Bridgeport Beat: An Editor Clears Out the Clutter From His Desk

Scattershooting around the city of Bridgeport while waiting for winter to finally say farewell…Although it has been a two months since the devastating Charles Street fire, the people of Bridgeport have once again proved themselves a loving and caring citizenry. The response to the cries for help was astounding. The results were so overwhelming that a desperate call for volunteers went out to help sort out the avalanche of donations. Even Mayor Joe Ganim himself was flummoxed and impressed with his fellow Bridgeporters. It was reminiscent of the devastating fire at the Bridgeport PAL Christmas Village fire in 1982. At that time Mayor Lenny Paoletta with able assistance from the late duo of Ricky Porto and Marilyn Goldstone and hundreds of volunteers rebuilt the village destroyed by arsonists in only a matter of days. Bridgeport children were delighted, Christmas was joyous and the Park City received national attention. In a speech President Ronald Reagan told the entire nation of the feat and proclaimed, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” In a recent visit to Bridgeport, Senator Richard Blumenthal pointed out the giving spirit of Park City denizens. The senator was at the Margaret E. Morton Government Center to announce a loan program for the fire victims available through the Small Business Administration and said, “Disaster may be the most overused word in the English language, but this truly was a disaster. Bridgeport is coming back, like it always does. It’s a gritty, tough city with a huge heart.”…So, the McDonald’s in downtown Bridgeport has closed. Residents were rather shocked by the news, not so much because a Mickey D’s has bitten the dust, but because the McDonald’s was just sort of always there. (Sort of like perennial candidate and Park City activist Charlie Coviello: He’s always there.) The loss of McDonald’s is significant as it becomes another of the hundreds of empty store fronts strewn throughout this city. A stone’s throw away stands the vacant Rite Aid store, which has been empty for nearly a decade. They stand as twin monuments to Bridgeport’s economic stagnation. Similarly, in Black Rock, supposedly a neighborhood that is thriving commercially, there are empty store fronts galore. The Black Rock Store opened on Fairfield Avenue a few months ago is already closing its doors. All one can say is that this trend is rather frightening and Mayor Joe gamin should do his best to try and attract mom and pop stores to Bridgeport as part of his overall economic package…Speaking of Coviello, he wasn’t overly surprised at last month’s arrest of mayoral candidate Tony Barr. “That’s Tony,” deadpanned Coviello who placed fifth among the seven candidates for mayor with a whopping 72 votes. At least it was enough to beat Barr who trailed the pack with 24 votes. Barr was a little over the top, threatening to blow Ganim’s bleeping head off in a tirade at the municipal offices at the Margaret E. Morton Government Center. Oh, well. That’s Tony. Thanks for clearing that up Charlie…In the same vein, with McDonald’s closing Ernie Trefz and the intrepid crew at the downtown Holiday Inn have now installed round the clock security at the hotel, ostensibly to keep the stragglers who used to hang at the Golden Arches away from the hallowed lobby of the Holiday Inn. Nice job, Ernie. The Holiday Inn in Bridgeport is now probably the only hotel in the country that does not allow business people into its lobby to do, guess what? Conduct business. Thanks for giving Bridgeport another black eye there Ernie!...Sad to see that long time Mountain Grove Cemetery chief Armand Chevrette has passed away. Mr. Chevrette was the first person I interviewed when I became editor of the late, lamented Bridgeport News many years ago. Mr. Chevrette will be sorely missed at this address…Fairfield U. is quietly having a solid season on the hardwood. The Stags finished the regular season with an 18-12 mark and will be the fifth seed in the upcoming MAAC tourney. So much for those who were calling for head coach and all-around nice guy Sidney Johnson’s head at this time last year…Island Fusion, which opened to great fanfare only a few months ago, has now closed. Yes, another business at the Arcade has bitten in the dust. There is something terribly wrong at the Arcade and the folks who are in charge need to be thoroughly investigated…See you in the neighborhoods. Cheers.