Government of secrecy in Bridgeport

If you want to know why Bridgeport has a reputation for corruption and can't make progress for its hardworking residents and taxpayers, just look at the April 6, 2022, front page of the Connecticut Post.

The banner headline of an article written by reporter Brian Lockhart announces that Mayor Ganim and his city attorneys claim to have found a vehicle to help a well-connected lawyer and his powerful client, the Roman Catholic Church, obtain what they want while denying the people of Bridgeport the right to be heard at a public hearing on a controversial planning and zoning matter.

In the second front-page article, written by reporter Mike Mavredakis, the Airport Commission, on which Bridgeport has the majority of members, would not find a quorum to provide the mayor of Stratford with an opportunity to make a presentation on the future of an airport located in her town.

Each article demonstrates Mayor Ganim's preference for backroom secrecy over public discussion of issues affecting Bridgeport. Anyone who wonders why Bridgeport is so challenged in moving forward need look no further than its mayor, and its compliant city attorney's office.

Any claim by Mayor Ganim that he can't, or won't, tell the City Attorney what to do doesn't pass the laugh test. For many years, it has been obvious that the city attorney represents the mayor and no one else.

And you know that you can't disagree with the boss!

Any such claim is as credible as the assertion that Ganim had no role in the fiasco that sent his handpicked chief of police to jail and gave the city a still-visible black eye.

When the FBI recently came calling, and Mayor Ganim maybe fearing a return to Fort Dix, City Attorney Christopher Meyer signed an agreement obligating Bridgeport taxpayers to pay the exorbitant criminal defense attorney's fees.

Now, hard-pressed middle-class people will have to dig into their own pockets to hire an attorney if they want to fight City Hall and its powerful allies, simply for the right to be heard.

The mayor and the city attorney can do the right thing for the people of Bridgeport.

But don't count on it!