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"Finch must keep
promises"
Editorial Board November
29, 2007
Bridgeport News Editorial Page
This Saturday,
Bill Finch will raise his right hand and take
the oath of office to become mayor of
Bridgeport. Finch was the victor in a campaign
many didn’t think he could win at the beginning,
but for him the hard part has arrived – he now
has to govern a $464 million entity that faces
many challenges.
Gone are the
days when finch could make sweeping promises
designed to sway voters, expecting residents to
forget the specifics eventually. As the city’s
mayor, every word he now says will be
scrutinized and held to a higher standard than
on the campaign trail.
Like all
politicians, Bill Finch made a lot of promises
during the recent campaign. He released plan
after plan on various issues as a way to
contrast himself against his Democratic rival,
state Rep. Christopher L. Caruso, who spent most
of his time harping on political corruption.
most of finch’s promises will cost money to
implement, and money isn’t something the city
has in ample supply these days Some promises
were grandiose in scope, while others were
simpler and should be easier to enact.
We would like to
remind Finch of some of those promises as he
prepares to being his first week in office. He
ran on them and now he must work to implement
them.
All of the
following comes from Finch for Mayor campaign
material. His promises include:
♦ to “lower
property taxes by $600 and freeze
property taxes for senior citizens”
♦
increasing
neighborhood police patrols, improving
9-1-1 response times and supporting
new
police substations in Success Village,
the East End and other neighborhoods
♦ making
“universal pre-school available for all
Bridgeport children
♦ working to
“lower class size in our public schools”
by adding more classrooms,
paraprofessional and volunteers
♦
a “pledge
to increase funding for the board of
Education for each year of my
administration”
♦ to
“maintain rewarding after-school
programs that keep kids off the street
and give them a focus for the future”
♦
re-opening
Pleasure Beach to public use within two
years by creating access from Seaview
Avenue and building “a gateway” to the
peninsula off the East End
♦ creating a
czar of neighborhood development
position in city government to oversee
housing and community development
projects
♦
establishing a Bridgeport Housing Trust
fund to spur more affordable housing and
to finance facade, playground and
beautification improvements
♦
restarting
the Neighborhood Housing Services
program to help renovate residences
throughout Bridgeport
♦ doubling
the city’s recycling rates and
decreasing the city’s energy use
♦ stopping
the influence of money in local
elections “by ending lobbyist donations
{and} severely capping campaign
contributions”
♦ passing
“strong disclosure laws for elected
officials” to prevent conflicts of
interest
♦
to
“immediately stop Freedom of Information
filibustering so that Bridgeport
taxpayers can easily access City Hall
information’
♦ forming a
Mayor’s Task Force on Asthma and
Diabetes to promote healthier
lifestyles, and a Mayor’s Physical
Fitness Council to encourage young
people to make healthier choices
♦
providing
more funding for school-based health
clinics and community health centers
♦ making
Black Rock School a
kindergarten-through-eighth-grade
facility
Finch likely will be more than busy trying to
fulfill these promises in the coming months, so
he is again encouraged to resign his state
Senate seat so he can give his new job as mayor
the full-time attention it deserves. The
incoming mayor begins his administration with
appropriate optimism. His success is vital to
all Bridgeport residents. Everyone should come
together to provide him with the support needed
to implement his initiatives. |
