Bridgeport Votes To Reform City Charter: Mayor

BRIDGEPORT, CT — Voters in Bridgeport approved a sweeping revision of the city charter in Tuesday’s election, enacting the most extensive changes to the document in decades, according to Mayor Joseph Ganim.

The following two questions were on the ballot for voters:

#1: Shall the City of Bridgeport approve and adopt Charter amendments to modernize the City Charter, including but not limited to, strengthening Ethics, reforming Civil Service, and establishing uniform standards for departments, boards and commissions?

#2: Shall the Charter be amended to discontinue electing the Town Clerk, City Clerk, and the municipal Sheriffs following the municipal election in 2027 at which election these positions will be filled for terms ending on November 30, 2031, and thereafter the Town Clerk and City Clerk positions will be filled by a non-partisan civil service selection process effective on or after December 1, 2031?

The questions capped months of work by a bipartisan, 13-member Charter Revision Commission made up of local residents. The updated charter includes reforms affecting ethics oversight, civil service rules, City Council operations and various administrative procedures.

Mayor Joe Ganim said the outcome reflects public support for strengthening oversight and modernizing city government. The final vote tallies were not immediately available.

"[Tuesday’s] Charter vote is a huge victory for integrity, modernization, and good governance in Bridgeport," Ganim said in a statement. "It is clear that the people of Bridgeport support our efforts to create a stronger Ethics Commission, an improved civil service system, and a modern local government. I want to thank the members of the Charter Revision Commission for their work on the Charter this year, and the voters for supporting these historic changes."

Added City Council President Aidee Nieves, "What a great day for Bridgeport. After decades of trying, meaningful Charter reforms have finally been approved. I want to thank my Council colleagues, members of the Charter Revision Commission, and the voters for supporting these historic reforms."

Those key reforms include:

Ethics changes in the new charter include reestablishing the Ethics Commission and creating an independent Office of Municipal Ethics. The commission will be authorized to adopt a citywide code of ethics, investigate alleged violations and issue fines.

Civil service rules, unchanged for decades, have been updated to clarify hiring procedures and distinguish between political appointments and protected civil service positions. City officials say the changes are intended to make employment practices more consistent and transparent.

Under the City Council revisions, the Office of Legislative Services is formally recognized as an independent support entity for the council. The charter also clarifies council leadership roles, allows the council to fill longstanding vacancies and updates procedures for forming city boards, commissions and departments.

The revision also modernizes the charter’s language and structure, removes outdated provisions and aligns the document with practices used in other Connecticut cities, including Norwalk and New Haven. City officials say the updated framework will make future revisions more straightforward and improve overall transparency.