A Familiar Face Returns to Bridgeport’s Fiscal Ledger
Bridgeport has turned to a familiar face to help manage the department’s financial operations. Retired police Lieutenant John Cueto is returning to the force, this time as a private, part-time consultant tasked with overseeing the department’s complex budget and grant management. The move marks yet another chapter in the city’s ongoing effort to stabilize leadership within the police department.
Cueto’s new role comes with a $75,000 annual price tag and is expected to work roughly no more than 20 hours per week. His contract, which is currently being finalized, is slated to run through the end of the fiscal year on June 30. For Police Chief Roderick Porter, the decision is a pragmatic response to a long-standing operational gap. Porter has expressed a desire for a dedicated fiscal person since taking the helm in 2022, arguing that the heavy lifting of fiscal oversight—particularly regarding overtime expenditures—has forced leadership to divert time away from core public safety missions.
The Revolving Door of Department Leadership
The path back to the department has been anything but straightforward for Cueto. His most recent stint with the Bridgeport Police Department lasted only four months in late 2024, when he served as assistant chief. That tenure ended abruptly due to state regulations preventing him from simultaneously collecting a municipal pension and a full-time assistant chief’s salary. Following his departure in December 2024, the administration handled a series of staffing shifts, including the temporary promotion of various captains and the eventual exit of others to pursue opportunities in neighboring municipalities like Fairfield.
The department’s management structure remains under pressure, complicated by ongoing legal disputes. The assistant chief position, a role Cueto once held, is currently tied up in federal litigation. Capt. Lonnie Blackwell has alleged in court that he was unfairly passed over for the role in 2024 due to racial discrimination, a claim that complicates the administration’s hiring narrative. Meanwhile, the department has seen its entire cohort of deputy chiefs retire, with the final departure — James Baraja — occurring in March while on paid administrative leave due to an undisclosed complaint. A former employee has filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging she lost her job after reporting that she was sexually harassed by Baraja.
City Re-Hires Former Assistant Chief Through Consultant Role
Thomas Gaudett, the city’s chief administrative officer, framed the re-hiring as a move based on necessity and experience. He noted that Cueto is uniquely qualified to step into the role because he possesses both an intimate knowledge of the department’s history and a current perspective as a nationwide consultant. By bringing him on as a consultant rather than a direct employee, the city aims to work around the pension restrictions that cut his previous assistant chief tenure short.
Even among those who have been critical of the current leadership, there is a sense of cautious optimism. Police Union President Michael Salemme III, who has often been at odds with Chief Porter over management styles, offered support for this specific appointment, stating that it is good to see him coming back and helping out the city, and expressing his hope that it is a step in the right direction, though it won’t fix everything.
While the administration points to Cueto’s expertise, the move highlights the broader struggle of the Bridgeport Police Department to maintain a consistent executive team. With the department’s budget under constant scrutiny and the specter of federal litigation looming over its hiring practices, the city is betting that a consultant with deep local roots can provide the stability that has proven elusive for years. Whether this arrangement will satisfy the department’s internal needs or simply serve as a stopgap until the pending legal battles reach a resolution remains the central question for the city’s taxpayers.
