BRIDGEPORT — Three candidates challenging fellow Democrat Joe Gannim’s mayoral reelection this week averaged better access to the 25-seat suite Bridgeport is maintaining at its new concert amphitheater. We agreed that it should be given to reasonable residents.
“Bridgeporter has struggled to find high-paying jobs and make ends meet, but this is the latest example of strong and connected gains at taxpayer expense,” local elected official, A process that allows prominent city officials and other stakeholders to participate in the venue’s high-profile performances.
City Attorney Mark Anastasi, on the other hand, argued that use of the suite by Bridgeport officials was a valuable perk given the normal admission price (an amphitheater ticket can cost upwards of $100). , claimed it did not violate the section of the local government’s code of ethics that prohibits financial gain. preferential treatment.
“Granting free access to such events to elected and appointed officials for various business purposes and other legitimate government rationales,” Anastasi said in a statement released late Wednesday. is supported.
In 2017, the Ghanim administration struck a deal with developer Howard Saphan and concert promoter Live Nation to transform a defunct minor league baseball stadium into a more than 5,700-seat open-air live music attraction. The deal specified the city as the entity with “exclusive use” of his one of 24 private his suites and the complementary tickets that accompanied it.
The amphitheater opened in July 2021. Then there was an unspoken policy within the Economic Development Department to give the mayor/his office and his 20 city council members his two tickets each on a first-come, first-served basis. Wanted city officials.
However, the amphitheater’s 2022 season records instead showed: Many of the city employees who attended the show were not your average general employee, but higher level staff/ghanim and/or people with close ties to the local Democratic Party. In addition, other suite users, such as ex-deputies who have lost their seats, the mayor’s sister, Ganim’s close political allies, Democratic Town Committee chairmen, former/retired city employees, etc., do not meet any of the prescribed criteria. plug.
The Department of Economic Development also said it doesn’t track who ticket holders have invited or given passes to. was given to an unnamed staff member or mayor’s office for distribution.
Daniels, former Gannim aide John Gomez, and state senator Marilyn Moore are running for mayor this year against Gannim. And this week, all three said they needed a new policy developed to prioritize providing suite access to the average resident.
“At the end of the day, the benefits that come from taxpayer-owned amphitheaters should be open to all taxpayers,” said Daniels, who worked under Gannim’s predecessor, Mayor Bill Finch. .
All three have embraced holding some form of lottery. This is an idea that the state’s former congressman, Christopher Caruso, also put forward.
Moore also said half of the 25 tickets for each concert will be provided to city officials.
“It should be shared between the people who live here and the people who work here,” she said.
“It doesn’t sound like rocket science,” Moore said when asked about the potential complications of running a lottery of about 30 different concerts in a season.
Gomez helped elect Ghanim in 2015, was hired as mayoral aide, and worked in the administration from 2016 until his dismissal amid rumors of a mayoral candidacy. He launched his campaign on December 1st.
Gomez’s name is not on the list of 2022 suite users and he says he doesn’t remember getting a free ticket during the first season of 2021.
“We have 12 (employee) unions in the city, and we can work with them as long as we extend some kind of merit program (using the suite),” says Gomes. “We can also work with the school board to consider incentive programs and contests for students.”
Gomez said that ultimately there should be “written policies and guidelines” for the use of amphitheater suites.
Thomas Gaudet is one of Ghanim’s top lieutenants within the Bridgeport government. He got tickets to four concerts last year, but said in some cases the passes were for other people, according to Economic Development Authority documents. said they could work together to create a clearer set of criteria for the suite, but the first question that needs to be answered is what is the point of having one.
“I don’t know what it should be like,” Gaudette said. “I think the initial intention was to sell the city’s ability to bring people in and show them what the city is, the city. But the reality is that there are very few opportunities to do that. .”
He said the concept of getting more tickets to residents through lottery or other means “makes sense if it’s meant to be a public box[suite].” Stated.
“If you tell me what it should be like, I’ll tell you how to do the process,” Gaudette said.
City Council Speaker Aidy Nieves, who won tickets to four concerts last year, intends to turn her attention to the future use of the amphitheater suite after legislative bodies draft and pass annual local budgets. The earnings season runs from early April to late May.
“I think the government knows they need a policy,” Nieves said Thursday.
“These are all good ideas,” Ghanim said in a brief statement on Thursday.
But if the council, mayor, and city officials get free tickets to the amphitheater, Under Bridgeport’s ethical rules? The code states that “all city officials and employees” may “use property owned by the city for personal convenience and benefit” and “use city status to secure preferential treatment.” ” is expressly prohibited.
There is also a third requirement applicable to Ganim and the Council members who approved the Amphitheater Agreement in 2017 withholding the use of the Municipal Suite. It prohibits “individuals from voting or otherwise participating in transactions in which they have a personal or financial interest.”
In a statement Wednesday, Anastasi said allowing elected and appointed local government officials complementary access to amphitheater events is good government and good for Bridgeport’s economic development/image. He said that ticket holders would directly assess the performance of Suffans/Live Nation, who run the venue, and show off the city to “future developers” and other invited guests as “a country of excellence in art.” and the emergence of the city as one of the entertainment destinations.
His name did not appear on the 2022 list of ticket holders, but two local government attorneys in the legal department were listed.
Anastasi also claimed that the use of amphitheater suites had precedent. He noted that the previous mayor’s administration had similarly free access to Bridgeport Bluefish minor league games at the former ballpark and kept suites next to the sports/entertainment arena. , admitted to getting tickets at the arena when he worked for Ganim in the past.
But unlike last year’s amphitheater concerts by such notable talent as Flo Rida, HER, Maren Morris, Steve Miller, Beach Boys, Boyz II Men, Sting and Willie Nelson, Bluefish games could cost less than $20. There is a nature. The arena occasionally hosts Big His namesake artists such as Elton John, Marc Anthony, and Kevin Hart, but mostly hosts less popular and inexpensive minor His League sporting events and family-friendly shows. will be
Anastasi also mentioned Gathering of the Vibes. This music festival was held on his 1st weekend in the summer in Bridgeport until 2016. He recalled that more than a decade ago the city’s ethics committee decided it was okay for a city council member to receive a free ticket to his Vibes.
But those general admission tickets were more affordable than admission to the amphitheater. 3 Day Resident Pass from $75 to Vibes To $87 per day for non-residents. Another big difference was that Gathering of the Vibes was held once a year, while some Bridgeport officials used the Amphitheater Suite repeatedly, saving hundreds of dollars.
Alderman Janet Herron is an example. According to records, she got her 34 tickets for her 14 different concerts in 2022.
Herron said Thursday that he often hands out his tickets to voters.
“This is also for people,” she said, adding that residents are free to contact members of the council to inquire about using the suites. If there is, I will try.”
But it’s a good thing she and her peers have access, and will be able to promote the amphitheater on social media and elsewhere.
“That’s our job, to promote positive things in our city,” Herron said. “We want to show off everything we have in our city.”
In response to Anastasi, Caruso said, “As a city attorney, I am sure he would agree that, as a civil servant, he expects councilors to hold to higher standards to avoid even appearing to be corrupt. .”
“The truth is that the deal between the city and the amphitheater does not give city council or city officials tickets to the suites,” Caruso said. It’s a fair way.”
