BRIDGEPORT -- New Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim is ready to be redeemed.
Just hours after being reelected--after a 12-year hiatus from office in which he served time in prison--Ganim appeared on the Chaz & AJ in the Morning radio program, saying it’s time to reboot.
“Whatever experiences you have in your life, good or bad, prepare you and, in this case, will hopefully prepare me for what this next challenge is going to be,” Ganim told the popular radio hosts.
The primary challenge for Gamin is regaining trust.
“He had his law license taken away,” noted Paula Valle of Bridgeport. “Why should he be allowed to become mayor again?”
Following 12 years as mayor between 1991 and 2003, Ganim was convicted of 16 felonies related to kickback schemes, which earned him seven years in prison.
The public opinion in Bridgeport varied on Wednesday. But, one Ganim supporter says there's probably a convicted felon on every street corner here in the Park City and it's those people who identify with Ganim.
“Those people look at Joe Ganim and say that's the man that's going to open the door, encouraging me to move on with my life and not be ashamed of myself because a lot of people they're stigmatized with a felony,” said Jorge Cruz of Bridgeport, who says he is a recovering addict.
Some feel he needs to earn the trust of the city’s residents first. Still, he nearly doubled the vote total of his top challenger, Mary-Jane Foster.
“I don't think it was really a mandate because only 30 percent of the people really voted but, you know, he did win,” acknowledged Bill Verespie of Bridgeport.
Ganim told Chaz & AJ he knew by the second phone call his staff made after the polls closed last night that he had won.
“The second precinct that came in, when we had won one of the minority precincts -- we call them minority precincts -- by a substantial margin, almost 6 to 1,” said Ganim.
The key to his win, he says, was engaging as many city residents in his movement as possible. His inauguration is scheduled for December 1.
The Park City's business leaders want to make certain that developers and investors know the city is good for business because decision makers naturally have questions.
“That this mayor is in fact dedicated to doing the right thing, dedicated to honest government and dedicated to doing all he can to make Bridgeport into the place that it deserves to be,” said Paul Timpanelli, president and CEO of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council.
“There were shakedowns going on here for a long period of time to ingratiate people at the top, party bosses and mayors,” said outgoing Mayor Bill Finch. “So, that scares people. If that doesn't occur, then we are OK.”
Ganim says he will run a tight ship, mindful of the watchful eye that will be on his administration.
“We will have an office of public integrity with individuals that are vetted and screened,” said Ganim, who predicts taking these steps will cause business to “flock” to Bridgeport.
The reason for earning 60 percent of the votes cast Tuesday? Residents remember his successes, Ganim says.
“Building the arena, the ball park, holding the budget together, reducing crime. If we get that stuff going again, that’s where we want to take Bridgeport.”
