One of the common sights around Bridgeport the last few years is Mayor Bill Finch with a pair of giant scissors in his hands.
This usually occurs when the mayor is attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the grand opening of a Bridgeport business.
Make no mistake about it, however, Finch isn”™t there for a photo op. He knows that a new business is always good for the Park City, particularly since Bridgeport is desperately in need of expanding its tax base.
That”™s another reason why Finch isn”™t pleased to be in the eye of Bridgeport”™s latest storm. How many businesses may rethink opening in this city or relocating here in the wake of the recent election fiasco?
To recap, the two Bridgeport registrars of voters, Democrat Santa Ayala and Republican Joseph Borges, ordered 21,000 ballots for the city”™s 69,000 registered voters. Besides this being an incredibly shortsighted decision under normal circumstances, add in the fact that the election was taking place a mere three days after President Obama packed The Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, urging attendees in this overwhelmingly Democratic city to go to the polls and vote for Democratic candidates.
Predictably, pandemonium and embarrassment ensued. There was a shortage of ballots, leaving voters stranded at the polls without information. Many gave up and went home.
Thanks to a judge”™s intervention, the polls remained opened until 10 p.m. in 12 precincts. But those voters were forced to use paper ballots, copied from the originals. As a result, those 12 precincts are now being audited by Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz.
“Auditing election results isn”™t just a good idea, it”™s absolutely essential in order to guarantee the integrity of our elections,” said Bysiewicz.
Because of the Bridgeport mess, the results of the gubernatorial race were not official until Nov. 5, when Dan Malloy was declared the winner. To the surprise of many pundits, Republican Tom Foley did not challenge the results, certainly to the relief of Finch.
“I am glad that Tom Foley has agreed that in light of the ballot situation that occurred here in Bridgeport that everyone did their very best to get an accurate count, and ensured that every Bridgeport resident had an opportunity to cast their ballot,” said the mayor.
Flying under the radar in all of this was the race in the 4th Congressional District between incumbent Democrat Jim Himes and challenger Dan Debicella.
Although Himes held his victory party election night after Debicella conceded, the Republican actually held the lead until the final Bridgeport totals were counted. So Bridgeport put both Himes and Malloy over the top.
“I”™ve had better days,” Finch told a reporter at the Himes victory bash at the Bridgeport Holiday Inn.
To help diffuse the situation, Finch appointed a five-member panel to look into what happened. Earlier this week the group held a public hearing and an enraged electorate had its say.
“This happens all the time in Bridgeport and I”™m not convinced this is just a mistake,” said James Fox of Bridgeport. “I think it”™s a setup for the next mayoral election. People are getting fed up. It”™s similar to what happened in the French Revolution.”
The panel, chaired by former Republican Mayor Nick Panuzio, vowed to find answers. Joining Panuzio on the panel were lawyer Richard Bieder, a partner in Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder; Robert Trefry, former president and CEO of Bridgeport Hospital; attorney Edwin Farrow and Rosa Correa, director of Family ReEntry Inc. Most likely, the quintet will be focusing directly on the registrars”™ office.
So as pandemonium swirls around the city, one has to wonder how many potentially viable businesses are turning their backs on Bridgeport. And one also has to wonder if the city”™s countless political scandals are a key reason the city has struggled economically for the last 30 years.
Rob Sullivan is the publisher and executive editor of the Bridgeport Banner daily website and monthly print edition. The website can be accessed at www.bridgeportbanner.typepad.com. He lives in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport.
