Some watch sports, others go to concerts, but I often go to council meetings. As an expert on state and local government, witnessing and being part of the process is a must for me. But I also attend local legislative meetings because they can be interesting and sometimes dramatic. With the pandemic winding down and government meetings returning to in-person and often online (or hybrid) I felt it was overdue to return to a City Hall meeting.
A council meeting in Bridgeport was high on my list, although I have previously attended meetings there and in other coastal communities, including New Haven. But New Haven alder meetings can be pretty boring as officials limit public participation. Some committee hearings and budget workshops can be more engaging, but they’re just not the same as a public speaking session, where residents can spend a few minutes discussing concerns in front of a legislative council.
Attending these meetings before a council meeting is a must in Bridgeport, and some of my Bridgeport students have mentioned that I should visit City Hall. In fact, they came with me and the co-directors of Bridgeport Generation Now Votes a few weeks ago since they recently announced their voting platform.
I purposely come early to council meetings to observe and engage with officials, the media, and local residents. Before entering Bridgeport’s council chambers, I was greeted by live piano playing while politicians rehearsed various songs. I remember Council Member Ernie Newton banging out Spirituals like it was Sunday morning.
My students arrived minutes later and just before the public speaking began. First, some residents carried signs, and then many more came with signs about former councilwoman Eneida Martinez. It has been a political ordeal for Bridgeport’s East End Council seat since former councilwoman Wanda defeated Simmons Martinez but resigned in November due to ill health. Although Martinez was considered for the council seat, she faces a lawsuit over her permanently closed Keystone Social Club, where Nyair Nixon was shot in 2020.
In November, Nixon’s family and friends attended a council meeting and urged council members not to vote in favor of Martinez’s appointment to the council. They returned at this most recent council meeting and voiced their concerns about Martinez and how council members remain silent about filling the seat.
No surprise, my students and I were stunned by the residents’ tactics, including preventing the council from officially beginning its legislature. Due to shouts and confrontations, the council suspended business for 30 minutes until Nixon supporters left the chambers.
Interestingly, several mayoral candidates made their way into the council chambers before, during, and after the episode. Both John Gomes and Lamond Daniels shook hands with onlookers while Mayor Joe Ganim watched from afar, attempting to lead the council meeting. A recently appointed councilwoman, Rev. Sara Smith, also submitted her letter of resignation, concerned about her conflicts with her religious and community work.
Ultimately, Bridgeport council meetings remain melodramatic, especially during election season. With municipal seats up for re-election this year, it should come as no surprise that politicians and residents use different tactics when mayoral candidates try to outdo each other.
But politics must go on, even towards the end of a pandemic. What better way to attend a council meeting than in person? I remain a proponent of online hybrid options for public gatherings and had the opportunity to write about this with a fellow journalism professor. Attending legislative meetings can make the biggest difference, and returning to a council meeting in Bridgeport reminded me that democracy is not a bystander activity. It requires commitment and attendance, just like election day.
Jonathan L. Wharton is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Urban Development at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven.
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