Together, we can elect candidates who represent the people and will work on the issues that Bridgeporters care most about. Alongside our Unrig Bridgeport coalition, we are organizing and engaging Bridgeport voters around a vision for a beloved Bridgeport. We can have strong public schools, safe and affordable neighborhoods, and an economy that offers opportunities for all. When we vote for the candidates who pledge to work on The People’s Platform, we can elect leaders who will build the Bridgeport we all know is possible.
The People’s Platform is a progressive vision for Bridgeport written by and for the people. It focuses on the issues Bridgeport residents say are the most important: good government, education, housing, public safety, jobs, infrastructure, environmental protection, and the arts. By voting for the candidates who pledge to this platform, we can come together, free ourselves from the systemic corruption that has held us back for far too long, and finally build the Bridgeport we all know is possible.
Bridgeport is better than this. Corruption doesn’t have to define us. It’s just in the way. In fact, it’s keeping us from making progress on all of the other critical issues that matter to Bridgeporters – from fully funding our public schools, to making housing more affordable, delivering real public safety, creating new jobs and opportunities for everyone in our community, and improving our aging and neglected infrastructure.
As long as we suffer under the stigma of this corruption, Bridgeport will never reach our full potential. We the people of Bridgeport believe that the city’s next Mayor, City Council, and Board of Education must commit to establishing real, enforceable, and accountable anti-corruption and good government practices–policies that benefit all Bridgeport residents, not just a select few.
Once we move past the corruption and cronyism that has been holding our city back, we can address the numerous other critical issues facing Bridgeport. That starts with education. Bridgeport’s next Mayor must recognize that our city can only grow if we invest in our young people. That means a Mayor and City Council who can offer a real, inclusive vision for our school district, one where we partner with the Superintendent and the Board of Education to reverse the eight year trend of divesting from public education.
Bridgeport’s next Mayor and City Council must commit to making housing in our city more affordable, so anyone who wants to can afford to live here – particularly long term Bridgeport residents who have been increasingly priced out and pushed out. Our next Mayor should embrace this vibrant, urban city and its hard working people as opposed to seeking to transform it into an increasingly unaffordable and exclusive suburb.
Our next Mayor, City Council, and Board of Education must focus on the violence prevention programs that we know are effective in stopping crime before it starts, address the root causes of crime, and ensure our police department is accountable to and respects the citizens of Bridgeport. That’s how we will truly improve public safety for every neighborhood while also addressing systemic racism and injustice.
Our next Mayor and City Council should commit to prioritizing economic development that benefits everyone in our city, not just the wealthiest Bridgeport residents and special interests. That means building an economy that fosters well-paying jobs and job training opportunities, supporting the small businesses that create good jobs in our city, and implementing needed reforms like raising the minimum wage.
Our next Mayor and City Council must make improving our aging infrastructure a top priority and must work to ensure that public transit is accessible, affordable, and convenient for all residents seeking to get to work, home, and elsewhere in our city.
Our next Mayor, City Council, and Board of Education must commit to doing our city’s part to tackle climate change and support environmental justice. This is not just a global or national issue, but a local one too. Working together, cities can make a real impact on one of the biggest challenges of the day.
Our city’s vibrant arts and creative culture has proven to help catalyze both equitable economic development and more inclusive civic engagement across our city, improving the quality of life for all Bridgeport residents. In a 2015 report, regional nonprofits generated $235 million in economic activity, supporting 6,780 jobs, and generating $20.6 million in revenue for local and state governments. Our next Mayor, City Council, and Board of Education must capitalize on the economic and cultural benefits of a strong, vibrant artist community.
October 22, 2024 – Alfredo Castillo, a City Council Representative for the 136th District since 2013, has been in the news a lot lately. In June, Mr. Castillo was arrested on election fraud charges stemming from Bridgeport’s 2019 mayoral primary. In July, body cam footage was released of a combative traffic stop in Fairfield where he refused to […]
June 12, 2024 – At the end of the 2019 “Lazar v. Ganim” trial, Judge Barry Stevens said the plaintiffs – Beth Lazar, Vanessa Liles, and Annette Goodridge (three Bridgeport voters) – were successful in identifying serious election-related crimes. The crimes had been uncovered through a 6-day canvass, organized by Bridgeport Generation Now Votes and […]
“Democracy is a goal to which our nation is marching … out of the darkness of slavery to the light of freedom.” Civil rights pioneer Mary McLeod Bethune uttered those words on a NBC radio program in 1939. It is a goal the country has yet to fully realize. However, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago we […]
