Ganim Sworn In As Bridgeport Mayor Five Years After Getting Out Of Prison

[George II]

Source: Hartford Courant

BRIDGEPORT — Joe Ganim, the former mayor of Bridgeport who spent seven years in federal prison for corruption, was sworn in again on Tuesday as mayor of Connecticut's largest city.

Ganim's inaugural ceremony capped off a stunning political comeback. Just five years out of prison, he defeated incumbent Mayor Bill Finch in the Sept. 16 primary and then easily won the general election, defeating seven opponents. His campaign was fueled a wave of goodwill from voters who fondly remembered his years in office, from 1991 until 2003.

On Tuesday, Ganim told the hundreds of onlookers who gathered for the ceremony that he planned to "bring Bridgeport back together."

Ganim promised a more approachable city hall, a diverse government and better morale at the city's police department. Ganim said he knows how to create new jobs and take the city to new heights.

(more)

Read more: http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-ganim-mayor-bridgeport-1202-20151201-story.html

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I'm proud of Joe Ganim. He was a very good mayor who got lost and screwed up. Now he's back and we hope he continues his good work from a decade ago.

[angrychair]

1. Sorry

Can't agree. This guy is the poster child for what is wrong in politics.
An actual convicted corrupt politician gets out of jail and people elect him to be a politician again.


Sorry, nothing, can convince me this isn't a sad indictment on how politics and elections work in America.

No matter how sorry they are, you don't let a convicted drug dealer work in a pharmacy. A convicted chronic drunk driver work as a bartender.
A convicted corrupt politician run for public office.

People already have little to no faith in our political system, allowing convicted corrupt former politicians to hold office, of any kind, sends a very poor message to our youth and to politicians all across the country, that you can embezzle, take bribes, steal public funds, misuse the power of your office and in a couple of years get re-elected to get the opportunity to do it all over again.

He abused a position of public trust, yet voters want more. What a world we live in.

[George II]

2. He was convicted, sentenced, and served his time....

...He was elected to six terms as Mayor and did great things for Bridgeport (are you familiar with that city?)

So, to you a person serving one's sentence isn't enough? Then why don't we just give every person who commits a crime a life sentence?

He wasn't "allowed" to hold office, he was elected by the voters of Bridgeport!

[angrychair]

3. respectfully disagree

I am all for convicted felons getting another chance. I am not in favor of giving former corrupt elected office holders a second chance.
Again, you don't let former drug dealers work in a pharmacy. You don't let drunk drivers work in a bar. You don't let child molesters work at the YMCA. You don't let former convicted corrupt politicians hold public office again.

I respectfully submit that I don't care what city it happened in. I didn't agree with it when it was Marion Barry and I don't agree with it in this case.
We have enough problems dealing with scumbags like Cruz and King, I don't want to have to deal with allowing known corrupt former office holders finding new ways to screw people.

He was not convicted of minor crimes. He was convicted on 16 federal counts: one count each of racketeering, extortion, racketeering conspiracy, and bribery; two counts of bribery conspiracy; eight counts of mail fraud, and two counts of filing a false tax return. it was six-year scheme to shake down city contractors.

I would counter that he did not do go things for your city. I am very sure that all the people he was shaking down didn't think so either.

As a perfect example, he lost his law license. He can never practice law again, anywhere in the United States. There is a reason why. He was in a position of trust and he violated, in no small way, that trust.

The fact that the very same city re-elected this person is crazy to me. It sets a very poor example for future public office holders and that they can screw people over and still get re-elected.

Good luck.

[Nye Bevan]

4. Hard to believe that he was the very best person available to do the job.

But the voters have spoken. And the ones who voted for him can't really complain if he screws up again.

[catnhatnh]

5. This is EXACTLY what is wrong with the system...

When a politician is convicted of wrongdoing in office they should be automatically banned from holding another position in government at any level for life-whether the position is elective or appointed or volunteer or paid.

The easy example is Watergate-if prosecutions were run to their conclusion then Rumsfeld and Cheney never run the Bush2 Whitehouse. John McCain can't sing "Bomb Bomb Iran" because he is gone with the Keating 5.

[George II]

6. As much as I despise those two, neither Rumsfeld nor Cheney were involved in the Watergate Scandal

[catnhatnh]

7. I think in a full Watergate prosecution...

nobody in the Nixon administration would have been cleared.