Ganim taps new hire to jump-start city’s ‘green’ efforts
Chadwick Schroeder in an interview this week said his responsibility is not only to work with municipal departments and private agencies to boost the monetary profits — taxes and jobs — from luring green businesses to this former manufacturing hub, but on lessening the impact of climate change on households.
BRIDGEPORT — When Mayor Bill Finch ran the city from 2007 until 2015, Bridgeport gained a reputation as a leader in green industry and clean energy and was a reflection of Finch’s passion for protecting the environment.
And while his successor, fellow Democrat Mayor Joe Ganim, continued some of those initiatives, he was never as publicly enthusiastic. So some on the City Council and in the business community have been pressuring the current administration to get more serious about sustainability issues.
That is where Chadwick Schroeder comes in. The 23-year-old University of Connecticut graduate began work earlier this month as Ganim’s first, full-time sustainability coordinator.
Schroeder in an interview this week said his responsibility is not only to work with municipal departments and private agencies to boost the monetary profits — taxes and jobs — from luring green businesses to this former manufacturing hub, but on lessening the impact of climate change on households.
Or, as Schroeder said, ensuring that when residents “go home at night, their electric bill isn’t too high and there isn’t flooding in their house.”
“You may not care about recycling your plastic water bottle,” Schroeder said. “But if we can discuss a way to reduce your utility bill, that is important for local residents.”
“I am excited that Chadwick has joined my administration,” Ganim said in a statement. “We look forward to making improvements with current efforts and rolling out new initiatives . ... Residents and businesses will experience tangible changes resulting in a higher quality of life and allow for our city to thrive as we implement solutions that are both environmentally and economically sound.”
The nearly $65,000 sustainability coordinator position was established last spring by the council in the current budget, but for months remained vacant. After Ganim flew last November to Scotland to attend a global climate summit, skeptics that the mayor was doing more than taking a taxpayerfunded vacation called on him to hire the coordinator to prove his commitment to the cause.
The job was advertised earlier this year and Schroeder chosen from four finalists. State Rep. Joe Gresko, D-Stratford, was on the selection committee. Ganim in late 2016 hired Gresko as Bridgeport’s part-time “special assistant to the mayor for green energy and economic development initiatives.”
But even Gresko has acknowledged that position should be full-time and go to someone with more expertise. Though a passionate advocate as well as a co-chairman of the legislature’s environment committee, Gresko, after earning a degree in environmental science from Central Connecticut State University, made a career out of working for media companies and in politics.
“He’s (Schroeder) fresh out of college, having majored in (environmental) sustainability,” Gresko said. “So he’s abreast of all of the latest techniques, the latest information . ... When I come walking through the door, they see an old (mid-50s) guy. When he comes through the door, there’s that youthful enthusiasm. Hopefully he’ll be able to reinvigorate that whole vibe in the city.”
Gresko confirmed he will continue to work part-time for the city assisting Schroeder.
Schroeder grew up in Stratford. He graduated from UConn in 2020 with a degree in political science and environmental studies and has been involved with the nonprofit Sustainable CT.
Councilman Scott Burns has been one of those critics pushing for Ganim to find a full-time sustainability chief.
“I think he’s (Schroeder) got the young profile we’re pretty much looking for,” Burns said this week. “I think it’s a good thing we’ve got young people coming on board with the city to shake out thinking that’s a little stale.”
The Bridgeport Regional Business Council had been a strong partner in Finch’s sustainability efforts, dubbed BGreen 2020, a centerpiece of which was repositioning burnt-out factory sites in the West and South sides into the Eco-Technology Park. Under current president Dan Onofrio, the BRBC has reconvened an “energy committee” to try and build upon that past success, with Onofrio also having urged Ganim to find a sustainability coordinator.
“We’re just looking forward to having a conduit to City Hall (for) all the sustainable and renewable energy conversations we’re having (about) how does Bridgeport fit into all this,” Onofrio said. “It’s imperative the city is committed to that sector, and having someone like Chadwick there that’s educated and well-versed on the topic is a very good thing.”
Schroeder said in particular, “We’re looking to make Bridgeport a hub for the hydrogen economy.” He will also review the BGreen 2020 plans to determine what was left undone, and merge “the lessons learned” with other, newer ideas for an updated vision “that makes Bridgeport not only a hub for energy efficiency, but the leader of energy efficiency in Connecticut.”