Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim is in Turkey this week attending COP31, the United Nations climate‑change summit, according to CT Mirror. While the United States did not send an official delegation for the second consecutive year, Ganim joined other American mayors, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, on the sidelines of the event.
Ganim participated in a Thursday panel titled “US Climate Mayors Building Resilient Communities and Thriving Economies,” where he emphasized the city’s progress since the shutdown of the PSEG power plant. The plant, one of the last coal‑fired facilities in New England, was closed in 2021 and largely demolished last year. Ganim said the closure has led to measurable health benefits, noting reductions in asthma among children who lived near the plant.
He also highlighted the financial gains secured from the plant’s owner, stating that Bridgeport obtained “millions of dollars” to reinvest in the community as part of an environmental‑justice effort. The city has already received $22 million from the state of Connecticut to demolish and redevelop the 33‑acre waterfront site. Future plans include housing, commercial space, and public waterfront access, aimed at creating jobs and attracting investment to the South End.
City Communications Director Constance Vickers told WSHU that the mayor’s travel plans were not formally communicated to City Council President Jeanette Herron, who is designated to fill in for Ganim during his absence. “Typically, the City Council President would be formally notified of the Mayor’s planned absence,” Vickers said, describing the lapse as an oversight that will be corrected for future events.
The unfinished “candy‑cane” smokestack that once rose from the plant remains a point of debate. Some residents favor preserving the iconic red‑and‑white structure, while city officials have delayed its removal to prioritize a coastal‑flood‑fortification project.
Ganim underscored the importance of local leadership when federal representation is missing, noting, “There may not be every national leader of every country at this event; ours from the United States government is missing… the mayors have shown up on a local level where subnationals are making a difference and having an impact. And why? Because we want to get things done.”
Sources: ctmirror.org
