BRIDGEPORT -- With the possibility of having his bread buttered by President Elect Donald Trump, Bridgeport's mayor, Joe Ganim, is approaching a Trump Presidency unlike most other Democrats.
"I'm gonna look at the bright side," he said. "Certainly, there's going to be disagreements on issues. There's no question. But I want to take advantage of the next four years of the things that we can do positively in the city of Bridgeport.
Ganim says if Trump is serious about "Commitments to infrastructure and rebuilding can be realized, this is the prime location, perfect size city."
In the summer of 1994, Trump and Ganim, during his first run as mayor, announced Trump Park City Plaza would be built to include an amusement park residential retail and a shipping terminal but it never materialized
"I think he understands the prime location that Bridgeport offers, on the waterfront, on transportation, along I-95, with the train station one hour from New York," said Ganim, who will attend Trump's inauguration.
And instead of being critical of Trump's endless Twitter presence, Ganim is actually complementary.
"I think it's a clear way to get a message out. We've got 150,000 people in the city of Bridgeport. I wish I could communicate with them better about the progress that's going on in the city."
Mayor Ganim says he also wants to establish a relationship with the nominee for the Secretary of the Department of Housing & Urban Development, Dr. Ben Carson.
"We have 12,000 residents in public housing in Bridgeport," Ganim said. "I'd like to see some major changes their."
Ganim says Bridgeport has over $1 billion of potential development projects waiting to be jump started, from bridges to train stations.
Serving as mayor for the largest city of the state, Ganim sees opportunities with the Trump administration.