Only in Bridgeport
Tom McCarthy.
The Harp administration has turned to an elected official 21 miles south down I‑95 to run its labor relations department.
That official is Tom McCarthy, president of the Bridgeport City Council.
McCarthy officially began work Monday as city labor relations director at an annual salary of $116,799, according to the city’s Department of Human Resources. The position now falls under the corporation counsel’s office.
McCarthy previously served as assistant labor relations director for the city of Bridgeport. During that time, given his elected role, he “became the poster child for the lack of checks and balances in city government,” writes Lennie Grimaldi on the news site Only in Bridgeport. Click here for Grimaldi’s full story on McCarthy.
“From the outset of the search for a new director there was consensus among Mayor Harp and her senior staff to bring on someone with experience in all aspects of labor relations — including contract negotiation and dispute resolution — and city officials were eager to hire a lawyer to fill this position as well,” mayoral spokesman Laurence Grotheer said in an emailed statement. “In Attorney McCarthy the city met all its goals for this important position.”
The city’s labor relations position had remained unfilled since Mayor Toni Harp removed Marcus Paca from it in April 2016.
Paca, a former alder who’s challenging Mayor Harp for the Democratic mayoral nomination, said he met McCarthy through the National League of Cities.
“I’ve known Tom for some years and assume he will be ethical and have respect for our laws and collective bargaining agreements. I encourage him to maintain those values and not to compromise the integrity of the labor relations office irrespective of what might be expected or asked of him by the Harp administration,” Paca stated Tuesday.
No word yet on whether Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim will try to recruit New Haven Board of Alders Tyisha Walker for a position in his administration …