bridgeport, putting his nose to the grindstone and really trying to turn the city around --- and that is clearly a difficult, long-term project --- Ganim was focusing on personal gain: ‘How do I move up?’

    If this was 2022, and Ganim had been back as Bridgeport’s mayor for six years or so, and built up a good record, I would look at a Ganim candidacy for governor a lot more positively. But not now.

  Ganim should stay on as mayor and work to continue to redevelop the city, upgrade the educational system and bring in more affordable housing.

   So here’s hoping Ned Lamont wins the Democratic primary and goes on to be the state’s next chief elected official. I think he has good progressive instincts and he will work for the betterment of Bridgeport and the state’s other struggling urban centers, including Hartford and New Haven.  And helping the urban areas should be a top priority for any new governor.

Going, Going, Gone

                                      

By Reginald Johnson

  A little bit of the spirit of Bridgeport died yesterday when the Bluefish played their last game here. My wife and I went to a number of games over the years, and whenever we did, we had a great time. We’d see old friends, make new ones, and often see some pretty good baseball. And there was always a happy ambiance --- lots of families with kids in their baseball uniforms cheering wildly for the Bluefish, fans jumping for joy when they caught foul balls, people laughing at the goofy Bluefish mascot or singing along when the loudspeaker would blare Ray Charles’ “Hit the Road Jack!” when an opposing pitcher was driven  from the mound by a Bluefish rally.

   As others have pointed out, the coming of the Bluefish 20 years ago seemed to lift the morale of a city that had been demoralized by years of industrial plants leaving town, a general economic decline and City Hall corruption. The Bluefish were the perfect tonic for the Park City. People thronged to the “Ballpark at Harbor Yard” as Bluefish stadium was known in the early years and the team enjoyed great popularity.

 After a number of years there was a fall-off in attendance and there were reports the team was having financial struggles.  I don’t know all the details of the situation, but city officials were also reportedly concerned about the future financial viability of the team. The Bluefish paid rent to the city for use of the publicly owned stadium.

  Still, the team had a strong and loyal fan base and the team did pretty well over the years getting into the playoffs  a number of times in the Atlantic Coast League and winning a championship. It was a point of pride for Bridgeporters and fans in the area to say ‘we have our own professional baseball team – the Bluefish.’

A Bridgeport Bluefish baseball game in August

   But Mayor Joe Ganim, returning for a second go-round as mayor after serving a term in prison for corruption carried out during his first stint as the city leader in the 1990s,  apparently felt that the Bluefish did not have a great financial future and the city might do better using the stadium site for something else. It all came to a head early this year when the city put out a request for proposals for use of the stadium and indicated that the use could either be baseball or some other entertainment. The Ganim administration eventually accepted a plan from a concert promoter who has proposed a series of concerts at the stadium. The proposal still has to be accepted by the City Council.

   The city may have had legitimate financial concerns about the future viability of the Bluefish staying in Bridgeport, but it is not clear whether the plan for more concerts in the city is really a sound idea, either. For one thing the Webster Bank Arena already hosts concerts and officials there have indicated they may have legal issues with the new plan for concerts at Harbor Yard. Also, it should be noted that the concerts at Seaside Park that went on for a number of years called The Gathering of the Vibes had to be ended a couple years ago because the promoters were way behind in their payments to the city for use of the park.

   I have to admit I am partial to baseball, so the idea of a new concert site in the city in place of baseball just doesn’t grab me.  It seems to me that more could’ve been done to try to save the Bluefish and keep them from leaving Bridgeport. Possibly some creative means could’ve been brought into play such as having the University of Bridgeport take over the use of the stadium and participate in a different payment plan with the Bluefish to the city. The UB baseball team already uses the Bluefish field for its games.

   I didn’t get the impression that Mayor Ganim was at all sentimental about having to part ways with the Bluefish, which is too bad. It’s also ironic since it was Ganim --- in his first go round as mayor who brought the Bluefish to Bridgeport as part of a redevelopment plan for the South End.  While Ganim did a lot wrong in his first tenure as mayor one of the things he did right was bringing in the baseball team and the arena.  Now, sadly, it is Ganim who is letting the Bluefish go. The man who brought in the Bluefish didn’t seem to understand in the end how much the team had come to mean to its fans and the city.

   So the word is the Bluefish may now move on to some city in North Carolina, although the details of a move have not been finalized.

Now I know in a small way how the fans felt in Brooklyn when the Dodgers left town in 1958. It’s a sad day for Bridgeport.