On Friday Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim launched a new initiative to help ex-felons find jobs.
Ganim was re-elected as mayor of Connecticut's largest city last November after spending seven years in prison.
He was convicted on 16 counts of federal corruption charges stemming from his last term in office from 1991 to 2003.
Ganim says the issue is close to his heart and he wants to help others who are just getting out of the corrections system.
“I found, in my life, after being locked up, coming back, with all the benefits that I have, of a strong, huge family that's not exactly poor, of a professional career, knowledge and education, that even for me, the challenges were, although more subtle than others have faced, were there nonetheless."
To incentivize companies to hire ex-felons, Ganim is looking to create a fund that would cover the cost of their salaries for the first few months.
The mayor has asked the city council to approve $50,000 in grants. The initiative has also applied for $8 million in federal grant money, and is seeking corporate donations as well. The mayor also called on local businesses to sign a pledge that says they're willing to employ ex-felons.
Copyright 2016 WSHU
