Former Bridgeport Mayor Joseph P. Ganim
In my Sept. 18 post, I expressed bewilderment and disgust with Bridgeport Democrats, who had just bestowed their mayoral nomination on former Mayor Joseph P. Ganim. Mr. Ganim, of course, left City Hall in disgrace in 2003, after being convicted in federal court on 16 corruption charges, most notably racketeering, bribery and mail fraud. He later served seven years in prison.
Wednesday, Sept. 23, The (Norwich) Bulletin weighed in on Mr. Ganim’s triumph. According to The Bulletin’s editorial board members, Bridgeport’s credibility is “strained to the breaking point because of this episode.” Board members posited that Mr. Ganim may have gotten the nod because his former constituents simply believe he ran Bridgeport well. They cited comments made by former state Sen. Ernest E. Newton II, D-Bridgeport, who also spent time in a federal pen on corruption charges; not long after Mr. Newton was released, he returned to the attention of law-enforcement officials. Mr. Newton said, “When crime was running high, he cut down on the murder rates that we were having. Joe understands the common person. A lot of people remember Joe not raising taxes for 10 years.”
There may be something to Mr. Newton’s and The Bulletin’s theory. That said, in my humble opinion, policy accomplishments do not justify returning Mr. Ganim to the mayoralty. As I wrote Sept. 18, the former mayor displayed stunning arrogance in running his schemes, which allowed him to live the high life while his constituents struggled through daily life in one of the poorest cities in the United States. Additionally, Mr. Ganim’s “apology” seemed quite self-serving.
Mr. Ganim may have known how to get things done, but in light of the brazenness he displayed in using his position to enrich himself, he isn’t worthy of cleaning restrooms at City Hall.
Can you imagine a private business re-hiring an employee who was forced to resign for stealing enormous sums of money from said company?