Council right to approve Panuzio pact (opinion)

By ROB SULLIVAN    

One might wonder why the city sees fit to fatten the wallet of former mayor Nick Panuzio and his lobbying firm by $48,000 over the next eight months. Especially when all the budgetary problems have resulted in little noise eminating from City Hall Annex exceport for wailing and gnashing of teeth.

For one reason, we need all the friends we can get in Washington and Panuzio is a friend to the city. I doubt whetherthe former mayor's firm would have been retained since 2008 if he hadn't been producing for Bridgeport. Consider this an investment and measure it as such. The $48,000 paid to Panuzio and his partners could payoff tenfold.

Councilman Bob Walsh (D132) voted against the measure and, frankly, Walsh is fast losing his credibility. A hard working legislator yes, but he has reached the point where he is going to vote against anything that the Finch administration supports. The City Council could draft a bill calling for Walsh to be given a gift of $500,000 just because he is Bob Walsh and if Finch supported it, Walsh would vote against it.