The Bridgeport DTC has had same leadership for decades. ‘It's time for a change'

On March 12, I attended my first Democratic Town Committee (DTC) representing my 130th district of Bridgeport. My first thought as I walked out of the meeting was: “This is NOT what democracy looks like.”

Our 130th slate, comprised of all new members, attempted to abide by Robert’s Rules (which the DTC is required to adhere to according to its own bylaws) and tried to get the state-required four meetings per year actually scheduled.

Every time we spoke up, we were shushed, shouted at, told to shut up, and talked over. It was hard to hear above the din, and the only thing I actually could hear the chair say over the course of the evening was, “let’s keep this meeting short.”

My interest in serving on the DTC wasn’t to attend brief meetings. I am concerned about the well-being of the school children in Bridgeport Public Schools, who are facing dire cuts to educational funding, on top of harmful cuts this past year.

My children attend Bridgeport Public Schools and I am a special education attorney. Every day I hear horror stories about students being deprived of human, civil, and educational rights due to funding shortages. Things are bad and they are getting worse.

Mario Testa has led the Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee (DTC), primarily as chairman, since 1992. 

That’s a long time to lead. 

Our schools are chronically under-funded. They have had to make do with too little for far too long. 

This school year, the lights went out in every public school library in Bridgeport. The last remaining librarians who had staffed our school libraries were laid off after yet another series of budget cuts. The state audited the district’s budget: found no fraud, no corruption. Just not enough. 

Not enough has gone on for a long time.

Not enough has gone on for too long.

Our schools are requesting an additional $106 million to continue functioning. The district had to cut millions last year and may need to cut millions more.

Our state and city leaders can no longer choose to look away or settle for small solutions to what is a massive problem. Children are injured at school due to staffing shortages impacting supervision, assaulted on their walks to school, and deprived of access to education. 

We need to be losing sleep about this.

At the DTC meeting, Ralph Ford ran against Testa for the role of chair. Testa won another two-year term. 

More than 30 years is a long time to lead.

As the organizing body of Bridgeport’s Democratic Party — change must start with the Democratic Town Committee.

The current DTC leadership has been in power since before DVDs or Google existed. 

In 1992, I was 10, still afraid of the dark. Now, decades later, I’m afraid of the complacency of people in positions of power who choose to turn away from the suffering of children.

Our leaders have grown too comfortable with the school children of our amazing city doing without, doing with less than, doing with not enough.

It is time not only for new leadership, but for our current leaders to be unwavering in their commitment to fight for our children, who cannot afford for things to stay the same. 

The other day, my 7-year-old daughter handed me an old tissue box. I looked inside and saw coins. She told me she had been saving up money from chores to give to our school principal: “So we can have a librarian.” 

Our schools are facing a crossroads in 2026 that requires a relentless commitment to not accepting the status quo. This is the five-alarm fire. If my 7-year-old can find money to put toward our schools, so can we, the adults. 

It’s time for change. I encourage you to reach out to your elected officials. Come to the next DTC meeting. We can no longer afford to wait and see what happens while other people are in the rooms where decisions are made. 

Not enough has gone on for a long time.

NOT ENOUGH has gone on for TOO LONG.

This op-ed was originally published in the CT Post on March 25, 2026.