Hello everyone and welcome to Bridgeport Unmasked, the Bridgeport Public Library podcast about all things Bridgeport.
Today I am joined here in the Beardsley Branch studio by Mayor Joe Ganam, mayor
of the city of Bridgeport and we are going to talk about extraordinary organizations doing excellent things in
Bridgeport, Connecticut. So please stick around. [Music]

Mayor Gam, thank you so much for braving the almost snowstorm outside. If it were just a little bit colder, that would not
be rain coming down. So, thank you. Yeah, if it uh the stupid joke that I don't get credit
for the good weather, but when it storms or there's a flood or something like that, mayor gets blamed. But um yeah, in
a serious note, I don't know when this is going to air, but you know, it's it's always good to remind, especially when
we anticipate the weather changing. Um it can get cold fast. Um I don't know if we're getting ice,
what we're getting for snow. It's going to be sloppy. It's uncomfortable. If you have anything that might be, you know,
something, I don't want to say a physical handicap, a disability, but if you're like me, adverse to inclement
weather that can be more hazardous, you know, stay home. Stay home and check on other people, too. Even if it doesn't
get bad bad bad like it could be in other parts of the country right now. Oh, no. Absolutely. Um uh you know,
tough weather is uh no joke. And please drive carefully as well. Um, so yeah,
but uh we are here today at uh Beardsley Branch Library and uh we're in one of
the two podcast studios here at the library. Um so Mayor Gam, I understand
that you might be looking into doing dabbling in podcasting yourself and
doing some uh work in that area. Have you have you made made any thoughts about what you might want to be doing?
Absolutely. I am I am inspired first of all. Thanks for having me, Adam. Of course. and uh the Bridgeworth Public
Library, this podcast studio, I know there's a video being made, but I don't think it's going to be part of what's uh
put out there, but the room uh just described inadequately, my words, is
just I mean, it's really cool. I mean, be and the colors and just the way it's designed, it's comfortable, and it's
state-of-the-art and it is giving you or giving us the opportunity to talk uh to
you um what a venue I never would have even thought about. So, I don't know what I'm thinking about with podcast,
but when I was talking to our head librarian and I'll tell you what I kind
of a roundabout way to get my thoughts in about the library. when I complimented her about the great um
library system that we have, certainly the buildings and the facilities just being a prime example, brand new
state-of-the-art uh for podcast, but the entire branch, I call this the Upper
East Side branch, I guess, is what we're talking about. Um the uh new Newfield branch,
state-of-the-art, beautiful, right off of Stratford Avenue in the East End. the North End branch, which is, you know,
just a beautiful building. It's it's more than a couple years old now, but it's still brand new. Downtown, the
historic downtown main branch right next door to our offices, 999 Broad Street right next door, um, are part of one of
the best, I say the best library system in the state. and so that the building
parts but Adam to you and to the li head librarian and everybody that makes up the system uh it's because of the
quality individuals that care and are part of the library system here. So thank you. Well thank you very much for that but
it's also our connections uh to the community and uh we are going to have a
number of uh or organizations in the community uh mentioned today that uh we
work pretty closely with and that help people. Uh, one in particular is uh we are uh trying to work with uh MERA, the
mayor's initiative for re-entry affairs. Um, oh, absolutely. Absolutely. And um
uh helping people get uh back on their feet. Um and um the reason I bring them
up specifically is that um we're looking to make make an agreement where we the
two of the library and Mera can help patrons get um technology assistance and
even access to devices that they wouldn't otherwise. Uh now, um uh Mayor
Gan, I know, uh recording devices and podcasts, that type of device or um if I if I understand correctly, more
like refurbished laptops and and and uh and yeah, no um uh computers um uh
ideally to take out uh uh that's still a work in progress there. Uh but uh but uh
could you um I know I know Mirror was uh one of your projects. uh you started
that back in 2016. Could you tell us more about what you thought it would be then and how it's come now?
Very important trying to reduce the barriers, eliminate the obstacles for re-entry. Um
numbers just short p two or three sentences on perspective. It's estimated that you have about a thousand uh
individuals returning citizens on an annual every year on an annual basis to Bridgeport. also similar statistics for
Hartford, New Haven, uh I think Waterberry as well. So, so what Myra is able to do, there's a welcoming center
now in um give career resources and Scott Wilderman a lot of credit and other organizations that say, "Hey, wait
a minute. It's not only better and the right thing to do to say to someone,
whatever your situation was, you're on your way out. your you paid your debt to society, whatever it is, and it's in
everybody's best interest for that person, that individual, that returned citizen to succeed. Um, it's it's
somebody contributing as opposed to being a a challenge to society. There's a family. There's always some semblance
of a family. It could be father, mother, son, brother, sister, whatever. Uh, then they're part of a neighborhood in our in
a city. So, it's it's real important. And um the Meyer program um has I think
blossomed even more in the last couple of years. I don't have the statistics off top of my head. Uh hundreds into
thousands of individuals that have um sought and received some level of of
support. Doesn't have to be financial support, although sometimes it is. It's um uh it goes all the way to preparation
for and practically placement uh in in very um very desirable uh fields of
employment. And the trade unions have been great. uh other organizations that partner uh with us. The state of
Connecticut has been real really forward, I think, on the concept of re-entry and the element of um
of not only uh punishment, the punitive aspects, but the rehabilitative aspects
of of all the money that we spend on on uh individuals be before their returning
citizens, incarceration and judicism. and just take one little segue here and and and this is not taking credit but
it's an observation that um impacts the library as well. Um, in general, you
know, one of the things that's going on in the city of Bridgeport, I think when we get beyond the library system, which I want to talk about a little bit more,
uh, that's going on right now, is that the city is probably at its um, safest
levels um, with relation to what we look at as metrics for incidents that are
happening that, you know, might uh, involve a crime, um, violent or
nonviolent, anything or its lowest levels historically. We'll talk more about that. Um and Myra I think um you
know again recidivism reduction uh plays a a role in that. We think on on the
positive end plays a real constructive role. My admire does a whole bunch of things from uh you know uh resume help to
behavior health uh assistance. So uh another thing that uh city of Bridgeport
uh has done uh recently uh is created the Bridgeport Promise program. Uh for
those of you listening, especially uh students in Bridgeport high schools and people with high school students in
their circle, the Bridgeport Promise program is a uh financial assistance
program to that can be used towards college and university cost.
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