Month: March 2016

#Bridgeport, Connecticut – Mayor Joe Ganim today submitted to the Bridgeport City Council an ordinance that, if approved, would enact historic reforms for Bridgeport that include the establishment of the first-of-its-kind office of government accountability within city hall.  The office would serve as a clearing house for complaints related to government performance, including response to constituent inquiries, waste, inefficiency and potential misconduct.  The office would review complaints and make a determination as to whether the issue warrants further investigation or should be referred to another office in city government for action.  The proposed office would also consolidate all Freedom of Information requests and manage timely responses to those requests.  The director of the office of Government Accountability would also submit reports to a three member Government Accountability Commission, two of whose members would be appointed by the Mayor, and one member would be appointed by the Bridgeport city council.  If approved by the Bridgeport city council, the ordinance will take effect on July 1, 2016.

 

“I promised an open, transparent and accountable city government when I ran for Mayor, and this ordinance begins to make that a reality,” said Mayor Ganim.  “This builds on the progress we have already made to open our books in city government.  This office would be a place that gives ordinary citizens the ability to hold city government responsible for its performance and investigate itself if there is waste or abuse of public resources.  We also hope to provide more public access to government data so Freedom of Information requests aren’t delayed for months.  If the city council enacts this ordinance, Bridgeport has the potential to become the most transparent and accountable municipal government in the state of Connecticut.”

 

The proposed government accountability ordinance (attached to this release) is now submitted to the Bridgeport city council and will get a full hearing in front of the ordinance committee.  Under Mayor Ganim’s leadership, retired FBI agent Edward Adams has been leading all government accountability, transparency and public integrity efforts.  These efforts include the launching of the “OpenBridgeport” project with State Comptroller Kevin Lembo to provide online tracking of all city finances in real-time.

 

Full Text of the Proposed Ordinance:

 

2.125 – Commission and Office of Governmental Accountability

 

2.125.010 – Purpose of chapter.

 

1. The Commission and Office of Governmental Accountability are established to monitor and ensure that the public’s interest in open, transparent, and accountable government is protected and advanced.

 

2.125.020 – Definitions.

Continue reading Mayor Ganim Submits Historic Government Accountability Measures to Bridgeport City Council