In Connecticut, Bridgeport Mayor elect Joe Ganim held his first press conference since winning the mayoral race. Ganim was Bridgeport’s mayor for 12 years before he was convicted on federal corruption charges. He served 7 years in prison.
At the press conference, Ganim preempted questions about his history by saying his supporters remember his successes as mayor more than his mistakes.
"It was 25 years ago," he said. "But the city of Bridgeport, and my door-to-door interactions with them, the reasons they came out and voted for change, pressed that button to trust me and this team, was because of the accomplishments of the first administration."
Ganim said he’s putting his transition team together and they’re getting up to speed on the current economic condition of the city. He said there will be cuts to the budget because they don’t have the luxury to spend what they’re spending now, but he did not identify where the cuts would be made.
At the same time, Ganim also said he will look into hiring and placing more uniformed police officers on the streets of Bridgeport.
Another issue that’s top on his list is the reevaluation of property tax in the city.
"We’re putting a committee together on the reval and on the tax issue itself," he said. "So they will begin to take a look at what is the status of the anticipated revaluation and how that might impact, how it will be implemented, and all the aspects of that. "
Ganim takes office on Dec. 1.
