State Senator Bill Finch and State Rep Chris Caruso vie in the Democratic primary to determine who will be anointed running as the Democratic candidate for mayor this year. Apparently the primary has been so boring this year that there are rumors that John Fabrizi is planning to jump back in the general election. For those unfamiliar with Bridgeport politics, Fabrizi running would be the appetizer to Joe Ganim coming back for another try.

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Early this morning The Connecticut Post ran a story that started:

House speaker to back Caruso
Connecticut Post, CT - 3 hours ago
BRIDGEPORT Speaker of the House James Amann, D-Milford, will announce his support of Bridgeport mayoral candidate Christopher Caruso this afternoon. …

But now the page comes up empty. I have yet to recover the story from my cache. So will Amann support Caruso or why did the Post yank the story?

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Longtime Blackrock arts promoter Joseph Celli has been producing the IPA concerts for 10 years. The free concerts have always feature an eclectic range of music from around the world, and bands have even appeared in Norwalk as part of a summer lunchtime concert in 2003. This year, the festival calendar features:

Sunday, July 8 - Mikata: Salsa & Latin Jazz
The Black Rock Art Center presents the powerful percussion group Mikata - Feel your pulse quicken as Mikata ignites the stage in a joyful celebration of Africa, the Caribbean Islands and Brazil. “Elegant traditional African music” - Vogue Magazine. “A kinetic sampling of African music” - New York Times.

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Bridgeport City Council Deliberates on Proposed Non-profit Art Organization Leases

Khyal Braun, May 23rd, 2007

Last night’s Bridgeport City Council meeting stirred up an arts loving crowd, parents and families of students who benefit from the local arts organizations, business folks, and Councilmen watching over the city’s coffers.

Supporters of the Downtown Cabaret came wearing neon yellow stickers marking their pride. The city’s offer of a 10-year lease at $300/month with maintenance and utilities paid in full was approved quickly after the theater’s Chairman, Bob Scinto, agreed to the added benchmark of presenting a minimum of 200 performances per year. Scinto claimed that the Cabaret served 35,000+ children visitors per year.

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It seemed inevitable that the Fabrizi would drop out. He likely could have gotten past the cocaine use, but testifying for a sex offender was the political career killer. From The Courant:

“I will not seek another term as your mayor,” Fabrizi, 50, said in brief remarks at City Hall Annex.

Fabrizi has been under fire since he admitted that he had previously used cocaine, although he said he was drug-free. He also drew fire for speaking on behalf of an admitted sex offender in a court proceeding.

State Rep. Christopher Caruso, D-Bridgeport, on Monday, announced his plans to challenge Fabrizi in the Democratic primary.

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