PRAISE FOR MAYOR LOUDER THAN CALLS FOR PUNISHMENT

Bridgeport Reels From Newest City Hall Crisis

BRIDGEPORT -- The city awoke Tuesday morning to another political nightmare.

There in black and white, lying in driveways, piled on newsstands and
folded in breakfast nooks, the morning newspaper reported Mayor John
M. Fabrizi's admission that he used cocaine and drank heavily while
serving as mayor.

Then at 10 a.m., the mayor, accompanied by his wife, Mary, admitted
the same to some 200 city employees and residents during a confession
in Common Council Chambers.

Some had nothing but supportive words for the mayor.

They included Dennis Buckley, a city zoning officer; Councilman
Robert Curwen, D-126th; Police Lt. David Daniels; and Salvatore C.
DePiano, former state Sen. Ernest E. Newton II's criminal defense
lawyer. "People make mistakes," Buckley said. "But I think as a mayor
he has done a good job.

"A lot of us can point to someone in our families, including my own,
who have had a problem with drugs," Daniels said. "I think what the
mayor did today was a brave thing to do."

But some firefighters and police officers standing in a group in a
corner were not as forgiving.

Several booed the mayor, but their boos were drowned out by cheers.

One member of the group had a copy of the city's work rules and
regulations in his hand. Underlined in yellow was the section
regarding discipline of employees in possession or under the
influence of narcotics, drugs or alcohol on city property.

He also held a copy of the ethics policy, which took effect May 2,
2003, and was signed by Fabrizi. Underlined in yellow was the part
calling on public officials, employees and other people involved in
the government process to "demonstrate & the highest standard of
ethical conduct" to justify the public's "trust and confidence in the
integrity of government."

For some, living in a city still reeling from the corruption
convictions of Newton and former Mayor Joseph P. Ganim, as well as
the recent disclosure that an asbestos removal contractor had to "pay
to play" to get city work, this was too much.

"My prayers go out to the mayor," said Lyle Hassan Jones, a community
activist. "I can forgive his drug use. But I don't think he can
effectively lead the city."

Jones knows the scourge of drugs. He serves as a drug counselor. His
two sons and three brothers were sent to jail on federal drug
charges, and he knows other city residents doing time for using a
telephone to facilitate a drug deal. He wonders why Fabrizi gets to walk away.

"He was copping, indirectly, from a major city drug operation," Jones
said. "That doesn't look good for a mayor."

U.S. Attorney Kevin J. O'Connor declined to comment on Fabrizi's
Advertisementadmission Tuesday. Thomas Carson, O'Connor's spokesman,
said O'Connor is sticking with his comments last week that Fabrizi is
not a target of a drug investigation.

But H. James Pickerstein, who spent years as the state's chief
assistant U.S. attorney as well as U.S. attorney, said it appears
Fabrizi opened himself up to a misdemeanor cocaine possession charge,
which carries a maximum one-year federal prison term, or a felony
charge of using a telephone to facilitate a drug deal, which carries
a maximum four-year term.

"If I were the U.S. attorney, I would charge him," Pickerstein said.

However, State's Attorney Jonathan Benedict said he couldn't recall
anyone in state court being arrested for drug possession simply on
their own statement. "It's just something we haven't done before." He
said that at this point it is a federal investigation.

Reverberations of Fabrizi's admission reached Hartford and the
nation's Capitol. "I heard him say he apologized and is straightening
out his life," said U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn. "I appreciate the
fact that he was very frank and direct in admitting that he made bad choices."

"Obviously, he is doing the right thing. He is opening up and telling
the people of Bridgeport, going for professional help and has stopped
using cocaine and alcohol," said U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn. "We
should pray for him and hope he continues on this path forward."

In Hartford, Speaker of the House James A. Amann said that the
revelation of the Bridgeport mayor's substance abuse was sad, but
said it is more evidence that drug problems transcend race, class and politics.

"On the human side, people make errors," the Milford Democrat said.
"Whether you're a working Joe or the queen of England, people have
problems. I'm just hoping there's no more to it."

State Sen. Bill Finch, D-Bridgeport, who worked several years raising
money for a city-based treatment facility, said Fabrizi has to think
about his health and family before considering whether he should
remain in office.

"The biggest obstacle that individuals and families have is denial,"
Finch said. "I have to take my hat off to the mayor for admitting his
human frailty and doing something about it."

Staff writers Peter Urban and Ken Dixon contributed to this report.